The forgotten offensive of the title is RAF Coastal Command's offensive against German sea-trade between 1940 and 1945. RAF Coastal Command is more usually known for its anti-submarine campaign, but while engaged in these operations it was also making a true offensive against the enemy's merchant shipping in north-west European waters. Germany relied on foreign sources of supply for most of its vital raw materials, the most important of which was Swedish iron ore, which had to be brought by ship to Germany. Although Britain was aware of this weakness in German war-making capacity long before...

Colonel Wells investigates the nature of aerial warfare and the men who took part. The book analyzes aircrew selection, reaction to combat, adaptability to stress, morale, leadership and combat effectiveness. First-hand reflections of combat flyers, published materials, reports and official documents are used to compare the efforts of the US Eighth Air Force and RAF Bomber Command.

This study explains how Westland dominated British helicopter production and why government funding and support failed to generate competitive "all-British" alternatives. In doing so, the book evaluates broader historiographic assumptions about the purported "failure" of british aircraft procurement during the early post-war period and considers the scope and limitations of licensed production as a government-mandated procurement strategy.

This work examines the evolution of the RAF's operational requirements for its home defence air force - for bombers to mount a deterrent counter offensive and for fighters to provide direct defence of Britain. It discusses the management processes, policies and decisions relevant to operational requirements on the basis of a detailed study of Air Ministry papers of the time. By tracing the development of operational requirements, the author exposes the thinking behind the RAF's quest for effective fighter and bomber aircraft. He describes the ideas and concepts of air warfare that were...