Stalking the U-Boat: U.S. Naval Aviation in Europe during World War I

by Geoffrey L. Rossano

Overview

"An exceptional piece of scholarship. Rossano clearly points out that military organizations in general, and a naval air force in particular, are built from the ground up and not the other way around. While we celebrate the exploits of the pilots, Rossano reminds us that there were myriad mechanics, constructors, paymasters, and even some ship drivers who played a vital role in naval aviation during WWI."—Craig C. Felker, U.S. Naval Academy

 

"A fine book that will stand for many years as the definitive study of U.S. naval aviation in Europe. Well-researched and written, the book ranges widely, from the high-level planning in Washington for a naval air war to moving thousands of men and hundreds of aircraft across the ocean to the routine but dangerous training, patrol, and bombing flights that constituted the navy’s air mission in World War I."—William F. Trimble, author of Attack from the Sea

 

Stalking the U-Boatis the first and only comprehensive study of U.S. naval aviation operations in Europe during WWI. The navy's experiences in this conflict laid the foundations for the later emergence of aviation as a crucial—sometimes dominant—element of fleet operations, yet those origins have been previously poorly understood and documented.

Begun as antisubmarine operations, naval aviation posed enormous logistical, administrative, personnel, and operational problems. How the USN developed this capability—on foreign soil in the midst of desperate conflict—makes a fascinating tale sure to appeal to all military and naval historians.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780813068657
Publisher:	University Press of Florida
Publication date:	08/15/2021
Pages:	452
Product dimensions:	6.13(w) x 9.25(h) x (d)

About the Author

Geoffrey L. Rossano is the editor of Price of Honor: The World War One Letters of Naval Aviator Kenneth MacLeish.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations ix

List of Abbreviations xi

Foreword xiii

Preface and Acknowledgments xvii

Introduction 1

1 The First Aeronautic Detachment 5

2 Progress Report: September 1917-March 1918 43

3 Under the Gun: NAS Dunkirk 1917-1918 55

4 The French Coastal Unit 81

5 Progress Report: March-September 1918 123

6 Spinning the Spider Web: Naval Aviation in England 149

7 The Irish Bases 208

8 On Duty, Off Duty: The Work and Life of the Station 231

9 Gasbags: Development of the Navy LTA Program 261

10 Sunny Italy: Naval Aviation in the Mediterranean 285

11 The Northern Bombing Group 314

12 Till It's Over, Over There: September 1918-April 1919 345

Appendixes 371

Notes 377

Bibliography 409

Index 415