NAVY NEWS, JUNE 2009 45
Yelp for Zeros
IF THE British Pacifi c Fleet is – rightly or wrongly – dubbed the
‘forgotten fl eet’, then the Supermarine Seafi re is very much its
Fifty calibre
‘forgotten fi ghter’.
While the Spitfire takes its place alongside the little ships
of Dunkirk and the landing craft of D-Day in British WW2 THERE are certain
historiography/mythology, its nautical cousin has rather been
volumes that a serious
● The last great endeavour of empire? ... HMS Antelope, her back broken, juts out of San Carlos
sidelined.
Water after being destroyed by a succession of explosions following Argentine air attacks during
It has no iconic battle, no Channel Dash or Dash orr
naval enthusiast should landings to liberate the Falklands
Bismarck chase, no raid on Taranto.
have on their shelves.ha
Yet more than 2,000 Seafires were built and bbuilt and d
At least one copy of Jane’s
they formed a quarter of the BPF’s fighter ghter
Fighting ShipsFi , The Royal Navy
strength in the final onslaught against the t the
DaD y by Day is a ‘must’, a full set of
Empire of the Rising Sun.
Roskill or Marder wRo ould be nice
Chief among the Seafire’s
(if pr(if icey). Now add John Roberts’
opponents in the spring and
SafeguarSa ding the Nation: The
summer was the A6M, better
Story of the ModerSt n Royal
known as the Zero (and sometimes
NavyNa (Seaforth, £30 ISBN 978-
the Zeke). The aerial battle between
1848320437) to tha18 t shelf.
the two is recounted in the latest
It is a comprehensive, fair and
Osprey volume of Duel (no.16 to be
largely dispassionalar te, accurate and
precise), Seafire vs A6M Zero (£12.99, 999, copiously-illustraco ted history of the
ISBN 978-1-84603-433-6) by Donald NijboerNiNNijbjboer. Senior SerSe vice post-Suez.
As with all Osprey books, it’s very much an intrmuch an introduction to oduction to In 1957, the Royal Navy
the subject, easy to read and very nicely illustrated. counted more than 120,000
The Zero-sen, as Japanese pilots called it, was a purpose- men and women in its ranks.
built carrier fighter – the carrier fighter of the first half of the It still had one battleship on its
Pacific War. The Seafire was a ‘marinised’ version of a land- books, Vanguard, plus more than
based fighter, the land-based fighter of the war. half a dozen carriers, a dozen
As duels go then, this should have been pretty even – but by cruisers, 56 destroyers, over 100
the war’s end the Zero-sen was increasingly outdated having frigates, four dozen submarines.
failed to keep pace with aeronautical developments; many It still possessed a succession of
served as fighter bombers and kamikaze attack aircraft. overseas bases – indeed Britain
But before we write off the Zero, however, it remained still possessed an empire. The
a formidable opponent. Seafire pilots, indeed Allied pilots tot was issued each day. There
in general, were warned “never fight with a Zeke – it is too were still naval correspondents
manoeuvrable”. in Fleet Street (let alone defence
But fight they did. It was unavoidable and the final fight came correspondents...). shore establishments. So you can follow the shrinking time now – Operation Snowdon,
over Tokyo Bay on the very last day of the war, August 15 1945. The RN still proclaimed itself Aside from helping to stop RN: 1970 – 87,500 personnel; peacekeeping off Haiti in 1993
The appearance of the Seafires evidently came as a shock to the second largest (but best) fleet the V-weapon menace in ace in ace in WW2 WW2 1980 – 74,500;1980 – 74,574 5005 1990 – 63,200; involving HMS Active and RFA
some of the Japanese pilots. “Who is that?” Zero pilot Saburo in the world – and the nation had (he headed a committeeommittee 1999 – 43,747 (Mr Nott 1999 – 43– Oakleaf; or Operation Eldorado,
Abe asked himself. “They’re British. What are they doing here?” a merchant fleet to match, more set up to stop the flying hee flying might still be reviled might another humanitarian mission
Abe’s fighter was crippled by a Seafire’s cannon – the Fleet than 5,500 vessels strong. At the bombs), Sandys did one id one in nain val circles, demanding the RN’s presence,
Air Arm claimed seven Zeroes in that final dogfight of the war. top were men born in the last other good thing forg for but it was the this time off Monrovia and Liberia
The Fleet Air Arm scored 455½ aerial victories in the second years of the 19th and first years of defence: he prompted ted end of the Cold en in 1990.
global conflict. American-built fighters – Wildcats, Corsairs and the 20th Century, men who had the formation ofof War which really We should point out that a
Hellcats – accounted for more than one third. served in the Great War as well as the White Ensign aatte into the Senior e good deal of the source material
The Seafire chalked up 37 kills. Only one was shot down by the second conflagration. Association. SerS vice...v although (particularly from the 21st
enemy air power, the aircraft of S/Lt Fred Hockley, downed by a But some things never change. Sandys’ axe the Fthe Fe alklands conflict a Century) and a lot of the images
Zero in the final dogfight of the war. There were international crises to not only scythed rather halted Nott in ther he were culled from the Navy News
Hockley parachuted to safety and was taken d wwas tatakenken police – Cyprpo us, Aden, Malaysia. through the steel his tracks).his tracka s archives.
prisoner by the Japanese who orderrered his d his There wThT ere pirates and smugglers of the RN, it also so And yAnd yoou can follow But that should not stop us
execution – nine hours after the war was r r wwas to contend with in and around the to meant 26,000 sailoraailors every RN/RM operay RN/RR tion praising where praise is due, and
over. Justice was belatedly served; his hhis PPeersian Gulf. were no longer needed.needed. of the past 50 yof the past 5s ears (apart Safeguarding the Nation should
hangmen faced the gallows in 1947.. There were technological They would require financial ire financial iifi il from the sneaky-beaky ones,from the sneafh become a standard reference work
Also from Osprey, and slightly revre olutions under way. The assistance – nearly 40,000early 40 000 of courof course).se) on the modern RN.
pithier than the Zero volume, is helicopter had come into itshe ex-sailors have benefitted from And while the Malaysian It is very nicely presented with
British Battleships 1939-45: oowwn at Suez, prompting the the WEA since 1958. emergency, the Cod Wars, two countless colour images (a couple
Queen Elizabeth and Royal
first commando carriers to be It is the lifespan of the association Gulf conflicts, the tanker wars, have, sadly, reproduced poorly,
Sovereign Classes (£9.99, ISBN
commissioned.co Whitehall was which is covered by John Roberts’ Balkans, Sierra Leone, Falklands, but that is a minor gripe) and a
978-1-84603-388-9), a colourful
committed to Brco itain’s first volume; he charts the charity’s Afghanistan stand out in the smattering of paintings, and is
and breezy introduction to the five ee
nuclear submarnu ine, following the deeds and accomplishments as RN annals since the late 50s, easy to read.
Queens and five Royals – the ships ps
USA’U s lead. It had also ordered well as the Service of which it is page after page reminds you that It is not a critical work, it is
which formed the backbone of the e
its firits st guided missile destroyers so proud. on an almost daily basis, the not an academic work. and it
Royal Navy in the opening years of Wof World orld
– po– wered in part by gas turbines And to return to the latter, Senior Service has been heavily is not a ‘human history’ of the
War 2.
rather than steam. the author provides a concise, committed at home and abroad.
men and women of the Senior
Do not expect anything in-depth, but as an ‘at a glance’ but as ann ‘at a glance’
And there were politicians excellent overview of Royal Navy For the author has chosen to
Service (although there is a
history this volume by Angus Konstam, with some fine
looking to wield the axe. Enter activity, almost on a year-by-year highlight the myriad of exercises,
handful of personal asides from
illustrations (including a cutaway diagram of Warspite, Britain’s
Duncan Sandys, the John Nott basis (think RN Day by Day, only deployments, rescues and
contributors).
greatest dreadnought) by Tony Bryan and Paul Wright is a good
of his day, who struck off some much more detailed – although incidents which make up the RN
But as a reference book for the
place to start delving into the world of the castles of steel.
500 vessels in the Reserve Fleet the coverage extends across five calendar.
state of the Navy, where it was
(Vanguard among them) and 100 decades not five centuries). Most are lost in the mists of
and what it was doing in the post-
imperial age, this volume stands in
a league of its own.
Flawed fi nale to fi ne trilogy
PETER Padfi eld is a major
for a while) the analysis of Grand But it is not the naval dimension little or nothing that is maritime.
fi gure in recent maritime
The Grove
Fleet ‘medium range’ gunnery of this book that is the real It starts ‘ecologically’ with
historiography, writes
doctrine that Professor Sumida problem. something that reads like a
has set out so cogently. There really The broader politico-strategic manifesto for the Green Party,
Prof Eric Grove of the Review is little evidence for it; indeed one background is analysed in ways that
gives a brief general account of the
University of Salford.
of my PhD students is turning up are sometimes at best superfi cial Cold War, takes another swipe at
He produced the standard works
documents that contradict it. and at worst prejudiced. Japan and after a paragraph on the
on naval gunnery before the fi eld I was therefore much looking
Padfi eld’s argument that The author admits that he maritime dimension of the Cold
was taken over by Jon Sumida. His forward to reviewing the fi nal
the absence of documents, does not understand why Japan, a War ends with a rather intrusive
work has not just been limited to volume, Maritime Dominion and
perhaps caused by their possible maritime empire, did not take the anti-EU diatribe that could
maritime matters as his biography the Triumph of the Free World
destruction, somehow proves a liberal route of the others. have been taken from a UKIP
of Dönitz led to excellent studies (John Murray, £30, ISBN 978-0-
particular hypothesis is hardly He takes refuge in making publication.
of Himmler and Hess. 7195-6297-6).
sound methodology. Emperor Hirohito into a personal I do not comment on the content
The magnifi cent Dönitz book Imagine my disappointment
I also have one or two other dictator who decides when to make of the two polemical sections but
was especially important as it therefore when I found that I
problems with the naval content. aggressive moves. This totally they are at best self-indulgent
did much to counter the overly- could not be anywhere near as It is just not true that, after ignores the oriental complexities and do nothing to strengthen the
positive image of the Grossadmiral positive about the new book as I Jutland, Scheer or any other of Japanese political culture in the generally sound, research-based
that had tended to predominate would have liked to have been. “thinking German naval offi cer Meiji era. arguments of the rest of the book
following his rehabilitation in the There are many strengths to could consider another challenge Exploring the footnotes and the trilogy as a whole.
1950s. it. The descriptions of the naval to British surface mastery.” demonstrates that this thesis is They surely have no place in a
Dartmouth offi cers under side of the story, the battles Why then was Scheer, once his taken primarily from the 1971 study of ‘Naval Campaigns that
training were even encouraged to in particular, are as clear and request for unrestricted U-boat book Japan’s Imperial Conspiracy by Shaped the Modern World’.
Share your unique story with people
use Dönitz as a paradigm of naval lucid as one expects from their warfare had been denied, out with Bergamini, not the best of sources What about Korea, the Soviet-
who are important to you. From
leadership! That was more diffi cult distinguished and experienced the High Sea Fleet in August 1916
everyday details to extraordinary
in the opinions of most historians Western naval confrontation, the
events, your life will be captured on
after Padfi eld’s book appeared; I author. looking once more for a detached of Japan. Hirohito – like Dönitz – Falklands and the operations over
CD. Book also available.
remember giving it a very positive He has used the latest sources portion of the Grand Fleet? may have been whitewashed for the years in the Gulf?
E: barbara.gibson@
review. on his subjects, notably on the Another paragraph or two at the post-war political reasons but the What should have ended with a
spokenhistories.com
More recently, Padfi eld has Battle of Midway, to produce end of the otherwise excellent story is a lot more complex than triumphal bang ends instead with
T: 01722 743323
set himself the daunting task of perhaps the best short accounts chapters on Jutland would that which Padfi eld tells. an opinionated whimper – which
www.spokenhistories.com
producing a trilogy in which he currently available. have corrected this somewhat The fi nal chapter of the book is a great pity.
tries to prove the connection over However on some matters he misleading impression. ‘The Cold War – And After’ is a There is much that is good in
many centuries between maritime is overly partial. Clearly Padfi eld It is also a pity that the author particular disappointment. this fi nal volume and I take no
HP BOOKFINDERS: Established
power and a liberal politico- is a strong supporter of Professor puts too much emphasis on the No better period could pleasure in pointing out its serious professional service locating out
economic order both domestically Sumida in the great gunnery capture of U110, important demonstrate the author’s basic fl aws.
of print titles on all
and globally. controversy but his reasons though it was, in the vital break point with its victory of the liberal I hope it does not detract too
The fi rst two books, Maritime for discounting Brooks’ more into the U-boat codes in the Western maritime coalition over much from the reputation of a fi ne
subjects. No obligation or SAE
Supremacy and the Opening of the recent work on the grounds of spring of 1941. This is the more the continental Communist historical writer and the overall
required. Contact: Mosslaird,
Western Mind and Maritime Power being “badly organised” and the surprising as the author cites tyranny and the policing of authority of a most worthwhile Brig O’ Turk, Callander, FK17 8HT
and the Struggle for Freedom were suggestion of “selective quotation” Hinsley’s Offi cial History of British a globalised post-Cold War and serious major study of the key
Telephone/Fax: (01877) 376377
well received and their author are not wholly fair. Intelligence in the Second World War economic order by a Western-led importance of western maritime
was a worthy recipient of the This is especially so as the which provides a more balanced maritime coalition. power to the creation of the
martin@hp-bookfinders.co.uk
Mountbatten Maritime Prize. author swallows whole (as I did account. Instead, the chapter contains modern globalised world. www.hp-bookfinders.co.uk
045_NN_June.indd 1 19/5/09 10:46:10
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