Bidspirit auction | The Battle of The Atlantic

The Battle of The Atlantic & Signals Intelligence: U-Boat Situations & Trends, 1941-1945 Hardback Book. Publisher: Ashgate. © 1998. Prices on Abebooks range from £15 to £57. An essential, multi-part historical reference series that compiles every documented aerial combat claim submitted by Royal Air Force fighter pilots during the conflict. Published across three chronological volumes by specialized aviation publishers like Red Kite and Philedition, this set unifies fragmented, day-by-day wartime data into a comprehensive directory for historians and genealogists. The first volume, 1939-40, chronicles the defensive beginnings of the war. It covers early actions off the Scottish coast, the Phoney War, the campaigns in Norway, France, and Belgium, the evacuation of Dunkirk, and the definitive Battle of Britain. It details nearly 5,000 initial claims for aircraft destroyed, shared, probably destroyed, or damaged. The second volume, 1941-43, documents the transitional phase where RAF Fighter Command shifted from defensive operations to offensive tactical sweeps across Occupied Europe. Key historical segments featured include the end of the Blitz, the circus operations over France, the introduction of the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 (”Butcher Bird”), and the costly Dieppe Raid. Part Three: 1943–1945 is the final installment covers the climax of the European air war. It highlights large-scale Allied offensive builds, bomber escort missions, tactical support for the D-Day Normandy invasion, and the ultimate aerial assault on the Third Reich until V-E Day. Only Volume 1 is found on Abebooks, one priced at £15, and one at £20.