Aircraft Carriers: A History of Carrier Aviation and Its Influence on World Events, Volume II: 1946-2006

Front Cover
Potomac Books, Inc., Jan 1, 2008 - History - 560 pages
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 I, which covers aircraft carrier development and operations from 1909 to 1945.
 

Contents

Midway
Midway Aftermath 15 Building Aircraft Carriers
Escalation to Escalation
A War Lost
Carriers to Japan
Carrier Controversies
New Directions
Carrier War in the South Atlantic

Between the Wars 4 Building Carrier Fleets 5 Preparing for
The Wrong War
An Entirely New War 6 Concluding a
The Cold War Navy
French and British Carriers at
The Suez Operation
The Super Carriers
New Carrier Concepts
War in the West
War in the Mediterranean
Carrier Proliferation
New Ships and Planes
Carriers to Cuban Waters
Warin the Pacific
Japanese Triumph 11 Offensive Defense 12 The First Carrier Battle
The First Assault
Lessons and Finances
The Russian Experience
Soviet Aircraft Carriers
Rehabilitation and Retaliation
Amphibious Assault
The Solomons Won 18 The European War 19 The Invasion of Europe
Intothe21st Century
Across the Broad Pacific 21 The Biggest Carrier Battle
Appendixes
Aircraft Carrier Characteristics
Appendixes
Notes
Copyright

Common terms and phrases

About the author (2008)

Norman Polmar is a leading expert on naval and aviation matters. An internationally known analyst, consultant, and award-winning author, Polmar has written more than 40 books, including, with K. J. Moore, Cold War Submarines: The Design and Construction of U.S. and Soviet Submarines (Brassey’s, ISBN 1-57488-594-4) and Historic Naval Aircraft: From the Pages of Naval History Magazine (Brassey’s, ISBN 1-57488-572-3). He is a columnist for the U.S. Naval Institute's Proceedings and Naval History magazines. Polmar lives in the Washington, DC, area.

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