THE PALADINS: A SOCIAL HISTORY OF THE RAF UP TO THE OUTBREAK OF WORLD WAR II
Prix régulier 40,00 € TTC 6%
Characteristics
| Book cover finish | Hardcover ( square back binding ) |
| Special features | First edition, Dust jacket |
| Condition | Used very good |
| Number of pages | 272 |
| Published date | 1990 |
| Language | English |
| Size | 15.5 x 24 x 2 cm |
| Author | John James |
| Editor | Macdonald |
Description
How ready for battle was the RAF on the eve of the Second World War? Who exactly were 'the few' to whom we owe so much? What was their fighting capacity and was it equal to the challenge?
In this compelling account of the origins and development of the RAF from its formation as the Army's Royal Flying Corps, through its evolution to a permanent and independent Service, John James presents a wealth of new evidence about the RAF's organization, strategy and preparedness for the Battle of Britain.
Here, for the first time, drawing on the hard but usually overlooked facts and figures of the official Air Force Lists and Estimates, the author is able to dispel many of the myths and misconceptions surrounding the history of the RAF in the pre-war years. He also traces the careers and influence of the fledgling Service's founding fathers; assesses the major social innovations in recruitment and training; and, above all, reveals the degree of precision planning by the Air Staff chiefs which has hitherto gone largely unrecognized.
In 1940 the Battle of Britain became the first battle between two air forces to be fought unaided, not as a subsidiary to any military or naval action. It stopped the Germans for the first time in eight years of unchecked advance. The beginnings of British air power, and the events which led up to those crucial weeks, are set out here in fascinating detail.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dr. John James is an Australian architect, builder, farmer, transpersonal therapist and medieval historian with a passion for discovery. For 30 years he has been searching to understand the workings of the human psyche, and for the origins of the Gothic style. In the latter pursuit he became a world authority on Chartres cathedral, and is currently producing a nine-volume thesaurus on early gothic in France. He has received many awards for this. In therapy he founded the Crucible Centre in the mountains west of Sydney described in his book "The Great Field."
(Source : amazon.com)