Wing Commander Vic Hodgkinson DFC served throughout the Second World War as a pilot in the Royal Australian Air Force. His war began in 1939 when he traveled to the UK to become one of the founding members of 10 Squadron RAAF. With its training complete, the squadron took delivery of its first Short Sunderland flying boats. In early 1940, the squadron was loaned to the RAF by the Australian Government. Flying from Mount Batten (Plymouth), Pembroke Dock (Wales) and Oban (Scotland), Vic Hodgkinson, along with the rest of the squadron, played a vital part in the early stages of the Battle of the Atlantic as part of the RAF’s Coastal Command. During that time, he was involved in numerous air-sea rescues. This included picking up twenty-one survivors of a U-boat attack, and of returning the compliment with depth charge attacks on German submarines. Vic himself became a survivor when, returning from a fifteen-hour patrol in fog, his Sunderland crashed into the Irish Sea near Bardsey Island, off the North Wales coast, while returning to Pembroke Dock. Six of his eleven crew were killed; it was a gruelling twelve hours before the survivors were finally rescued. In May 1941, Vic and his crew were dispatched to the Mediterranean, but became stranded in Egypt after their Sunderland was damaged. while awaiting spare parts, Vic volunteered to serve with a RAF flying boat squadron based in Alexandria. He found himself flying through heavy enemy fire to make contact with Allied troops fighting for their lives in Crete. After this, they were once again back in the Atlantic, flying patrols across the Bay of Biscay. During one such sortie, Vic’s crew became embroiled in a battle of the giants with a Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor. It was an engagement that ended badly for the faster and heavily armed enemy aircraft. In 1942, Hodgkinson was sent back to Australia, going on to serve with both 20 Squadron RAAF and 40 Squadron RAAF. It was in this period that he also flew the Consolidated Catalina, Martin Mariner and other flying boats – including Dornier Do 24s that had been impressed into RAAF service after the fall of the Dutch East Indies. His missions included dropping supplies to remote areas, minelaying, reporting on Japanese ship movements, and engaging in the bombing of enemy positions. This is Vic’s remarkable story, told here in his own words for the first time.

Contents:ethods of tending seaplanes:1941 Comment on British and American operational practices Notes on German flying boats and seaplane operations Aircraft and operational procedures Operational experience.

Designed with the more visual needs of today's student in mind, this landmark encyclopedia covers the entire scope of the Second World War, from its earliest roots to its continuing impact on global politics and human society. Over 1,000 illustrations, maps, and primary source materials enhance the text and make history come alive for students and faculty alike. ABC-CLIO's World War II: A Student Encyclopedia captures the monumental sweep of the "Big One" with accessible scholarship, a student-friendly, image-rich design, and a variety of tools specifically crafted for the novice researcher. For teachers and curriculum specialists, it is a thoroughly contemporary and authoritative work with everything they need to enrich their syllabi and meet state and national standards. Ranging from the conflict's historic origins to VJ Day and beyond, it brings all aspects of the war vividly to life—its origins in the rubble of World War I, its inevitable outbreak, its succession of tumultuous battles and unforgettable personalities. Students will understand what the war meant to the leaders, the soldiers, and everyday families on home fronts around the world. Featured essays look at Pearl Harbor, the Holocaust, the atomic bomb, and other crucial events, as well as fascinating topics such as signals intelligence and the role of women in war. A separate primary source volume provides essential source material for homework, test preparation or special projects. With a wealth of new information and new ideas about the war's causes, course, and consequences, World War II will be the first place students turn for the who, what, when, where, and—more importantly—the why, behind this historic conflict.

Rare and previously unpublished images of the famous port of Southampton, which is United Kingdom’s premier passenger port.

The Supermarine Spitfire was a classic design, well known for its efforts in defending British shores during the Second World War. However, while Reginald Mitchell is rightly celebrated for his original design of the Spitfire, the role of Joe Smith in the development of the Spitfire is often overlooked. Smith was an integral member of the design team from the earliest days, and on Mitchell’s death in 1937 he was appointed design office manager before becoming chief designer. Smith’s dedicated leadership in the development of the Spitfire during the war, as well as his efforts on post-war jet aircraft, deserve their place in history. Charting the fascinating history of Supermarine from 1913 to 1958, when the company ceased its operations in Southampton, shortly after Joe Smith’s death in 1956, this book tells its story through the eyes of apprentices and many other members of Smith’s team. Marvellous photographs add to the sense of what it was like to work under Joe Smith at the drawing boards of one of Britain’s most famous wartime aviation manufacturers.