Customer Reviews

Armed Rovers (Airlife Classics)

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In 1989 Roy Conyers Nesbit published STRIKE WINGS, an exciting history of RAF anti-shipping wings in action over the North Sea. In this volume Nesbit, a strike wing veteran, details the exploits of RAF Beaufort and Beaufighter crews over the Mediterranean.

RAF strike aircraft played a vital role in Allied Med operations throughout the war. In late 1941 272 Squadron, equipped with Beaufighters, became operational. Later Beaufighter squadrons such as 252, 227, 603 and the Beaufort-equipped 39 Squadron ceaselessly attacked Axis sea and land targets throughout the Med. Casualties were heavy, sometimes approaching 50%, but the damage inflicted played a dominant role in the defeat of Rommel's Afrika Korps.

Nesbit does a fine job of summarizing the development and achievements of the various units in just 213 pages. He utilized records in Great Britain, Italy and Germany along with first-hand accounts. Consequently his book is chock-a-block full of details on the successes enjoyed and the losses suffered. And, along with relating the often hairy strikes flown, he does a good job of putting a human face on those intrepid airmen.

The book is illustrated with over 30 photographs of aircrew, aircraft and ships being attacked.

If you are looking for an interesting account of some incredibly dangerous combat flying, look no further. Nesbit's book is a comprehensive, exciting and well-researched history of brave RAF crews who pitted their aircraft against Axis shipping, often on a daily basis.

Given the subject of the book, it could be more exciting. It is entirely too dry with "so many aircraft attacked such and such convoy scoring so many hits with these losses." There is much better stuff in a The War in the Air: The Royal Air Force in WWII Gavin Lyall.
Nevertheless this is a good book on under-documented part of WWII. The Armed Rovers were vital to the victory in Africa. In fact, one part of the book details an attack on a convoy carrying precious petrol ot Rommmel. If the tanker had not been sunk (at the loss of serveral aircraft!) the outcome of Al Alamein might have been very different!
It was also amusing to read about Beaufighers being shot down Arado Ar196 floatplanes. Who would have believed that?

This is the perfect book to get an overview of anti-shipping operations in the Mediterranean by the RAF particularly if, like me, you're planning to do a lot more reading on the subject. This book really sets the scene. A fair bit of it reads like "The next day four Beaufighters of 272 Sqn in the anti flak role accompanied eight Beauforts of 39 Sqn..." and then details of any successes or losses. This might not be your cup of tea but it does strike home how frenetic these ops were as the pace is relentless and before you know it, you've read a chapter!

As much as possible, Nesbit includes details of particular crews on each trip and there are some interesting anecdotes regarding particular attacks, evasions etc. This is all put in context by the author describing what was going on in the theatre and war at that time. The flying is described matter of factly but I had to keep reminding myself that these guys rarely flew very high so any error of judgement often meant ploughing into the sea. Brave men indeed.

I thoroughly recommend The Armed Rovers to anyone looking for an overview of this aspect of the Mediterranean Theatre.