Military Model Scene

Title: RAF and USAAF Airfields in the UK
Author: Geoff Mills & Daniel Knowles
Publisher: Fonthill Media
ISBN: 978-1-78155-837-9

There have been various series of books on the history of WW2 military airfields in the UK but this new 653-page book gives the details of 500 airfields built during the war to house both British and American aircraft. All included in the one book.
The book starts with an interesting Introduction which sets out the background on the design and building of the huge expansion of airfield building brought on by the war, along with the arrival of American forces as well. There are some additional details on the various types of hangers used on the different sites, as well as a table listing the allocation of RAF squadron numbers during the war. That is followed by the bulk of the book providing the gazetteer for all the airfields around the country. It provides an alphabetical list of each airfield, along with its' location, code letters, the type of airfield (fighter, bomber etc), opening and, if appropriate, closing dates, airstrip )tarmac or grass), hangers and other details specific to each site. Then there is a brief summary of the history of the airfield, along with a list of the squadrons based there over time, and including their squadron letters, aircraft types and when they were there. Throughout the book there are a large number of archive images, not just illustrating the aircraft but some with aerial photos of the layout of the airfield.
All this information in the one book I think makes for an excellent reference to have handy on your bookshelf. It is also a fitting memorial for author Geoff Mills, who devoted over 10 years of researching the bulk of the information contained in the book, but who sadly passed away before he could see it go into print. A fitting tribute to the work he devoted to his interest in the history of these airfields, some of which survive in one form or another, and others which have been returned to agriculture or other development. A super reference all in the one book I think.
Thanks to Fonthill Media for our review copy.

Robin