Baldrick62
08-30-2012, 11:52
Submit a Book ReviewBook Title:
London 1917-18: The Bomber Blitz Author:
Ian Castle ISBN:
978-1-84603-682-8 Category:
History Format:
Paperback Summary:
Osprey Campaign 227, effectively a 'part 2' to 'Campaign 193: London 1914-17: The Zeppelin Menace', is a 96pp effort in standard Osprey Campaign format. After a brief introductory background and chronology, the opposing commanders and their plans are examined before getting into the meat of the book detailing (to individual aircraft and casualties) the activities of the Gothas of the Englandergeschwader and the Giants of Rfa501. The book is well illustrated with maps of the more significant raids and well supported by photos. There is a 3pg appendix with the ORBATs of forces involved in each of the 17 raids.
The narrative begins with the complacency which set in following suspension/defeat of the Zeppelin raids, through the plans starved of resources to the Smuts Report and the setting up of the London Air Defence Area, using techniques and procedures that migrated to the 'Dowding System' of WWII and are still fundamental today, as seen with the Air Security Plan for the 2012 London Olympics, with the networking and integration of passive and active surveillance and weapons systems with an effective C2 structure.
Apart from the airpower principles which came from this period of area and point defence against air attack and the tension of the value of targeting population centres to reduce the opponent's will to fight and drain away resources from the land battle front(s), there are also further enduring legacies; namely, the formation of the RAF as an independent air force and the existence of the House of Windsor (which until 10 days after the second daylight raid on London had been the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha).
58876
London 1917-18: The Bomber Blitz Author:
Ian Castle ISBN:
978-1-84603-682-8 Category:
History Format:
Paperback Summary:
Osprey Campaign 227, effectively a 'part 2' to 'Campaign 193: London 1914-17: The Zeppelin Menace', is a 96pp effort in standard Osprey Campaign format. After a brief introductory background and chronology, the opposing commanders and their plans are examined before getting into the meat of the book detailing (to individual aircraft and casualties) the activities of the Gothas of the Englandergeschwader and the Giants of Rfa501. The book is well illustrated with maps of the more significant raids and well supported by photos. There is a 3pg appendix with the ORBATs of forces involved in each of the 17 raids.
The narrative begins with the complacency which set in following suspension/defeat of the Zeppelin raids, through the plans starved of resources to the Smuts Report and the setting up of the London Air Defence Area, using techniques and procedures that migrated to the 'Dowding System' of WWII and are still fundamental today, as seen with the Air Security Plan for the 2012 London Olympics, with the networking and integration of passive and active surveillance and weapons systems with an effective C2 structure.
Apart from the airpower principles which came from this period of area and point defence against air attack and the tension of the value of targeting population centres to reduce the opponent's will to fight and drain away resources from the land battle front(s), there are also further enduring legacies; namely, the formation of the RAF as an independent air force and the existence of the House of Windsor (which until 10 days after the second daylight raid on London had been the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha).
58876