Book Reviews

AEROSPACE / DECEMBER 201944

Afterburner

THE ROYAL AIR FORCE

Above: Short S25 Sunderland GRV, SZ589. Initially, the RAF struggled to hit a moving target at sea in WW2. RAeS (NAL).

The first one hundred yearsBy J Buckley and P Beaver

Oxford University Press, Oxford. 2018. xvi; 259pp. Illustrated. ISBN 978-0-19-879803-3.

Conceived in the midst of war through the 1917 Air Force (Constitution) Act, the formation of the Royal Air Force (RAF) on 1 April 1918 – through the amalgamation of the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) – created “arguably the largest air force then in existence” (p 26) though the authors’ opening chapter concludes “in reality ... the Great War did a great deal more for air power than air power did for the war” (p 28) rather overlooking the personal sacrifice of the thousands of airmen who lost their lives in WW1.

This sets for the tone for this revisionist reassessment of the capabilities and effectiveness of the RAF during its first century, it being noted that it has “ ... only existed in an era of diminishing national wealth and declining relative global power” (p 6). Post-WW1 the legacy of Trenchard and Salmond ensured the RAF’s survival through its cost-effective Imperial policing of British colonies and areas of administration, particularly in Mesopotamia/Iraq/Persia, underlining how long Britain has played a key role in this region (a fascinating interwar period for which the reader should consult C Bowyer RAF Operations 1918-1938 [William Kimber. 1988]; V Flintham Truculent Tribes Turbulent Skies [Air-Britain. 2015] and B Renfrew Wings of Empire [The History Press. 2015] to learn more).

The central core of the book (77 pages) is occupied by a penetrating review of air operations of WW2 – based partly on the statistical analysis undertaken by Operational Research – in which both the failings (on a number of occasions the RAF’s initial inability to hit a moving target at sea is recorded) and accomplishments are noted, reflecting the authors’ perspective that “the RAF’s role in the Second World War is pivotal to understanding the air force’s standing in society” (p 4). Particularly revealing is the chapter on the operations of Bomber Command and its raids on Dresden, Cologne and Hamburg among others. “No other element of the RAF’s history has been so controversial, so mired in deeply held myths, and so fogged by ill-informed pontification” (p 94) – which ultimately cost the lives of around 55,000 serving personnel. In addition to personal sacrifice ultimately Britain was not overrun through a co-ordinated combination of organisation within the RAF and the individual capabilities of its High Commanders (Dowding, Portal, Tedder, Harris, Joubert de la Ferté,

Coningham among others) supported by the Chain Home radar, Royal Observer Corps, Air Transport Auxiliary and the massive acceleration in aircraft production and aircrew training.

Post-1945, as the RAF entered the jet age the analysis (96pp) focuses more on the technological capabilities of the RAF’s fleet – over 70 aircraft types are mentioned “... a host of new designs, some excellent, and a few mediocre” (p 156) – and their weapon systems, perhaps reflecting the specialisms of the two co-authors. Operations in Suez, Aden, Malayan Insurgency, Kenyan Mau-Mau Emergency, Falklands, the Gulf Wars, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Libya through to the Tornado air strikes against Syria in April 2018 among others are described, as the narrative flows back and forth – sometimes confusingly – across the decades (supported by informative maps which show the geographical strategic importance of Malta, Singapore, Cyprus and the Ascension Islands) as “the RAF’s fortunes ebbed and flowed with the fortunes of the nation” (p 180). Many of these operations took place in the shadow of the Cold War, epitomised in the creation of the nuclear V-Force bomber capability, RAF Germany and the deployment of the Douglas Thor IRBM.

The book ends with a balanced assessment of the impacts of the seemingly endless cycle of political defence reviews (seven are separately recorded between 1990-2010), the ‘future proofing’ of the RAF symbolised in the anticipated deployment in 2021 of the Protector long-endurance UAV and the launch in January 2018 of the RAF Carbonite-2 reconnaissance satellite as the militarisation of outer space evolves. The lack of resources against demands is apparent throughout, as aircraft types have to serve longer than originally planned for – for example the Chinook “... is likely to serve for seven decades, as there is no true

In conclusion this compact volume is not a book to be skimmed through but deserves to be closely read for the insightful commentary it contains

DECEMBER 2019 45i fFind us on Twitter Find us on LinkedIn Find us on Facebook www.aerosociety.com

Sir Richard Fairey, 1887-1956. RAeS (NAL).

Peter ReeseAMRAeS

THE MAN WHO BUILT THE SWORDFISHThe Life of Sir Richard FaireyBy A Smith

I B Tauris & Co Ltd, 6 Salem Road, London W2 4BU, UK. 2018. xxii; 455pp. Illustrated. £25. ISBN 978-1-78831-336-0.

Adrian Smith’s biography of Richard Fairey marks an important addition to accounts about the colourful and enduring entrepreneurs from the early days of British aircraft construction. Fairey’s 40-year working relationship with the Royal Navy richly merits comparison with other long-standing pioneers like Tommy Sopwith, Geoffrey de Havilland, Frederick Handley Page (whose own biography is still to be written) and the Short Brothers.

Smith rapidly introduces his readers to someone of large stature (Fairey was over 6 feet 6 inches tall) with a strong early interest in aviation and a determination never to be poor. We learn that Fairey acquired his theoretical knowledge of engineering the hard way through evening classes at Finsbury Technical College – a flagship establishment for vocational education – while working full-time. His aviation career was launched when winning a national model aircraft competition held at Crystal Palace following which he straightway sold his innovative design to Gamages, the famous London store. He then, in 1911, commenced work with designer J W Dunne developing his experimental aircraft before joining the Short Brothers at their aeroplane factory on the Isle of Sheppey. Within 30 months he had progressed to become Works Manager and Chief Engineer.

In 1915 Fairey formed his own company constructing aircraft for the Royal Navy, during the 1920s and early 1930s producing cutting-edge seaplanes. However, not all were of advanced-

Adrian Smith’s biography of Richard Fairey marks an important addition to accounts about the colourful and enduring entrepreneurs from the early days of British aircraft construction

RAF Chinook helicopters from18 (B) Squadron practising desert operations during Exercise Vortex Warrior. Could the Chinook see 70 years’ service in the RAF? MoD/Crown copyright (2019).

technology; with war in prospect, he obtained large orders for planes like the Fairey Swordfish and the Fairey Battle. The Swordfish, as a canvas-covered, open cockpit biplane, was already obsolete by WW2 but, because of its durability and outstanding crews, it gained many successes against enemy shipping until 1942 when a whole squadron was annihilated, while the Fairey Battle light bomber was always too slow and vulnerable to succeed. For all that, through a combination of shrewd company reconstructions, successful investments and his assiduity “in cultivating contacts at every level of Government and the Armed Forces,” Fairey himself surmounted the economic blizzards of the time to become an increasingly rich man.

Fairey spent the war in Washington heading the British Air Commission concerned with the supply of aircraft from America, for which he was awarded a Knighthood. By now a sick man he returned to Fairey to help oversee its Delta 2 supersonic fighter and the Rotodyne, a large compound helicopter, whose costly development after his death, led Fairey Aviation to be subsumed by Westland. As for the Delta 2, although capturing the World Speed record, it was never as easy to fly – nor such a good weapons platform as the English Electric Lightning – which resulted in its cancellation.

While Smith’s wide ranging and acute biography fully recognises Fairey’s ferocious right-wing bias, financial ruthlessness and sedulous courting of the powerful, he also has no doubt that – unlike others – he never fell for Fascist propaganda and never ceased to believe that Britain would have to fight Germany again.

Even so, in spite of his undoubted achievements, the reader has the distinct impression that Fairey’s enterprises never reached the highest levels of Sopwith’s Hawker Company nor matched the repeated inventive triumphs of Geoffrey de Havilland.

replacement on the horizon” (p 233) – a revealing statement recording: “Aircraft not in regular RAF operation earn extra revenue as passenger transport for package holidaymakers” (pp 233-234), surely a role that its founder Trenchard did not envisage for the RAF’s fleet.

In conclusion this compact volume is not a book to be skimmed through but deserves to be closely read for the insightful commentary it contains on the challenges which the RAF has faced during its first century of existence.

Brian RiddleAffiliate

46

Book ReviewsAfterburner

AEROSPACE / DECEMBER 2019

magazine covers (which are beautifully reproduced in this volume), films and air displays of the time as aircraft flew further, faster and higher. Endurance flights – where the pilot and technological advances in aircraft design were pushed to their limits – attracted a wide range of pilots who became household names, Lindbergh’s 1927 solo transatlantic flight identified as “... the decisive moment of the transfiguration of flight from a war-tainted technology to a technology of the future” (p 141), the growing menace of air power first experienced in the Great War to be soon relived in WW2.

Although the book is international in coverage, it is noted “the story of flight told here is a British one” (p 8), concluding with the observation that, by the late 1960s, British companies “continued to make engines and components for aeroplanes, but without the generous investment of post-war research and development, could no longer make new aircraft” (p 206).

Lily Ford’s astute supporting narrative contains a subtext as she aims “... to make a start at bringing women into the history of flight, which seems traditionally to have been told by men to men and boys”, rather overlooking the 100s of articles and growing library of books that have been published on women and aviation over the years.

A few lapses – mainly spellings – were noted; the pioneering air shows at Doncaster and Blackpool were held in October 1909 (not 1911), Ernest Montaut (not Monteaux) was the French artist who designed the Reims 1909 ‘La Grande Semaine d’Aviation de la Champagne’ poster, D F McIntyre (not Macintyre) flew over Mount Everest in 1933 and Bert (not Burt) Smallways witnessed ‘The War in the Air’ by H G Wells.

Nevertheless, this informative text deserves to be added to the bibliography of notable books on aviation history which concludes the volume.

Brian RiddleAffiliate

TAKING TO THE AIRAn Illustrated History of FlightBy L Ford

The British Library, 96 Euston Road, London NW1 2DB, UK. 2018. 224pp. Illustrated £25. ISBN 978-0-7123-5261-1.

Britannia Must Rule the Air ... Issued under the auspices of the Aerial League of Great Britain ... This Song May be Sung in Public Without Fee or Licence’ (published c.1913 and a chorus to rally round in these uncertain troubled times) is just of the many delights to be found turning the pages of this visual celebration of how the spectacle of aviation has pervaded the artistic imagination and popular culture from prehistory through to the glamour of jet age and Dan Dare “ ... a Biggles-type figure who reiterated narratives of imperial expansion and defence in outer space just as the nation’s empire on Earth was falling away” (p 191).

The dream of flight – the conquest of the air – haunted successive generations for centuries; the mythological tale of Icarus falling to his death after the Sun melted the wax which held together his wing-like structure and the fatalities of early tower jumpers symbolic of the dangers which aviation has experienced throughout its history.

Over the centuries various designs for flying machines were recorded on paper, models were made, but it was not until the late-18th century during the Enlightenment pursuit of scientific knowledge that Man gained the ability to travel through the air – by balloon. The balloon was born in France in 1783, the experiences of the pioneering aeronauts captured in numerous prints, engravings, fashion accessories and published accounts that fuelled a ‘balloonmania’ to sweep the continent.

Man was to travel by balloon – and later by airship – for more than 120 years before the first aeroplane left the ground and the era of powered flight began. Nevertheless, reproductions of such futuristic designs as W S Henson’s Aerial Steam Carriage shaped the heavier-than-air flying machine in the public imagination.

Following the Wright brothers pivotal 1903 flight and the subsequent first powered flights in Europe, seemingly overnight an extensive aircraft industry arose with a host of aircraft manufacturers, suppliers, specialist journals and the beginning of aeronautical trade exhibitions. Thereafter aviation spread rapidly over the face of the globe and Man had truly joined the birds in the conquest of the air.

The 1920s and 1930s witnessed a ‘golden age’ of flying as major advances in air travel and in the design of aircraft brought aviation to the forefront of the public imagination, reflected in the posters, book/

The 1920s and 1930s witnessed a ‘golden age’ of flying as major advances in air travel and in the design of aircraft brought aviation to the forefront of the public imagination

Top: Salon Aeronautique at the Grand Palais, Paris, in September 1909.Above: The front cover of Automobilia and Flight, April 1909, VI, (45).Both RAeS (NAL).

DECEMBER 2019 47i fFind us on Twitter Find us on LinkedIn Find us on Facebook www.aerosociety.com

Owen’s work on air mobility is unique, in that it investigates the importance of air mobility in any strategic context, but it also sheds light on the importance of air mobility for smaller nations

ROUTLEDGE HANDBOOK OF AIR POWER

integrating them into a NATO dominated alliance structure. This was particularly the case with Arab states but it also affected Sweden. Sanu Kainikara’s chapter, meanwhile, gives the reader an analytical overview of Indian air power since its inception, showing how the Indian Air Force (IAF), in particular, has developed into an instrument of power projection. The chapter brings the reader’s attention to a little-known conflict between Pakistan and India in 1999 which caused a radical change in how India viewed its conventional deterrence. The so-called Kargil War of 1999 is not widely known in the West, mainly because it occurred at the same time as the Kosovo campaign. A major Pakistani infiltration across the Indo-Pakistani border was reversed by the IAF and Pakistan has been reluctant to engage in any major adventurism since. India sees the IAF as a major deterrent to China, short of a nuclear exchange. Meanwhile, Igor Sutyagin’s chapter on Russian air power provides both reassurance and disquiet for NATO. While the Russian Air Force has lacked the type of investment it may have wished for, it has resuscitated its long-range bomber capability and it is clear that involvement in Syria has proved useful as a testing arena for the latest tactics and weapons. Russia also remains a world leader in ground-based air defence and continues to supply several, potentially hostile, nations with Russian systems.

This edited work has filled a sizeable gap in the literature and is comprehensive in its coverage. Some chapters do not do full justice to their subjects (such as the one devoted to Air-Sea Integration, for example, which focuses on carrier operations and misses significant land-based maritime strike experience, both during WW2 and since). Nonetheless, John Olsen has performed a great service to modern security studies by compiling this work.

Dr Christina GoulterFRAeSCo-Director Sir Michael Howard Centre for the History of War and Head, King’s College Air Power Studies Research Group

Edited by J A Olsen

Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon OX14 4RN, UK. 2018. xix; 405pp. £175. ISBN 978-1-138-63260-8. RAeS members can access an e-Book edition of this title online via the National Aerospace Library’s e-Book service www.aerosociety.com/ebooks

John Andreas Olsen’s objective of increasing our understanding of air power has been magnificently achieved in this single volume. He assembled some of the leading air power scholars around the world but also added scholars who understand the value of air power in a wider strategic context.

As John Olsen reminds us in his introduction, air power is not just about aircraft, weapon systems or even attack. Air power is often at its most effective when not delivering kinetic effect. However, one of the most important contributions made by this edited work is the light it sheds on leadership, training, education and the factors which influence the conduct of air operations, such as Rules of Engagement (ROE) and the Laws of Armed Conflict (LOAC). One of the best chapters is by Ben Lambeth in his discussion of air power in irregular warfare scenarios. He makes the point that it is all too easy to claim that air power has been less effective in counter-insurgency or irregular warfare compared with state-on-state conflict and reminds readers that the modern COIN campaign could do little without aerial surveillance or air mobility. Coupled with a rigorous targeting process and precision weapons, air power in such scenarios has saved lives, not squandered them.

Several other authors, including Robert Owen and Gjert Dyndal, also explore the non-kinetic roles for air power. Owen’s work on air mobility is unique, in that it investigates the importance of air mobility in any strategic context, but it also sheds light on the importance of air mobility for smaller nations, such as New Zealand. One of the flaws of recent air power discourse is that it tends to focus on the major powers, especially the US, UK and France, and the value of air power as a force multiplier for smaller nations is rarely addressed. Gjert Dyndal also underscores the cost-saving and force multiplying effects of aerial surveillance and air-derived intelligence.

Among the other stand-out chapters are those by Christian Anrig, Igor Sutyagin and Sanu Kainikara. These chapters provide unique insights into non-NATO air power in the 21st century. Christian Anrig explores the positive and negative aspects of operating in large coalition and alliance settings and the issues which can arise over interoperability and intelligence sharing, in particular. In the Libyan air campaign of 2011 several non-NATO partners were involved to good effect but there were difficulties

Above: A Royal Australian Air Force Lockheed Martin C-130J Hercules provides transport to the South Australian fire fighting deployment against the recent bush fires. Commonwealth of

Australia, Department of Defence.