"An exceptional piece of scholarship. Rossano clearly points out that military organizations in general, and a naval air force in particular, are built from the ground up and not the other way around. While we celebrate the exploits of the pilots, Rossano reminds us that there were myriad mechanics, constructors, paymasters, and even some ship drivers who played a vital role in naval aviation during WWI."--Craig C. Felker, U.S. Naval Academy

"A fine book that will stand for many years as the definitive study of U.S. naval aviation in Europe. Well-researched and written, the book ranges widely, from the high-level planning in Washington for a naval air war to moving thousands of men and hundreds of aircraft across the ocean to the routine but dangerous training, patrol, and bombing flights that constituted the navy’s air mission in World War I."--William F. Trimble, author of Attack from the Sea

Stalking the U-Boat is the first and only comprehensive study of U.S. naval aviation operations in Europe during WWI. The navy's experiences in this conflict laid the foundations for the later emergence of aviation as a crucial--sometimes dominant--element of fleet operations, yet those origins have been previously poorly understood and documented.

Begun as antisubmarine operations, naval aviation posed enormous logistical, administrative, personnel, and operational problems. How the USN developed this capability--on foreign soil in the midst of desperate conflict--makes a fascinating tale sure to appeal to all military and naval historians.

Geoffrey L. Rossano is the editor of Price of Honor: The World War One Letters of Naval Aviator Kenneth MacLeish.

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Awards
Roosevelt Naval History Prize - 2011

"Describes not only high-level naval planning, but also the daily life and operations at naval air stations overseas where sailors recreated a bit of America whereever they washed up on shore."
-- Camaraderie: Journal of the Western Front Association

"This fine book makes excellent use of the extensive official and private archives to build a rounded picture of a significant subject, linking the human insights of pilots and observers with higher-level policy discussions."
--International Journal of Nautical Archaeology