Full technical data on both sides equipment. Excellent coverage of the course o events with detailed diagrams and maps.
Looking forward to Vol 2 Battle of the Atalantic 1942 - 45.


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Battle of the Atlantic 1939–41: RAF Coastal Command's hardest fight against the U-boats: 15 Paperback – 31 March 2020
by
Mark Lardas
(Author),
Edouard A Groult
(Illustrator)
Mark Lardas
(Author)
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Product details
- Publisher : Osprey Publishing (31 March 2020)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 96 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1472836030
- ISBN-13 : 978-1472836038
- Dimensions : 15.32 x 0.69 x 22.38 cm
- Best Sellers Rank: 187,674 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- Customer Reviews:
Product description
Book Description
This is the David-and-Goliath story of how RAF Coastal Command battled with outdated aircraft against the deadly U-boat fleet during the crucial first years of World War II.
About the Author
Mark Lardas holds a degree in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, but spent his early career at the Johnson Space Center doing Space Shuttle structural analysis, and space navigation. An amateur historian and a long-time ship modeler, Mark Lardas currently lives and works in League City, Texas. He has written extensively about modeling as well as naval, maritime, and military history.
Edouard Groult grew up inspired by watching historical documentaries with his father and developed a fascination for historical and fantasy art. Following art studies in both Paris and Belgium he worked as a concept artist in the videogame industry and in recent years has also undertaken historical commissions while working as a freelancer for historical magazines. He lives and works in Oxford, UK.
Edouard Groult grew up inspired by watching historical documentaries with his father and developed a fascination for historical and fantasy art. Following art studies in both Paris and Belgium he worked as a concept artist in the videogame industry and in recent years has also undertaken historical commissions while working as a freelancer for historical magazines. He lives and works in Oxford, UK.
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4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
42 global ratings
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Owen Clark
3.0 out of 5 stars
Seems a bit rushed
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 1 June 2020Verified Purchase
This relatively short book, 96 pages, covers an important period in the Battle of the Atlantic when both sides were. operating under difficult conditions, lack of sufficient numbers of effective kit being one of them. On the whole the author tells the story well and the book is, in the tradition of Osprey well illustrated. However it does seem a bit rushed, the same facts repeated, the map on page 29 shows the Republic of Ireland as occupied by the British and Liberia where Libya should be! Also not sure the author always quite understands the. difference between the Fleet Air Arm and the RAF In the Fanad Head incident he suggests the Skuas from Ark Royal were flown by RAF pilots when in fact they were FAA pilots. Research could have been better, he quotes the Short Sunderland as carrying. 16 0.303 and two 0.50 machine guns, not on a.Mk.I, that would be about half that. All this does not detract from the main story, it is just lazy.
I would still recommend this book as a brief introduction and hopefully there will be further books to cover the rest of the battle.
I would still recommend this book as a brief introduction and hopefully there will be further books to cover the rest of the battle.
4 people found this helpful
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Bayard B.
4.0 out of 5 stars
OK. Describes tactics, aircraft development, low priority accorded to Coastal Command at the time.
Reviewed in the United States on 2 March 2020Verified Purchase
I thought this was a reasonably good book of the subject. It discusses British anti-submarine air tactics, weaponry, the technical development and characteristics of the airplanes, and also German U-boat characteristics and tactics of the same period. It also very clearly discusses the low priority accorded to Coastal Command by the RAF and the government Air Ministry in the 1930s and into the early war years. Churchill may have claimed after the war that the "Battle of the Atlantic" was his top concern, but that wasn't how he actually behaved in the period 1940-1942. He actively supported the RAF in it ineffectual bombing campaign against Germany and refused to allocate sufficient long-range aircraft to Coastal Command until late 1941 and the almost-disaster of the summer of 1942.
The is a small error in page 45, I believe. It states that there were approximately 6 000 ocean-going ships totaling 60 million tons world-wide in 1939. The 60 million tons is consistent with what I have read elsewhere. This implies an average ship size of 10 000 tons. This is off by a factor of at least 2. I have read elsewhere that the average ship size at that time was around 4 000 to 5 000 tons, which would imply a total of around 12 000 to 15 000 ocean-going ships.
A couple of other good books on Coastal Command are :
* "Royal Air Force Coastal Command" by Campbell (2013). This is a very comprehensive book on the subject.
* "Images of War: Coastal Command's Air War Against the German U-Boat" by Franks (2014). This is an adequate book, focusing mainly on squadrons and air crew activities.
The is a small error in page 45, I believe. It states that there were approximately 6 000 ocean-going ships totaling 60 million tons world-wide in 1939. The 60 million tons is consistent with what I have read elsewhere. This implies an average ship size of 10 000 tons. This is off by a factor of at least 2. I have read elsewhere that the average ship size at that time was around 4 000 to 5 000 tons, which would imply a total of around 12 000 to 15 000 ocean-going ships.
A couple of other good books on Coastal Command are :
* "Royal Air Force Coastal Command" by Campbell (2013). This is a very comprehensive book on the subject.
* "Images of War: Coastal Command's Air War Against the German U-Boat" by Franks (2014). This is an adequate book, focusing mainly on squadrons and air crew activities.
4 people found this helpful
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HMS Warspite
5.0 out of 5 stars
The unexpected fight...
Reviewed in the United States on 25 February 2020Verified Purchase
For reasons that the author will explore in some detail, neither the United Kingdom nor Germany expected a major battle in the North Atlantic over the British merchant marine lifeline at the start of the Second World War. The U-boat threat was underestimated by the British and under-resourced by Germany. Yet this unexpected fight would quickly strain the resources on both sides...
Author Mark Lardas has purposely restricted his coverage of the Battle of the Atlantic to the opening two years of 1939-41. The focus is on the fumbling efforts by the participants to find resources for that battle, and on the dire consequences of unpreparedness. Although there is some repetition in the narrative, this is an excellent account, very nicely supported with period photographs, illustrations, maps, and battle diagrams. Well recommended as an concise introduction to the topic. This reviewer hopes the author provides a follow-up account for the later years of the Battle of the Atlantic.
Author Mark Lardas has purposely restricted his coverage of the Battle of the Atlantic to the opening two years of 1939-41. The focus is on the fumbling efforts by the participants to find resources for that battle, and on the dire consequences of unpreparedness. Although there is some repetition in the narrative, this is an excellent account, very nicely supported with period photographs, illustrations, maps, and battle diagrams. Well recommended as an concise introduction to the topic. This reviewer hopes the author provides a follow-up account for the later years of the Battle of the Atlantic.
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Rick
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another great addition to a growing series
Reviewed in the United States on 5 March 2020Verified Purchase
I wasn't sure that I would take to the new air campaign series, but as books such as this one came along I have changed my opinion. While not the best of the books in the series, it covers the first few years of the Battle of the Atlantic and spotlights the two main weapons that would decide who would win, aircraft and U-boats. Touching on all aspects of the conflict, it points out the errors made by both sides in the beginning. Including stories of what occurred during this time kept the human element in focus. While it is easy for us to Monday Morning Quarterback, the book gives the reader an understanding of what was going on that made those decisions made back then as the best option. A great primer for understanding the battle of the Atlantic.
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Bruce D. Wright
5.0 out of 5 stars
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Reviewed in the United States on 11 November 2020Verified Purchase
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