Within six months of the devastating attack on Pearl Harbor, the U.S. Navy had checked the Japanese military advance in the Pacific to the extent that the United States could return to its original “Defeat Germany First” strategy. That the Navy was able to accomplish this feat with only six fleet aircraft carriers and little more than 1,000 combat aircraft was not sheer luck but the culmination of more than two decades of determined preparation. This thorough study, with detailed drawings and photographs, explains and illustrates the trial and error process which went into developing the aircraft, airships and ships of the interwar period. The critical factors that shaped Naval Aviation after World War I—naval treaties, fleet tactics, government programs, leadership and organization, as well as the emergence of Marine Corps and Coast Guard aviation—are discussed in depth.

E.R. Johnson, an attorney, has flown 25 different types of aircraft as pilot-in-command. He is the author of six books and more than 100 articles on aviation and lives in Mountain Home, Arkansas.

E.R. Johnson
Format: softcover (8.5 x 11)
Pages: 352
Bibliographic Info: 605 photos (40 color illustrations), appendices, glossary, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2011
pISBN: 978-0-7864-4550-9
eISBN: 978-0-7864-8585-7
Imprint: McFarland

Preface      1
Introduction: Influences That Shaped Naval Aviation, 1919–1941      3

PART I: HEAVIER-THAN-AIR DEVELOPMENT      9
PART II: LIGHTER-THAN-AIR DEVELOPMENT      241
PART III: AVIATION-RELATED SHIP DEVELOPMENT      267

Between pages 298 and 299 are 8 color plates containing 40 images

Appendix 1: Foreign Aircraft and Airships      299
Appendix 2: Racing and Experimental Aircraft      312
Appendix 3: Naval Aircraft, Airship, Ship, and Aviation Unit Designations, Nomenclature, and Abbreviations      319
Appendix 4: Status of Naval Aviation, December 1941      322
Glossary of Naval and Aeronautical Terms      324
Bibliography      329
Index      331

“a valuable compilation that tells the story of a pivotal age in naval aviation’s first century”—United States Naval Institute; “a comprehensive guide…Johnson’s research is impressive and thorough…excellent reference work…recommended for its encyclopedic, treatment of its subject, thorough research, and good information”—The Northern Mariner/Le Marin du Word; “comprehensive…a very valuable resource”—The NYMAS Review; “anyone seeking a reasonable sound basic guide to the aircraft and aviation-related ships used by the US Navy in the inter-war years will find this book useful”—Aeroplane; “this new nicely illustrated coffee-table edition is a great find for anyone interested in classic military aircraft, Airships and Navy vessels”—Model Airplane News; “Johnson has put together what is probably the best book I’ve yet read on US Naval aviation between the wars…a fascinating read and a superb resource…highest recommendation”—modelingmadness.com.