The British Fleet Air Arm in World War II

Both the first and the last Axis aircraft downed by British pilots in World War II fell to the Fleet Air Arm - just one of the facts revealed in this long-needed account of the Royal Navy's Air Branch in 1939-45. After years of interwar neglect, the Fleet Air Arm entered the war with meagre and obsolete equipment and just four aircraft carriers. Under continual operational pressure, the service was steadily rebuilt, winning significant mid-war victories, and ended the war with 59 carriers. This account is illustrated with official and rare private photographs, with colour uniform plates and battle paintings. Book jacket.Barber, Mark is the author of 'The British Fleet Air Arm in World War II' with ISBN 9781846032837 and ISBN 1846032830.