Beaufighter vs German Flak Ships: North Sea and Mediterranean 1941-1945
80 pages
Dr James Bosbotinis
The Bristol Beaufighter will be well-known to those members of The Naval Review with an interest in Second World War aviation, and particularly Coastal Command’s anti-shipping campaign. In this book, the author sets out to explore a “struggle between a type of ship that did not really exist and an aircraft not designed for anti-shipping warfare.” The ‘Flak ship’ was a “designation applied by Allied forces” and “did not in fact correspond to any specific vessels in the Kriegsmarine order of battle”, being applied to vessels which “provided anti-aircraft protection to convoys and coastal shipping.” The author, Matthew Willis, is a naval and aviation historian, and is a member of the Council of the Navy Records Society. I had the pleasure of reviewing his Swordfish Units of World War 2, published by Osprey in 2025.
Part of the Osprey ‘Duel’ series, Beaufighter vs German Flak Ships follows the established format: an introduction, chronology, chapters on ‘Design and Development’, ‘Technical Specifications’, ‘The Strategic Situation’, ‘The Combatants’ (which focuses on the personnel, leadership and notable personalities), with ‘Combat’ providing discussion of operations in the North Sea, off the Norwegian coast, Mediterranean, and the Balkans/Aegean. The book concludes with ‘Statistics and Analysis’, ‘Aftermath’, and a valuable selection of ‘Further Reading’. Alongside the text, there are an excellent selection of photos, diagrams and illustrations by Jim Laurier (see, for example, pages 74-75). Willis ably examines the development of the Beaufighter as an anti-shipping aircraft, within the context of the Royal Air Force’s wider anti-shipping capability and amidst debates on the ownership of Coastal Command, noting in particular that during “the interwar period, the anti-shipping strike mission fell so far down the RAF’s list of priorities that it almost disappeared altogether.” This is set alongside German efforts to develop and arm a variety of vessels, both naval and ostensibly civilian, with potent anti-aircraft armaments, including during the 1920s, “standardized trawler designs…purchased by private operators with a cheap state loan, on condition that in the event of war, the vessel would be turned over for military use.”
The author writes in an engaging and concise manner, making for a highly readable book. Willis ably conveys a lot of information regarding tactics, technical development, and the wider strategic context influencing the RAF’s anti-shipping campaign in just 80 pages, while ensuring the book remains easily accessible. Beaufighter vs German Flak Ships would certainly appeal to those with an interest in Second World War history, military aviation, and anti-shipping operations. It would also provide a good introduction for those pursuing deeper study of the maritime strike campaign during the Second World War (as a precursor to reading such books as Richard Hammond’s Strangling the Axis, or Christina Goulter’s A Forgotten Offensive – which is included by the author in ‘Further Reading’). All in all, Beaufighter vs German Flak Ships provides an excellent concise read, and is recommended.
