John Abbatiello

Dissecting the aviation aspects of the Royal Navy's war against the U-Boat in the Great War, the author comes to a number of conclusions. One, that in concert with the convoy system this was a worthwhile exercise. Two, that while great strides were made during the war the failure to create an organization resembling the RAF's Coastal Command undercut efforts to create a doctrine that would have maximized results. Three, there was still some exaggeration of what was achieved after the war; the official historical record becoming a tool in the Admiralty's conflict with the new RAF.

If nothing else one does come away from this monograph with the impression that the creation of the independent air arm was an intelligent move, due to genuine duplications of efforts in regards to missions that probably weren't within the purview of the Royal Navy; such as air defense of the homeland and a counter-force effort against the German naval facilities in the Flanders that was indistinguishable from the general strategic bombing effort.… (altro)