An illustrated examination of the role played by the Sunderland as an antisubmarine aircraft during the Battle of the Atlantic, focusing on the key battles in the Bay of Biscay during the critical year of 1943.
The Sunderland was one of the RAF's most iconic combat aircraft of World War II, with a silhouette closer to a bumblebee than a raptor. Equally iconic for Germany was the U-boat – the 'steel sharks' whose natural prey was Allied merchantmen. Yet as deadly as the U-boat was to merchantmen and warships alike, the vessel had a weak spot: it was vulnerable to air attack. Packed with first-hand accounts, this book examines the typically one-to-one classic duels between two maritime predators – the U-boat and the Sunderland. It was an uneven fight, for the Sunderland had several advantages over a U-boat, including radars to detect U-boats while remaining unseen, and the ability to choose the time of attack to best advantage. Yet the battle was not totally unequal. Many Sunderlands were lost attacking U-boats. This title is profusely illustrated with specially commissioned artwork, including a three-view of a Sunderland, two-view of a Type IXB U-boat, four armament views detailing the weaponry employed by both protagonists, stunning cover and battlescene artwork, tactical diagrams and maps. These perfectly complement authoritative text by veteran Osprey author Mark Lardas.