Episode 223 - Brittania Will Always Rule the Waves

Today is the last of the military overviews for the foreseeable future, and I'm covering the Royal Air Force! They were famous for their fighters, but their extensive pool of bombers dominated the attentions of the branch's planners until close to the outbreak of the war.    Bibliography for this episode:    Philpott, I.M. The Royal Air Force 1930-1939 Pen & Sword Books Ltd 2008 Bishop, Chris The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II Barnes & Noble Inc 1998 Chant, Chris Allied Fighter Aircraft 1939-45 Amber Books Ltd 2009 James T.C.G. Growth of Fighter Command, 1936-1940: Air Defense of Great Britain, Volume 1 Routledge 2013   Questions? Comments? Email me at [email protected]

Now that I've gone off on the army leadership for the British, I switch topics to the actual weapons they used. Which was a far brighter story, just don't ask about the tanks.    Bibliography for this episode:    Gordon, David Weapons of the WWII Tommy Pictorial Histories Publishing Co. 2011 Bishop, Chris The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II Barnes & Noble Inc 1998 Porter, David World War II Tanks: Western Allies 1939-45 Amber Books 2009 Taylor, Dick The Second World War Tank Crisis: The Fall & Rise of British Armor 1919-1945 Pen & Sword Books Ltd 2021   Questions? Comments? Email me at [email protected]

The British Army had a rough go of it in the years leading up to the war and during the first few years. Today I take a look at why that was, and the challenges that had to be addressed under live fire.    Bibliography for this episode:  Dannatt, Richard & Robert Lyman Victory to Defeat: The British Army 1918-40 Osprey Publishing Ltd 2023 Fraser, David And We Shall Shock Them: The British Army in the Second World War Hodder & Stoughton 1983 Taylor, Dick Armored Warfare in the British Army 1914-1939 Pen & Sword Books Ltd 2022 Taylor, Dick The Second World War Tank Crisis: The Fall & Rise of British Armor 1919-1945 Pen & Sword Books Ltd 2021   Questions? Comments? Email me at [email protected]

I finally get to go over the notable ships of one of the big navies!   Bibliography for this episode:  Hobbs, David British Aircraft Carriers: Design, Development, and Service Histories Seaforth Publishing 2013 Friedman, Norman The British Battleship 1906-1946 Seaforth Publishing 2015 Konstam, Angus British Aircraft Carriers 1939-45 Osprey Publishing 2010 Friedman, Norman British Cruisers: Two World Wars and After Seaforth Publishing 2010 Konstam, Angus British Destroyers 1939-45: Pre-War Classes Osprey Publishing 2017 Konstam, Angus British Destroyers 1939-45: Wartime Built Classes Osprey Publishing 2017 McCartney, Innes British Submarines 1939-45 Osprey Publishing 2006 Martindale, E.V. Submarines of World War II 1939-45 Amber Books 2024 Bishop, Chris The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II Barnes & Noble Inc 1998   Questions? Comments? Email me at [email protected]

I finally get to cover one of the truly big navies of the period! In this first episode covering the Royal Navy, I'll be taking a look at the planning and strategy of the British admiralty in the 1930s. Obviously things didn't go according to plan, but it's good to have context on what their intentions were going into the war.    Bibliography for this episode:  Field, Andrew Royal Navy Strategy in the Far East 1919-1939: Preparing for War against Japan Frank Cass 2004 Gordon, G.A.H. British Seapower and Procurement between the Wars: A Reappraisal of Rearmament Macmillan Press 1988 Harding, Richard The Royal Navy, 1930-2000: Innovation and Defense Frank Cass 2005   Questions? Comments? Email me at [email protected]

Rearmament presented the leadership of the UK with a dilemma. The economic recovery afforded the military the means necessary to lay at least the groundwork for future success, but not in every branch. And not perfectly anywhere, which hey was the story everywhere else too. What ensued were years of back-and-forth over how the country's slender resources would be allocated.    Bibliography for this episode:  Shay Jr, Robert Paul British Rearmament in the Thirties: Politics and Profits Princeton University Press 1977 Levy, James P. Appeasement and Rearmament: Britain 1936-39 Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, Inc 2006 Price, Christopher Britain, America, and Rearmament in the 1930s: The Cost of Failure Palgrave 2001 Gordon, G.A.H. British Seapower and Procurement between the Wars: A Reappraisal of Rearmament Macmillan Press 1988   Questions? Comments? Email me at [email protected]  

Today I switch over to events in the UK during the 30s and how they handled the challenge of the Axis. I'll be starting off with a look at their economic situation in the aftermath of the Depression and leaving the Gold Standard. Which for once was mostly good news, but still very much a recovery from years of disaster.    Bibliography for this episode:  Taylor, AJP The Oxford History of England, Vol 15 Oxford University Press, 1978 Moway, Charles Loch Britain Between the Wars Methuen & Co, 1972 Hattersley, Roy Borrowed Time Little, Brown, 2007   Questions? Comments? Email me at [email protected]

Today I wrap up this miniseries with a look at French diplomacy during the 30s. Upon recording this episode I realized there may have been not one single success during this entire period, an impressive record even by the standards of this show.    Bibliography for this episode:  Jackson, Julian The Popular Front in France: Defending Democracy, 1934-38 Cambridge University Press 1988 Nere, J. The Foreign Policy of France from 1914 to 1945 Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd 1975 Jordan, Nicole The Popular Front & Central Europe: The Dilemmas of French Impotence, 1918-1940 Cambridge University Press 1992 Bernard, Philippe and Henri Dubief The Decline of the Third Republic, 1914-1938 Cambridge University Press 1988 Adamthwaite, Anthony Grandeur and Misery: France 1914-1940 Arnold, 1995 Wright, Gordon France in Modern Times, 4th Ed WW Norton Company, Inc, 1987 Fortescue, William The Third Republic in France 1870-1940 Routledge, 2007   Questions? Comments? Email me at [email protected]

Coverage of the French military is wrapped up today with a look at the development and equipment of their navy and air force.    Bibliography for this episode:  Baughen, Greg The Rise and Fall of the French Air Force: French Air Operations and Strategy 1900-1940 Fonthill 2018 Chant, Chris Allied Fighter Aircraft 1939-45 Amber Books 2009 Bishop, Chris The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II Barnes & Noble Inc 1998 Jordan, John & Robert Dumas French Battleships 1922-1956 Seaforth Publishing 2009 Jordan, John & Jean Moulin French Destroyers 1922-1956 Seaforth Publishing 2015 Jordan, John & Jean Moulin French Cruisers 1922-1956 Seaforth Publishing 2013 Martindale, E.V. Submarines of World War II 1939-45 Amber Books 2024   Questions? Comments? Email me at [email protected]

Equipment and organization episode! Even if the French commanders got thoroughly discredited after 1940, the actual gear used by the army kept a decent reputation. But that might not be entirely justified as their arsenal was riddled with deficiencies all its own.    Bibliography for this episode:  Doughty, Robert Allan The Seeds of Disaster: The Development of French Army Doctrine 1919-1939 Archon Books 1985 Porch, Douglas Defeat and Division: France at War, 1939-1942 Cambridge University Press 2022 Bishop, Chris The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II Barnes & Noble Inc 1998 Johnson, Lee The French Army 1939-45 Osprey Publishing 1998 Porter, David World War II Tanks: Western Allies 1939-45 Amber Books 2009   Questions? Comments? Email me at [email protected]