| Anti-Submarine Warfare in World War I: British Naval Aviation and the Defeat of the U-Boats Contributor(s): Abbatiello, John (Author) |
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ISBN: 0415763835 ISBN-13: 9780415763837 Publisher: Routledge OUR PRICE: $218.50 Product Type: Hardcover - Other Formats Published: December 2005 Annotation: This study investigates the employment of British aircraft against German submarines during the final years of the First World War-an issue that appears only marginally in other studies because it does not clearly fall into either naval or air power history. A single, focused study is needed to measure the effectiveness of the effort, place the campaign within the greater context of the naval and air wars, and assess the veracity of the secondary literature. This book also places the air anti-submarine campaign in the wider history of the First World War. Early chapters examine the aircraft and weapons technology, aircrew training, and aircraft production issues that shaped this campaign. Then, a close examination of anti-submarine operations-bombing, patrols, and escort-yields a significantly different judgment from existing interpretations of these operations. A chapter on the British official assessments, which provided a basis for much of the secondary literature, demonstrates that this campaign was often misrepresented because it was either used to promote specific agendas or it was inappropriately employed as evidence in unrelated historical arguments. This study would be the first to take an objective look at the writing and publication of the naval and air official histories as they told the story of naval aviation during the Great War. The next chapter examines the German view of aircraft effectiveness, through German actions, prisoner interrogations, official histories, and memoirs, to provide a comparative judgment. The conclusion closes with a brief narrative of post-war air anti-submarine developments and a summary of findings. The book concludes that despite thechallenges of organization, training, and production the employment of aircraft against U-boats was largely successful during the Great War. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - History | Military - World War I - History | Military - Naval - History | Military - Aviation |
| Dewey: 940.451 |
| LCCN: 2005016865 |
| Series: Cass Series: Naval Policy and History |
| Physical Information: 0.78" H x 6.32" W x 9.44" (1.13 lbs) 256 pages |
| Themes: - Cultural Region - Germany - Cultural Region - British Isles - Chronological Period - 1900-1919 |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: Investigating the employment of British aircraft against German submarines during the final years of the First World War, this new book places anti-submarine campaigns from the air in the wider history of the First World War. The Royal Naval Air Service invested heavily in aircraft of all types-aeroplanes, seaplanes, airships, and kite balloons-in order to counter the German U-boats. Under the Royal Air Force, the air campaign against U-boats continued uninterrupted. Aircraft bombed German U-boat bases in Flanders, conducted area and 'hunting' patrols around the coasts of Britain, and escorted merchant convoys to safety. Despite the fact that aircraft acting alone destroyed only one U-boat during the war, the overall contribution of naval aviation to foiling U-boat attacks was significant. Only five merchant vessels succumbed to submarine attack when convoyed by a combined air and surface escort during World War I. This book examines aircraft and weapons technology, aircrew training, and the aircraft production issues that shaped this campaign. Then, a close examination of anti-submarine operations-bombing, patrols, and escort-yields a significantly different judgment from existing interpretations of these operations. This study is the first to take an objective look at the writing and publication of the naval and air official histories as they told the story of naval aviation during the Great War. The author also examines the German view of aircraft effectiveness, through German actions, prisoner interrogations, official histories, and memoirs, to provide a comparative judgment. The conclusion closes with a brief narrative of post-war air anti-submarine developments and a summary of findings. Overall, the author concludes that despite the challenges of organization, training, and production the employment of aircraft against U-boats was largely successful during the Great War. This book will be of interest to historians of naval and air power history, as well as students of World War I and military history in general. |