Catalina Over Arctic Oceans: Anti-Submarine and Rescue Flying in World War 2 - Hardcover

Catalina Over Arctic Oceans, John French, 9781781590539, P&S This is a quality publication, with a striking cover picture of the sea plane and the enemy u-boat and photos of the author that will fire the interest of those who see the book. From the opening introductions by the author and the editor it is clear that this book has been a true labour of love in it's writing and eventual completion. This is an important book not only to war historians but to local historians of Suffolk and I am pleased that the notes from this time have been kept and organised into this book which will make an excellent addition to the collection of those who buy it. Felixstowe Radio This is an interesting account and he never lost his interest in keeping records of the aircraft he saw. He even managed to identify the Curtiss Condor freighters that used to make landfall at Harwich before the war en route to Croydon! -Bookshelf

John French first took up flying in 1937 with the University of London Air Squadron, and this move was to signal the start of a long and varied career in flight which would see him involved in some of the most iconic wartime exploits of the Twentieth Century. Posted to Gibraltar in the midst of war, he flew sorties in support of the North African landings during Operation Torch, a particularly interesting episode in Second World War history. From here, he was to work on the iconic Catalina - the spectacular water plane, employed to such great effect in an array of military operations in the latter half of the Twentieth Century. His exploits are relayed in vivid, first hand detail, offering fresh insights into this period of history from a man engaged at the heart of the action. Post war exploits flow into accounts of wartime engagement, and there is space too in which to detail John's post-war career behind the Iron Curtain. Diary entries, edited and complied by his grandson Anthony Holt, have been lovingly woven together to create a complete narrative which spans a career of such wide spanning variety and achievement to make it perfect material for a book such as this.