A.F.V. RECOGNITION
Part I: British & Allied Turreted AFVs (1942)
WAR OFFICE, London, 1942
A British army WW2 tank and AFV recognition manual, published by the War Office in 1942 (this edition was printed in January 1943). It has an ink stamp of 'RAF Station Intelligence, Ashbourne' on the front cover. AFV Recognition Part I includes details of British and Allied Turreted AFVs - among the many British vehicles covered are the Churchill, Valentine, Matilda, Crusader and Covenanter tanks, and the Humber, and Daimler armoured cars. There are also details of American, Canadian, Russian, German, Italian, Japanese and French tanks. Czech and French tanks which were captured and re-used by the German army are also included, along with information on the characteristics and vulnerability of enemy AFVs. The book is well illustrated with photographs, line drawings, and diagrams. It comes with an additional 28 page booklet of amendments, dated November 1943, which includes details of the latest British and American AFV developments.
RAF Ashbourne: construction of RAF Ashbourne, located near Ashbourne in Derbyshire, as a front-line bomber base began in late 1941 with the base opening on 12 June 1942. The nearby satellite airfield of Darley Moor was ready for operational use in September. The construction was part of the rush to build national defence facilities in the aftermath of German victory in theBattle for France. The Ashbourne site was less than ideal - at over 600 feet above sea level the airfield was above the usual ceiling for the construction of airfields. In addition, even after construction, the airfield was less than flat, being dominated by a natural hump running across the airstrip. The result was that even before the base opened it was deemed unsuitable for heavy bomber operations. It would be relegated during the war to training duties as a base for 81 Operational Training Unit (OTU) during the first months after opening in 1942, and for 42 Operational Training Unit (OTU) from 1942 to 1945. Three types of aircraft flew out of Ashbourne: the Bristol Blenheim, the Armstrong Whitworth Whitley and the Armstrong Whitworth Albermarle. Operational Training revolved around Army-Air liaison (which included the dropping of supplies and parachutists and glider towing). Airmen trained at Ashbourne took part in Operations Overlord, Market Garden and Varsity (D-Day, Arnhem, and crossing the Rhine), as well as being involved in supplying the resistance in Europe and the Special Operations Executive. After the war RAF Ashbourne served as a relief training ground, and a Maintenance Unit from May 1945 until the airfield finally closed into August 1954.
Condition:
In very good condition. The card cover is in very good condition, with general signs of use, and some marks. The stapled binding is good and secure, although the staples are rusty. The text, photographs and illustrations are in very good condition. There is an ink stamp of 'RAF Station Intelligence, Ashbourne' on the front cover, and on the first page of the amendments booklet.
Published: 1942 (printed Jan 1943)
Khaki card covers with black titling
Illustrated with b/w photographs, line drawings, & diagrams
Dimensions: 100mm x 165mm
Pages: 170 (plus 28 page amendments booklet)
