Squadrons! No. 15

The Gloster Meteor F.I & F.III

Phileditions

Reviewed by Mark Davies

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The Gloster Meteor was the first British jet fighter and the Allies' only operational jet aircraft during the Second World War. For the Meteor, the main issue was to find the right engines and the development of these took more time than initially planned and proved more complicated than originally thought but eventually the first Meteor F.Is were ready to enter service in the summer 1944. Their first action took place soon after in the hunt of the V-1 launched against England. Then the Meteor was deployed on the Continent in its F.III variant where it participated to the last stages of WW2 with the 2 TAF.

Source: RAF-IN-COMBAT.com

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It is a good thing to have a publication dedicated to the RAF’s earliest use of the Meteor, as the type’s prolonged and extensive post-war career has sometimes led to  its late wartime being skipped over, with just a quick focus on the type’s development with only passing mention of its WW2 operational us. This latest issue redresses this imbalance. It is the fifteenth in the Squadrons! series from Phileditions, all of which follow a similar format; in this case this being:

• Glossary – Personnel, Ranks, Other, and Fighter Command Offensive Operation Codenames.

• The Gloster Meteor – Brief development history and production serial numbers covering the F.I, F.II, and F.III.

• Squadron Usage –Operational accounts, claims and summaries of aircraft lost on operations and to accidents. Covering No 616 Squadron and service with other units.

• In Memoriam – Pilots killed flying the early Meteors.

The book features 30 photographs, most good, featuring the Meteor F.I & F.III, and several with just aircrew. At the end are six nicely rendered full-page colour profiles. 

The book is available in four formats; printed paperback, or in three digital formats downloadable from the publisher and others. The printed example’s quality of production is good, although on matt paper. I cannot comment on the appearance of the digital formats.

This series is quite specialized in nature with its focus firmly on squadron usage - hardly surprising given the series’ title! The booklet gives a good insight into the Meteor F.I and F.III’s service up until September 1945, as well as interesting accounts of the operational experiences of those who flew it. I recommend it to Meteor aficionados.

Thanks to RAF-In-Combat.com for the review samples.

Review Copyright © 2016 by Mark Davies
This Page Created on 17 August, 2016
Last updated 17 August, 2016

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