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Summary:
In the post-1945 era, the aircraft carrier has remained a valued weapon despite the development of nuclear weapons, cruise and ballistic missiles, and highly capable submarines. At times, as in the early days of the Korean and Vietnam Wars and in the Falklands conflict, carriers alone could deploy high-performance aircraft to the battlefield. In other operations, such as enforcing the no-fly zones and the U.S. invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, only carriers could provide the bases needed for sustained combat and support operations. This second volume of Norman Polmar's landmark study details the role of carriers in the unification of the U.S. armed forces and strategic deterrence, fiscally constrained Great Britain, the development of British Commonwealth and ex-colonial navies, and the efforts of France and the Netherlands to rebuild their fleets. The role of the modern carrier-nine nations currently possess them-is discussed, as are the issues confronting nations that might acquire them. Chapters on the Soviet Union's effort to produce carriers are included for the first time. The development of both carrier planes and the many "oddball" aircraft that have flown from carriers-such as the U-2 spy plane-are also examined. Appendixes include comprehensive data on all carriers built and converted through 2006.
This volume is a valuable companion to the critically acclaimed volume 1, which covers aircraft carrier development and operations from 1909 to 1945.
Customer Reviews:
Average Customer Rating:
Great Aircraft Carrier Reference
Customer Rating:
I have several books by Norman Polmar, including this one. I have always found them accurate and detailed. This book covers the essential period of carrier development from the early days when carriers were basically from converted transports or cruiser hulls to full-fledged ships in their own rights including the famed Essex class carriers and beyond. The ships discussed are naval legends...Enterprise, Yorktown, Lexington and more. These were the ships that made not just naval history but changed history against the onslaught of Hitler's National Socialists and Imperial Japan.
A good interesting book
Customer Rating:
I found this book to be well written and quite interesting. It is a good companion book to the Norman Friedman book on aircraft carrier design history. I was a little dissapointed that some of the ship status information was incorrect. For example it notes that the Lexington and Hornet were scrapped versus being museums. However, the historic information about the ships and their deployments was described in very good detail.
An Indispensible Survey for Naval Aficionados
Customer Rating:
Norman Polmar has a justly established reputation as the most prolific, insightful, and discerning of naval analysts. In a field where many works are outdated almost as soon as they appear, he has written a series of references and studies that have not only lasting significance, but enduring relevance both as historical studies and compilations of data and lessons learned that can be applied by contemporary decision-makers. AIRCRAFT CARRIERS, v. 2 is a classic example. A sequel to his well-received first volume (covering the aircraft carrier through the Second World War), this work traces carrier employment in the varied conflicts of the Cold (and post-Cold) War era, and its evolution to match both changing strategic visions, the evolving nature of naval aviation and weapons technology, and the transformation of the carrier itself from a fairly small vessel to the gargantuan platforms that now ply the world's oceans, fueled by atomic cores. Readers are in for a treat, as Polmar writes with grace and style, imparting an extraordinary amount of information but never in a dull or pedantic way. Illustrated with well-chosen photographs, with references and a bibliography, AIRCRAFT CARRIERS v. 2 is a worthwhile investment for anyone interested in post-WW-II naval power, and an essential reference for anyone who follows naval aviation.
Was Good, Is Old.
Customer Rating:
This book is a re-publication of an old book, published in 1969. When originally published, it was the best available. It is echoed in many more recent works, as THE record, to which later books seek to add and amend. This re-edition is not good enough. It doesn't accept the modifications to the record that others have been producing, and there are too many errors, many caused by sloppy editing (e.g. HMS Victorious descriped as identical to HMS Indomitable, that is a modified "Illustrious",p84.) On numerous occasions, the ordering and numbering of endnotes has gone awry in re-editing. Owerall, it was a disappointment to me, and I am not buying volume II.
A thorough history
Customer Rating:
AIRCRAFT CARRIERS: A HISTORY OF CARRIER AVIATION AND ITS INFLUENCE ON WORLD EVENTS - V. I, 1909-1945 offers a definitive history of world aircraft carrier development and operations. This is a part of a 2-volume classic set describing not just carrier construction - something already done in other books - but updating and revising a thorough history of said carriers which describes their political and technological influences on design, operations, and battle capabilities. Chapters analyze the first half of the 20th century and offer much in-depth analysis that is key to any serious military collection's holdings.
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