Fighter Command’s Air War 1941: RAF Circus Operations and Fighter Sweeps Against the Luftwaffe - Hardcover

Franks, Norman

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1473847222 ISBN 13: 9781473847224

Publisher: Pen and Sword Military, 2016

Synopsis

Following the Battle of Britain, the RAF started taking the air war to the Germans. A small number of bombers, escorted by large numbers of fighters tried to force the Luftwaffe into battle. Much air combat ensued with RAF light bombers escorted by scores of fighters, but it was not until Germany invaded Russia in June 1941 that operations were stepped up in an effort to take pressure of Stalin’s Russian Front. Two major German fighter groups, JG26 and JG2, were, however, more than able to contain the RAF’s operations, generally only intercepting when conditions were in their favor. As the author describes, over-claiming combat victories by pilots of both sides is amazing, and several of the top aces had inflated scores. Fighter Command, however, lost massively even though they believed they were inflicting equal, if not better, losses on the Luftwaffe. This battle of attrition was virtually a reverse of the 1940 Battles over England, and pilots who had to bale out over France, were lost completely.

The book covers the 100+ Circus operations and their accompanying fighter Sweeps in detail, whilst also mentioning lesser operations where the RAF were concerned. The tactics employed by both sides are examined and show how each fighter force quickly adapted to changing conditions tempered by experiences gained in air combat.

About this title

About the Author:

Norman Franks is a respected historian and author. Previous titles for Pen and Sword include InThe Footsteps of the Red Baron (co-authored with Mike OConnor), The Fighting Cocks, RAF Fighter Pilots Over Burma, Dogfight, The Fallen Few of the Battle of Britain (with Nigel McCrery) and Dowdings Eagles. Over the course of his career, Frank has published some of the most compelling works on First World War fighter aviation, being one of the worlds leading authorities on the subject. He lives in Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex.

About this edition

• Publisher: Pen and Sword Military
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 1473847222
• ISBN 13: 9781473847224
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 256