Skywatch Volume 2: The History of the Royal Observer Corps, 1939-1945

After the 1938 Munich crisis, war was almost inevitable. The RAF and Observer Corps stepped up their air defence exercises. So severe were the concerns of a preemptive German air attack on the country that the Observer Corps was mobilised on August 24, 10 days before war was declared. Posts and Centres were constantly manned; the 'Phoney War' allowed many long-overdue readiness measures to be addressed as their eyes scanned the skies for Luftwaffe reconnaissance aircraft. In May 1940, exhausting action came with the defeat of France and the Battle of Britain. The Observer Corps quickly moved from being a peacetime organisation to one forged in battle. As the summer of 1940 slipped away and the Blitz came, the Corps had to adapt to changing enemy tactics. In 1941, having received 'royal' recognition, it embarked on a significant reorganisation and professionalisation. Chapters cover enemy attacks, women joining the Corps, the Post at Windsor Castle, the assistance to lost and damaged aircraft, and the Allied air offensive which brought further change. It discusses the build-up to D-Day in June 1944 with the need for 'Seaborne' Observers, and the immediate threat posed by the vast number of V-1 'Flying Bombs' launched against Britain. Volume two draws to a close with the end of the War and the temporary stand down of the Royal Observer Corps. The book uses a combination of new research, official files, and first-hand accounts to critically assess the wartime activities of the Royal Observer Corps and its relationship with the RAF, from high-level policy to life at Posts and Group Centres. AUTHOR: Having taught Cold War history, international security and politics at the University of Essex from where he gained a PhD, Kevin is a regular contributor to several UK aviation magazines and aviation photographer. Publications have included books on the U-2, Cold War aerial intelligence and contemporary military topics. From 1980 to Stand-down in 1991, he was a member of the Royal Observer Corps, the last eight years as a spare-time Group Officer with No. 4 Group (Colchester), responsible for Posts in North Essex and South Suffolk. 18 colour profiles, 16 colour photos, 109 b/w photos, 3 colour maps, 1 b/w map, 2 diagrams, 7 tables