Second World War Books

Book SynopsisA Sunday Times bestseller. A miraculous true-life Second World War survival story that is being featured on the BBC's ONE SHOW (The show attracts on average a daily audience of 5 million viewers) with a ten minute dramatised documentary to be broadcast in early October 2018. A Daily Mail true life story feature is in development. Further review and BBC radio coverage Trade Advertising to accompany the release `I could see that still no one had been able to get out from the cockpit. It must have been at this moment that I thought I was going to die because I became remarkably calm'. Trapped inside a burning Lancaster bomber, 20,000 feet above Berlin, airman John Martin consigned himself to his fate and turned his thoughts to his fiancee back home. In a miraculous turn of events, however, the twenty-one-year-old was thrown clear of his disintegrating airplane and found himself parachuting into the heart of Nazi Germany. He was soon to be captured and began his period as a prisoner of war. This engaging and compulsively readable true-life account of a Second World War airman, who cheated death in the sky, only to face interrogation and the prospect of being shot by the Gestapo, before having to endure months of hardship as a prisoner of war.

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Book SynopsisThe invasion of Normandy was the most significant victory of the Allies in the Second World War. By 1944, over 2 million troops from over 12 countries were in Britain in preparation for the invasion. These forces consisted primarily of American, British and Canadian troops but also included Australian, Belgian, Czech, Dutch, French, Greek, New Zealand, Norwegian, Rhodesian and Polish naval, air or ground support. The operation was codenamed "Overlord" which saw the largest invasion fleet ever assembled, before or since, landing 156,000 Allied troops on five beach-heads on D-Day 6 June 1944. These forces established a foothold on the shores of Northern France, and broke out into the French interior to begin a headlong advance. D-Day was originally set for June 5 but had to be postponed for 24 hours because of bad weather. The forecast was so bad that the German commander in Normandy, Erwin Rommel, went home to give his wife a pair of shoes on her birthday. He was in Germany when the news came. British factories increased production and in the first half of 1944 approximately 9 million tonnes of supplies and equipment crossed the Atlantic from North America to Britain. Bagpiper, Bill Millin struck up ‘Hieland Laddie’ as soon as he jumped into the shallows and then walked up and down the beach playing the pipes. German prisoners later admitted that they had not attempted to shoot him because they thought he had lost his mind. The British infantryman was paid £3 15s a month, the Americans got £12. A naval bombardment from seven battleships, 18 cruisers, and 43 destroyers began at 5am and went on until 6.25am. On the night of the invasion only around 15% of paratroopers landed in the right place. New gadgets designed for D-Day included a “swimming tank” and a flame throwing tank called “the crocodile”. There were even collapsible motorbikes. The morning after D-day the police raided a brothel, which French women had set up in a wrecked landing craft. 1,900 Allied bombers attacked German lines before the invasion began. Seven million pounds of bombs were dropped that day. A total of 10,521 combat aircraft flew a total of 15,000 sorties on D-Day. All this and much more is uncovered in a range of informative and detailed events spanning this most significant event in military history; biographies, fun facts, myth busters and illustrated throughout with infographics and contemporary photographs.

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Book SynopsisOver nearly fifty years, the author has built up an extensive collection of memorabilia from the First and Second World Wars. The author gives talks to school and adult groups about the First World War and Second World War Home Front using his collection to illustrate these talks. This book looks at selected items from the private collection, providing a narrative about the original artefacts that also gives an insight into the life of the individuals who owned them. Fragments Volume Two is intended as a salute to those who survived the war on the Home Front and as a memorial to those who did not.

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Book SynopsisThe remarkable autobiography of a Holocaust escapee. "Go on, my son. Maybe you will survive..." Aron Goldfarb was fifteen years old when he was ripped from his bed in Poland and forced to enter a Jewish work camp. Watching helplessly as Nazis murdered his friends and family, he and his brother, Abe, made their courageous escape after hearing rumours of fellow prisoners being executed in gas chambers. With astonishing bravery and an unshakeable will to survive, the brothers hid together in underground holes on an estate controlled by the Gestapo. In this moving testament to the strength of human endurance and the power of relationships, co-written with acclaimed author Graham Diamond, Goldfarb tells his unbelievable true tale at long last. Vivid, compelling and frequently harrowing, Maybe You Will Survive is essential reading for anyone with an interest in the human condition. Marking seventy-five years since the end of the Holocaust and Aron's liberation, this edition includes a foreword his from sons, Morris and Ira.

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Book SynopsisA road block is a tiny battlefield. Here, all the principles of strategy and tactics apply just as much as when whole armies meet in the field. It is a challenge thrown down by the free world to Hitler and his hordes. A road block is a gesture of defiance that says, Beyond this, you shall not come'. Lie doggo. Hit hard. And clear out!Road Blocks is one of a series of training books written in 1942 by Colonel G. A. Wade for the newly-recruited Home Guard. This reproduction from the Royal Armouries' archive shows how the Second World War trainees learnt to set up and defend road blocks amidst the threat of enemy invasion.

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Book SynopsisHow often do we hear commanders say they are practically defenceless without machine guns and anti-tank weapons?Yet they have hundreds of men armed with the finest weapon of all the rifle!For general use there is nothing to take its place. Nothing so universally deadly; nothing to beat it in attack and defence. Fire Control is one of a series of training books written in 1942 by Colonel G. A. Wade for the newly-recruited Home Guard. This reproduction from the Royal Armouries' archive shows how the Second World War trainees learnt to handle their rifles and strategically engage the enemy.

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Book SynopsisPeter Sellers was one of the biggest stars of the 1960s and 70s. His career began with characters such as Bluebottle on BBC radio’s The Goon Show and he achieved global fame as Inspector Clouseau in the Pink Panther series. What is less well known is that he served in the Royal Air Force Entertainment Units (known as Gang Shows) for over three years. Now, for the first time, this story can be told, a tale of the formation and education of his remarkable talents, as well as a small corner of Second World War history that seems uniquely British (groups of servicemen and women sent around the world with hampers full of theatrical props and costumes, to rally the troops in distant outposts of Empire). This book reveals previously unknown film footage, photos, performances, broadcasts and recordings, from the very beginning of Sellers’ career.Trade Review"This new book reveals previously unknown film footage, recordings and radio broadcasts, as well as records of more than 100 performances across two continents. It charts [Sellers's] progress from raw recruit to gang show veteran, a journey full of colour and inspiration." -- Chortle (UK)

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Book SynopsisThis compelling and candid memoir by Mindy Weisel, an internationally acclaimed artist and author, traces her search to find beauty in her life, which began as a child born in the Bergen-Belsen Displaced Person's Camp to parents who had survived the Auschwitz concentration camp. This is not her parents' story, rather, it is a courageous and honest portrait of her struggle to understand the black hole she was born into. Her successful journey in becoming an artist with her own voice, and an unshakable will to live with beauty, is most inspiring. By weaving an eloquent tapestry of her art, narrative, poetry and journals, Ms. Weisel offers moving insights into her life and work, especially her deep-seated conviction that beauty and love can overcome tragedy. AFTER: The Obligation of Beauty immerses the reader in Mindy's astonishing body of paintings and glass works that explore the subtleties of color as a means in expressing emotion. The "second generation," as her generation of survivors' children are referred to, were faced not only with the tragedy their parents had endured but also with their own feelings of guilt and despair. The process of creating art not only became an antidote to the pain and suffering she witnessed and felt, but it also became an "obligation" for finding joy and love in the face of pain. Each chapter of AFTER is accompanied by paintings relating to different periods of Mindy Weisel's life - a life filled with accomplishment, meaning, love and fulfillment, personally and professionally.Trade Review"In the world, as we know it today, one must create beauty and this Mindy Weisel has done - again and again - in her art, her writing, her teaching and her being. Her work is a compelling response to the Shoah, a way to live AFTER. We are the visual and spiritual beneficiaries of Mindy's Obligation of Beauty. In this meaningful volume, we catch a glimpse of the beauty she has created as she shares with her readers why this is the path she has chosen. A path which believes in life." -Michael Berenbaum, Director, Sigi Ziering Holocaust Institute, American Jewish University.

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Book SynopsisLondon 1988: Agata grew up in post-war Prague and believes that her mother was the only member of her family to survive the Holocaust.But not everyone died. Agata's search for her ‘lost’ family, set against the background of revolutions in Eastern Europe, threatens to tear apart not only the family she already has, but her own identity.

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Book SynopsisOn 24 May 1948, the Empire Windrush sailed from Kingston, Jamaica, to harbour at Tilbury Docks. It carried 1,027 passengers and some stowaways, and more than two thirds of them were West Indies nationals. On 22 June 1948 they disembarked onto the docks, Alford Dalrymple Gardner was among them. Alford's story traverses both the uplifting highs and intolerant lows that West Indian migrants of his generation encountered upon travelling to Britain to forge out a life. From joining the British military during World War II to returning to Jamaica once it was won-only to come back to the UK when the government decided it needed him again-Alford witnessed milestone events of the 20th century that shaped the country he still lives in today. In the context of a supposedly 'post-Imperial' Britain where the lives of West Indian migrants hang precariously on the whims of the Home Office, Alford's heartening testimony is a celebration of those who endured hardships so that generations to come could call this place home.Trade ReviewAlford Dalrymple Gardner, an amateur guitarist and wicket keeper, was among the Windrush passengers. Along with his youthful fellow travellers (the average age on the ship was 24), he traded the certainty of devastating Caribbean hurricanes and unemployment for the chance of a better life in bombed-out Britain. His zestful style, undiminished by his 97 years and the challenges faced in his bigoted adoptive country, is commemorated in Finding Home, a memoir co-authored with his son, Howard. The book chronicles Caribbean pioneers' pitfalls and triumphs in a country that often seemed to despise them. "I'll never understand," writes Gardner early on, "how the colour of my skin can make these people so mad."Critics scoffed that the sun-kissed West Indians "wouldn't last one bad winter" in Britain. Finding Home illuminates the antipathy towards the pioneers (prime minister Clement Attlee received a letter from angry MPs warning it was a mistake to admit the migrants), showing that a hostile environment was in place long before the then home secretary Theresa May's 2012 policy ensnared some of the Windrush generation in a bureaucratic conundrum to prove, decades on from their arrival, that they had a right to live here. -- Colin Grant * The Observer, ‘What comes across clearly is the emotional cost of migration’: Windrush commemorated in books *This is a hugely important book giving a vivid account of what it was like to arrive in Britain in 1948 on Empire Windrush. Alford Gardner has written a fascinating personal account of how he built a happy life in an often hostile country. A really engaging read and a vital piece of contemporary history. -- Amelia Gentleman, Journalist and author of The Windrush Betrayal: Exposing the Hostile EnvironmentFinding Home is a notable account of one of our pioneering Windrush elders who made a personal choice as a young person to charter a life into new environments of opportunities. This account is a real discovery for all to acknowledge people's early lives in the Caribbean, the storm of challenges faced and the lasting contributions of their unique blend of determination and vibrancy in all facets of UK society. We are honourably standing on the shoulders of these legends of legacy because their journey continues to provide a momentous height of inspiring vision and hope for all future generations. -- Nigel Guy, Director at Windrush Generations UKSuch testimonies are a crucial part of understanding modern British history. This story should have been part of our national reading in the 1970s. The fact that it's coming out now, in the 2020's shows how vast the gap is in the honest portrayal of this country's past and the crucial role of Jacaranda Books in commissioning such work. -- Tony Warner, author of Black History WalksSince 1948 only a handful of autobiographies have been published by passengers who came to Britain on the Empire Windrush and so Alford Dalrymple Gardner's Finding Home - A Windrush Story is a fantastic resource. I thoroughly enjoyed his stories of serving in the RAF in wartime, his post-war journey to Britain on the Windrush and his long and eventful life in this country. Finding Home is a superb chronicle of Mr Gardner's journey through life and the ups and downs he has faced. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in reading about the Windrush from someone who was there, and has provided us with first-hand experience. -- Stephen Bourne, author of War to Windrush and Evelyn Dove: Britain's Black Cabaret QueenBesides Sam King's 1998 autobiography, Climbing Up the Rough Side of the Climbing, Alford's book is the only one that reflects the true spirit of Windrush and what Sam wrote about, except that Alford's life is unique and just as adventurous and inspiring. If there was no World War Two, there might not have been an Empire Windrush, and no Alford in Leeds, England. Alford Dalrymple Gardner's autobiography is one of the classics. -- Arthur Torrington CBE, Co-founder and Director, Windrush FoundationAlford Gardner's memoir is a joy to read, capturing the adventure and challenges of this Windrush Pioneer who represents an important link between the first and 4th generation of Windrush descendants. The book should be in the hands of all children as part of the drive for Windrush history and legacy should embedded in the national curriculum -- Professor Patrick Vernon OBE

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Book SynopsisThe Allies greatest deception before D-Day. The true story of one man's amazing mission that took him to the heart of the Nazi empire and ultimately saved thousands of lives.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book SynopsisHerbert Martin Massey was by any measure, a remarkable man. He was wounded three times in three separate conflicts, the first of which, in the First World War, almost killed him. Brought down in flames by one of Germany’s great aces, Werner Voss, he somehow recovered from his horrific, life-threatening injuries to continue his flying career in the Royal Air Force, only to be nearly killed once more in the Palestine Emergency of 1936, when his life was saved by the thin metal of his cigarette case. Then, at the age of 44 and having risen through the ranks to Group Captain, he was shot down over Holland on the second of the Thousand Bomber Raids in June 1942.Massey was taken prisoner by the Germans and sent to Stalag Luft III at Sagan. Here, he was to excel as the Senior British Officer, vigorously defending the rights of his fellow prisoners of war, the men now under his command. Respected and admired by his comrades and captors alike, fate handed to him the decision to authorise the Great Escape, the famous breakout from Sagan in March 1944.Too badly wounded to join the escape himself, Martin Massey was the man to whom the Germans first broke the news of the execution of fifty of those who had been recaptured. Repatriated to Britain because of his wounds shortly afterwards, it was Massey who brought home the details of the murders which began the process of bringing the perpetrators to justice post-war.Decorated for his gallantry and leadership six times, men like Martin Massey come along only rarely. This book, using previously unseen documents and photographs, tells his story.Trade ReviewExtremes of Fortune is an intimate look at Massey's amazing life through the lens of contemporary letters and memoirs...definitely qualifies as adventure reading for the World War I aviation enthusiast. * Indy Squadron Dispatch *

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Book SynopsisThe raid on the secret rocket research establishment at Peenemünde on the Baltic coast in August 1943 has gone down in history as one of the most successful and remarkable of the war. The site was virtually obliterated, and the Germans forced to move rocket production and development elsewhere. But it came at a terrible cost. More than 40 bombers and 215 RAF aircrew failed to return. After the war, the bodies of many of those who were killed were recovered by the Missing Research and Enquiry Service (MRES) and buried in Commonwealth war graves. But not all. A series of mishaps and miscommunication led the MRES to search in the wrong place. Funds to continue the search dried up. And with the site falling into Russian hands, and access to British and US search parties severely restricted, the search ultimately had to be called off, and the remaining men commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial as having no known grave. But some of the missing men are still there, waiting to be found.With a foreword from Peenemünde raid veteran pilot George Dunn DFC L d'H, and illustrated with a wealth of previously unpublished photographs, Sean Feast and Mike McLeod tell the story of the forgotten graves of Peenemünde, the search to discover the truth about their final resting place, and the chance that their bodies may yet be discovered and returned.Table of ContentsForeword by George Dunn, DFC, L d’H 1 Chapter One: The Passengers 2 Chapter Two: The Airmen 3 Chapter Three: The Raid 4 Chapter Four: The Missing 5 Chapter Five: The Searchers Chapter Six: The Lady in the Lake 7 Chapter Seven: The Archaeologist Appendix Acknowledgements and Bibliography Endnotes Index

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Book SynopsisThis book is to honour all the brave and wonderful people who risked or gave their lives to free Europe from the nazis and the claws of fascism. Let us never forget the innocent victims, both young and old from all sides, who endured the losses and the suffering imposed upon them by those democratically elected evil criminals. We must never let this happen again.

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Book Synopsis1943, on a farm in Arkansas, two brothers, Eddy and JohnnyCollins, receive their mobilization letter: one will disembark atOmaha Beach while the other will have to climb a vertiginouscliff held by the enemy. Will the two brothers end upto regain ?

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Book SynopsisThis book traces the history, organization, uniforms and equipment between 1939 and 1945 of the Waffen SS. This elite force counted nearly a million volunteers from all European countries. Enjoying the full support of the Nazi regime, Waffen SS will fight on all fronts in Europe between 1939 and 1945.The variety of uniforms presented show how the German stewardship reserved, especially from 1941, the most modern equipment"the darling of the regime."Caps, helmets, helmet covers, jackets, camouflage uniforms, belts buckles, equipment, weapons etc. All the panoply of Waffen SS is carefully detailed in the book of 2 volumes with rigorously authentic objects. Accompanied by original photographs mostly unpublished and from private archives, this book covers a gap in the field in which no truly comprehensive study has been done to date.Trade ReviewMilitaria collectors, historians, modellers and perhaps those who sculpt model figures as the detail to be found here is, in my view, unbeatable. * Military Model Scene *

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Book SynopsisLa première édition de cet album historique, référence incontestable et pratiquement introuvable, est enfin rééditée, revue, corrigée et augmentée. L’ouvrage offre avec un luxe d’informations, de détails et de photos un panorama exhaustif de l’intervention de la chasse allemande dans le ciel de Normandie et de l’Île de France puis en Provence, après le débarquement allié sur les côtes méditerranéennes.

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Book SynopsisFrom the decision to land in Normandy up to the closing of the "Falaise Gap" this work describes the different phases of the Battle : strategy, diversion, the multiple operations undertaken, the sectors chosen for landing, the Armed Forces and their mission in each case. Maps trace the Army Corps and Units and their advance in the course of the Battle. A concentrated and instructive work on the main stages of the Battle of Normandy.

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Book SynopsisThis book analyses the successive appearances of Adolf Hitler in French fiction between 1945 and 2017. It discusses why, unlike what has been observed in the US and in the UK, it has proven problematic for French novelists to write about Hitler in their numerous fictional explorations of the Second World War. It examines the literary and ethical challenges of including historical characters such as Hitler in fiction, and demonstrates how these challenges evolved over time as memories of the Second World War also evolved in France. jhopokTrade Review Table of ContentsChapter 1: Hitler and the Second World War in French Historiography and Fiction.- Chapter 2: Hitler in the Margins. On Jean-Paul Sartre’s Le Sursis (1945) and Jean Genet’s Pompes funèbres (1947).- Chapter 3: What if Hitler had Survived? On Pierre Boulle’s ‘Son Dernier Combat’ (1965) and René Fallet’s Ersatz (1974).- Chapter 4: From Adolf to Hitler. On Frédéric Dard’s Le Dragon de Cracovie (1998) and Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt’s La Part de l’autre (2001).- Chapter 5 : Adolf before Hitler. On Christian Millau’s Le Passant de Vienne (2010) and Michel Folco’s La Jeunesse mélancolique et très désabusée d’Adolf Hitler (2010).- Chapter 6: Hitler from France to the Rest of the World (and Back): Concluding Remarks.

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Book SynopsisThe books will be indispensable to collectors, uniform enthusiasts and military historians alike. This three-volume work is the most comprehensive and detailed study of the World War II German paratrooper to date, providing in-depth examinations of nearly every uniform item - including all models of jump smocks - and equipment used from the airborne forces’ establishment in the mid-1930s to May 1945. It also extensively covers specific insignia and various unique ephemera. Finally, the work provides in-depth summaries of the operations the “Green Devils” fought in, from the air assaults on Norway, Belgium’s Fort Eben Emael, Holland and Crete, over ground combat in North Africa, Russia, Italy and Normandy through the Battle of the Bulge and on to the last days of the Third Reich.Table of ContentsChapter I: Paratrooper Helmets Chapter II: Special Equipment Chapter III: Standard Personal Equipment Chapter IV: Weapons Chapter V: Parachutes Chapter VI: Drop Containers

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Book SynopsisThis book describes in detail the camouflage and markings of the day fighters used by the Polish Air Force from 1939 to 1947. Aircraft of Polish, French, British, American, Soviet, and German origin are shown. The writing team includes the well-known quartet of distinguished Polish aviation historians: Kopanski, Belcarz, Gretzyngier, and Matusiak. The illustrators are Artur Juszczak, Karolina Holda, Robert Gretzyngier, and Robert Grudzien. This profusely illustrated book includes many historical photographs and color profiles showing the colors and markings carried by the aircraft. Detailed color notes and precise description and illustration of national markings over the period complete a book that will be invaluable to aircraft enthusiasts, historians, and modelers.

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Book SynopsisThis new photo album is number 28 in the MMP Books/Stratus "Camera On" series. It is the first to cover in such photographic detail the German usage of both the 2 cm Flak 28 and the Flak 30. Both of these weapons saw extensive action on all battle fronts of the Second World War wherever the German armed forces saw service. While they were both excellent weapons at their time of development, they both rapidly became less effective as ever faster and higher flying aircraft were produced by Germany's enemies.This book contains 140+ photographs taken by the average German soldier of both the 2 cm Flak 28 and 30 as well as their crews while in service and many of the environments they had to operate within. This volume illustrates these weapons as the soldiers themselves viewed them in both their fighting environment and, in many cases, just as a tool they lived with and had to look after on a daily basis, not the highly polished and sanitized views of the official photographers. This book is an invaluable reference for military historians and modelers alike.

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Book SynopsisPanzerkampfwagen IV (PzKpfw IV) - German medium tank from World War II. Until the fall of 1942, it was the heaviest tank in the army of the Third Reich. Initially, it was armed with a 75 mm short-barreled cannon, but as a result of the experience gained it was rearmed with long-barreled guns.Trade Review…this will happily sit alongside other works on the subject vehicle. Recommended for the researcher and model-maker. * Scale Military Modelling International Magazine 11/05/2021 *If you’re interested in the Panzer IV, this is an excellent book to broaden your knowledge and prime you for a potential deep-dive later into weightier tomes. Some great pictures and really nice profiles. * Britmodeller.com 16/08/2021 *…the editing, structure, information, and lastly the graphics are excellent. It’s a worthy addition to my shelf on panzer subjects and both modellers and historians will find it extremely useful. * Aviation Enthusiast Book Club 14/06/2021 *

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Book SynopsisThe author of this monograph would like to inform his reader right away that he does not claim to cover the following topic as fully as it could possibly be. At the present time, there are many historical documents, schematic drawings that once were placed in secret archives, memories of historical persons, and participants of long past events. So, if the author tried to describe and publish all the materials about the only plane that took an active involvement in the Second World War - it would be a multivolume publication with an appendix consisting of a thick folder with numerous drafts…The purpose of this monograph is the author’s desire to introduce the reader to a remarkable fighter aircraft, that which had a great influence on both the pre-war development of Soviet aircraft, and the military developments that occurred in the first few months of the war between Germany and the USSR. And at the same time about its creator - Nikolai Nikolaevich Polikarpov, who had the unspoken title of "King of fighters" during his lifetime. Those readers, who are interested in the technical matter of the topic, could refer to some earlier publications about the I-16 aircraft. Unfortunately, only one publication was published in English. But you may find Russian-language publications, detailed declassified drawings, and a technical description of the aircraft in the global network.

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Book SynopsisAleksander Siewierski, originally from Georgia, was in the United States in 1917 and was there when the revolution in Russia broke out. As Alexander Seversky, he founded the Seversky Aero Corporation. Alexander Kartvelli (also a Georgian) became his main designer. Unfortunately, financial problems led to firing Seversky, and his company changed its name to Republic Aviation Corporation. The projects started and developed by Seversky, which resulted in the P-35 fighter, were continued, though.As a result of its further development, a design for the XP-41 high-altitude fighter equipped with a turbocharger was prepared. Only a prototype was built, while many of its solutions went to a more advanced aircraft, designated AP-4, and finally P-43.Trade ReviewFor the scratch builder or modeler looking for scale drawings of this plane, here's the booklet. * The Historical Miniatures Gaming Society 07/12/2022 *

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Book SynopsisThe book presents a description of work on a model Ju 88 A-4. The author shows step by step each element of the modelling workshop.Trade Review...included is a 2.3x4.9-inch masking foil with 70 cutouts -- handy for modelers using airbrushes for painting… * The Historical Miniatures Gaming Society 07/12/2022 *

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Book SynopsisThis book is the latest in a new reference series for aircraft modelers called "Spotlight On" and is a showcase for the superb aviation artwork created for the publisher by the remarkable Polish aviation artist Tomasz Kaca. The book contains 20 color plates showing 20 famous P-51 Mustang fighters depicted in the air. Aircraft of the famous fighter aces are shown based on the latest research.

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Book SynopsisBook covers Finnish trainer aircraft used during WWII. Camouflage and markings of the fighters obtained from France, USA, Germany, UK and the USSR are described in unparalleled detail by the well-known Finnish author Kari Stenman. Many unpublished photos, and color profiles.Trade ReviewIt is another very interesting addition to the White Series from MMP. * Military Model Scene *

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Book SynopsisMitsubishi Babs Vol. II – The world’s first high-speed strategic reconnaissance aircraft completes the history of Japan’s revolutionary high-speed strategic reconnaissance aircraft design. This second volume describes the Imperial Japanese Navy’s flawed attempts to develop its own high-speed strategic reconnaissance aircraft and their decision to ultimately adopt the Army’s magnificent Ki-15 design into Navy service as the C5M/Type-98 Reconnaissance Plane (Allied codename Babs).Across eight chapters Mitsubishi Babs Vol. II outlines the unit histories and the operational deployment of Navy C5M aircraft during the Sino-Japanese and Pacific War, andhow, through Army support and training, the Navy was finally able to perform its own long-range strategic reconnaissance missions deep into mainland China and Australia.A major portion of Vol. II is devoted to the first highly detailed technical description of this aircraft to be compiled since the Mitsubishi engineering department completed the final Babs airframe in August 1941. Individual coverage of the Ki-15-I, civilian Karigane-I, Ki-15-II, Karigane-II, C5M1, C5M2 and Ki-15-III provides aviation historians and modellers alike with an in-depth understanding of individual airframe systems and reconnaissance equipment, all lavishly supported with custom artwork, cutaways, original engineering drawings and detailed photographs.A chapter is also devoted to the pilot’s operating manual, which describes exactly how to fly this high performance aircraft.The often inaccurately reported capabilities of Babs are reviewed across two chapters which outline what the Allied intelligence teams believed about the aircraft, supported by crash investigations and technical reports.And to counter these numerous technical inaccuracies and half-truths, two chapters are devoted to reassessing various technical aspects of the aircraft, with the hope of correcting the history books once and for all. The first deals with the all important performance figures, while the second reveals the somewhat absurd manufacturing and assembly details of the Army and Navy airframes, the true production figures and decoding the Babs Construction numbers and prefix codes.The book also contains a small chapter on the history of Babs model kits and surviving memorabilia.

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Book SynopsisThe Bristol Blenheim was one of the most popular British aircraft at the beginning of World War II. It was a very versatile and modifiable machine, and therefore typical bomber, reconnaissance, and fighter (including night) versions were created.The first mass-produced version was the Mk I, which featured a richly glazed nose part of the fuselage. The most common version in the air force of several countries was the Mk IV, in which the glass nose of the aircraft was extended so that the bombardier could lie freely in a special cradle during targeting. The nose of the fuselage had an asymmetrical “dent” on the left side of the fuselage (in its upper part), providing better visibility for the pilot sitting in a separate cockpit. This version also had more powerful engines and a longer range, but slightly lower speed and ceiling.

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Book SynopsisThe Fiat G.55 Centauro fighter was designed by Giuseppe Gabrielli at the Fiat factory in 1942 and flown in the spring of the same year (April 30). The plane was to be a response to the demand for an interceptor capable of operating at high altitudes, which was dictated by the increasing intensity of Allied air raids on Italian cities and military infrastructure. A total of 130 copies of this machine were produced.Most Fiats G.55 were stationed in bases in northern Italy, from which they defended industrial plants located in these regions. The G.55 fighters were very highly rated by the pilots who considered them superior to the German Bf 109s G and K versions, and the Focke-Wulf Fw 190A. Unfortunately, due to the bombing of Fiat factories and problems with the supply of a sufficient number of Daimler Benz 603 engines, the production of the aircraft was stopped.Published in Kagero’s renowned Top Drawings series for modellers and military historians, this volume detailssize=2 color="#333333"> the history of the Fiat G.55 Centauro fighter and includes size=2>10 quality colour profiles and drawings in scale.color="#333333">

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Book SynopsisDuring the Second World War, across the frontline as well as on the Home Front, millions of people recorded their thoughts of their experiences - whether in letters, their personal diaries or those prosecuting the war giving speeches. Much as Letters of Note celebrated the great letters written through history, so Words of War allows the Imperial War Museum to showcase its incredible array of first-hand material to shine a light on how people journeyed through the 1939-45 conflict.Ten chapters take the reader chronologically through the key moments of the war: from the retreat to Dunkirk to the battle of the Atlantic; the savage fighting in the jungles of the far East to the RAF Bomber Command's campaign in Europe; the discovery of the Nazi's concentration camp system to the war's ultimate conclusion at the Nuremburg trials. One hundred documents are researched and selected by the Imperial War Museum's expert archivists, with commentary from thTrade ReviewIt is a remarkable treasure trove, beautifully assembled, and a snapshot testimony to the incredible breadth and extent over which the war was fought and experienced first-hand. -- James HollandExtraordinarily powerful and mesmerising - there is a haunting intimacy and immediacy about these recovered letters, documents and images that opens a window directly into the past, vividly summoning the darkest days but also the greatest courage and endurance and the fascinating quirks and passions of human nature in war. -- Sinclair McKay

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Book SynopsisIt was a miracle three years in the making, a testimony to American fortitude and ingenuityand perhaps the key to why the United States won a war that after Pearl Harbor seemed hopeless.Impeccably researched deep in the archives at Pearl Harbor and Washington DC, Revenge of the Dreadnoughts is colorfully written, personal, chilling, visceral,Historian Keith Warren Lloyd brings his gift for injecting life and personalities and heretofore untold stories of the men and women involved-members of what became known as The Greatest Generationwhose heroism and sacrifice brought about the miraculous new life of a sleeping military force that was reeling and on its knees.It is a story has never before been old in such detail and with such vibrancy.On the night of 24 October 1944, a force of two battleships, one heavy cruiser and four destroyers from the Imperial Japanese Navy steamed into Surigao Strait in the Philippines. Their objective: to at

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Book SynopsisA Waterstones Best History Book of 2023The incredible true story of the SAS' daring mission to liberate EuropeIn the summer of 1943, the largest invasion fleet ever assembled sailed for fortress Europe, aiming to bulldoze its way onto Nazi shores. At its vanguard went a few hundred elite forces soldiers, the Royal Navy warship carrying them bearing the iconic winged dagger emblem on its prow, plus the motto 'Who Dares Wins'. Led by the legendary SAS commander Blair 'Paddy' Mayne, these war-bitten, piratical raiders were tasked to do the impossible - to bludgeon their way through the most heavily defended enemy shoreline, so enabling the ensuing forces to follow on.If they succeeded, it would mark the turning point in the war. If they failed, the consequences were unthinkable. Against all odds, outnumbered some fifty-to-one, and facing a ferocious series of cliffside defences, they would have to dare all as never before. So begins the incredible true story of the SAS's mission to liberate Europe.Action-packed and filled with heroic endeavour, SAS Forged in Hell is breath-taking combat writing at its best, in true Damien Lewis style.Trade ReviewThe real Guns of Navarone . . . Damien Lewis reveals how Paddy Mayne's SAS triumphed in their 1943 mission to blow up Nazi shore guns . . . while outnumbered fifty to one * Daily Mail *The Great SAS Train Robbery . . . as in stealing a whole train. Damien has given a step-by-step account of the top-secret breakout in his new book * Daily Mirror *Damien Lewis brings the Commander of the SAS, and the most decorated British soldier, gloriously to life. The book is full of jaw-dropping accounts of derring-do * Stratford Herald *This is the book that needs to be the basis for a film * Colonel Tim Collins OBE *Writer Damien Lewis keeps things edge-of-the-seat as usual. Expect this book like several of his others, to be snapped up by Hollywood soon. * The Radio Times *

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