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Flying in Walking Out: Memories of War and Escape (Soundings Ser.)
by Edward SnidersEdward Sniders'' experiences of World War Two make compelling reading. As a Mosquito pilot, he led a charmed life until his luck ran out in dramatic fashion.'
Flying into Hell: The Bomber Command Offensive as Seen Through the Experiences of Twenty Crews
by Mel RolfeVivid World War II stories of the brave men of Bomber Command and their adventures from the bestselling author of To Hell and Back and Hell on Earth. Mel Rolfe brings the reader real-life stories of bomber command at war with his new book Flying into Hell. A journalist by profession, Rolfe has conducted his interviews and prepared the stories in such a way as to take the reader into the events as they happened. To read these accounts is to step back into the war itself . . . Returning to a French village three years after baling out from a blazing bomber, a former rear gunner was shown the site of his supposed grave. He had been so badly burned a French doctor had left him alone in a graveyard to die. He met again the brave people who had looked after him until he was well enough to join a group walking to freedom across the Pyrenees. Other stories include a bomber that came down so low over the sea to escape ack-ack guns that it struck the water and managed to claw its way back up into the sky; the Lancaster pilot who wore Hermann Goering&’s Iron Cross around his neck as a lucky charm; a gunner incarcerated in Buchenwald; and a flight engineer who lost his fingers to frostbite after the bomber&’s rear door was blown open. Many of these stories demonstrate the amazing resilience of the human spirit, and the unwavering courage of the young men who helped bomb the enemy into submission. They are illustrated with photographs, most of which have not been published before.
Flying into the Flames of Hell: Dramatic First-Hand Accounts of British & Commonwealth Airmen in RAF Bomber Command in WW2
by Martin W. BowmanThe book contains twenty-three stirring accounts of what life flying as air-crew in World War Two was really like. The writers are a mixed bunch of pilots, navigators and gunners who flew medium and heavy bombers or Mosquitoes. It conveys the terror of being coned by German searchlights over the target, attacks by Luftwaffe night-fighters, catastrophic damage to aircraft and the ensuing struggle to keep the machine airborne on the return trip to base. It tells of the comradeship between the crew and often the humor between them which was often bred from fear.The gentle and unassuming narratives convey the sense of purpose that these men felt in doing one of the most dangerous jobs in the war. It is a fitting tribute to those that survived and the many thousands who died in the struggle against Hitler's dreadful ambitions in Europe.
Flying Is My Life [Illustrated Edition]
by Hanna Reitsch Lawrence Roy WilsonIncludes the Aerial Warfare In Europe During World War II illustrations pack with over 200 maps, plans, and photos.Hanna Reitsch is unusual in being a feminine woman who was yet the equal of men in a dangerous male profession -- test-piloting new military aircraft. Her love of flying from childhood on, along with her superior intelligence, determination, and ability to withstand tremendous stresses, gave her the edge that allowed her to rise to the top of the aviation world.Hanna Reitsch offered her gifts to the German nation in the same way that Adolf Hitler and many others did -- with a complete giving of herself and her abilities, holding nothing back. Although she lived to 1979, she never renounced her participation with the National Socialist government or criticized Hitler, even under pressure to do so. Hanna's life story is an amazing one that sounds almost unbelievable in its drama and acts of heroism. She never married or had children; instead she occupied herself with the two burning loves of her life -- flying and the salvation of her beloved Fatherland in its time of need.
Flying Legends of World War II: Archive and Colour Photos of Famous Allied Aircraft (Images of War)
by Philip HandlemanMore than thirty Allied Forces' WWII aircraft types are illustrated in many rare and previously unpublished black and white and color photographs. Each type is described giving vital data on development history, combat record, famous pilots and significant air battles. Performance, range and weapon loads are also included. The unique color photographs are from the collection of the late William B. Slate, an aviation photographer who strove to capture the thrilling perspective that can only come from close-up, in-flight vantage points from an aircraft flying in formation.
Flying Scot: An Airman’s Story
by Alastair Mackie"This is the memoir of a 26 year career in the RAF, told with humor and modesty that belies the danger of flying over 47 different types of military aircraft in war and peace. Alastair Mackie began his operational career flying Wellington bombers over the North African desert war until converting to the B-24 Liberator. He watched the famous opening barrage at the opening of El Alamein from the air and became involved in supplying the besieged island of Malta together with hunting German ships in the Mediterranean. He was then posted to Northern Ireland converting to the DC-3. He flew during D-Day, dropping parachute troops into German held territory and continued these operations until the wars end when he was part of the operation to return British troops and released POWs to the UK. He was then posted to a long-range DC-3 squadron and flew to all points East.After the war he was posted to The Central Flying School teaching future flying instructors in a variety of aircraft from Tiger Moths to Lancasters. After a tour in the Far East where he flew his own personal Spitfire, he returned to the UK to convert to the jet aircraft then coming into service. After a spell desk bound on the Cabinet Office Joint Intelligence Committee, which he disliked, he was appointed Station Commander at Colerne which operated the Hastings transport aircraft. Alastair was then appointed wing commander in charge of flying at RAF Waddington. The job also gave him the charge of two resident Canberra bomber squadrons, Nos. 37 and 38. With them he was able to get plenty of flying in an aircraft he loved. After retiring from the RAF he commenced a career in Law and in his later years he has become a firm opponent of Britains nuclear deterrent, having seen its preparation with the Vulcan Force until the Royal Navy assumed the role it now has. "
The Flying Sikh: The Story of a WW1 Fighter Pilot—Flying Officer Hardit Singh Malik
by Stephen BarkerThe Flying Sikh tells the unique story of the only Sikh airman to fly with the RFC and the RAF during the First World War. It is the remarkable account of one man’s struggle to enlist, against discrimination, and then his service as a fighter pilot over the battlefields of Flanders. This book represents the only detailed study of an Indian national enlisting in Britain’s armed forces during the First World War. It is an account of India’s role in the war; the rise of Indian nationalism and the challenges of Indians to take up the status of a commissioned officer in His Majesty’s Armed Forces. Malik started his new life in Britain as a fourteen-year-old public school boy, who progressed to Balliol College, Oxford, before attempting to join the Royal Flying Corps after graduation with friends from university, but was denied a commission. Keen to participate in the war, he served with the French Red Cross in 1916 as an ambulance driver and then offered his services to the French air force. Ultimately, one of his Oxford tutors wrote on Malik’s behalf to General David Henderson, the former head of the RFC, and secured Malik a cadetship Above all though, it is the story of a man who was a county cricketer who played for Sussex and Oxford University, an outstanding golfer and fighter pilot who fought over Passchendaele in the autumn of 1917. Being a devout Sikh, he wore a specially designed flying helmet that fitted over his turban. Malik claimed two kills until he was shot down, crashing unconscious to the ground behind Allied lines. His Sopwith Camel was riddled with over 400 bullet holes. Malik was only one of a small number of Indian nationals who served with the RAF during the war. In later life, Malik became the first Indian High Commissioner to Canada, and then served as the Indian Ambassador to France.
Flying Start: A Fighter Pilot's War Years
by Hugh DundasThis is the autobiography of Group Captain Sir Hugh Dundas CBE, DSO, DFC, who was one of the most distinguished fighter pilots of World War II. He writes of his wartime experiences, and particularly of his period as Squadron Leader and Wing Commander and his involvement in the Battle of Britain.
Flying the Buccaneer: Britain's Cold War Warrior
by Peter CaygillOriginally conceived as a carrier-born maritime attack aircraft, the Blackburn design included many original features such as Boundary Layer Control, a system which blew hot air over the flying surfaces to increase lift when landing.
Flying Through Midnight: A Pilot's Dramatic Story of His Secret Missions Over Laos During the Vietnam War
by John T. HallidayRiveting, novelistic, and startlingly candid, John T. Halliday's combat memoir begins in 1970, when Halliday has just landed in the middle of the Vietnam War, primed to begin his assignment with the 606th Special Operations Squadron. But there's a catch: He's stationed in a kind of no-man's-land. No one on his base flies with ID, patches, or rank. Even as Richard Nixon firmly denies reporters' charges that the United States has forces in Laos, Halliday realizes that from his base in Thailand, he will be flying top-secret, black-ops night missions over the Laotian Ho Chi Minh Trail. A naive yet thoughtful twenty-four-year-old, Halliday was utterly unprepared for the horrors of war. On his first mission, Halliday's C-123 aircraft dodges more than a thousand antiaircraft shells, and that is just the beginning. Nothing is as he expected -- not the operations, not the way his shell-shocked fellow pilots look and act, and certainly not the squadron's daredevil, seat-of-one's-pants approach to piloting. But before long, Halliday has become one of those seasoned and shell-shocked pilots, and finds himself in a desperate search for a way to elude certain death. Using frank, true-to-life dialogue, potent imagery, and classic 1970s song lyrics, Halliday deftly describes the fraught Laotian skies and re-creates his struggle to navigate the frustrating Air Force bureaucracy, the deprivations of a remote base far from home and his young wife, and his fight to preserve his sanity. The resulting nonfiction narrative vividly captures not only the intricate, distorted culture of war but also the essence of the Vietnam veteran's experience of this troubled era. A powerhouse fusion of pathos and humor, brutal realism and intimate reflection, Flying Through Midnight is a landmark contribution to war literature, revealing previously top-secret intelligence on the 606th's night missions. Fast-paced, thrilling, and bitingly intelligent, Halliday illuminates it all: the heart-pounding air battles, the close friendships, the crippling fear, and the astonishing final escape that made the telling of it possible.
Flying Through Midnight: A Pilot's Dramatic Story of His Secret Missions over Laos During the Vietnam War
by John T. HallidayRiveting, novelistic, and startlingly candid, John T. Halliday's combat memoir begins in 1970, when Halliday has just landed in the middle of the Vietnam War, primed to begin his assignment with the 606th Special Operations Squadron. But there's a catch: He's stationed in a kind of no-man's-land. No one on his base flies with ID, patches, or rank. Even as Richard Nixon firmly denies reporters' charges that the United States has forces in Laos, Halliday realizes that from his base in Thailand, he will be flying top-secret, black-ops night missions over the Laotian Ho Chi Minh Trail. A naive yet thoughtful twenty-four-year-old, Halliday was utterly unprepared for the horrors of war. On his first mission, Halliday's C-123 aircraft dodges more than a thousand antiaircraft shells, and that is just the beginning. Nothing is as he expected -- not the operations, not the way his shell-shocked fellow pilots look and act, and certainly not the squadron's daredevil, seat-of-one's-pants approach to piloting. But before long, Halliday has become one of those seasoned and shell-shocked pilots, and finds himself in a desperate search for a way to elude certain death. Using frank, true-to-life dialogue, potent imagery, and classic 1970s song lyrics, Halliday deftly describes the fraught Laotian skies and re-creates his struggle to navigate the frustrating Air Force bureaucracy, the deprivations of a remote base far from home and his young wife, and his fight to preserve his sanity. The resulting nonfiction narrative vividly captures not only the intricate, distorted culture of war but also the essence of the Vietnam veteran's experience of this troubled era. A powerhouse fusion of pathos and humor, brutal realism and intimate reflection, Flying Through Midnight is a landmark contribution to war literature, revealing previously top-secret intelligence on the 606th's night missions. Fast-paced, thrilling, and bitingly intelligent, Halliday illuminates it all: the heart-pounding air battles, the close friendships, the crippling fear, and the astonishing final escape that made the telling of it possible.
Flying Tiger: Chennault of China
by Robert Lee Scott Jr.Flying Tiger: Chennault of China by Robert Lee Scott, Jr. tells the story of a rebel whose concepts as to the use of air power often clashed with the orthodox and standardized teachings of the military schools of his time.
Flying Tigers
by Daniel FordDuring World War II, in the skies over Rangoon, Burma, a handful of American pilots met and bloodied the "Imperial Wild Eagles" of Japan and in turn won immortality as the Flying Tigers. One of America's most famous combat forces, the Tigers were recruited to defend beleaguered China for $600 a month and a bounty of $500 for each Japanese plane they shot down-fantastic money in an era when a Manhattan hotel room cost three dollars a night. To bring his prize-winning history of the American Volunteer Group up to date, Daniel Ford has completely rewritten his 1991 text, drawing on the most recent U.S., British, and Japanese scholarship. New material from AVG veterans-including Erik Shilling and Tex Hill-help fill out the story, along with newfound recollections from Japanese and New Zealand airmen. Ford also takes up the rumors that Royal Air Force pilots "sold" combat victories to the Flying Tigers in order to share in the bounties paid by the Chinese government. "Admirable," wrote Chennault biographer Martha Byrd of Ford's original text. "A readable book based on sound sources. Expect some surprises." Even more could that be said of this new and more complete edition.
The Flying Tigers: The Untold Story of the American Pilots Who Waged a Secret War Against Japan
by Sam KleinerThe thrilling story behind the American pilots who were secretly recruited to defend the nation’s desperate Chinese allies before Pearl Harbor and ended up on the front lines of the war against the Japanese in the Pacific Sam Kleiner’s The Flying Tigers uncovers the hidden story of the group of young American men and women who crossed the Pacific before Pearl Harbor to risk their lives defending China. Led by legendary army pilot Claire Chennault, these men left behind an America still at peace in the summer of 1941 using false identities to travel across the Pacific to a run-down airbase in the jungles of Burma. In the wake of the disaster at Pearl Harbor this motley crew was the first group of Americans to take on the Japanese in combat, shooting down hundreds of Japanese aircraft in the skies over Burma, Thailand, and China. At a time when the Allies were being defeated across the globe, the Flying Tigers’ exploits gave hope to Americans and Chinese alike. Kleiner takes readers into the cockpits of their iconic shark-nosed P-40 planes—one of the most familiar images of the war—as the Tigers perform nail-biting missions against the Japanese. He profiles the outsize personalities involved in the operation, including Chennault, whose aggressive tactics went against the prevailing wisdom of military strategy; Greg “Pappy” Boyington, the man who would become the nation’s most beloved pilot until he was shot down and became a POW; Emma Foster, one of the nurses in the unit who had a passionate romance with a pilot named John Petach; and Madame Chiang Kai-shek herself, who first brought Chennault to China and who would come to visit these young Americans. A dramatic story of a covert operation whose very existence would have scandalized an isolationist United States, The Flying Tigers is the unforgettable account of a group of Americans whose heroism changed the world, and who cemented an alliance between the United States and China as both nations fought against seemingly insurmountable odds.
The Flying Tigers
by John TolandDuring World War II, a group of American fighter pilots roamed the skies over China and Burma, menacing the Japanese war effort without letup. Flamboyant, daring, and courageous, they were called the Flying Tigers. The Tigers, who had been recruited from the Army, Navy, and Marines, first saw action as a volunteer group fighting on the side of the Chiang Kia-shek's China against Japan. Trained in the unconventional air-combat tactics of their maverick leader Claire Lee Chennault, they racked up some of the most impresive air victory records of World War II. This is the story of Chennault and his magnificent Tigers -- and how they performed the impossible.
Flying to Norway, Grounded in Burma: A Hudson Pilot in World War II
by Goronwy ‘Gron’ EdwardsA Royal Air Force pilot recounts his experiences on the front lines of WWII in both Europe and the Pacific in this fascinating military memoir. In 1936, Goronwy &“Gron&” Edwards joined the Royal Air Force on a Short Service Commission. After gaining his wings, he joined No. 233 General Reconnaissance Squadron and flew the Avro Anson, a hastily modified twin-engine aircraft. He later flew the Lockheed Hudson on reconnaissance patrols along the Norwegian coast. Searching for German capital ships hiding in the Fiords, Edwards also came up against Luftwaffe seaplanes—and won a Distinguished Flying Crossed for his valor during the Norwegian campaign. After becoming short-sighted and night-blind, Edwards was posted to the Navigational School at Cranage in Cheshire before qualifying as a Specialist Armament Officer. In September of 1944, he traveled to Maniur, India, where he became the Armament Officer of No. 221 Group. With the Japanese in retreat the group moved to Burma, where Edwards commanded the RAF advance party.
Flying to the Limit: Testing World War II Single-engined Fighter Aircraft
by Peter CaygillThe author of Javelin from the Cockpit looks at some of the more notable British, German, and American fighters through performance and handling trials. During the years preceding and during WW2, the RAF and the Royal Aircraft Establishment were responsible for the selection and procurement of British military aircraft and also to evaluate their capabilities against captured enemy models whenever possible. During the lend-lease agreement with the USA, the RAF and Fleet Air Arm operated several American designs, each of which was tested to evaluate its potential. This book looks at the key area of fighter aircraft and includes the test results and pilot&’s own first-hand accounts of flying seventeen different models, designed in the UK, America and Germany. The reader will learn of the possibilities of air superiority offered by these types and also their weaknesses. Types included are The Hawker Hurricane, Supermarine Spitfire, Boulton Paul Defiant, Hawker Tempest and Typhoon, Bell Airacobra, Messerschmitt Bf 109, Focke-Wulf Fw 190, Brewster Buffalo, Curtiss Tomahawk, North American Mustang, Grumman Martlet, Republic Thunderbolt, and Vought Corsair. All aircraft that saw a great deal of action throughout the War and which are now part of legend.
Flying Warbirds: An Illustrated Profile of the Flying Heritage Collection's Rare WWII-Era Aircraft
by Cory GraffGet a comprehensive look at how World War II was fought from the air.Do you want to get an up-close look at some of the rarest airplanes in the world? Are you curious about combat aircraft from World War II? In deluxe hard-back volumes, Flying Warbirds brings U.S., British, German, Russian and Japanese fighting planes from the 1930s and 1940s together, complete with detailed photographs to delight every aeronautics connoisseur.The airplanes at the Flying Heritage Collection were created at a time when aeronautical discovery had evolved to aviation mastery. Finely crafted by distinguished design bureaus with the leading technologies of the 1930s and 1940s, the main emphasis of the collection includes combat aircraft from World War II.In 1998, Paul G. Allen began acquiring and preserving these iconic warriors and workhorses, many of which are the last of their kind. Allen's passion for aviation and history, and his awareness of the increasing rarity of original WWII aircraft, motivated him to restore these artifacts to the highest standard of authenticity.Periodically, one or more of the exhibits are temporarily absent to participate in an event, for maintenance, or for continuing restoration. Experience one of the world’s top airplane collections any time you like through Flying Warbirds.Photographs include cockpit shots, exterior museum shots, historic photographs, and breathtaking contemporary flying shots from photographers like award-winning John Dibbs. Flying Warbirds is the definitive guide to everything you want to know about this fascinating period in aeronautics and military history.
Flying Warrior: My Life as a Naval Aviator During the Vietnam War
by Jules HarperA Vietnam veteran takes you into the cockpit and shares true stories of his flying career in this compelling memoir. In this action-packed memoir, Jules Harper recounts the unique process of becoming a naval aviator, revealing his experiences as a brand new pilot in a combat squadron and, finally, a flying warrior. He survived two combat cruises aboard the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk from 1966–1968, compiled 332 career carrier takeoffs and landings, and was shot at daily by enemy fire while completing 200 combat missions over Vietnam, and shares the views of the aviators who flew along with him on these missions while fighting this unpopular war. A recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross, twenty-one Air Medals, and many other accolades, he offers readers a new understanding and appreciation of the warriors who protect not only their comrades in arms, but the defense of the nation as well.
Flying With Lindbergh
by Donald E. KeyhoeOriginally published in 1928, this is a biography of Colonel Charles Lindbergh (1902-1974), an aviation pioneer and hero of the times.Nicknamed “Slim,” “Lucky Lindy,” and “The Lone Eagle,” Charles Augustus Lindbergh (1902-1974) emerged from virtual obscurity in 1927, at the age of 25, as a U.S. Air Mail pilot to instantaneous world fame as the result of his Orteig Prize-winning solo nonstop flight from Roosevelt Field on Long Island, New York, to Le Bourget Field in Paris, France.He flew the distance of nearly 3,600 statute miles (5,800 km) in a single-seat, single-engine, purpose-built Ryan monoplane, Spirit of St. Louis and became the 19th person to make a Transatlantic flight, the first being the Transatlantic flight of Alcock and Brown from Newfoundland in 1919; however, Lindbergh’s flight was almost twice the distance. The record-setting flight took 33 1⁄2 hours and resulted in Lindbergh, a U.S. Army Air Corps Reserve officer, being awarded the nation’s highest military decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his historic exploit.Considered one of the most admired figures of his time, author Donald E. Keyhoe presents a clear picture of the life and times of this fascinating man.This work will catapult the reader into a feeling of journeying across the country with Lindbergh himself.
The FN FAL Battle Rifle
by Robert Cashner Steve NoonOf all the infantry small arms developed during World War II, one that generated the most interest was the German 'assault rifle', the StG 44 Sturmgewehr. This innovative weapon fired an intermediate cartridge much more powerful and long-ranged than the standard pistol rounds used in submachine guns, but smaller and lighter than a full-size 7.92mm rifle round, producing less recoil and enabling the soldier to carry more ammunition. The StG 44 and the Soviet weapon it inspired, the AK-47 in 7.62x39mm calibre, could still effectively and accurately engage targets on semi-automatic out to 300m, but when close-range firepower was needed could fire on full-automatic like a submachine gun.In the West, the NATO countries looked hard at new weapons to upgrade their own infantry arsenals and counter the AK-47. Although British and other designers developed their own prototype assault rifles chambered for intermediate cartridges, the Americans adopted the M14 'battle rifle' and forced a common full-length calibre, 7.62x51mm, on their NATO allies. Fabrique Nationale of Belgium designed a new military rifle, the Fusil Automatique Léger or FAL, as an assault rifle using a true intermediate cartirdge, but this innovative weapon also proved to be a successful battle rifle when adapted for the full-length NATO round. It was soon adopted by the military and police forces of no fewer than 93 nations around the globe, from the United Kingdom to Israel, and was manufactured under licence on every populated continent. It remains in production to this day and is regarded by most as the quintessential postwar battle rifle. In fact, the FAL dominated the militaries of the West to such a degree that its nickname became the Right Arm of the Free World. Roughly comparable in terms of size and weight to other contemporary battle rifles such as the American M14 and the German Heckler & Koch G3, the FAL proved to be reliable and well loved by its users. It performed reliably in a wide variety of small wars and insurgencies, in the hands of professional soldiers as well as those of hastily trained conscripts and essentially untrained guerrillas. It proved itself in harsh environments as varied as the cold, wet, featureless Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic, the snow and ice of Norway and northern Canada, the deep jungles of Vietnam and Malaya, the deserts of the Middle East, and the streets of Belfast. While thankfully never called upon for its original intent - facing down hordes of mechanized Soviet infantry on the plains of Western Europe - the FAL fulfilled every role it was asked to perform and remains a viable and well-respected weapon to this day.
FOB Doc
by Ray WissMilitary doctors serving in Afghanistan usually spend their entire tour in the relatively safe confines of the main base. FOB Doc is the story of one Canadian doctor who spent nearly his entire tour in combat. Captain Ray Wiss was stationed at Forward Operating Bases - FOBs - in Khandahar province, the birthplace of the Taliban and the most intense zone combat in Afghanistan. He shares the 'terror and boredom' of the front-line soldier's life in this candid personal diary. One day, he might be participating in combat operations, treating severe and bloody injuries and coping with the deaths of fellow soldiers, both Afghans and NATO allies; another day, he might be writing about the challenges of going to the latrine in sub-zero weather. FOB Doc is heartbreaking and hilarious, often on the same page.
Fobbit: A Novel
by David AbramsFobbit \’fä-bit\, noun. Definition: A U.S. soldier stationed at a Forward Operating Base who avoids combat by remaining at the base, esp. during Operation Iraqi Freedom (2003-2011). Pejorative.In the satirical tradition of Catch-22 and M*A*S*H, Fobbit takes us into the chaotic world of Baghdad’s Forward Operating Base Triumph. The Forward Operating base, or FOB, is like the back-office of the battlefield - where people eat and sleep, and where a lot of soldiers have what looks suspiciously like a desk job. Male and female soldiers are trying to find an empty Porta Potty in which to get acquainted, grunts are playing Xbox and watching NASCAR between missions, and a lot of the senior staff are more concerned about getting to the chow hall in time for the Friday night all-you-can-eat seafood special than worrying about little things like military strategy.Darkly humorous and based on the author's own experiences in Iraq, Fobbit is a fantastic debut that shows us a behind-the-scenes portrait of the real Iraq war.
Foch in Command
by Elizabeth GreenhalghFerdinand Foch ended the First World War as Marshal of France and supreme commander of the Allied armies on the Western Front. Foch in Command is a pioneering study of his contribution to the Allied victory. Elizabeth Greenhalgh uses contemporary notebooks, letters and documents from previously under-studied archives to chart how the artillery officer, who had never commanded troops in battle when the war began, learned to fight the enemy, to cope with difficult colleagues and allies, and to manoeuvre through the political minefield of civil-military relations. She offers valuable insights into neglected questions: the contribution of unified command to the Allied victory; the role of a commander's general staff; and the mechanisms of command at corps and army level. She demonstrates how an energetic Foch developed war-winning strategies for a modern industrial war and how political realities contributed to his losing the peace.
Focke-Wulf Fw 190: The Early Years—Operations Over France and Britain (Air War Archive)
by Chris GossAn exploration of the early service of Germany&’s Fw 190, containing a unique collection of rare photos displaying the wide use of this aircraft. Widely regarded as the Luftwaffe&’s finest fighter, the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 first saw service in France in August 1941, immediately proving itself at least the equal of the then-latest Spitfire variant, the Mk.V. In this volume, Chris Goss takes a close look at the aircraft&’s features as well as its early history. There were a number of characteristics which contributed to the Fw 190&’s success. For instance, it was designed as a weapons platform and built to withstand heavy punishment. Another element in the Fw 190&’s construction which added to its durability was its wide-tracked, inwards-retracting landing gear. The Fw 190&’s BMW 801 D-2 radial engine also produced 1,677 horsepower, giving the early Focke-Wulf 190 A-8 a top speed of more than 400 miles per hour—which was considerably faster than the early variant Spitfires. As Goss points out, it was the Spitfires with which the Fw 190 pilots frequently had to contend when in combat over the English Channel, and particularly during the Allied raid on Dieppe in August 1942. The Fw 190&’s weapons capability also saw it used as a fighter-bomber against Allied shipping in the Channel and against the southeastern coasts of England in 1942 in tip-and-runs raids. These fast, low-level attacks proved difficult for the defending RAF squadrons to counter and only one Fw 190 was lost on these operations. In this first of two volumes, Goss examines the aircraft&’s features and early days, showing exactly why it was the workhorse of the Luftwaffe.