[chuck1945]

I just got this book, so the comments are VERY preliminary. I have read several pages, the author (Ron Mackay) uses the first two chapters to briefly take the reader through the development of carrier aviation in the Royal Navy, 1917-39.

The remainder of the book, chapters 3-13 cover WWII. There are 2 appendicies, Appendix A consists of 16 color drawings of FAA aircraft (artist Steve Ferguson) and Appendix B is a list of wartime Naval Air Stations.

What I have noticed most so far is that it looks like a 'one stop summary' for the FAA in WWII, nothing too detailed, but a single reference giving a thumbnail coverage of the FAA at war. Often the photos have comments regarding what colors the aircraft in the photographs are wearing, but I suspect whomever did the captions simply used a chart of what the colors were supposed to be. I base this on comments that up through early 1940 (as far as I have read so far) everything is EDSG/DSG/Sky, in other words, the Temperate Sea Scheme. Most literature I have seen indicates that at least through 1940, the undersides were much more likely to be a mixed grey or sky grey rather then Sky.

Again, based upon what I have seen so far, it will appeal to many with a passing interest in the FAA during WWII if only due to the relative scarcity of FAA material.

Chuck King