Product Description

Several books have been written about US naval air patrol operations in World War II, but none do full justice to the role played by patrol squadrons of the US Navy in the longest, most bitterly fought campaign of the war, the Battle of the Atlantic. From the Arctic to the Equator, anti-submarine aircraft of the US Navy patrolled both sides of the stormy Atlantic alongside their Allied counterparts. They escorted merchant convoys through the submarine-infested waters, protecting the crucial lifeline from the United States to Great Britain and the Mediterranean that carried troops and supplies for the ultimate liberation of North Africa and Europe.

The PBY Catalina, in which most of these vital missions were flown, was the most successful flying boat ever designed. Built in greater numbers than any other, it served the maritime air forces of all principle Allied nations, as well as the four branches of the US military. Except for a handful of Martin PBM Mariners, the Catalina was the only long range patrol bomber in the US Navy's inventory when the USA entered World War II. Though considered obsolete in 1939, it served in significant numbers until war's end and for many years after. Its total contribution to victory can only be surmised and the number of ships and lives saved by the PBY's mere presence over convoys will never be known. However, US Navy PBYs sank 19 Axis submarines, all identified by the author from contemporary evidence. Photographs of the Catalina in service in the Atlantic are rare but the author has assembled over 80 through research in official archives and private collections.

Related Titles
PV Ventura/Harpoon Units of World War II (Combat)
Kriegsmarine U-boats 1939-45 (New Vanguard)
Sunderland Squadrons of World War II (Combat)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #708872 in Books
• Brand: Osprey Publishing
• Published on: 2006-11-28
• Released on: 2006-11-28
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 96 pages

Review
"Osprey has now published two books covering both the Atlantic and Pacific theaters. Units of the Atlantic War has 32 color plane drawings, Units of the Pacific War has 31 ... The combat history of the PBY Catalina in every theater of the war is more interesting than one would consider. The PBY books revealed information that I had not considered about the valuable contribution these planes made toward defeating Germany and Japan." -Michael Koznarsky, Historical Miniature Gamer (Issue 10)

"Besides providing a history of the development of seagoing aircraft, the author describes many of the combat actions in which the PBYs were involve, and the wealth of photos and color illustrations depict the unit markings and other features in fine detail."-WWII History Magazine (August/September 2008)

"Although several books have been written about WWII USN patrol aviation, none do full justice to the role played by USN patrol squadrons in the longest, most bitterly fought campaign of the war - the Battle of the Atlantic - [until now.]" -George Hulett, Warbirds International

"The author has compiled an excellent reference on these units as well as coast guard squadrons that operated from the North Atlantic bases after the Navy pulled out of those missions in 1943. There are quality period photos as well as a goodly number of fine profiles to get the creative juices flowing for modelers. In all, a superb book on a part of WWII that gets very little press. A book I can justifiably recommend to you." -Scott Van Aken, modelingmadness.com (December 2007)

About the Author
Ragnar J. Ragnarsson was born 1945 in the USA, but has lived most his life in Iceland. He began flight training at the age of 17 and two years later earned his Commercial Pilot's Licence. He was co-founder and past vice president of IPMS Iceland, co-founder and past president of the Icelandic Aviation Historical Society and past president of the Icelandic Aero Club. Ragnar has spent many years researching wartime maritime aviation in the Atlantic and has written articles for both the Icelandic and foreign specialist aviation press, as well as contributing to a number of books on the subject. The author lives in Reykjavik, Iceland.

Customer Reviews

Obsolete When the War Started It Flew All Through It
By the time the second world war started the Consoladated PBY was already obsolete. The Navy had already ordered its replacement the Martin PBM which was better in every mesurable way - speed, payload, range, etc. But the venerable PBY was ready, it was in production, and it worked. Over four thousand were produced, vs about 1200 PBMs.

This book gives the history of the design of the PBY, and talks of its use, concentrating on the units that worked in the Atlantic where it did all of the tasks that you expect of a patrol bomber, escourting convoys, light cargo movement including people such as Eisenhower and his staff from England to Gibralter where he commanded the early stages of Torch, the invasion of North Africa.

It was also a PBY, a Catalina of the RAF that first spotted the Bismark (not to say the pacific fleet at Midway, but that was in the Pacific war).

The PBY was probably not the prettiest airplane with it's angular features and it's wing having to have support struts. But it had a workman's appearance when compared with the PBM, king of like the B-17 when compared to the B-24.

This book is well written, profusely illustrated and exhaustively researched.

PBY actions in the Atlantic
Finally a well written and researched book on US PBY units in the Atlantic War. Ragnar manages to bring a concise and well documented description of what actions the US PBY's did before and after the start of WW II. I especially liked the attention to detail on individual plane serial numbers and and the VP squadrons. He covers all units and gives good highlites of the individual pilots and crewmen involved in that long and dangerous campaign. I cannot wait for further books from this PBY expert.

US Navy PBY Atlantic Review
The book is a good overall account of the PBY in the European War of WWII against Germany. It also has accounts of production and reconnosance work done before and after the war in the Atlantic.