Silent Victory: Breaking the Japanese Air Blockade by Arthur Leebold

Book Description

Secondhand. Good condition. Wear to book corners and edges. Previous owner has stamped inside page, now covered with blank ex libris bookplate sticker. Dust jacket is in very good condition with light creasing at edges and spine.

After the Japanese cut Australia's air routes to Europe in 1942, the only alternative route was from Western Australia across the Indian Ocean to Sri Lanka and India. Few aircraft could make such long flights of up to 32 hours duration; there were no navigation aids, likely bad weather, possible enemy interception and little prospect of rescue if forced down into the ocean.

With RAAF assistance, Qantas undertook this secret passenger service with Catalina flying boats from Perth.

This is the history of those flights, the men who made them possible and the aircraft they flew. The history includes the service provided by post-war Lancastrians and jets to South Africa. (book flap)