In 1941, major German shipping companies faced a new threat when the RAF Coastal Command deployed the legendary long-range fighter Beaufighter. This aircraft and its later versions, the Mk. VIC and Mk. X, provided the Allies with a robust, relatively fast and very powerful platform for air attacks on German convoys, making it essential for the Kriegsmarine to equip its escort ships with increasingly heavy anti-aircraft batteries and even to develop special anti-aircraft ships. In this study, historian Matthew Willis traces the little-researched arms race in which the RAF Coastal Command and the Kriegsmarine fought a bitter battle for supremacy until the end of the war. Illustrations, rare archive photographs and contemporary accounts of Beaufighter missions add depth to the fascinating historical accounts, including the actions of the famous North Coates Strike Wing against shipping in the North Sea and the exploits of the Beaufighter units tasked with disrupting Rommel's vital supply lines.
Group
Books (first-hand)
Author
Willis, Matthew/Laurier, Jim (Illustr.)
Title
Beaufighter vs German Flak Ships
Details
English text, numerous black-and-white and colour illustrations, several colour plates. 80 pages.
