RAF Handbook 1939-1945 - Hardcover

It opens with a brief history of the service, followed by a chapter that reviews its situation on the outbreak of war. The chapters that follow look at the structure of the RAF, from the Air Ministry and Chief of the Air Staff down to squadron level, to include each of the Commands, including Transport Command (a creation of the war years). The main aircraft types used are listed, as well as a full listing of squadrons and airfields in the British Isles. The training of personnel, and such matters as uniforms, rank insignia, medals and life on a typical airfield, are also covered. The main battles or campaigns in which the service was involved are also described.

DAVID WRAGG has written some twenty books on aviation and naval history, including Royal Navy Handbook 1939-1945 (Sutton, 2005); Swordfish: The Raid on the Italian Fleet at Taranto (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2003); Fleet Air Arm Handbook 1939-1945 (Sutton, 2001 and 2003); and Carrier Combat (Sutton, 1997, and The Naval Institute Press, USA). He lives in Edinburgh.