World War II
Showing 1–40 of 271 results
1944: The Canadians in Normandy
A complete history of the Canadian participation in the Normandy Landings in 1944.
617 Squadron: The Dambusters at War
This is a collection of stories from the aircrew themselves garnered through his membership of the wartime 617 Squadron Reunion Association, rather than from official records. The story of Tom McLean in particular is amazing.
A Military History of Canada: From Champlain to the Gulf War
Is Canada really "a peaceable kingdom" with "an unmilitary people"? Desmond Morton says no. This is a country that has been shaped, divided, and transformed by war -- there is no greater influence in Canadian history, recent or remote.
Through the Cold War, the Gulf War, and after, Canadians had to make difficult decisions about defence and foreign policy, and these events have shaped the country, developing our industries, changing the role of women, realigning our political factions, and changing Canada’s status in the world.
A Race on the Edge of Time
Traces the development of radar, explains the strategic edge it gave the Allies in World War II, and argues that it still the most important military invention of all time.
Aces Over the Oceans: The Great Pilots of World War II
Aces Over the Oceans draws on interviews with American, German, and British naval fighter pilots to give accounts of the missions flown and the air battles fought over the Pacific Ocean, the North Atlantic, and the North and Norwegian Seas during World War II.
Across the Reef: The Amphibious Tracked Vehicle at War
Look at the role of amphibious vehicles in landing U.S. forces on the beaches of Japanese-held islands during World War II.
Air War over the Pacific (Warbirds Illustrated No. 36)
Robert C. Stern (ISBN 10 – 0853687358) Softcover 68 pages
Allied Liberation Vehicles: United States, Great Britain, Canada
From the paratrooper's folding bicycle to the assault tank, The Allied Vehicles of the Liberation presents a living panorama of the vehicles that participated in the Normandy landings and the eventual liberation of Europe.
The principal vehicles of the American, British and Canadian armies are shown here, each of them presented with precise technical details. The book is illustrated throughout with specially commissioned, magnificent, detailed full color photographs of vehicles collected and brought back to life by some of the leading restorers in Europe.
This book will be of interest to all military vehicle enthusiasts and to vehicle modelers in particular.
Allied Tanks North Africa: World War Two (Tanks Illustrated No. 21)
Shows American and British tanks, halftracks, scout cars, and self-propelled guns, provides information about each vehicle, and includes portraits of tank crews.
American Air Power: The First 75 Years
A thoroughly engrossing and exceptionally well-written account of American military aviation from the delivery of the first military craft by the Wright brothers in 1909, right up to the present. All the dimensions of America's air involvement are explored in depth, the technological, strategic, tactical, and political considerations that have shaped our nation's air defence policies and practices, the aircraft, the airmen, and the decision makers, the stories behind the headlines, how aviation developed in the Army, Navy, Marines, and finally in a separate Air Force, it's all here, generously illustrated with dozens of photos from military and private archives!
An Illustrated History of the RAF
This comprehensive and fully illustrated history of the RAF is surely an achievement that few, if any, other books, have been able to match. From the early day of balloons and experimental flying machines, through two world wars, international incidents for the 'Cold War' to the Falklands campaign and beyond, this outstanding volume, two years in the making, follows the development of the Royal Air Force right up to the present day. An immensely readable text is accompanied by over 600 photographs, many never published before. This is exciting and essential reading for historians and aviation and military enthusiasts, and is a fitting tribute to the many gallant airmen who offered and so often gave their lives in the service of their country.
And I Shall Fly: The Flying Memoirs of Z. Lewis Leigh
Z. Lewis Leigh was the first pilot to work for Trans Canada Airlines in 1937. During World War II, Leigh joined the Royal Canadian Air Force. His first assignment was anti-submarine flying, but was transferred to Transport Command in 1942 where he would beremembered for his excellent administrative abilities, revolutionizing how Transport Command operated. Leigh continued in RCAF service until 1957.
These memoirs chronicle the years he spent devoted to flying.
Another Place, Another Time: A U-Boat Officer’s Wartime Album
Anyone with an interest in the U-boat service of WWII will want to read this book, the record of the last three years of active service in the war, as recollected by Werner Hirschmann, a former Kriegsmarine officer. It is, as the author makes plain, not a U-boat history but an inside look at the rigorous training that officer cadets underwent prior to commissioning into the elite U-boat arm. Training alone took some two years and as an engineering officer one was entrusted with the smooth running of all mechanical and electrical systems, everything from valves and pumps, batteries and engines, bilge to control room and bridge, and all intricate functions of maintaining a U-boat under water. As outlined in the book, to earn the Master Diving Diploma and rank of Leutnant Ing. (Lt., Engineer) meant that one had successfully mastered all tests required for the safe running and diving of an unterseeboot as determined by overseeing training officers. Serving under four commanders over three years, on U-190, U-331, U-375, U-612, Hirschmann describes his survival as stemming from the level of technical training obtained at the Marineschule, Mürwik, the German Annapolis, partly luck, and the result of camaraderie and skill amongst the officers and crew on each boat.
Assault Vests
A book detailing the development of the British and Canadian Assault Vests .
Aviation Century: World War II
Beginning in 1939-40 with the German blitzkrieg and the Battle of Britain, aircraft repeatedly turned the tide of war. Their worth was proved in many roles besides bombing and airborne assault, including air defense, support of ground operations, maritime patrol, shipping strikes, transport support and reconnaissance. Warplanes became indispensable and revolutionized the character of war.
In Aviation Century World War II, stunning images of preserved and restored wartime aircraft are combined with archival photographs of the world's first well-photographed war to tell an unprecedented visual story of World War II. The unforgettable images are accompanied by insightful text that explains the strategic role of warplanes and describes the types and models of aircraft used by each nation, and re-tells the dramatic stories of the war.
Forewords for Aviation Century World War II are written by World War II veteran pilots Ramsay Potts and Don Lopez.
Battle of Britain Day: 15 September 1940
On 15 September 1940 the Luftwaffe mounted two massive daylight raids on London. RAF Spitfires and Hurricanes responded, and the resulting air combats were among the most concentrated ever fought, with eight aircraft destroyed in mid-air collisions alone. Those momentous events are still commemorated each year on "Battle of Britain Day", and Alfred Price's book documents the memories and first-hand accounts of those who witnessed them in the air and on the ground.
Battle of Britain Memorial Flight
Based at RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire, the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) is the RAF's premier vintage aircraft display team. The BBMF is one of the most important collections of air-worthy historic aircraft in existence. The Flight showcases classic, well-loved aircraft of the Second World War, including an Avro Lancaster, seven Supermarine Spitfires, two Hawker Hurricanes, a Douglas Dakota and two de Havilland Chipmunks. A stunning collection of air-to-air action photographs supplies the most spectacular images in the book, but the author also explores restoration processes and the constant engineering work necessary to keep these aircraft in operational condition.
Beyond the Wild Blue: A History of the U.S. Air Force: 1947-1997
Beyond the Wild Blue is a fascinating look at fifty turbulent years of Air Force history. From the prop-driven armada of World War II to the most advanced Stealth weaponry, from pioneers like General Henry "Hap" Arnold to glorious conquests in the Gulf War, Beyond the Wild Blue is a high-flying study of the triumphs (and failures) of leadership and technology.
Bird’s Eye View
Rose, a Canadian intelligence officer in Britain in World War II, struggles with conflicting feelings about the war and a superiors attention.
Rose Jolliffe is an idealistic young woman living on a farm with her family in Saskatchewan. After Canada declares war against Germany in World War II, she joins the British Womens Auxiliary Air Force as an aerial photographic interpreter. Working with intelligence officers at RAF Medmenham in England, Rose spies on the enemy from the sky, watching the war unfold through her magnifying glass.
When her commanding officer, Gideon Fowler, sets his sights on Rose, both professionally and personally, her prospects look bright. But can he be trusted? As she becomes increasingly disillusioned by the destruction of war and Gideons affections, tragedy strikes, and Roses world falls apart.
Rose struggles to rebuild her shattered life, and finds that victory ultimately lies within herself. Her path to maturity is a painful one, paralleled by the slow, agonizing progress of the war and Canadas emergence from Britains shadow.
Boeing B-17 and B-29 Fortress and Superfortress Portfolio
One of a series comprising technical descriptions - cutaway drawings - genealogy - combat and operational records from contemporary articles from Flight, The Aeroplane and Aircraft Production, with modern material from Aeorplane Monthly.
Bomber Command 1939-1945
From 1940 to 1945 RAF Bomber Command attacked the industrial heartland of Germany. Daylight attacks were impossible in the face of German interceptors, so RAF aircrew had to learn to bomb by night. Anti-aircraft guns and night fighters took their toll; 55,000 RAF personnel lost their lives in the bombing campaign. Survivors of this campaign reveal what it was like to take off, knowing that the chance of completing a tour of operations was less than one in ten. They describe every aspect of their war from training flights to special missions, and how it felt to bail out from a stricken bomber over the Ruhr.
Bombing Iron: Airworthy Bombers of WW2 and Korea
This is a photographic history of American bomber aircraft of World War II and Korea.
Contents cover:
Medium cool
Bomber moderne
Heavyweight champions
Psuedo-bombers
Avengers
Skyraiders
Britain at War
Illustrated account of the "Home Front" during World War II, displaying the humour and tragedy felt by those who stayed behind. This scrapbook covers subjects such as the land girls, ration books, evacuation, the blitz bombing of the cities, the American forces and the Home Guard.
By Day and by Night: The Bomber War in Europe 1939-45
A lavishly illustrated, large format book covering Some 40 major Bombing Raids of WWII. Included are the raids on Battle of Britain airfields, the London Blitz, Coventry, Berlin, The Dams, Peenemunde, Regensburg, Schweinfurt, Ploesti, Berlin, Hamburg and the attacks on the Tirpitz.
Camera Above the Clouds (Volume 1): The Aviation Photographs of Charles E. Brown
This all-colour collection of photographs contains such aviation bench-marks as the test-flights of the Avro Lancaster, the test of Britain's first jet fighter - the English Electric Lightning, and shots of the world's only jet-powered flying-boat, The Saunders Roe SR.A1.
Canada’s Air Force: At War and Peace: Volume 2
No-one interested in the history of Canadian military aviation will want to miss this 3-volume series from Larry Milberry!
Volume 2 completes 1939-45. Ch.1 & 2 cover night fighters, intruders & medium bombers. Much on Canadians on Defiants, Beaufighters & Mosquitos, the former a period of frustration, the latter of success. Many personal stories end happily, but sad times also fill the pages. Ch.3 deals with Bomber Command, beginning with Canadians on RAF squadrons, then moves to the first RCAF squadrons on Hampdens & Wellingtons. With some 70,000 words, Ch.3 says much of the bombing campaign. If CAFWP has a brutal chapter, this is it -- some 10,000 young Canadians die on bombers. Chief data sources are the official 6 Group records + diaries, logs & albums of the men who were there. Ch.4 studies Coastal Command on Beaufighters, Liberators, Sunderlands, etc. 60,000 words of new coverage and photos. While RCAF at War revealed new material on the Hornell VC, more is added here. Special coverage of 422 & 423 Sqns (Sunderlands) is not to be missed, nor are the excerpts from combat reports. Air transport is the theme of Ch.5, with more of Norseman, Dakota, Fortress, etc.
Canada’s Fighting Pilots
First published in the 1960s and long out of print, Edmund Cosgrove recounts the lives of Canadas outstanding pilots and their exploits in the two world wars. From the brilliant individualists who flew in the First World War to the tough and dedicated bomber crews of the Second, this is the story of Canadian airmen and their remarkable contribution to the war effort. An essential book for any aviation and history enthusiast, the superbly readable original text that made this book a classic in its day is now supplemented with new and unpublished photos.
Gathered together here are the stories of some of Canadas most celebrated pilots; William "Billy" Bishop, whose daring, solo dawn raid on a German airfield won him the Victoria Cross; William Barker, who fought single-handedly an entire squadron of enemy aircraft; George "Buzz" Beurling, the ace of Malta who achieved a remarkable score of victories fighting from an island under siege; and Andrew Mynarski, whose attempts to save the life of a trapped comrade, high over Germany, ultimately cost him his own. This is their unforgettable story.
Canadians: A Battalion at War – Canadians in The Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada, 1940 to 1945
Canadians formed the only all-volunteer overseas army of any of the major invading forces. They quickly commanded respect among senior Allied planners and on D-Day they were assigned Juno Beach. From the beach at Bernieres-sur-Mer to Falaise, and up the coast to the channel ports to the Scheldt, Nijmegen, the Rhineland, and ultimately near war's end into heavily defended Holland where the Dutch population faced starvation, these volunteers pushed forward relentlessly, usually in small sections, a point man in front, covering each other. This is the story from the regiment members themselves
Churchill and His Airmen: Relationships, Intrigue and Policy-making, 1914-1945
Winston Churchill probably had more impact on 20th Century British military history than any other person and especially during World War II. Yet of all the many volumes since that war which deal with his relationships with generals and admirals, most surprisingly, there seems not to be a single book devoted to Churchill as a would-be pilot, and, more importantly, to the relations he had with a host of airmen between 1914 and 1945. Exceptional air marshals of his time included Dowding, Park, Portal, Freeman, Tedder, Coningham and Harris. Such men had years of professional expertise behind them and those who had reached the top by 1943 were such strong characters that not even the prime minister could dominate them in policy-making. Crucially, Churchill had supported the independence of the RAF from other services, and whilst he did bully and cajole, even abuse his airmen, he also listened to them and their plans, and inspired them.