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Chris Goss
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Combat Over the Mediterranean: The RAF In Action Against the Germans and ItaliansThrough Rare Archive Photographs (Air War Archive) Kindle Edition

by Chris Goss (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
3.9 out of 5 stars 33 ratings
Drawing on an extremely rare collection of photographs taken by the camera guns of Bristol Beaufighters deployed on ground-attack and anti-shipping operations, this book will form a rare indeed unique view of what it was like to fly dangerous strike missions against German and Italian forces over North Africa and the Mediterranean between 1942 and 1945.Despite being reformed in the UK in November 1940 as Coastal Commands first Beaufighter squadron, 252 Squadron, which also operated Bristol Blenheims until April 1941, was destined to spend most of its service in North Africa and the Mediterranean before being disbanded in Greece in December 1946.One of the squadrons commanding officers, Wing Commander DOB Butler, DFC, had the foresight to keep perfect examples of the many thousands of gun camera stills taken by the Beaufighter pilots under his command. As a result, he has preserved a remarkable history of the air and sea war in the Mediterranean from October 1942 to May 1945. These dramatic stills show attacks against German and Italian aircraft, Axis warships and merchant men, harbors and other targets on what are now popular holiday destinations such as Rhodes, Naxos and Kos and across the Greek Islands, the Aegean and Ionian Seas.This book will be based around these remarkable and spectacular photographs and will include full details of key missions and the crews who participated, with information drawn from Squadron records and combat reports.
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  1. Part of series
    Air War Archive
  2. Print length
    289 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Frontline Books
  5. Publication date
    June 30, 2017
  6. File size
    16.8 MB
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  8. Word Wise
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  9. Enhanced typesetting
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Editorial Reviews

Review

This is an slightly more unusual collection of archive photos to see from a single unit, and in this quantity. The operational records provide the detail for the individual stories to accompany the photos and I though a useful reminder that these are all very much records of real warfare. Nothing staged and of course real events that would have led to real casualties. A sobering thought perhaps but what a marvellous collection of images all from the one squadron in the same operational theatre which we are lucky to have seen preserved and presented in a way that makes them accessible to us all. Definitely one to recommend.
Military Model Scene

"Through a remarkable collection of unique images, this book tells the story of the War in the Mediterranean as never seen before."
AMPS Indianapolis

About the Author

Having retired from the RAF with the rank of Wing Commander, CHRIS GOSS is a regular and highly respected contributor to major aviation publications in the UK, France and Germany.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B074ZG9L9G
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Frontline Books; 1st edition (June 30, 2017)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 30, 2017
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 16.8 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 289 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.9 out of 5 stars 33 ratings

About the author

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Chris Goss

Chris Goss

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After a 32 year career in the RAF and three years working for a civilian company as its Head of Operations is now a full time aviation author and military historian. Regular, recognised and sought after contributor to major aviation and historical journals in the UK, France and Germany since 1983. Author of over 40 critically acclaimed books covering aspects of the air war over North West Europe 1939-45. Edited/revised/co-authored a further four books. Books have been reprinted and translated/published in France, Hungary, Czech Republic, Spain, Sweden, Canada and the USA. Historical consultant for a number of major projects, such as the recovery of the Dornier 17 by the RAF Museum and Commonwealth War Graves Commission, and for TV programmes such as The History Channel and Channel 5's The Battle of Britain: 3 Days that Saved a Nation. Master of Arts with Merit in War Studies (Kings College London). He also undertakes regular public speaking engagements. He is an elected trustee for the Royal Air Forces Association, where is chairs the Engagement and Fundraising Committee and is a member of the Information and Strategy Committees, and a trustee for St David's Home, Ealing.

Customer reviews

3.9 out of 5 stars
33 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Stephan Bullard
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great Photographic War Diary of 252 Squadron (Beaufighters)
    Reviewed in the United States on July 7, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    In many ways this book is like a short, Mediterranean version of Warpath Across the Pacific (Warpath, being an account of the US 345th Bomb Group and one of the all time best WW2 unit histories available). It’s a photographic war diary of 252 Squadron obtained from the estate of one of the unit’s commanding officers. 252 Squadron operated in the Mediterranean where it mostly flew anti-shipping raids near Greece. While the images literally show life and death struggles for the people involved, 252 Squadron was not involved in any “major” actions. Almost all of its raids were carried out against tiny coastal craft, usually small sailing vessels of less than 100 tons.

    245 photographs are included. 21 show general shots of the squadron. The rest were taken during missions – 11 of the photos were taken during 1942, 116 in 1943, 85 in 1944, and 12 in 1945. The photos are arranged chronologically mission by mission. Extensive notes are included and all of the pictures are well captioned. Most are clear and interesting. About 4 or 5 are “Wow!” shots.

    The book is an amazing achievement. It's a great memorial to 252 Squadron. One minor quibble. I read the book on my Kindle Fire. I’m sure the original photos were absolutely crystal clear. The ones for the Kindle version were scanned in a relatively low resolution (the whole book is only 16.6 MB). The photos are certainly fine, but they don’t enlarge that well when you try to zoom in on them. Given the unique and important nature of this work, I would have like to see the publisher go the extra mile to increase the resolution a bit. Other books in the Images of War series include higher resolution images. I don’t know what the photos look like in the print version.
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  • Marc L. Tavasci
    4.0 out of 5 stars A really nice RAF photographic compilation
    Reviewed in the United States on December 25, 2017
    This book is a compilation of photographs from one of the former commanders of the RAF's 252 Squadron. The squadron flew Bristol Beaufighters against German and Italian forces in the Mediterranean, predominantly attacking shipping. The majority of the photographs are good quality and the particulars of each mission shown in the book are presented with notes on what is happening in the photos. It's not a complete record of 252 Squadron's service, but it certainly provides a thorough snapshot of what their war was like. Definitely worth picking up if you're a fan of the Beaufighter, or if you just like seeing combat action from a low-level perspective.
    One person found this helpful
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  • FFE
    5.0 out of 5 stars Very interesting and nicely presented
    Reviewed in the United States on November 28, 2017
    I purchased this book hoping to see previously unknown images taken during Mediterranean air operations. In this I was not disappointed. In all, there are nearly 250 quality images. Most are cropped from camera-gun stills and provide a real perspective of offensive sorties, particularly by Beaufighters, during the latter half of the Second World War. Instead of captions, there is a useful explanation of events based on squadron Operations Record Books. Different, very interesting and nicely presented.
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  • K.W.
    1.0 out of 5 stars Langweiliges Tagebuch von Beaufighter-Einheiten im Mittelmeer
    Reviewed in Germany on July 5, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    Habe mir das Buch von Chris Goss gekauft, da ich den Autor für seine sachlichen und interessant ausgestatteten WW-II-Flugzeugbücher schätze. Um so größer die Enttäuschung: 8 Seiten Beaufighter-Fotos, der Rest nur Fotos Fotos der Schießkamera auf Schiffe (z.B. 2-Mast-Schoner), Lokomotiven und Häfen mit kurzer Beschreibung. Für den an den beteiligten Flugzeuge Interessierten gibt es wesentlich bessere Bücher. Schade.
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  • FFE
    5.0 out of 5 stars Very interesting and nicely presented
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 28, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    I purchased this book hoping to see previously unknown images taken during Mediterranean air operations. In this I was not disappointed. In all, there are nearly 250 quality images. Most are cropped from camera-gun stills and provide a real perspective of offensive sorties, particularly by Beaufighters, during the latter half of the Second World War. Instead of captions, there is a useful explanation of events based on squadron Operations Record Books. Different, very interesting and nicely presented.
    Report

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