This book was donated as a part of the David H. Hugel Collection, a collection of the Special Collections & Archives, University of Baltimore.

Within six months of the devastating attack on Pearl Harbor, the U.S. Navy had checked the Japanese military advance in the Pacific to the extent that the United States could return to its original "Defeat Germany First" strategy. That the Navy was able to accomplish this feat with only six fleet aircraft carriers and little more than 1,000 combat aircraft was not sheer luck but the culmination of more than two decades of determined preparation. This thorough study, with detailed drawings and photographs, explains and illustrates the trial and error process which went into developing the aircraft, airships and ships of the interwar period. The critical factors that shaped Naval Aviation after World War I--naval treaties, fleet tactics, government programs, leadership and organization, as well as the emergence of Marine Corps and Coast Guard aviation--are discussed in depth.

"Selection of oral histories"--CD surface.

"The collections of the Library of Congress in the history of aeronautics are plausibly the best in the world. Aside from some limited efforts describing aeronautics in the Library's special collections, however, no really substantial guide for researchers exists whose goal is to direct investigators to those resources on a Library-wide basis. Aeronautical and Astronautical Resources of the Library of Congress: A Comprehensive Guide is the first comprehensive, annotated guide to the Library's collections concerning the history of aeronautics and astronautics."--Excerpted from Preface, page 9.

In this biography, William F. Trimble examines the pioneering work of Glenn Curtiss, a key figure in the development of the airplane during the early part of the century. This book's careful examination of his partnership with the Navy breaks new ground in revealing significant new details of his contributions. Curtiss helped meet the special requirements of the service for aircraft, particularly those with the potential for operating with naval vessels at sea or in conducting long-distance flights over water. He also was instrumental in training the first naval aviators. Curtiss and the Navy continued their collaboration through World War I, reaching a climax in 1919 with the first transatlantic flight of the famed Navy-Curtiss NC flying boat. This book addresses the broader implications of the Curtiss-Navy collaboration in the context of the longstanding trend of government-private cooperation in the introduction and development of new technologies. It also helps lay to rest the persistent myth that the Navy resisted the introduction of aviation.