In the First and Second World Wars, the protection of the Welsh coast and sea lanes was vital to the continuation of British commerce and industry in the west. The arrival of the U-boat in the First War, and the addition of the bomber in the Second, brought the region into range of German attack. Airfields for seaplanes, airships, fighters and bombers were established up and down the Welsh coast to combat the threat.Defending Wales tells the stories of the airfields, squadrons and airmen responsible for keeping the German threat at bay at a time when unreliable aircraft and perilous weather conditions, not to mention hostile fighters and U-boats, made flying a very dangerous enterprise.Defending Wales contains 150 pictures of aircraft, airfields and coastal defenses, and an introductory chapter outlining the history of piracy, smuggling and marauding French and Spanish warships in Welsh waters before the twentieth century.