British Naval Aviation in the Mediterranean during World War II

Overlaid by a new introduction, this is a reproduction of the Naval Staff History, which was never issued within the Admiralty. It was originally classified Confidential for use within the Royal Navy, describing the complex series of naval aviation developments and operations in the Mediterranean during the Second World War.

These operations (together with those in the Atlantic and the Far East, which are covered in another volume of this series) contributed to the defeat of all three Axis Powers. The book is laid out in a chronological form, which is essentially a narrative of operations by Royal Naval aircraft carriers and their aircraft. This narrative is interspersed with chapters dealing with the technical developments in British naval aviation during the Second World War. The three areas have one thing in common, and that is the use (at an increasing frequency) of more than one aircraft carrier in single tactical groups to achieve massed air effect on chosen targets. At the same time, the History does not shrink from exposing the shortcomings of the Royal Navya (TM)s aviation capability.