This is an Alternative History (a book in which the
consequences of certain changed in history are
explored). The premise (what is often called the Point
of Departure) is that in 1932 the British Royal Navy
recovered control of its air arm (the Fleet Air Arm)
from the grip of the Royal Air Force. This is the second
book in the 'The Whale Has Wings' series. It carries on
directly from the action described at the end of Volume
1 - Rebirth. In Rebirth, the British Royal Navy regained
control of its Air Arm (the Fleet Air Arm) from the RAF
in 1933. This allowed them to build carriers and the
aircraft needed for them to their own pre-war plans,
rather than be constricted by the limited number and
performance of the aircraft grudgingly provided by the
RAF. As a consequence, by the time war broke out in
1939, the FAA had better planes, and the building of
carriers was a little advanced on our history. Initially
the war doesn't seem to go much differently, until the
big raid on the German ships at Wilhelmshaven harbour.
Even after this, the diversion isn't yet great, and
Norway is still a disaster for the German Navy. However
the leverage of the changes in air power are slowly
growing. As a result of greater confidence in his
carriers, the British are not forced to sink the French
ships in Oran, and the attack on the Vichy French at
Dakar goes more successfully. Other changes are less
obvious; with more air cover, fewer ships are being lost
to aircraft and submarines (as a result, the savings in
repair work and new construction more than allows the
continuation of the RN carrier building programme).
Italy joins the war, and action spreads into the
Mediterranean. The second book starts with the British
attack on the Italian Fleet at Taranto - this time, the
plan is more like the original plans and exercises
carried out in preparation for the raid. As a result of
the raid, there is again a divergence from history, and
this book explores some of the consequences. This books
covers the actions through late 1940 and 1941, mainly in
the Mediterranean against Italy and Germany, but also in
the Atlantic where we see what happens to the breakout
of the Bismark-led force. As well as the naval actions,
details are given of the war on land and air (in
particular where this involves British forces), showing
how the divergence from our history is slowly increasing
as the changes since 1933 have more effect and cause yet
more changes. In the Mediterranean, war spreads to
Greece and North Africa as well as the Italian colony of
Ethiopia, with unrest and significant political changes
in Africa and the Middle East. The book ends with the
gathering clouds of the Japanese Empire darkening the
East.
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