Fighters Over the Fleet is an account of the parallel evolution of naval fighters for fleet air defense and the ships they sought to defend. This volume concentrates on the three main advocates of carrier warfare: the Royal Navy; the U.S. Navy; and the Imperial Japanese Navy.Because radar was not invented until the mid-1930s; fleet air defense was a primitive effort for flyers during the 1920s. Once the innovative system was developed and utilized; organized air defense became viable. Thus major naval-air battles of the Second World War―like Midway; the “Pedestal†convoy; the Philippine Sea and Okinawa―are portrayed as tests of the new technology. However; even radar was ultimately found wanting by the Kamikaze campaigns; which led to postwar moves toward computer control and new kinds of fighters.After 1945; the novel threats of nuclear weapons and stand-off missiles compounded the difficulties of naval air defense. The second half of the book covers the U.S. and Royal Navies’ attempts to resolve these problems by examining the U.S. experience in Vietnam and British operations during the Falklands War. The book then turns to the ultimate U.S. development of techniques and technology to fight the Outer Air Battle in the 1980s before concluding with the current state of technology supported carrier fighters.
#1386063 in Books 2013-11-15Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 11.40 x 1.10 x 9.80l; 3.92 #File Name: 159114065X352 pages
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Pre-Dreadnoughts In DetailBy Daryl CarpenterOf R A Burt's trilogy of books on British battleships; this one is certainly my favorite. British capitol ships built before 1906 tend to dwell in the footnotes and asides of naval history; usually only being mentioned in conjunction with their obsolescence in the post-Dreadnought era. This book provides a fairly detailed; and exceptionally well illustrated; study of every British battleship built from the signing of the Naval Defence Act of 1889; to the the "Lord Nelson" class of 1904. A lengthy introduction provides an overview of British big gun ships from 1869 to 1890; along with descriptions of guns and gunnery; major types of machinery; and the state of the Royal Navy in the late 1880s.The majority of the book focuses on the ships themselves; each class receiving it's own chapter. Each class receives a description of the basic design requirements and evolution; the ships' armament; armor; and machinery; appearance changes throughout the ship's service; and a chronological history of each ship. These descriptions are accompanied by a large number of tables; which provide details on proposed designs; legend and as-built particulars; costs; weight breakdowns; trials statistics; and stability figures. These; in turn; are accompanied by a large number of photographs; and plans drawn by the author.The photo quality in the revised edition is extremely good. The images are scanned directly from the original plate-glass negatives; and are occasionally so crisp and clear you can see every rivet in the ships' hulls. Many are spread across two pages; although thankfully; the editors at Seaforth are generally wise enough to avoid important details falling into the gutter. Mr. Burt's drawings are also of excellent quality; with the usual outboard and plan views accompanied by transverse and longitudinal sections through the hull.Although I'd love to see Norman Friedman take on the subject; especially after reading his excellent new book on post-Dreadnought British battleships; this an exceptionally fine reference work in it's own right. I would've liked some additional details on machinery and hull structure; but I suppose much on these ships have been lost to time. These ships put in incredibly hard service during World War One; and it's great to see at least one serious reference devoted to them. Each book in Burt's trilogy have their strong points; but this probably the most focused and detailed of the bunch.4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Essential reference.By Chris SterlingThis volume and the two that follow it are among the most important ever published on British battleships (and battle cruisers and even a few carriers made from battleships). Earlier editions are very expensive if you can find one. Well-researched and written; the photographs will grab your initial attention--large and clear; and many not published before. You can almost hear the waves--and guns. Along with the photos are excellent profile diagrams of changing ship types and their growing size. A brief color section illustrates changing ship colors from the Victorian to Edwardian navy; and large color profiles on the endpapers further show how these vessels really looked in their prime. (If you have the original edition; there is not much change here . . . but if these books are not yet on your shelf; take advantage of their reasonable price now.)4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. More Of The Best.By S. E. BradfieldI had already purchased the other two volumes; and I have an original copy of this one. I wanted this "New Revised Edition" to compare to the original and to have a matched set of all three. This edition really is revised; with new photos and new descriptions; and it maintains the magnificent standard set by Mr. Burt; with more attention to detail and history than any other volumes on the subject. That; and the price is very good at the moment.As far as I'm concerned; this is the definitve work on the subject.
