Military Aircraft
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Mosquito Photo-Reconnaissance Units of World War 2
The third volume in the trilogy of Combat Aircraft titles devoted to de Havilland's 'wooden wonder', this book focuses on the Mosquito photo-recce variants, and their users. The design's superb performance, and ability to escape interception by enemy fighters made the Mosquito the ideal choice for the RAF's then embryonic photographic reconnaissance force. The production standard PR1 subsequently became the first Mosquito variant of any kind to see operational service with the RAF, flying its first sortie [over France] on 20 September 1941. These aircraft flew all manner of bomber support missions ranging from simple post-raid photo-recce to weather checking and experimental H2X radar photo-mapping. All are detailed in this volume.
Mustang Designer: Edgar Schmued and the P-51
Mustang Designer tells the story of American wartime fighter development, including engines and armaments, as part of a nationwide program of aircraft builders and fliers, focusing on Edgar Schmued, the designer of the Mustang. The P-51 Mustang is widely regarded as the best propeller-driven fighter that ever flew. What many might not realize is that the plane's developer was a German migrant. This book tells of how Schmued created a weapon that would ultimately prove lethal to the aspirations of those who had seized control over his native land.
Mustang Survivors
The P-51 Mustang was acknowledged as the best fighter aircraft of World War II and is a subject of compelling interest to aviation enthusiasts, historians and modelers alike. This title covers the world's population of existing North American Aviation's A-36 and P-51 Mustangs, including the Commonwealth and Cavalier variants. Every surviving Mustang is listed, its military serial and last restorer is given, as is a short history of the aircraft. In addition, 50 of the better known Mustangs are covered in full with their complete military history and civil ownership records, and extended photographic coverage.
The book includes detailed appendices including contact information for all the companies involved in Mustang restoration, Internet sites and other resources on the type. They also provide an accurate production list; a complete list of all the units that flew the Mustang; the Mustang as an Air Racer and Mustang accidents.
Mustang: A Living Legend
Mustang: A living Legend concerns itself with Mustangs that are still with us - aircraft that have withstood the difficult test of time to remind us of an age well past. To restore and fly a vintage fighter in the 1980s requires not only skill but a considerable outlay of cash. Once surplussed for a few hundred or few thousand dollars, Mustangs are now in demand by collectors and are rapidly approaching the $500,000-mark in value. Around 100 Mustangs currently fly and more restorations are underway as hulks deemed fit for scrap only a few years ago are brought back to life. A few years from now, we will probably be seeing Mustang restoration with as much as 75 per cent of the air-frame built from replica parts - such is the demand.
Navy Attack: Spads, Scooters & Whales
This is a photographic history of American naval aircraft: Spads (Skyraiders), Scooters (Skyhawks), and Whales (Skywarriors).
Nose Art: An Illustrated History from World War I to the Present
Aircraft nose art has long been a military institution. First appearing in the form of a sea monster on the front of an Italian flying boat in 1913, through WWII, Vietnam, and on to today, Nose Art catalogs and presents it all.
Hundreds of detailed illustrations through the decades give the full picture of the evolution and history of these mini-murals. From early shark and tiger mouths below front propellers, to historical logos and Loony Toons characters, to the modern banning of nude pinups, author Allan Burney explores this incredible subject in detail.
Of Luck and War: From Squeegee Kid to Bomber Pilot in World War II
Join Flying Officer Les Morrison in the cockpit of a Lancaster bomber as he flies missions over Germany with 424 (Tiger) Squadron during WWII. Quite a change from his days as a delivery boy during the Depression. But luck has a habit of throwing Les a turn, placing an ordinary man in extraordinary circumstances, which he has ably captured for us all in this observant and gently humorous wartime account.
Patton’s Gap: Mustangs Over Normandy
Richard Rohmer (ISBN 10 – 0773731180) Hardcover 225 pages Out of Print. New old stock.
Pictorial History of the Luftwaffe
Here is a step by step history of Germany's Air Force presented in pictures. To research the photos, the author visited many of the senior officers who survived. The result is a unique and objectively precise account of the birth, life, and death of the Luftwaffe.
Polish Aces of World War 2 (Osprey Aircraft of the Aces No 21)
Pilots of the Polish Air Force saw action from the first day of World War 2 until the final victory in Europe in May 1945. Flying hopelessly outmoded P.11 fighters in defence of their country in September 1939, a handful of pilots inflicted serious losses on the Luftwaffe before being overwhelmed. The survivors escaped to then neutral Hungary and Romania, before being ordered to France by the new C-in-C of exiled Polish Armed Forces, Gen Sikorski. With the invasion of Western Europe by the Germans in May 1940, the surviving pilots were once more thrust into action in newly-formed Polish units, but again defeat ensured. A number of men then fled to Britain, where they were posted to either frontline Fighteer Command units or to generic squadrons formed in July/August 1940. The Polish pilots/squadrons made a significant contribution to the victory of the Battle of Britain, and from that foundation, these squadrons went on to see much action not only in Western Europe, but also in North Africa. Almost 60 Polish pilots achieved ace status with the RAF, with men like Skalski, Urbanowicz, Horbaczewski, Gladych and Zumbach achieving scores well into double figures flying famous Allied types like the Hurricane, Spitfire, Mustang and Thunderbolt.
Pure Chance: Memoirs of Dame Felicity Peake First Director Woman’s Royal Air Force
A good read for WWII history buffs, or students of women in the military. Unlike in the US, British women were obligated to serve their country one way or the other in the war. Felicity was of the gentry and had a pilot's license, so it was more or less inevitable that she would end up as an officer in the WAAF. Indeed, by 1946 she headed the organization.
Part of the fun from this book is that it illustrates how chummy people in the upper classes were in the UK. And the title was a deliberate choice by Peake, to emphasize how she just stumbled into things, even though she was diligent at any particular job.
Peak was portrayed (sort of) in the 1969 movie "Battle of Britain" by Susannah York, though Peak's love life was completely different than what was shown in the movie!
R.A.F Fighter Squadrons in the Battle of Britain
That the Battle of Britain was not won by courage alone emerges from the pages of this book, which examines the problems of tactics and leadership encountered by the RAF's fighter force when thrown into a battle for which it was ill-prepared.
RAF Colour Album
Published in 1986, the RAF Colour Album is a short collection of excellent quality colour photos of mainly RAF aircraft taken between around 1979 and 1985. The only exceptions to RAF types are shots of some Italian and German marked Tornado aircraft of the Tri-National Tornado Training Establishment (TTTE) at Cottesmore, as they are often flown by RAF crew.
Ragwings and Heavy Iron: The Agony and the Ecstasy of Flying History’s Greatest Warbirds
Depicts the airshows put on by part-time pilots, who rebuild, restore, and fly fighter planes from World War II.
Raymond Collishaw and the Black Flight
Ever wondered what it would be like to fly a biplane or triplane in the First World War? Raymond Collishaw and the Black Flight takes you to the Western Front during the Great War. Experience the risks of combat and the many close calls Collishaw had as a pilot, flight commander, and squadron leader. Understand the courage Collishaw and his fellow flyers faced every day they took to the air in their small, light, and very manoeuvrable craft to face the enemy.
As the third-highest-scoring flying ace among British and colonial pilots in the First World War, scoring 60 victories, Collishaw was only surpassed by Billy Bishop and Edward Mannock. This book traces Collishaw's life from humble beginnings in Nanaimo, British Columbia, to victories in the skies over France.
Recce Tech: The Phantom and the Dragon Lady
This is a photographic history of the Phantom and Dragon Lady reconnaissance aircraft.
Content covers:
Low Level High Rollers
Rhino Recce
NASA
Dragons at Beale
Toujours au Danger
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Rupert Red Two: A Fighter Pilot’s Life: From Thunderbolts to Thunderchiefs
In 1945 Second Lieutenant Jack Broughton graduated from West Point with the silver pilot wings of a newly commissioned member of the Army Air Corps. Nearly thirty years later, he retired as a full colonel in the United States Air Force, an entity that didn't even exist when he first learned to fly. Along the way Colonel Broughton saw duty in virtually every fighter aircraft the Air Corps and then Air Force had to offer.
He experienced the birth and coming of age of the U.S. Air Force and its bloodying in combat in Korea and Vietnam. In this, his third book, Broughton offers readers what is virtually a biography of the U. S. Air Force as it was experienced by one of its finest combat leaders.
From his initial duty in postwar Germany as part of the American occupation, to air-to-air combat in Korea, to his command of the Thunderbirds and two combat tours in Vietnam, Broughton describes what it is to meet the enemy in the air--and to fly some of the best-known aircraft in combat. By the bestselling author of Thud Ridge and Going Downtown.
Seventh Fleet Super Carriers: US Naval Air Power in the Pacific
With an area of responsibility covering 52-million square miles, including the entire Indian Ocean and a fair portion of the Pacific, the Seventh Fleet patrols more blue water than any other in the US Navy. The Seventh has also seen more combat since it was established in March, 1943, than any other fleet in any navy in the world. One factor has always been constant in any engagement undertaken by the Fleet the vital role played by the aircraft carrier. Be it Hellcats or Avengers flying off the USS Yorktown or the USS Enterprise during the Battle of Leyte Gulf in 1944; Panthers or Banshees from the USS Lake Champlain or the USS Essex providing vital aerial support for the UN troops in Korea in 1953; or Phantoms and Skyhawks from the USS Kitty Hawk or USS Coral Sea in 1965 flying strike missions over the jungles of Vietnam, aviators of the Seventh Fleet have completed their duty with skill and bravery.
The Battle Groups of today rely more than ever on the immense power of the 'Super Carrier'. The modern aircraft operated from these vessels provide the vanguard around which American military power at sea is formulated. They are both the offensive and defensive elements of the Seventh Fleet at sea. The cover provided by an air group, which can number up to 90 aircraft depending on the size of the carrier, enables the US Navy to patrol large areas of ocean many miles from friendly ports and air bases.
This point is particularly pertinent to the Seventh Fleet as they patrol the politically unstable waters in and around the Persian Gulf. This area, known as 'Gonzo Station' to the US Navy crews, has figured prominently in the Fleets operational schedule since the 1979 revolution in Iran. The Tehran hostage crisis, and latterly the escalated attacks on merchant shipping due to the Iran--Iraq war, has led the Seventh Fleet to deploy one Carrier Battle Group, augmented by a similar detachment from the Mediterranean based Sixth Fleet, in the region at all times.
With approximately 80 ships and 440 aircraft, crewed by 60,000 sailors and marines, the Seventh Fleet provides the backbone for the defence of the Western Pacific and Indian Ocean regions. Adding to the fine naval aviation tradition of the Fleet, new aircraft like the F/A-18 Hornet, F-14D 'Super' Tomcat and the A-6F Intruder, along with new Nimitz class aircraft carriers and other naval vessels, ensure that the Fleet motto, 'Ready Power for Peace', will continue to apply through to the 21st century.
Shooting Stars: Lockheed’s Legendary T-bird
The Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star (or T-Bird) is an American jet trainer aircraft. It was produced by Lockheed and made its first flight in 1948 piloted by Tony LeVier. The T-33 was developed from the Lockheed P-80/F-80 starting as TP-80C/TF-80C in development, then designated T-33A. It was used by the U. S. Navy initially as TO-2 then TV-2, and after 1962, T-33B. Despite its vintage the T-33 remains in service worldwide.
Shutting Down the National Dream: A. V. Roe and the Tragedy of the Avro Arrow
An account 'of the rise and fall of a Avro Canada, an aircraft manufacture that over its lifespan came close to some aviation firsts, but through bad timing, government indifference, political hostility (or American pressure?) and management decisions, it failed to achieve what it might have. The end comes in the mid-1950s with the Arrow, a jet fighter that some believe was not equaled anywhere until the mid-1970s.
Signed with Their Honor: Air Chivalry During the Two World Wars
This is the story of chivalry that occurred during aerial combat between 1914 and 1945.
Sixty Years: The RCAF and CF Air Command 1924-1984
This book is a comprehensive history of Canadian military aviation during this period. It is a large format book, and is almost 500 pages long. Many of the profiles are of rare Canadian aircraft, not just the usual Spitfires and Sabres. Naval aviation is not covered. 60 Years is extremely well-illustrated, including a thirty-page section of colour profiles and there are hundreds of black-and-white photos.
Sky High: Heroic Pilots of the Second World War
Who were the heroes, the men who topped the league of pilots in WWII, whose appetite for combat flying was compulsive? Bomber crews endured long hours of discomfort and danger, Fighter pilots flew in spasms, but they all had one thing in common - they loved flying! This is the story of some of these men and a tribute to them all. Amongst the men featured are Guy Gibson, 'Sailor' Malan, Adolf Galland, Douglas Bader and Pierre Clostermann.
This book gives a vivid and understandable account of these men who braved the perils of the war-haunted skies and did it consistently. Sky High is a tribute to a generation of aviators. Those featured in this book should be regarded as representing all the others.
Sky Warriors: Aviation in the California Army and Air National Guards
This is a photographic history of American aircraft of the California Army and Air National Guard.
Contents cover:
Phabulous Tooms (Phantoms)
Gunfighters & Photo Eights
Bombing & Tanking
Stoofs (Grumman S-2 Tracker), Willy Fudds (Grumman E-1 Tracer) & Hummers (Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye)
Trainers, Tests, & Targets
CODs & Helos
and what goes on, on-deck and below-deck
Snakes in the Cockpit: Images of Military Aviation Disasters
Formerly classified, restricted, and never-before published photographs combine to deliver this exciting assortment of incredible military flight mishaps. You've seen his extraordinary photos before in his best-selling book Gun Camera World War II (0-7603-1013-0). Now, after five years of intensive research, L. Douglas Keeney releases his latest treasury of photographs that serve as a window into the unfortunate circumstances military pilots occasionally encounter.
Sōkū No Shikaku / Super blue
Katsuhiko Tokunaga Hardcover 150 pages Out of Print. New old stock.
Spitfire
The Spitfire was the warbird on which the British pinned their airborne hopes during World War II. Covers the Spitfire's design and development, describes the variations built of the plane, and includes more than 100 historic photographs and first-hand accounts from Spitfire combat pilots.
Spitfire at War
The Spitfire was the most famous aircraft ever to serve in the Royal Air Force. It remained in production for twelve years which bracketted the hardest-fought and technically most innovatory war in history. When the last one rolled off the production line more than twenty-two thousand had been built. Never before, and rarely since, has an airframe design been so successfully, continuously, aggressively and thoroughly developed. At the end of its development life the Spitfire carried an engine giving more than twice the power and weighing about three-quarters more than the original, had its maximum speed increased by a quarter, its rate of climb almost doubled, its maximum take-off weight more than doubled and its fire-power increased by a factor of five. The Spitfire was unsurpassed as an air-superiority fighter for most of the nine years following its first flight and remained in front-line service in the Royal Air Force for a further nine years after that. In this book, the author has made an objective analysis of the Spitfire legend.The result is a unique account which casts new light not only on the Spitfire, but also on the nature of air combat during the Second World War. If you flew Spitfires or serviced them or even fought against them, or if you wish to learn what it was like to have done these things, then this is the book for you.
Spitfire: The History
Fully illustrated with B&W photographs, line drawings and colour markings. The most detailed reference work yet representing 25 years of research covering 71 related type numbers and information on more than 22,500 aircraft.
Spitfire: The Legend Lives On
This commemoration of the Spitfire aircraft illustrates the surviving airworthy examples of the Spitfire which have been restored, repainted in different squadron markings and camouflage colours, and continue to entertain thousands of spectators at airshows across Britain. This book is a follow-on from Spitfire: A Living Legend, and includes all the new aircraft that have subsequently been restored.
Stealth Fighter Pilot
A penetrating profile of the most elite pilots in the US Air Force - the men who fly the new generation fighter-bombers - the F-117A Stealth Fighters. Based on interviews with actual F-117 pilots, this book tells you what its like to fly and fight in the invisible black jet. Get all the details of the bases, the planes, and the day-to-day activities of these elite pilots.
Stealth: Deception, Evasion, and Concealment in the Air
Aircraft that no radar can find, that no missile can strike - it sounds life science fiction, but it is fast becoming a reality. Stealth, the most complete book yet produced on today's hottest aviation and military topic, describes the aircraft and the technology behind the most significant developments inaerial warfare since the jet engine and atomic weapons. It penetrates the cloud of secrecy, disinformation, and speculation to provide a detailed survey of the ingredients of this top-secret technology, its current uses, and its influence on the tactics of the 21st century.
Storms of Controversy: Secret Avro Arrow Files Revealed
The development of the Avro Arrow was a remarkable Canadian achievement. Its mysterious cancellation in February 1959 prompted questions that have long gone unanswered.
- What role did the Central Intelligence Agency play in the scrapping of the project?
- Who in Canada’s government was involved in that decision?
- What, if anything, did Canada get in return?
- Who ordered the blowtorching of all the prototypes?
- And, did Arrow technology find its way into the American Stealth fighter/bomber program?
Storms of Controversy answers these questions. Using never-before-released documents, the book exploded the myth that design flaws, cost overruns, or obsolescence had triggered the demise of the Arrow.
Storms of Controversy: The Secret Avro Arrow Files Revealed (3rd Edition)
New documents clarify the American government's role in the scandalous decision to scrap the Avro Arrow.
Not since the Spitfire of World War II has an aircraft single-handedly captured a nation's imagination, and no one has uncovered more new insights into this legendary aircraft than Palmiro Campagna. For this edition, Campagna has done just that, turning up new documents that further clarify John Diefenbaker's role in the Arrow cover-up, addressing Cabinet Minister Pierre Sevigny's mysterious claims in February 1998 about the destruction of the Arrow, and asking why, when the names of so many government officials appeared on the orders to kill the Arrow, Diefenbaker alone shouldered the blame.
Strategic Air Command
Lindsay T. Peacock Hardcover 128 pages Out of Print.
Stuka Ju-87
This is a pictoral and photographic history of one of the most famous dive-bomber aircraft, the Stuka Ju-87.
Content covers:
The Stuka Concept
Role, Tactics and techniques
Development and Production
Stuka Formations at War
The Night Harassment Wings
Rudel: the Stuka Ace
Stuka!
This book is a photo album of the famous German WWII dive-bomber in action from the outbreak of war to the final surrender in 1945. The book contains B&W photographs, line drawings, data and detailed captions.