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Ken Delve
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The Desert Air Force in World War II: Air Power in the Western Desert, 1940-1942 Kindle Edition

by Ken Delve (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 out of 5 stars 37 ratings
This is a comprehensive reference to the structure, operation, aircraft and men of the 1st Tactical Air Force, or Desert Air Force as it became known. It was formed in North Africa to support the 8th Army and included squadrons from the RAF, SAAF, RAAF and eventually the USAAF. The book includes descriptions of many notable defensive and offensive campaigns, the many types of aircraft used, weapons and the airfields that played host to these events. The five main sections of the book include a general historical introduction and overview, operations, operational groups, aircrew training and technical details of each aircraft type. Lengthy annexes cover personnel, the squadrons in World War II, accuracy of attacks, orders of battle for each wartime year, maps of airfield locations and numbers of enemy aircraft downed.
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  1. Print length
    576 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Pen & Sword Aviation
  4. Publication date
    March 31, 2017
  5. File size
    28.1 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
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  8. Enhanced typesetting
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"...picking over the text reveals a good deal more than expected about British air power in the desert."
Historical Miniatures Gaming Society

“This work is an overall look at the Desert Air Force. Its aircraft and weapons are covered in detail with many drawings and photographs. The airfields, operations, and aircrew are also given detailed attention. The notable offensive and defensive battles are explained well… a good general view of an air force that deserves more attention that it usually receives.”
WWII History June 2018

"...the book's greatest strength in its ability to put the reader in the pilot seat and really grasp the dangers and difficulties these brave men faced."
Globe at War

About the Author

Ken Delve served 20 years in the Royal Air Force as a Navigator and during that time developed his passion for aviation and military history. From researching and publishing the history of his first squadron – 39 Squadron, which had played a major role in defeating Rommel’s supply lines – he has subsequently written over 40 books and numerous articles.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0725YQGPW
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Pen & Sword Aviation (March 31, 2017)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 31, 2017
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 28.1 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 576 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 out of 5 stars 37 ratings

About the author

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Ken Delve

Ken Delve

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Ken Delve had a 20-year career with the Royal Air Force including tours on the Canberra PR.9 (39 Sqn), Tornado GR.1 (IX Sqn) and Tornado GR.1A (II Sqn), as well as time as an instructor with 6 FTS at Finningley.

New projects:

1. Gallantry awards to all RAF personnel since 1914 - comprehensive database will be going on line early 2021; I am looking for photographs of individuals and their medals / medal groups to help illustrate the database. contact historian@rafht.co.uk

2. Casualties RAF World War Two - looking for researchers to help locate and photograph RAF graves. for more information on how you can help, contact historian@rafht.co.uk

An Archaeologist by degree, Ken was 'nominated' as Squadron Historian when he arrived on 39 Squadron in 1977, thus beginning his interest in researching RAF history, and to his first book, 'The Winged Bomb: A history of 39 Squadron'. Many more books and countless articles have followed and Ken aims to combine official information, such as from Operational Record Books, with the personal recollections of air crew and ground crew in the books and articles he produces.

Having left the RAF he became editor of FlyPast magazine, and later Editor in Chief at Key Publishing. This was a fascinating period with opportunities to meet veterans, warbird owners and enthusiasts. He also started support for the RAF Heraldry Trust during this period and is now a Trustee of this organization - visit the Trust website at www.rafht.co.uk!

Having spent a number of years living and working in the Middle East, he returned to his first passion of aviation writing.

Ken is also the founder of the Aviation History Research Centre, which aims to provide a sharing forum for information and the preservation of historic documents and photographs relating to the RAF.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
37 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Writing Historian
    3.0 out of 5 stars A Mix of Impressions and Facts about the pre-2d Alamein Western Desert Air Force
    Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    As I read the introduction for this book, the author explained that it did not attempt to present a comprehensive history of the Western Desert Air Force, but rather provide readers with impressions of its activities. I briefly wondered why Delve set a low bar for his own work, but decided to press on.

    I discovered the impressions, as defined by the author, consisted of lengthy quotes from eye witnesses to events. At times, these quotes threatened to overpower the narrative. I have two problems with this approach: First - it reduces the historian to a stenographer. Second - IMHO, it demonstrates that the historian has not mastered his subject, hence he cannot explain what is happening and why. That second point is reinforced by the fact that the author concentrates almost exclusively on the British perspective when discussing aerial combat, which serves as a forum for the beliefs/perceptions of the participants rather than fact. In effect, he reduces the Italian and German pilots to anonymous shadows and accepts the Royal Air Force version of events without demure. I subtracted four stars because I consider the above issues to be a serious detractor from a narrative's historical worth.

    I then added two stars back because the author presents a wealth of facts and other interesting information in the final 50 pages of so of the book. Though I must confess that this section disappointed me as well when the tactical narrative abruptly ended before the Second Battle of El Alamein.

    Recommended with significant reservations.
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  • Bayard B.
    4.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive book, mostly local operational and tactical actions; somewhat at strategic level.
    Reviewed in the United States on November 1, 2019
    This is a very comprehensive and detailed book on the British RAF operations in North Africa against the Italians and then the Germans from early 1940 through August 1942. The text is accompanied by many black and white photos of airplanes, pilots, and aircrew. There are also a few useful maps. The book mostly discusses the air war at the local operational and tactical actions and somewhat at the strategic level involving high-level political and military decisions in London and Cairo. The majority of the text describes air actions at the level of individual airplanes and pilots. Most of the text describes ground attacks with some accounts of semi-strategic bombing of Italian / German ports such as Tobruk, Benghazi, and Derna.

    I thought the book provided a very good discussion of the evolution of the cooperation between the RAF and the Army regarding ground support. There is also discussion of exotic functions such as the surprising amount of air transport the RAF provided to carry supplies to the forward Army units during the great combat operations such as “Crusader” and also the radio counter measures (RCM) to jam German field radio signals.

    There are occasionally some interesting statistics such as numbers of prisoners captured, enemy tanks and aircraft destroyed, tons of shipping sunk ,and numbers of enemy coastal transport barges and lighters sunk.

    Appendix IV describes the Takoradi to Cairo airplane shipping route by which the planes were delivered to the Middle East. Appendix V describes RAF air field or landing ground construction.
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  • John Starkey
    3.0 out of 5 stars Quite good
    Reviewed in the United States on March 16, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    The author is knowledgeable but the book required editing. Apart from grammar I found one story repeated.
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Very comprehensive
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 16, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    Well written aspect of the second world war that is often overlooked
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  • Peter Wright
    4.0 out of 5 stars useful work
    Reviewed in Canada on May 7, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    useful contribution to the area of air warfare in the middle east\WW2
    but an australian focus
    would have liked to see more about the Canadians who represented a significant
    proportion of the fighter pilots in the Desert Air Force
    they are fortunately addressed more thoroughly in books by historian Michel Lavigne
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  • Terence hammond
    4.0 out of 5 stars A compelling account of the war in the air during this period
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 1, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    The author tells the story of what it was like to be part of the Desert Air Force during a period when ground was taken and lost by both sides at an alarming rate. It's a tale of constant movement back and forth over an inhospitable terrain. Packed with personal accounts and unique photographs, including aircraft that had long been declared obsolete in other theatres, the book manages to convey some sense of what it was like for both aircrew and ground personnel to fight under these conditions. The Appendices contain a miscellany of information, giving details not only of aircraft types, bases and the squadrons involved but also the kind of life the pilots and ground crew lived and gallantry awards received. My only criticism is that the book would have benefited from the inclusion of an overall situation map so you could get some sense of the distances travelled; however, apart from that I would recommend this highly readable account.
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  • Andrew
    3.0 out of 5 stars Engaging
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 10, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    For those who wish to gain a significant insight of the early air war in North Africa campaign will benefit from this book.
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