Unflinching zeal
Subtitle: the air battles over France and Britain, May-October 1940
By: Robin Higham
Publisher: Naval Institute Press
Published: 2012
Place of publication: Annapolis, Md
Language: eng
Number of pages: 317
ISBN-13: 9781612511115; 9781612511122
Subjects: Combat sustainability (Military science); German Aerial operations; Britain, Battle of, Great Britain, 1940; British Aerial operations; Great Britain. Royal Air Force; France. Armée de l'air; Campaigns; Great Britain; French Aerial operations; Germany. Luftwaffe; World War, 1939-1945; Germany; France; Air power; History
Description: "This consequential work by a pioneer aviation historian fills a significant gap in the story of the defeat of France in 1940. Higham also more fully explains the Battle of Britain and its influence on the Luftwaffe's invasion of the USSR. The author provides a comparative analysis of the French, German, and British air forces and then dissects their campaigns, losses, and replacement abilities. His research led to an important finding: the three air forces actually shot down only 19 percent of the number of aircraft claimed, and in the RAF's case, 44 percent of those shot down were readily repairable, contrasting with only 8 percent for the Germans and zero for the French. Higham concludes that awareness of consumption, wastage, and sustainability were intimately connected to survival, and his book emphasizes the necessity of realistic assessments."--Publisher description.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.