The British Commonwealth's War in the Air 1939-45

- Blurb -

This book provides a comprehensive explanation of the British Commonwealth's war in the air during the Second World War. It combines detailed studies into the tactics, techniques and technology, together with the personal accounts of the aircrew themselves, as they executed some of the most hazardous operations of the war. The first volume 'Through Adversity' covered how the British achieved air superiority, conducted bomber operations and supported maritime operations. Undaunted is the second and final volume of the series. It begins by explaining how Air Intelligence functioned and how the British used signals intelligence, interrogation and air photographic reconnaissance to develop a sophisticated understanding of the enemy. It continues by investigating the work of the Special Duties squadrons, explaining how they maintained contact and supported resistance and intelligence organisations in occupied countries in Europe and the Far East. The second volume's major focus is on the support provided to Ground Forces, relating the compelling story of how a disaster in France in 1940, forced a conceptual and organisational re-design of how Britain executed ground support operations. This pioneering work began in the Western Desert, reached maturity in Italy and was then used with devastating effect in NW Europe and the Far East. 'Undaunted' also covers the role British Commonwealth Air Forces played in air transportation. Examining the techniques of parachute and glider borne operations in Europe, as well as the decisive part air transport played in the Far East, particularly Burma where it became a hallmark of the Fourteenth Army's operational design. AUTHOR: Ben Kite is a British Army Officer who commissioned into the Intelligence Corps from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in 1990. He has conducted operations in Belize, Germany, Iraq, Afghanistan, South Africa, Bosnia and Kosovo and served with the RAF, Royal Marines and US Marine Corps as well as his own service. He is a graduate of the Higher Command and Staff Course and was awarded the OBE in 2011. 150 b/w illustrations, 15 maps and diagrams