Can anyone recommend a book (preferrable a diary or operational analysis) of Leigh-Mallory and his TAC operations (you know how I love my tac-air). This could be quite interesting.
No, not really, but if you find one please post details for us. If you really want to understand L-M, however, you do also need to look at his role and performance in command of 12 Group during the Battle of Britain, his support of "big wing" theory and his "political" moves in the arguments which led to his appointment as commander of Fighter Command. In my opinion, a slippery customer was L-M.
(angie999 @ Jan 2 2006, 11:33 AM) [post=43910]No, not really, but if you find one please post details for us. If you really want to understand L-M, however, you do also need to look at his role and performance in command of 12 Group during the Battle of Britain, his support of "Big Wing" theory and his "political" moves in the arguments which led to his appointment as commander of Fighter Command. In my opinion, a slippery customer was L-M. [/b] I would second that opinion. In 1941 the British Air Ministry published its official account of the Battle of Britain without once mentioning the names of Hugh Dowding or Keith Park; it seems Big Wing theory had its adherents in high places (most notably in the personage of Air Chief Marshal Sir Charles Portal, the new chief of the air staff), even though it had been proved largely impractical for defensive operations. The omission of Park and Dowding from the official history was due, in no small part, to the political machinations of the self-serving L-M, who had the satisfaction of stepping into Park's shoes as head of 11 Group in December, 1940. Two years later, he replaced Sholto Douglas as head of Fighter Command. I don't know a great deal about L-M's tenure as commander of the Allied Expeditionary Air Forces. However, I do know he attempted to exert much control over the strategic bombing campaign leading up to the invasion, and that this brought him into heated conflict with both Arthur Harris and Carl Spaatz. So much so, in fact, that after pressure was applied by no less than Eisenhower himself, L-M was forced to resign. One other clearly documented fact is L-M's uncertainty as to how most effectively employ the 9000 British and U.S. aircraft under his control as commander of AEAF; some have asserted his most notable accomplishement in this period was his Transportation Plan - the massive bombing campaign prior to the invasion against German and northern French railways and marshalling yards in order to prevent the Germans bringing up reinforcements to attack the Allied beacheads in Normandy.
""Jimbotosome - historians are far more “religious” than logical. They are trying to sell their “spin” on a given subject. Who wants to read “yet another book” on any subject? Historians therefore need to put on a dog and pony show or people simply wouldn’t buy their book or take the time to read it. This means historians MUST stand under proper scrutiny and not accepted for their lofty reputation as though there is some historian aristocracy."" I hope you find a good book that you are able to agree with the author/like/enjoy reading. As angie says let us know if you find one. Regards MG
(angie999 @ Jan 2 2006, 06:33 AM) [post=43910]No, not really, but if you find one please post details for us. If you really want to understand L-M, however, you do also need to look at his role and performance in command of 12 Group during the Battle of Britain, his support of "big wing" theory and his "political" moves in the arguments which led to his appointment as commander of Fighter Command. In my opinion, a slippery customer was L-M. [/b] The thing I am really looking for are the tactical operations of 2nd TAF. I can find scads of stuff on US TAC but very little on 2nd TAF. I believe they must have had similar operations and want to know about the effectiveness of some of the British Fighter-Bombers like the Tempest and they Typhoons as well as any of their own custom developed tactics. I can't find anything on Coyningham either. I figured one of you Brits might have a book site where these books were in abundance and could post the link. Amazon and Barnes and NoBooks..er... Noble... aren't cutting it. (adamcotton @ Jan 2 2006, 07:59 AM) [post=43914](angie999 @ Jan 2 2006, 11:33 AM) [post=43910]No, not really, but if you find one please post details for us. If you really want to understand L-M, however, you do also need to look at his role and performance in command of 12 Group during the Battle of Britain, his support of "Big Wing" theory and his "political" moves in the arguments which led to his appointment as commander of Fighter Command. In my opinion, a slippery customer was L-M. [/b] I would second that opinion. In 1941 the British Air Ministry published its official account of the Battle of Britain without once mentioning the names of Hugh Dowding or Keith Park; it seems Big Wing theory had its adherents in high places (most notably in the personage of Air Chief Marshal Sir Charles Portal, the new chief of the air staff), even though it had been proved largely impractical for defensive operations. The omission of Park and Dowding from the official history was due, in no small part, to the political machinations of the self-serving L-M, who had the satisfaction of stepping into Park's shoes as head of 11 Group in December, 1940. Two years later, he replaced Sholto Douglas as head of Fighter Command. I don't know a great deal about L-M's tenure as commander of the Allied Expeditionary Air Forces. However, I do know he attempted to exert much control over the strategic bombing campaign leading up to the invasion, and that this brought him into heated conflict with both Arthur Harris and Carl Spaatz. So much so, in fact, that after pressure was applied by no less than Eisenhower himself, L-M was forced to resign. One other clearly documented fact is L-M's uncertainty as to how most effectively employ the 9000 British and U.S. aircraft under his control as commander of AEAF; some have asserted his most notable accomplishement in this period was his Transportation Plan - the massive bombing campaign prior to the invasion against German and northern French railways and marshalling yards in order to prevent the Germans bringing up reinforcements to attack the Allied beacheads in Normandy. [/b] Surely you know of some books on the subject Adam...can you post a link to some you recommend. (Colonel Gubbins @ Jan 2 2006, 08:29 AM) [post=43916]""Jimbotosome - historians are far more “religious” than logical. They are trying to sell their “spin” on a given subject. Who wants to read “yet another book” on any subject? Historians therefore need to put on a dog and pony show or people simply wouldn’t buy their book or take the time to read it. This means historians MUST stand under proper scrutiny and not accepted for their lofty reputation as though there is some historian aristocracy."" I hope you find a good book that you are able to agree with the author/like/enjoy reading. As angie says let us know if you find one. Regards MG [/b] Precisely why I didn't ask for a history book but one on tactical operations and analysis. I don't want to know about what shaped his personality as a child but rather what tactics worked and which did not. L-M was over Allied TAC and I think he would have a lot to say like Doolittle did on Strategic Air.
"Surely you know of some books on the subject Adam...can you post a link to some you recommend." Jimbo, there was a book published here in the UK a few years ago, unimaginatively entitled something like, "Leigh-Mallory and The Big Wing" (I think), but it didn't go into any detail about his tac-air days, so would be of limited interest to you. Sorry.
The book is called the Big Wing & was written by Bill Newton Dunn. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica he's Leigh Mallory's grandnephew & based the book on L-M's war diaries. Given Adam's comments on it, a better option for you might be Tedder's memoirs, Without Prejudice.
Maybe you will find this interesting: Author: Orange, Vincent Title: Coningham : a biography of Air Marshal Sir Arthur Coningham KCB, KBE, DSO, MC, DFC, AFC Publisher: London : Methuen, 1990 ISBN/ISSN: 0413145808 Kind Regards Steen Ammentorp The Generals of World War II
