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On Wave and Wing: The 100 Year Quest to Perfect the Aircraft Carrier
What defended the U.S. after the attack on Pearl Harbor, defeated the Soviet Union in the Cold War, and is an essential tool in the fight against terror? Aircraft Carriers. For seventy years, these ships remained a little understood cornerstone of American power. In his latest book, On Wave and Wing , Barrett Tillman sheds light on the history of these floating leviathans and offers a nuanced analysis of the largest man-made vessel in the history of the world.
368 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 27, 2017
34 people are currently reading
108 people want to read
About the author
Barrett Tillman
118 books64 followersBorn a fourth-generation Oregonian, descended from American pioneers, Revolutionary War Patriots, Pilgrims (e.g. Priscilla Alden) and Pocahontas, Tillman was raised on the family wheat and cattle ranch. His younger brothers include a breeder of exotic animals and a Rhodes Scholar. In high school he was an Eagle Scout[citation needed], won two state titles as a rudimental drummer, and was a champion speaker and debater. Tillman was first published in 1964 at age 15 and graduated from the University of Oregon in 1971 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism.
Like his father, a Navy trained pilot in World War II, Tillman developed an early passion for aviation and learned to fly at age 16. Over the next several years he flew a variety of vintage and historic aircraft, including a pre-WW II Navy trainer and a restored dive-bomber. The latter became the subject of his first book, The Dauntless Dive Bomber of World War II, published in 1976. It established the format for many subsequent books, operational histories of U.S. Navy aircraft.
After college Tillman worked as a freelance writer until 1982 when he founded Champlin Fighter Museum Press in Mesa, Arizona, publishing out-of-print and new titles on military aviation.
In 1986 he moved to San Diego to become managing editor of The Hook, quarterly journal of the Tailhook Association. He remained in that position for three years before deciding to focus full time to writing fiction. His first novel was published in June 1990. Warriors[1] depicted a Mideast air war and became an immediate best seller when Iraq invaded Kuwait two months later.
Tillman's next two novels appeared in 1992: The Sixth Battle, (written with his brother John) which captured a wide following among computer war gamers; and Dauntless, intended as the first in a trilogy. It was followed by Hellcats, nominated as military novel of the year in 1996. He has also published original fiction in the Stephen Coonts anthologies, Combat and Victory.
Tillman remains active as a magazine writer. He is a regular contributor to The Hook, Flight Journal, and several firearms publications. He has also reported from Africa for Soldier of Fortune magazine.
Tillman is a former executive secretary of the American Fighter Aces Association.[2]
-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barrett_...
Like his father, a Navy trained pilot in World War II, Tillman developed an early passion for aviation and learned to fly at age 16. Over the next several years he flew a variety of vintage and historic aircraft, including a pre-WW II Navy trainer and a restored dive-bomber. The latter became the subject of his first book, The Dauntless Dive Bomber of World War II, published in 1976. It established the format for many subsequent books, operational histories of U.S. Navy aircraft.
After college Tillman worked as a freelance writer until 1982 when he founded Champlin Fighter Museum Press in Mesa, Arizona, publishing out-of-print and new titles on military aviation.
In 1986 he moved to San Diego to become managing editor of The Hook, quarterly journal of the Tailhook Association. He remained in that position for three years before deciding to focus full time to writing fiction. His first novel was published in June 1990. Warriors[1] depicted a Mideast air war and became an immediate best seller when Iraq invaded Kuwait two months later.
Tillman's next two novels appeared in 1992: The Sixth Battle, (written with his brother John) which captured a wide following among computer war gamers; and Dauntless, intended as the first in a trilogy. It was followed by Hellcats, nominated as military novel of the year in 1996. He has also published original fiction in the Stephen Coonts anthologies, Combat and Victory.
Tillman remains active as a magazine writer. He is a regular contributor to The Hook, Flight Journal, and several firearms publications. He has also reported from Africa for Soldier of Fortune magazine.
Tillman is a former executive secretary of the American Fighter Aces Association.[2]
-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barrett_...
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
March 9, 2017
On December 7, 1941, the Imperial Japanese Navy let the world know the age of the battleship was over and the age of the aircraft carrier had begun. For the next four years, no ships had greater significance in the Pacific War than aircraft carriers, a position they still maintain to this day.
From their very humble beginnings in the pre-World War I years, all the way through the continuing conflicts in the Middle East, Barrett Tillman gives a concise history of the ships which have changed the face of naval warfare and become the ultimate show of force on the high seas. The first attempts to launch an aircraft from a ship took place in 1910 and it wasn't until 1917 that the first carrier was launched. Since that time, there have been myriad changes, innovations, and upgrades to both the ships and the planes which they carry. From the earliest biplanes through today's drones and all-purpose aircraft, Tillman tells a tale of trial and error as the world's navies have aimed to maximize the carrier's effectiveness and enable it to carry out any offensive mission. The carriers themselves have changed tremendously as well: angled flight decks, better crew accommodations, nuclear power and increased safety measures are just some of the differences chronicled here. Since the vast majority of all carriers ever built have been American ones, the book focuses primarily on the American side of things, but there is good representation of the British and Japanese, along with information on other countries such as France, India, Russia and China.
Now, a book about aircraft carriers wouldn't be complete without talking combat, and while all the battles in the Pacific in World War II could take up hundreds of pages by themselves, Tillman has given a condensed telling of the major ones. The conflicts in Korea, Vietnam and the Middle East, along with smaller ones like the Falklands War and the Indo-Pakistani War, get their share of ink as well.
The book contains pictures throughout, interspersed with the text. To me, this was one of the highlights as they really helped show how the aircraft carrier and its planes have evolved over the years. There's a section of color photographs as well, mostly of post-World War II planes and ships. One of the final bits in the book is a listing of movies which have featured aircraft carriers in some capacity. Tillman's analysis of some, while not exactly the same as Siskel and Ebert, certainly made me chuckle as he takes Hollywood to task.
Barrett Tillman has been writing books on naval aviation for many years, and his knowledge and expertise on the subject shine through repeatedly. Another job well done, but then, I didn't expect anything less.
From their very humble beginnings in the pre-World War I years, all the way through the continuing conflicts in the Middle East, Barrett Tillman gives a concise history of the ships which have changed the face of naval warfare and become the ultimate show of force on the high seas. The first attempts to launch an aircraft from a ship took place in 1910 and it wasn't until 1917 that the first carrier was launched. Since that time, there have been myriad changes, innovations, and upgrades to both the ships and the planes which they carry. From the earliest biplanes through today's drones and all-purpose aircraft, Tillman tells a tale of trial and error as the world's navies have aimed to maximize the carrier's effectiveness and enable it to carry out any offensive mission. The carriers themselves have changed tremendously as well: angled flight decks, better crew accommodations, nuclear power and increased safety measures are just some of the differences chronicled here. Since the vast majority of all carriers ever built have been American ones, the book focuses primarily on the American side of things, but there is good representation of the British and Japanese, along with information on other countries such as France, India, Russia and China.
Now, a book about aircraft carriers wouldn't be complete without talking combat, and while all the battles in the Pacific in World War II could take up hundreds of pages by themselves, Tillman has given a condensed telling of the major ones. The conflicts in Korea, Vietnam and the Middle East, along with smaller ones like the Falklands War and the Indo-Pakistani War, get their share of ink as well.
The book contains pictures throughout, interspersed with the text. To me, this was one of the highlights as they really helped show how the aircraft carrier and its planes have evolved over the years. There's a section of color photographs as well, mostly of post-World War II planes and ships. One of the final bits in the book is a listing of movies which have featured aircraft carriers in some capacity. Tillman's analysis of some, while not exactly the same as Siskel and Ebert, certainly made me chuckle as he takes Hollywood to task.
Barrett Tillman has been writing books on naval aviation for many years, and his knowledge and expertise on the subject shine through repeatedly. Another job well done, but then, I didn't expect anything less.
August 5, 2017
This book provides an overview of the history of the aircraft carrier. The first plane to launch from a ship was in 1910. The first carrier was launched one hundred years ago in 1917. Tillman proceeds to tell us about the changes to the carrier that have occurred over the past one hundred years. This is a good review to provide a prospective to the current debate regarding the carrier. Has its cost and size gotten too big? Are smaller and more carriers better?
The book is well written and researched. Tillman covers the carrier, the planes and the key battles fought by carriers over the years. Tillman is a well-known naval historian. What country had the first carrier? I am not going to tell; you will need to read the book. You will be surprised by the answer.
I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. The book is nine and a half hours long. Peter Berkrot does a good job narrating the book. Berkrot is an actor, voice-over artist and award-winning audiobook narrator.
The book is well written and researched. Tillman covers the carrier, the planes and the key battles fought by carriers over the years. Tillman is a well-known naval historian. What country had the first carrier? I am not going to tell; you will need to read the book. You will be surprised by the answer.
I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. The book is nine and a half hours long. Peter Berkrot does a good job narrating the book. Berkrot is an actor, voice-over artist and award-winning audiobook narrator.
May 9, 2017
Based on the description I was expecting a book with a lot of details on the technical, operational and engineering challenges of aircraft carriers. Instead it was basically an overview of carrier battles during WWII, with few if any insights. If you were looking for the same check out Shattered Sword: The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway for a more thorough investigation of carriers and how they fight.
September 2, 2018
Fine summary of 100 years of worldwide naval aviation. Nothing more, nothing less. Some quotable stuff though from the highly knowledgeable Barrett Tillman.
February 15, 2020
How many young reader books have you read? When I was a teen, my younger sister was obsessed with the Magic a Tree House series. Each title was alliterated in a cute way and the books were simple, entertaining, and way below my level of reading. I read them anyway, though, because they were quick and fun.
This book is like that, except it wasn’t entertaining. I’m not sure who this book’s audience is, but it definitely wasn’t me. It only took a page or two before I realized the author was not going to provide the level of detail I crave in books. I made it about halfway through the book before I realized it wasn’t going to pick up and I wasn’t going to learn about cool facts, figures, or the engineering behind the aircraft carrier.
The subtitle of this book is “the 100 year quest to perfect the aircraft carrier.” I expected, on some level, a subplot of how the aircraft carrier wasn’t perfect in the beginning and needed to be improved until it became a perfect machine later on. Nope. The book basically goes like this:
- Aircraft carriers weren’t considered important so they weren’t given priority.
- WWII happened and the world realized they were a priority. Also, here are some cool summaries of the naval battles aircraft carriers participated in.
- 1945-1991 happens and aircraft carriers are still used! Amazing!
- Aircraft carriers evolved to be able to use jets (How, though? Give me the story about how the Navy fought to keep growing during President Eisenhower’s administration!)
I finally gave up and skimmed the rest of the book after Tillman claimed President Truman was “voted out of office” in 1952. What?? No he wasn’t. If you’re confused on this matter, consider reading “Truman” by David McCullough. That’s an actually interesting history.
This book gets 2/5 stars because it taught me a few things, but they were so shallow I probably could’ve learned them on Wikipedia. And I’ll probably fact check this book on Wikipedia to make sure no other egregious errors were missed.
This book is like that, except it wasn’t entertaining. I’m not sure who this book’s audience is, but it definitely wasn’t me. It only took a page or two before I realized the author was not going to provide the level of detail I crave in books. I made it about halfway through the book before I realized it wasn’t going to pick up and I wasn’t going to learn about cool facts, figures, or the engineering behind the aircraft carrier.
The subtitle of this book is “the 100 year quest to perfect the aircraft carrier.” I expected, on some level, a subplot of how the aircraft carrier wasn’t perfect in the beginning and needed to be improved until it became a perfect machine later on. Nope. The book basically goes like this:
- Aircraft carriers weren’t considered important so they weren’t given priority.
- WWII happened and the world realized they were a priority. Also, here are some cool summaries of the naval battles aircraft carriers participated in.
- 1945-1991 happens and aircraft carriers are still used! Amazing!
- Aircraft carriers evolved to be able to use jets (How, though? Give me the story about how the Navy fought to keep growing during President Eisenhower’s administration!)
I finally gave up and skimmed the rest of the book after Tillman claimed President Truman was “voted out of office” in 1952. What?? No he wasn’t. If you’re confused on this matter, consider reading “Truman” by David McCullough. That’s an actually interesting history.
This book gets 2/5 stars because it taught me a few things, but they were so shallow I probably could’ve learned them on Wikipedia. And I’ll probably fact check this book on Wikipedia to make sure no other egregious errors were missed.
April 11, 2019
From the Great War to the age of global terrorism, Barrett Tillman chronicles the evolution of the aircraft carrier - from Great Britain's "flying off" decks on converted battle cruisers to the United States' nuclear powered, multi-deck flattops with their angled-decks.
Tillman also gives an account of the notable personnel who helped advance the development of carriers, and the aircraft that were used.
For most of the 20th century, the aircraft carrier was the most important ship in a navy's arsenal. The author points out that without aircraft carriers, there would not have been a Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor.
Carriers are possibly now one of the world's most lucrative targets for terrorists. That, combined with the cost to build and supply a carrier (with viable aircraft), has clouded their potential going forward in the 21st century.
Tillman ends with an Appendix on "Notable Carrier Veterans" and "Aircraft Carrier Movies" - just for fun.
There are a few places where the narrative gets choppy, but overall a good read and I recommend it.
Tillman also gives an account of the notable personnel who helped advance the development of carriers, and the aircraft that were used.
For most of the 20th century, the aircraft carrier was the most important ship in a navy's arsenal. The author points out that without aircraft carriers, there would not have been a Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor.
Carriers are possibly now one of the world's most lucrative targets for terrorists. That, combined with the cost to build and supply a carrier (with viable aircraft), has clouded their potential going forward in the 21st century.
Tillman ends with an Appendix on "Notable Carrier Veterans" and "Aircraft Carrier Movies" - just for fun.
There are a few places where the narrative gets choppy, but overall a good read and I recommend it.
September 25, 2019
Credit the author with questioning the thought process and "penny-pinching" of our national government when it comes to putting equipment and resources into the hands of our military personnel. Cost over-runs, policy decisions, rules of engagement and "faulty toilets" are just some of the things that prevent our military teams from doing the job they are asked to do. Particularly in our current situation where ships and aircraft are coming to the end of their service lives and nothing apparently is ready for the future.
May 11, 2017
Disappointing !
Stats and history is OK ! Not the best writer in the world ! Has his attitudes-Halsey not his favorite and we have one carrier skipper had over a hundred deserters in wartime ?????
B st part is his narration the 27C conversion, which I experienced in Cougars and A-4's
Stats and history is OK ! Not the best writer in the world ! Has his attitudes-Halsey not his favorite and we have one carrier skipper had over a hundred deserters in wartime ?????
B st part is his narration the 27C conversion, which I experienced in Cougars and A-4's
June 25, 2024
Very interesting history of aircraft carriers and how they've evolved over time, as well as the people who have lived and worked and fought on them. For my taste I would have liked more detail on the engineering advances that drove each improvement, but there was definitely still plenty of this. Overall it was quite enjoyable, and I learned a lot.
April 17, 2018
I have always been fascinated about the naval battles especially WWII and the Pacific campaign. So this book was a good fit. To me it did a nice job of tracing the history of the aircraft carriers and the planes that flew off their decks.
December 17, 2021
Overall it does what is advertised. A good account of the history of aircraft carriers. Seems to get bogged down a bit with military acronyms, would have preferred a more sequential trip through the evolution. Seemed like it jumped around a bit.
July 30, 2017
Author knows his stuff. You need have firsthand knowledge about carriers before reading this. Acronyms get confusing at times (especially when talking about WWI and WWII aircraft).
December 24, 2019
Great for a nerd like me, but more dry than the history of naval aviation should inspire.
December 10, 2022
Great content, wasn't a fan of the narrator
January 23, 2023
Terrible structure, reads like an unorganized collection of bullet points
March 6, 2018
This is a book with 100 years development history of aircraft carriers. It has some fun facts and easy to read. If you are looking for a book to know the high level history of Aircraft Carriers, this one is for you. If you are looking for technical details, design trends, how it was used in details, this is not the one.
February 15, 2018
Excellent overview of over 100 years of naval aviation. Covers all the players, US, UK, France, Russia, China ...
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews