British Naval Aviation and the Anti-Submarine Campaign, 1917-18
Abstract
This thesis investigates the employment of British aircraft against German submarines during the final years of the First World War, an issue that appears only marginally in other studies because it does not clearly fall into naval or air power history. A focused study is needed to assess the effectiveness of the effort and the veracity of the secondary literature. The Royal Naval Air Service invested heavily in aircraft of all types in order to counter the U-boat. Under the Royal Air Force, the air campaign against U-boats continued uninterrupted. Aircraft bombed German U-boat bases in Flanders, conducted area and hunting patrols around the coasts of Britain, and escorted merchant convoys to safety. Despite the fact that aircraft acting alone destroyed only one U-boat during the war, their overall contribution to foiling U-boat attacks was significant. Only five merchant vessels succumbed to submarine attack when convoyed by a combined air and surface escort during World War I. This thesis is organised thematically. Early chapters examine the aircraft and weapons technology, aircrew training, and aircraft production issues that shaped this campaign. Then, a close examination of anti-submarine operations that is, bombing, patrols, and escort yields a significantly different judgment from existing interpretations of these operations. A chapter on the British official assessments, which provided a basis for much of the secondary literature, demonstrates that this campaign was often misrepresented because it was either used to promote specific agendas or it was inappropriately employed as evidence in unrelated historical arguments. The next chapter examines the German view of aircraft effectiveness, through German actions, prisoner interrogations, official histories, and memoirs, to provide a comparative judgment. The conclusion closes with a brief narrative of post-war air anti-submarine developments and a summary of findings.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2004
- Accession Number
- ADA425512
Entities
People
- John J. Abbatiello
Organizations
- King's College London