Air forces and warfare Books
The Dovecote Press Dorset, The Royal Air Force
Book Synopsis
£8.12
Cornell University Press Flying Camelot
Book SynopsisFlying Camelot brings us back to the post-Vietnam era, when the US Air Force launched two new, state-of-the art fighter aircraft: the F-15 Eagle and the F-16 Fighting Falcon.It was an era when debates about aircraft superiority went public—and these were not uncontested discussions. Michael W. Hankins delves deep into the fighter pilot culture that gave rise to both designs, showing how a small but vocal group of pilots, engineers, and analysts in the Department of Defense weaponized their own culture to affect technological development and larger political change.The design and advancement of the F-15 and F-16 reflected this group''s nostalgic desire to recapture the best of World War I air combat. Known as the Fighter Mafia, and later growing into the media savvy political powerhouse Reform Movement, it believed that American weapons systems were too complicated and expensive, and thus vulnerable. The group''s leader was Colonel John Boyd, Trade ReviewIn this lively, absorbing account, Hankins demonstrates the influence of a specific culture that celebrated the fighter pilot as a "knight of the air" who thrilled to aerial combat. * Foreign Affairs *[Dr. Hankins] writes in an engaging and accessible way that makes some occasionally highly-technical discussions quite lucid and illuminating. * Sir Richard Williams Foundation *Flying Camelot, he has written a superlative, accessible, and balanced study of the influence Boyd and his acolytes had on the US Air Force (hereafter "Air Force") and national defense establishment in the last quarter of the twentieth century. * Michigan War Studies Review *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. The Fighter Pilot with a Thousand Faces 2. You Can Tell a Fighter Pilot (But You Can't Tell Him Much)" 3. What We Mean When We Say "Fighter" 4. "The Right Fighter" 5. "The Lord's Work" 6. Writing Heresy 7. "Zealots of the Classic Variety" 8. Kicking Vietnam Syndrome Conclusion
£23.39
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Early French Aviation, 1905-1930
Book SynopsisFrance has been called the cradle of aviation by many - a fact that cannot be disputed, although some have tried. By the end of the 19th century, she led the world in lighter-than-air flight. Any concern about heavier-than-air flight was dismissed as inevitable, and France would achieve it in due course. By the time Bl riot bravely enquired Which way is England?' the country was ready to redress any perceived shortfall. Besides leading European aviation, France was the nation that named all the parts of an aeroplane with words many of which we still use everywhere today. France was also the first nation to stage air exhibitions. Unlike their counterparts in Britain, Germany and America, French designers were thoroughly entrepreneurial and tried a wide variety of adventurous styles from pusher to canard and monoplane to multiplane. In 1909 the first Air Show was held at the Grand Palais. The Exposition Internationale de locomotion a rienne' ushered in what was to become an enduring tradition. Every year, the aircraft exhibitions were a massive success. The interior design by Andr Granet, who since his youth had been fascinated by flying, was such a success that the Automobile-Club subsequently commissioned Granet to do the same for the car shows. It is not surprising that all this derring-do, all these technological achievements and all this innovation drew reporters and photographers like moths to a flame. The men, the machines, the places and the events all were recorded, reported, reproduced and then were filed away. Hundreds of images appeared in print, but thousands were printed up only as contact prints from large-format glass negatives and then disappeared into albums to be forgotten about. In the mid-1990s the author came across one such treasure-trove; a number of dust-covered albums containing around five hundred images of aircraft, airships and expositions - it is doubtful if most have appeared in print before, so this will probably be the first time the events of these French pioneers have ever been showcased.
£13.49
Kagero Oficyna Wydawnicza The Mikoyan-Gurevich Mig-3 Vol. I
Book SynopsisThe MiG-3 fighter plane, like the history of the creation of the Mikoyan and Gurevich (Микоян и Гуревич) design bureau, is relatively well known to anyone interested in the history of Soviet aviation. Many books and articles have been published about this machine, but information about the circumstances of the birth of the project and the conditions of its creation are very brief and concise. MiG-1 and MiG-3 were the most numerous new generation fighters in Soviet aviation at the time of the German invasion of the USSR. They played a very important role in the first period of the war. Until now, it has been assumed in the literature that this applies mainly to the use of these aircraft during the battle of Moscow, as well as capital's and Leningrad's air defence, but MiGs also took on a large weight of air combat at the front in 1941.Trade ReviewEnjoyed it. * The Historical Miniatures Gaming Society 07/12/2022 *
£21.68
Schiffer Publishing Ltd F22 Raptor
Book Synopsis
£17.09
Mortons Media Group The Secret Horsepower Race
Book SynopsisThe piston engines that powered Second World War fighters, the men who designed them, and the secret intelligence work carried out by both Britain and Germany would determine the outcome of the first global air war. Advanced jet engines may have been in development but every militarily significant air battle was fought by piston-engined fighters.Whoever designed the most powerful piston engines would win air superiority and with it the ability to dictate the course of the war as a whole. This is the neverbefore- told story of a high-tech race, hidden behind the closed doors of design offices and intelligence agencies, to create the war's best fighter engine. Using the fruits of extensive research in archives around the world together with the previously unpublished memoirs of fighter engine designers, author Calum E. Douglas tells the story of a desperate contest between the world's best engineers the Secret Horsepower Race.
£999.99
Schiffer Publishing Ltd Tupolev Tu22M
Book SynopsisThe only English-language book in print on this active-duty Russian supersonic bomber.
£999.99
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Desert Storm 1991
Book SynopsisAn expertly written, illustrated new analysis of the Desert Storm air campaign fought against Saddam Hussein''s Iraq, which shattered the world's fourth-largest army and sixth-largest air force in just 39 days, and revolutionized the world''s ideas about modern air power.Operation Desert Storm took just over six weeks to destroy Saddam Hussein's war machine: a 39-day air campaign followed by a four-day ground assault. It shattered what had been the world's fourth-largest army and sixth-largest air force, and overturned conventional military assumptions about the effectiveness and value of air power.In this book, Richard P. Hallion, one of the world's foremost experts on air warfare, explains why Desert Storm was a revolutionary victory, a war won with no single climatic battle. Instead, victory came thanks largely to a rigorously planned air campaign. It began with an opening night that smashed Iraq's advanced air defense system, and allowed systematiTable of ContentsINTRODUCTION CHRONOLOGY ATTACKER'S CAPABILITIES -The airpower of a global coalition -Ordnance -Training DEFENDER'S CAPABILITIES -Iraq's military machine -The invading armed forces -Saddam's air power -Organization -Air defenses CAMPAIGN OBJECTIVES -Resolution and resolve THE CAMPAIGN -42 days to Kuwait City -Final countdown -Opening night: an assessment -Grappling in the Central Blue -Preventing resurgence: the shelter-busting campaign -Per Ardua: Tornado at war -The Iraqi SAM threat: suppressed but not eliminated -Targeting Iraq’s power infrastructure and forces -Weather -The battle against the Scuds -Clash of arms at al-Khafji: Saddam’s calculated lashing-out -Victory at sea: securing the northern Persian Gulf -Phase III: “preparing the battlefield” or “destroying the battlefield?” -The intelligence debate -The al-Firdos bunker bombing -Phase IV: to G-Day and afterwards -Endgame AFTERMATH AND ANALYSIS FURTHER READING INDEX
£14.99
Schiffer Publishing Ltd F15 Eagle
Book SynopsisThis new book provides a visual guide to every F-15 variant, from the first airframes produced in the early 1970s to the brand new F-15EX Eagle II.
£19.54
Woodfield Publishing Bentwaters and Woodbridge: An Illustrated History of the USAF Twin Base Complex in East Anglia
£22.50
Fonthill Media Ltd Coastal Patrol: Royal Navy Airship Operations
Book SynopsisIn the summer of 1915 the Royal Naval Air Service found itself engaged in an unexpected war at sea, the fight to prevent the German submarine fleet from disrupting the flow of vital supplies to the British Isles, necessary for the conduct of the war. It was a war that had to be won because by the spring of 1917 the U-boat campaign against Allied merchant shipping was close to bringing the British war effort to the point of collapse. Airships of the RNAS played a vital part in this new war at sea. This book tells the story of the young men who ventured out over the often hostile waters around the British Isles in airships, who were expected to hunt down the German submarines and to attack them with the hopelessly inadequate weapons at their disposal. The story is told by those who took part in this new form of warfare, through pieces written by them or via interviews with veterans. It covers the entire experience of being an airship pilot, from initial training, through their numerous adventures while flying these frail craft over the coastal waters of the British Isles, to the final victory in 1918.
£25.50
Schiffer Publishing Ltd The Age of Orion
Book Synopsis
£39.09
Schiffer Publishing Ltd A Pictorial History of the B2A Spirit Stealth
Book SynopsisThe history and development of Northrop's Flying Wings, from the innovative XB-35A to the B-2A Spirit.
£25.59
Schiffer Publishing Ltd German Aircraft Landing Gear
Book Synopsis
£28.79
Schiffer Publishing Ltd P61 Black Widow
Book SynopsisThe complete history of the P-61 "Black Widow," one of the most advanced and most sinister-looking fighter aircraft of the Second World War.
£17.09
Schiffer Publishing Ltd B58 Hustler
Book SynopsisChronicles the design, development, and wartime use of the iconic Mach 2 Convair B-58 Hustler.
£16.14
Schiffer Publishing Ltd P8A Poseidon
Book Synopsis
£17.09
Schiffer Publishing Ltd B25 Mitchell Vol. 1
Book SynopsisVolume 1 of our two-volume visual history of the North American B-25 Mitchell
£17.09
Crecy Publishing Propeller Twilight: The Last Generation of
Book SynopsisThis book examines the last generation of high-performance British propeller-driven fighters, types such as the Firecrest, late mark Spitfires and Seafires, Spiteful and Seafang, Sea Fury, late mark Tempests, Hornet and Sea Hornet, M.B.5 and Wyvern. From about 1942 onwards these extraordinary and very complex aeroplanes brought British piston fighter development to its zenith, but then in a very short space of time the new jet engine wiped this generation away. Perhaps it would not have been possible to take piston power any further anyway but the turboprop might have been a longer-term alternative, though in the end the only British type with this form of powerplant would be the Westland Wyvern naval strike fighter.Chapters look at the engines involved including the Rolls-Royce Merlin 130 series, Griffon and Eagle, Napier Sabre and Bristol Centaurus, propellor developments (contra-rotating) and then take each fighter type in turn. The coverage described their development and testing and includes quotes and passes from flight test reports.Additional appendices look at some British one-off designs and testbed programmes, then the only fighter types flown abroad powered by these engine types (the Australian CA-15 and Argentine IAe 30) and finally two similiar unbuilt projects proposed by Sweden (the J 27 Mustang lookalike) and Switzerland (the N-6). Illustrated with over 300 photos, many previously unpublished, this is a must for enthusiasts of World War II aviation and the history of the British fighter.
£999.99
Schiffer Publishing Ltd The Bell AH1 Cobra
Book SynopsisTrade Review"This big book widely illustrated with 226 photos and profiles tells the evolution of the legendary Bell AH-1 Cobra. Author Lüdeke describes in detail the quick and successful development of the sleek Model 209 and how it solved the dramatic lack of an effective CAS on the Vietnam theatre. Notwithstanding the common matrix with the simple UH-1 Huey (the AH-1G and UH-1C had 80 % of parts in common) the Cobra evolved during the years in a very effective and devastating battle tank of the air and the text tells in an authoritative and straightforward style the long way from the AH-1G to the AH-1Z. The other chapters treat all the variants and their combat records, from the Vietnamese jungles to the Iraqi deserts and the Hindukush valleys in Afghanistan. All the Cobras export users are also described, and beautiful and rare shots contribute to a nice book on a true legend of the air." - Marco De Montis, Aerospace Journalist.
£30.39
Schiffer Publishing Ltd Douglas A1 Skyraider
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£17.09
Schiffer Publishing Ltd De Havilland Mosquito Vol. 2
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£17.09
Princeton University Press Rhetoric and Reality in Air Warfare
Book SynopsisExamines how Anglo-American ideas about "strategic" bombing were formed and implemented. This book argues that ideas about bombing civilian targets rested on - and gained validity from - widespread but substantially erroneous assumptions about the nature of modern industrial societies and their vulnerability to aerial bombardment.Trade ReviewOne of Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles for 2002 "Well written, full of nuance and detail, and solidly researched. Biddle has done a thorough job of cutting through the thicket of contradictions and fantasies that surround the strategic bombing debate from 1914 to 1945."--Dominick A. Pisano, Military History "There are books about military ideas and books about military practice. This work by a talented young historian integrates the two forms. In addition to a deft pen and an eye for wry anecdote, Biddle possesses an instinct for the ways in which ideas about new forms of warfare germinate, spread, and are adopted in the absence of good data. The importance of this book therefore not only stems from what it tells the reader about how the two great air powers of the first half of the twentieth century thought about this new instrument of war. It also offers cautionary lessons in an age of radical military change. Sleek and dazzling new technology is one thing; sensible doctrine for its use in war is another."--Foreign Affairs "This is one of the most cogent, in-depth analyses of an important international historical controversy. Biddle's insight into the persistence of cognitive structures and processes serves as a model for future historical inquiry."--Choice "An extremely well-crafted history... [It] can now be recommended as the best treatment of its subject matter in a single volume."--John Gooch, International History Review "Tami Davis Biddle ... has set air power into its widest historical contexts yet and, while many of her arguments are not entirely new, has advanced the field considerably with a well-researched and carefully thought-out book."--Michael S. Neiberg, American Historical Review "By synthesizing so many complex issues, Biddle offers a landmark piece of scholarship that should appeal to both experts and history enthusiasts through its balance, lucidity, and clarity."--Guillaume de Syon, Air Power History "Anyone interested in understanding the United States Air Force's bombing operations in Iraq, Bosnia, Kosovo, and Afghanistan over the past decade should begin by reading this book. Today's aircraft and weapons differ dramatically from those used over the western front in World War I, but--as Tami Davis Biddle points out--ideas about strategic bombing from that era have remained remarkably resilient... Biddle's work should be read by anyone interested in understanding the shaping of ideas behind the use of military force and how these ideas ultimately affect political decisions."--Thomas E. Griffith, Jr., American DiplomacyTable of ContentsAcknowledgments vii Introduction 1 Chapter One The Beginning: Strategic Bombing in the First World War 11 Chapter Two Britain in the Interwar Years 69 Chapter Three The United States in the Interwar Years 128 Chapter Four Rhetoric and Reality, 1939-1942 176 Chapter Five The Combined Bomber Offensive, 1943-1945 214 Conclusion 289 Notes 303 Bibliography of Archival Sources 387 Index 391
£40.50
Schiffer Publishing Ltd The Doolittle Raid
Book SynopsisThe complete account of one of the biggest gambles and most harrowing stories of courage to come out of World War II.
£23.79
Schiffer Publishing Ltd Martin B26 Marauder
Book SynopsisTrade Review"This substantial book of over 600 large-format pages, replete with many photographs and other illustrations, holds out great promise of living up to its title." Aerospace, July 2015
£65.69
Schiffer Publishing Ltd Project Gemini
Book SynopsisVolume 2 is a detailed, illustrated look at NASA's Gemini space program in the 1960s.Trade Review... these are the most detailed accounts I know of these pioneering programmes, bringing back memories of long ago for those of us old enough, providing inspiration for those not. -- Ray Ward, Popular Astronomy, December 2016
£17.09
Schiffer Publishing Ltd Lockheed P2V Neptune An Illustrated History
Book Synopsis
£36.79
Fonthill Media Ltd Focke Wulf Jet Fighters
Book SynopsisThe biggest success of the Focke Wulf company during the Second World War was the choice of a radial engine for the Fw 190 fighter, in this way avoiding to compete against Messerschmitt for the in line engines. The decision of the Oberkommando der Luftwaffe to assign the few turbojets available to the Messerschmitt and Arado firms and the discovery of the terrible aerodynamic effect known as compressibility buffeting by mid-1942, made the life of fighter designers of the time very interesting. The Kurt Tank team proposed to install a centrifugal turbojet of his design in the nose of an Fw 190 A/3 with the intention of replacing it with a Jumo 004 B when available in 1943. Several designs followed that were able to use all turbojets, turboprops, ramjets and rocket engines, either projected or at their disposal. They constitute the documental foundation of this book. After failing in the TL Jagdfleugzeug contests in March 1943, Volksflugzeug in September 1944 and Hochleitungs Nachtjäger in January 1945, Focke Wulf could finally overcome its competitors with the great Jägernotprogramm design Ta 183. Although it was too late to intervene in the Second World War, it served as inspiration for numerous designs of other countries during the first years of the Cold War.
£28.50
Books Express Publishing Bombing the European Axis Powers: A Historical Digest of the Combined Bomber Offensive, 1939 -1945
£34.95
Schiffer Publishing Ltd The Douglas A20 Havoc
Book Synopsis
£62.04
Schiffer Publishing Ltd Project Mercury
Book SynopsisA detailed, illustrated look at NASA's Mercury space program in the 1960s.Trade Reviewthese are the most detailed accounts I know of these pioneering programmes, bringing back memories of long ago for those of us old enough, providing inspiration for those not. - Ray Ward, Popular Astronomy, Dec 2016
£17.09
Orion Publishing Co Journeys End
Book SynopsisThe final, climactic volume of Wilson's acclaimed bomber war trilogy.Trade ReviewA brilliant insight into life in the air and on the ground, and considers why a force that took the war into the heart of Germany on a nightly basis was ignored when the fighting stopped ... a long way to answering why there will be a memorial to these brave airmen in a London park * Observer *Despite their enormous courage and huge sacrifice, Britain has never formally acknowledged the bravery of the men who fought through the Second World War in Bomber Command. The men's valour was betrayed by politicians and they have been denied a medal honouring their campaign * Sunday Express *A sobering, deeply moving and historically fascinating account ... Kevin Wilson has brought some striking new research to bear in this brilliant work ... As is made painfully clear through anecdotes, many veterans of Bomber Command are left with terrible memories of what they endured in the struggle for national survivalMasterly approach ... it makes fascinating reading and will be of huge interest to all who remember the dying days of the last war * Church of England Newspaper *
£12.99
Schiffer Publishing Ltd HansJoachim Marseille
Book Synopsis
£41.39
Little, Brown & Company Boyd
Book SynopsisA detailed portrait of American fighter pilot John Boyd examines his distinguished military career during the Korean War and his postwar efforts as a military theorist who took on the entrenched Pentagon bureaucracy to transform the art of modern warfare and the American military with his revolution
£16.90
Simon & Schuster Masters of the Air Mti: America's Bomber Boys Who
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£20.70
Schiffer Publishing Ltd Junkers Ju 287
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£39.09
Schiffer Publishing Ltd Flying Dragons
Book Synopsis
£39.09
Schiffer Publishing Ltd Debrief
Book Synopsis
£39.09
Schiffer Publishing Ltd The Imperial German Eagles in World War I Vol 2
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£57.59
Schiffer Publishing Ltd Soviet Airmen in the Spanish Civil War 19361939
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£36.79
Schiffer Publishing Ltd The Fifth Fighter Command in World War II
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£54.39
Schiffer Publishing Ltd Kampfgeschwader 51 Edelweiss
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£29.59
Schiffer Publishing Ltd Aircraft of the Chaco War 19281935 Schiffer
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£34.84
Schiffer Publishing Ltd Kawasaki Ki61 HIEN in Japanese Army Air Force
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£12.59
Schiffer Publishing Ltd Lockheed T33 A Photo Chronicle Schiffer Military
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£20.69
Schiffer Publishing Ltd paddlesthefoiblesandfinesseofoneworldwariilandings
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£20.69
Schiffer Publishing Ltd The Nieuport 28
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£46.74
Schiffer Publishing Ltd themesserschmittbf109
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£9.49
