The Strike Wings: Special Anti-Shipping Squadrons 1942-1945 [Paperback]

Roy Conyers Nesbit (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Stationery Office (May 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0117726877
• ISBN-13: 978-0117726871
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,560,593 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Exciting Tales of Daring Low-Level Shipping Attacks!, March 30, 2006

By 

Michael OConnor "Wordsmith" (Wausau, WI USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The strike wings: Special anti-shipping squadrons, 1942-1945 (Hardcover)

RAF strike wing Beaufighter and Mosquito crews flew some of the hairiest attacks of the war against German shipping in the North Sea. Their previously unheralded exploits were first told in this extremely well-written book by Roy Conyers Nesbit, himself a Beaufort veteran.

Beginning in late 1942 Coastal Command Beaufighters from the North Coates Wing began striking German convoys. Sweeping across the North Sea at low level the RAF crews pitted their aircraft armed with cannons, machine guns, bombs and torpedoes against convoys defended by flak ships armed with machine guns and 20mm, 40mm, 88mm and 105mm cannons and often protected by Luftwaffe FW 190s and Me 109s. Beginning in 1943 rocket projectile were added to the Beau's arsenal. Other wings based at Wick, Leuchars and other bases joined the North Coates Wing in these attacks as did the Mosquito which began flying strikes in mid-1944. Regardless of unit or aircraft, these anti-shipping strikes remained vicious, deadly and costly affairs till war's end.

Roy Nesbit's book does full justice to these brave aircrew. His narrative puts you right in the cockpit and sweeps you along with the action as the Beaus and Mossies streak across the sea and pile into yet another convoy. Tracers everywhere, rockets streaking seaward, ships and aircraft blowing up - exciting stuff! Photographs of aircrew, aircraft and actual attacks complement his vivid narrative along with diagrams of many of the strikes.

If you are a Beaufighter or Mosquito fan, you will want this book. It is a well-researched and written tribute to the brave men of the strike wings. Highly recommended!

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent WW2 book on RAF Coastal Command Strike Wings, January 2, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Strike Wings: Special Anti-Shipping Squadrons 1942-1945 (Paperback)

An excellent book written by one of Britain's foremost researchers on the RAF in WW2. I highly recommend it for persons interested in the activities of the RAF in WW2. R C Nesbit was himself a navigator in coastal command in WW2.