The Army and Aviation a Pictorial History

{detailed description}During the development of aircraft for the Army from the balloons of the past to their helicopters of today, the Army in its entirety has become involved in aviation. During the First World War the pilots that first took the field were mainly seconded regimental officers, artillery ground observation became air observation, new anti-aircraft branches evolved, a large section of the Labour Corps switched to building airfields and, moreover, the infantry as a whole had to learn new tactics of concealment from the air — lessons that had to be re-taught in the Second World War.
Between the wars the RAF, having taken over control of all aviation, had special responsibilities to the Army, such as air reconnaissance, artillery spotting and exercising anti-aircraft units. But when an Expeditionary Force went to France in 1939 the RAF, although a separate Service, was still dependent upon the Army for base, signals and other essential facilities.
During 1939-45 there were many examples of the RAF and the Army becoming interwoven in aviation. The RAF took the cream of Army volunteers for aircrew, until the Army required personnel for its own Glider Pilot Regiment — due to aircrew training surpluses there were then RAF as well as Army glider pilots. Both the RAF and Royal Engineers had airfield construction units and RAF Air Observation Post squadrons had Army pilots. Even the Home Guard was organized mainly against the threat of invasion by airborne troops and also became partly involved with anti-aircraft gunnery.
Post-war the integration has become even more marked, with the RAF largely responsible for Army mobility under NATO commitments. Since the Second World War there have been Army despatchers crewing RAF transport aircraft. While the Army has its fleet of helicopters in offensive and liaison roles, it is only the unarmed RAF transport helicopters that can re-position the Army's artillery pieces because of aircraft size limitations for Army aviation. Both Army field units and the RAF Regiment have a common weapon in the Rapier air defence missile system. Overall, it would be difficult to find a unit of the British Army over the past sixty years that has not been affected by aviation. This effect on the Army as a whole, is reviewed pictorially in this book.
{Author / Publisher / Date}by Bruce Robertson
published by Robert Hale 1981 1st edn. 255pp profusely illustrated, index. 16x24
{condition}some wear to extremities, otherwise good, inc. d/j.
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