Ian Philpott - The Royal Air Force 1930 to 1939 An Encyclopedia of the Inter-War Years Vol.II Rearmament 1930-1939

This second volume of my inter-war history follows the same format as Volume I. What is different is the emphasis because this volume is about rearmament. Examples of the different treatment can be found in the chapter on Air Control operations in the 1930s. These operations differed little from those carried out in the 1920s, so the arrangement of in this volume concentrates on the changes in the policy of the employment of airpower at sea with the approach of war.

Apart from the chapter on Air Control operations overseas, the book is not about war but about the preparations for war. I am reminded of my old music master at school who introduced us to the Planets Suite by Gustav Holst. It was Mars that always impressed me. Mars was the bringer of war. It is the growing menace that Holst so brilliantly puts to music. Or it is like those passages from Shakespeares Henry V before the battle of Agincourt: the hammer of the smithies preparing the arms and armour for battle. This is the essence of the 1930s after the failure of disarmament and the coming to power of Adolf Hitler in Germany.

Recently I was discussing the presentation of my work with an established author of RAF history. He was worried that putting photographs or images of aircraft so often in among the narrative might patronize the reader. While I respect his work I chose to differ. Placing diagrams and photographs among a closely argued narrative in no way detracts from the quality of an argument or discussion. Recently I read a history of the Russian armys advance on Berlin in 1945. It was a very detailed account of battles and the disposition of German and Russian units at different stages of the campaign. But I never knew who was where at different stages of the battle. For me the enjoyment of a book on military campaigns is derived from having maps and other illustrations in among the narrative so that I know exactly who is where, even at the end of every day in a short campaign. For those like me there are plenty of illustrations built into the subject paragraphs. For any reader who might feel patronized, he or she has only to ignore the visual material.

As with Volume I, so with this volume: nearly all paragraphs have headings in heavy type. This is for ease of reference. There are no footnotes, since this is meant to be a comprehensive account of the period. A specific source may often be quoted alongside a heading. There is a reference to books that have been consulted in compiling this history so that those who may wish to undertake further study may know where to turn. Most of the information gathered which is included here has been found at the National Archives at Kew and the reading room of the RAF Museum, Hendon. The squadron histories can be found on microfilm, and details of the week-to-week activities of the RAF during the inter-war period from Air Ministry weekly orders. There are literally hundreds of weekly orders that provide a detailed picture of the RAF. I had to choose those that would provide a mixture of activities. I chose some orders for their unusual content, like the forerunner of the modern wet suit, which appears in Volume I, and the flying-boat that took off in a circular clockwise pattern. Others provide a comparison between aircraft movements in and out of a modern RAF airfield on paved runways with air traffic control and movements in the 1930s, when a pilot had to keep a good lookout for other aircraft approaching the grass airfield, take account of the wind direction in making an approach and report his arrival at the watch office after touch-down.

It is hoped that this work fills a gap in the market in studies of the development of airpower in those critical interwar years.

Wing Commander I.M. Philpott MSocSc, BSc (Econ), MCMI, RAF (Retd)