British Naval Aviation During the Interwar Era, 1919-1939

This is a reproduction of the Naval Staff History which was originally issued confidentially within the Admiralty for use within the Royal Navy. Containing classified material never previously published and including a new foreword by the First Sea Lord, this is the only book to provide a detailed history of the developments in British aviation during the interwar period and the early years of the Second World War.

Key themes are explored in two parts:

• naval aviation before the Second World War
• early war developments.

Dealing with the controversial issues of divided control between the Royal Navy and the RAF, this book also details the evolution of the air weapon and its influence on the general conduct of naval operations in the Second World War, and the subsequent effect these developments made in our methods of waging naval air warfare.

The detailed technical and operational histories and sensitive source material make this book an indispensable reference for all students of Naval History, War Studies and the Second World War and will also be of great interest to veteran groups and naval enthusiasts.