HISTORY:
** Designed as a long-range day- and nightfighter, the Beaufighter had been largely rendered surplus to requirements by the time it reached production in 1941. Fortunately, it found its metier in an anti-shipping role, savaging Axis supply convoys in the North Sea and the Mediterranean. Whilst undertaking such missions, the Beaufighter met its deadliest foe – the unglamourous but effective German ‘Flak Ships’, named for their heavy anti-aircraft armament.
In this volume, aviation historian Matthew Willis details the actions of the various RAF strike wings against shipping in the North Sea, as well as operations by Beaufighter units that flew from Malta to sever supply lines to Germany’s Afrika Korps. The development of tactics that saw Beaufighters acting as both strikers and escorts is examined in detail, with rare photographs, contemporary operations records and newly commissioned artwork bringing to life the exploits of the Beaufighters and the warship crews they faced. **
** Quoted from the back cover of the book.
THE BOOK:
Osprey Publications has released Beaufighter vs German Flak Ships, North Sea and Mediterranean 1941–45 as Number 151 in their Duel series. It is a soft cover book with 80 pages and is the standard Osprey Publishing size of 7 1/4 x 9 3/4 inches. Included with the text are black and white and color photographs, full color illustrations, cutaway artwork, detailed captions and more. It has a 2026 copyright, a publication date of March 26, 2026, and the ISBN is 978-1-8460-6598-4.
THE CONTENTS:
Introduction
Chronology
Design and Development
Technical Specifications
The Strategic Situation
The Combatants
Combat
Statistics and Analysis
Aftermath
Further Reading
Index
The Osprey Publishing website states that the contents list shown with the book listing is “subject to confirmation”. The contents listing I have provided has been quoted from the book and is accurate.
THE TEXT:
Author Matthew Willis has written an excellent history about the combat that took place between the British Beaufighter and the German flak ships during World War II. The text goes into very specific detail in all areas of the book as outlined on the contents page, please refer to the contents listing that I have provided for the subjects that are covered throughout the book. The history of the Beaufighter and its journey to becoming an anti-shipping aircraft is well detailed providing aircraft specifics and changes that were made and other information such as the various types of weapons it carried for use against German ships. The author provides the same type of detail when discussing the flak ships such as the types of ships used, where they were obtained from such as those that were captured and put to use by the Germans, the types of ships the Germans preferred, the ship sizes, the types of weapons mounted on them, crew sizes and other such information. A wealth of information is also given on the combatants on both sides of the conflict and their training as well as several specific combat actions and the results of the actions and what was learned from them. Also detailed are the successes, failures and combat losses for both the Allies and Axis and other such information. Along with his own words, Matthew Willis has also provided quotes from various individuals involved with the combat discussed in the book such as Wing Commander Leonard Cheshire, Vorpostenflottille, Korvettenkapitän der Reserve Walther Fischer, Squadron Leader Sydney Smith, Wing Commander Patrick Gibbs, Flight Sergeant Stan Butler, and others. A detail I like is that when the author uses a German word, he provides then English translation for the reader. The text in the book is nicely written and well detailed. As I read through the text, I didn’t notice any spelling or grammatical errors. Grammar and spelling might not be an important factor to everyone however it is something that I take notice of and pass on my findings. One thing I did notice is that in some of the text, there is double spacing between some of the words. As a reader that knew nothing about the combat that took place between the British Beaufighter aircraft and the German flak ships, I found myself to be well informed on the subject upon finishing the book. Anyone that is interested in the anti-shipping aviation combat that took place between the Allies and the Axis in North Sea and the Mediterranean during the years of 1941 through 1945 to their personal library will be pleased with this very informative and interesting book.
THE PHOTOGRAPHS:
There are a total of 59 black and white photographs and 1 color photograph included in this volume. The photographs range from wide angle photographs to close-up detailed photographs. Some of the photographs are profile studio portraits of uniformed individuals. Most of the photographs are clear and easily viewable; however, a few of them are somewhat blurry and a few of them appear to be too dark, while others appear to be too light. This can be typical for the period of history being discussed and the quality of the photographs is of no fault of the author, and they do not take anything away from the book. The reason that some of the photographs appear blurry is due to the fact they were taken by aerial cameras during combat and by photographers on moving ships. Author Matthew Willis stuck to the title of the book and chose subject specific photographs and did not include photographs that strayed from the main subject. The majority, if not all, of the photographs will prove to be excellent reference material due to the details they contain.
THE ILLUSTRATIONS:
There are 9 color illustrations included in the volume by illustrator Jim Laurier. The illustrations are very well done, nicely detailed and are of:
- Beaufighter TF X (see attached scan)
- A one-page illustration showing the port side, front and overhead views of the aircraft.
- Sperrbrecher 14 (see attached scan)
- A one-page illustration showing starboard side and overhead views of the ship.
- Three-Inch Rocket Projectile
- A one-page illustration showing a three-inch Rocket projectile (RP) which was created as a spin-off from a failed anti-aircraft rocket and became an effective anti-shipping weapon.
- 2cm/65 FlaK C/30
- A one-page illustration showing the left side view of the weapon which was the main short-range anti-aircraft weapon used on German Auxiliary escort vessels.
- 2cm/65 FlaK C/38
- A one-page illustration showing the right side of the weapon which had been developed for U-boats but was frequently fitted to surface auxiliary vessels.
- 3.7cm/83 FlaK SK C/30 Dopp L C/30
- A one-page action illustration showing the left side of the weapon which was the standard Kriegsmarine medium anti-aircraft gun between 1939-43.
- Barrage Balloon
- A one-page illustration from the left side of a Sperrballon (barrage balloon) used by the German Kriegsmarine as a defence against air attacks on merchant shipping.
- Beaufighter TF X Cockpit
- A one-page illustration showing the interior view of a Beaufighter TF X cockpit with 75 items of interest pointed out and identified in a detailed key which is on the following page.
- Beaufighters of the RAF’s Dallachy Strike Wing
- A two-page action illustration showing Beaufighters of the Dallachy Strike Wing attacking the German destroyer Z33 and its escorts in Førde Fjord between Bjørkedal and Naustdal, Norway on February 9, 1945.
DIAGRAMS:
There are two color diagrams included in this volume that show:
- The RAF Beaufighter strike wing ‘Loose V’ formation.
- The RAF Beaufighter strike wing ‘Fluid Pair’ formation.
MAPS:
There is one full-colored map by Bounford.com included in this volume. The map comes with a basic key as well as a map/cartographic distance scale. The map is of:
- The coastal convoy areas of Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark and Norway covered by the North Coates Strike Wing and the Wick and Leuchars Strike Wings.
PROFILES:
There are two individuals profiled in this volume, and they are:
- Flt Lt. Sydney S. Shulemson – A Canadian Beaufighter strike wing pilot and Canada's highest decorated Jewish soldier during World War II.
- Bootsmannsmaat Karl Jörß – A German Kriegsmaarine Flak gunner who was one of only five German naval Unteroffiziere in world War II to be awarded the Knight’s Cross.
THE CAPTIONS:
The captions are well written and explain the accompanying photographs and illustrations in great detail, eliminating any doubt as to what is shown. The captions go into very specific detail as to the type and model of aircraft shown, the class of ship shown and well as the weapons it had mounted and the history of the ships, the names of specific individuals shown and their military rank and military unit they were assigned to, the types of weapons shown, both in the anti-aircraft and anti-ship roles, dates and locations and other such pertinent information. Matthew Willis’ captions are very helpful to the reader due to their detailed content as opposed to other captions that I have seen that are very brief and lacking in information.
CONCLUSION:
As with the other Osprey Publishing titles I was impressed with this book. This is a very nice reference book that contains a well written informative text, many subject specific photographs and illustrations, well detailed captions and more, all detailing combat between the British Beaufighter and German flak ships in the North Sea and the Mediterranean Sea throughout the years of 1941 through 1945 during World War II. As with the other Osprey Publishing titles, I have no hesitation recommending this book to others as it will be a welcome addition to one’s personal reference library.
Osprey Publishing also offers Beaufighter vs German Flak Ships, North Sea and Mediterranean 1941–45 as:
Ebook (Epub & Mobi) ISBN: 978-1-4728-6599-1
and
Ebook (PDF) ISBN: 978-1-4728-6596-0
Osprey Publishing’s, Beaufighter vs German Flak Ships, North Sea and Mediterranean 1941–45 is also available as a Kindle version through Amazon.
PRICE:
UK £15.99 / US $23.00 / CAN $31.00
This book was provided to me by Osprey Publishing. Please mention that you saw the book reviewed here on the KitMaker Network when making your purchase. Thank you.
