Search results for ""Fonthill Media""

Shortly after the end of the Second World War, the United Kingdom was described as one vast aircraft carrier anchored off the coast of Europe. During a seven year period 500 airfields were constructed to serve the needs first of the RAF and later the USAAF as they carried the war to German-occupied Europe. The airfields that were constructed took many different forms from training airfields and Advanced Landing Grounds to grass fighter airstrips and vast complexes used to accommodate heavy bombers. This book charts the history of each Second World War airfield in and around the UK providing a unique insight in to the construction, operational life and post-war history of each airfield. Alongside detailing the history of each airfield, this work comprehensively records the details of each unit that operated from airfields around the UK. The information provided in this meticulously researched book is supported by a wealth of 690 photographs providing an illustration into the life of each wartime station.

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The first B-29 flew over Tokyo on 1 November 1944. It was a photographic reconnaissance aircraft ironically named ‘Tokyo Rose’. The Ki.44 fighters of the 47th Sentai took off to intercept it but as it turned out the Superfortress flew at such an altitude and speed that they could not reach it. The Ki-44-II-Otsu had been specifically designed for this type of interception and could reach the astonishing rate of climb of 5,000 m in four minutes; however it was not good enough. During the following ten months, a devastating bombing campaign of thousands of Superfortress destroyed 67 Japanese cities and half of Tokyo. The cultural shock and the political consequences were huge, when it was realised that the Japanese industry was not able to produce the specially heat and stress-resistant metallic alloys that were required to manufacture the turbo superchargers needed by the fighters in charge of defending the Japanese mainland. They lacked the essential chromium and molybdenum metals to harden the steel. This fact thwarted the manufacturing of numerous advanced projects of both conventional fighters and those derived from the transfer of German technology fitted with turbojets and rocket engines. They are thoroughly described in this book.

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As supporter, player and broadcaster, John Gwynne has enjoyed a lifelong passion for football. In 'Soccer Satisfied' we follow a footballing journey which originated in the Shropshire countryside of the 1950s. Shrewsbury Town was the local league team but a move to Manchester triggered over sixty years of undying love for Manchester City. This sky blue thread weaves through the book, interspersed with memories of John's own playing career at grass roots level, anecdotes from his broadcasting career on local radio and for Sky's 'Soccer Saturday' and memorable evenings on the dinner circuit. John has met and befriended many great characters including Bert Trautmann, Denis Law, Jimmy Armfield and Gordon Banks. Meetings with Sir Matt Busby, Bobby Moore and Sir Alex Ferguson have left a lasting impression. Pain and passion are felt as he writes movingly of the Munich tragedy and the death of his beloved and ever-supportive wife Margaret. On a lighter note, there are a host of humorous anecdotes and one of broadcasting's most distinctive voices can be heard on every page. 'Soccer Satisfied' is a warm, nostalgic journey connecting two quite different eras. The game has changed markedly but John's enthusiasm for it has not dimmed.

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Outside of the Nazi hierarchy, Odilo Globocnik is almost certainly the most culpable in the planned and almost successfully executed attempt to annihilate all the Jews of Europe. In producing this book, the author was soon to discover several interesting facets to the history of this unsavory character. Not only did he play a leading role in the process of murdering the Jews, he was also the arch highwayman in the plunder of their possessions. Additionally, he was responsible for the compulsory uprooting of thousands of Polish non-Jewish citizens, the destruction of their communities, and the trafficking of enforced slave laborers. Often justifiably vilified for his crooked dealings as Gauleiter of Vienna, his function as asset stripper of the Polish Jews is overshadowed by his unquestionable major role in their physical destruction. The ultimate crime of mass murder far outweighs the less significant, but nevertheless considerable, offenses of robbery and human trafficking, for obvious reasons. Odilo Globocnik was guilty of them all.

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ABBA was the biggest selling pop group of the Seventies. Between their first single in 1972, when the group was not yet called ABBA, and their final singles in 1982, ABBA recorded and released 98 unique songs. In addition they recorded versions of some of their biggest hits in Swedish, German, French, and Spanish; performed a number of songs in concert that were never released on record; and recorded a number of songs that didn’t see the light of day at the time, but have been released from the archive the decades since the group “took a break” at the end of 1982.Everyone remembers ABBA’s biggest hits – songs like 'Waterloo', 'Mamma Mia', 'Fernando', 'Dancing Queen', 'Take A Chance On Me', 'Chiquitita', and 'The Winner Takes It All' – but there are many gems to be found on the eight studio albums and 21 singles released during the group’s lifetime. ABBA: Song by Song is a look at every single song by the Swedish supergroup, written by a life-long ABBA fan. Find out what inspired the songs, what went in to recording them, and their impact around the world in the 1970s and 80s and beyond.

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The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, to give it its full name, owes its origins to the 'Pour le Merite' (Blue Max), an imperial award dating back to 1740. The Complete Knight's Cross volumes tell the story of all 7,364 men who were granted the award (including all the disputed awards). The three volumes have over 200 photos of holders of the medal and over 100 photos of their graves. Volume One deals with 1939-41 (numbers 1-1267) and is subtitled 'The Years of Victory'. Volume Two deals with 1942-43 (numbers 1268-3685) and is subtitled 'The Years of Stalemate'. Volume Three deals with 1944-45 (numbers 3686-7364) and is subtitled 'The Years of Defeat'. The recipients are listed in the order of the date of award. Each entry starts with the recipient's rank and name, followed by details of the action or actions for which they were granted the award. Other interesting facts and stories are also included for many of the awards. Burial locations, where known, are also given. Any higher awards (Oak Leaves, Swords, Diamonds and the ultimate Golden award) are also covered.

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Benjamin Disraeli joined William Gladstone in the House of Commons in 1837. A few years later a bitter feud developed between the two men and it lasted until Disraeli's death in 1881. During this time Disraeli, for the Conservatives, was Chancellor of the Exchequer three times and Prime Minister twice. Gladstone, for the Liberals, was during his lifetime Chancellor of the Exchequer four times and Prime Minister also four times. This book analyses the causes of the feud, and it describes how it developed and the actions of two of the country's greatest statesmen. Their mutual antipathy was so great that Gladstone made an excuse not to go to his rival's funeral. In addition there is a wealth of fascinating information about them. Among other things this includes an account of Gladstone's controversial work rescuing prostitutes and his close friendship with former courtesans. It also describes how Disraeli wrote his famous novels, and his early disreputable business activities.

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'Teutonic Titans: Hindenburg, Ludendorff, and the Kaiser's Military Elite' covers the era 1847-1955-heavily illustrated with over 500 images of German Emperor Wilhelm II's First World War marshals and generals, emphasizing their lives, careers, battles, and campaigns. The book covers both Western and Eastern Fronts, as well as the Balkans, Baltics, Middle, and Far East. It is also heavily detailed with maps, cartoons, graphics, and photographs, plus descriptions of strategies, tactics, weapons, statistics on all losses, and results. Period cartoons add to the vast array of photographic sources worldwide: United States National Archives and Library of Congress, Washington and College Park, Maryland; Imperial War Museum London: Bundesarchiv, Bonn, and also His Majesty's own albums at Doorn House, Holland, many of them previously unpublished. German Crown Prince Wilhelm and Bavarian Crown Prince Rupprecht, all German Chiefs of General Staff and War Ministers are detailed as well, plus all top Allied leaders and commanders: Woodrow Wilson, John J. Pershing; David Lloyd George, King George V, Sir Douglas Haig, and Sir John French among them; Tsar Nicholas II, Grand Duke Michael, and more; Frenchmen Henri Petain, Joffre, Foch, and Weygand; as well as those of Serbia, Italy, Greece, Rumania, and Bulgaria.

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The US Air Force has performed peripheral reconnaissance adjacent to the traditional foe of Russia, China, North Korea and others for seven decades. Evolving from rudimentary aircraft to an unprecedented level of sophistication, the current, elderly airframes boast unmatched performance. The book details the aircraft, equipment, sensors, air bases involved, and limited operational details-as much remains highly classified. Additionally, stories by the personnel involved, who have flown these mission, and often faced their quarry at very close range. The majority of aircraft involved are the Boeing C-135 series, including more than 100 different airframes, of 48 different versions. Missions include strategic intelligence, airborne command and control, treaty compliance, Open Skies, weather reconnaissance, aerial refuelling, and transportation. Details the different aircraft missions, bewildering programme names, operating locations, and flying units involved. Background support organisations are presented. A potted history of every aircraft involved is included, together with units operated, and designations applied. Sixty years of operations, which continue to this day, are mostly shrouded in secrecy. A cat and mouse adventure, throughout the Cold War, into the new peace dividend, and now in the face of renewed Russian aggression. The veil of secrecy is lifted, ever so slightly!

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In October 1943 Jack changed from Liberators to Beaufighters having been selected for Torbeau training in Scotland. He joined a Strike Wing at North Coates attacking North Sea convoys off the coast of Holland. Later Jack and his Beaufighter were sent to the Far East where he was deployed to fly out of Assam over Burma supporting the ‘Forgotten’ Army. Midway through the ‘tour’ they converted to Mosquitoes; a change he was not particularly happy about. After a short ‘rest’ converting pilots to Mosquitoes he felt lucky to be put in charge of a small Unit flying Service Personnel to various venues in Southern India. Jack’s enthusiasm for flying is maintained and his lucky escapes documented. His fascination with the cultural and social experiences gained in India leaves its mark as he comments on the privileges he experiences – now as a Commissioned Officer - compared to the non- commissioned, and of the wealth chasm between the Indian Princes and the poor of India. This is not just about flying but how he and his comrades lived through those unique and special times.

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Soldiers to the Last Day: Rhineland- Westphalian 6th Infantry Division, 1935-1945 recounts the history of the German 6th Infantry Division from its formation in 1935 to its destruction at Babruysk in July 1944; then its resurrection and continued fighting until the end of the war. Among the first divisions established by the Wehrmacht, the 6th Infantry Division had one of the longest and bloodiest records of continuous combat of any division—Allied or Axis. Engaging in combat within weeks of the outbreak of WWII, the division fought to the last hour of the war. Based primarily on German sources, in particular the rare divisional and regimental histories and war diaries, and on personal accounts and letters of its soldiers, Soldiers to the Last Day presents the German view of the war from inside divisional headquarters and down to the individual Landser as the division marches across France in 1940, advances to the Volga during Operation Barbarossa, fights the brutal battles of Rzhev, Kursk, Babruysk; and makes last desperate attempts to defend the homeland in 1945. It is a tale of courage, determination, suffering, and in the end—betrayal.

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In 1977, a twenty-year-old naive American takes a break from his university studies to undertake an epic nine-thousand-mile overland journey from Munich to Kathmandu. With his camera and his journal, he records and recounts his journey, wanderings and musings with candor and humor through cities and countries that are now inaccessible and too dangerous for the modern backpacking tourist. Like a later-day, international doppelganger version of "On the Road," the search for universal truth and the meaning of life tramps alongside the author while visiting places like Beirut, Damascus, Tehran and Kabul with a casual nonchalance, and revealing a seemingly lost era of more freedom, openness, tolerance, and promise.

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For over twenty years the battlecruiser HMS 'Hood' toured the world as the most iconic warship in the Royal Navy. Unmatched in her beauty and charisma, 'Hood' is one of history's greatest warships. During the twilight years of the British Empire the 'Hood 'toured the world showing the flag as a symbol of British power. As the Royal Navy's show-ship, 'Hood' came to command a special place in the hearts and minds of the British public. Such was the regard for HMS 'Hood' that her destruction in the Denmark Strait on the morning of 24 May 1941 by the German battleship 'Bismarck' created dismay across the world. Within minutes of entering battle 'the Mighty Hood' as she was affectionately known, was destroyed by a catastrophic explosion which had echoes of Jutland a quarter of a century earlier. Out of a crew of a crew of 1,418, only 3 survived. The sinking of HMS 'Hood' was the single largest disaster ever sustained by the Royal Navy. This book charts the life and death of this legendary battlecruiser in both peace and war from her early origins, through the interwar years, to her destruction.

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Longest serving Home Secretary until Theresa May, his tenure covering the Ripper murders, Fenian violence and social unrest, Matthews is notable as the first Catholic member of the Cabinet during a time of continued prejudice, yet this enigmatic character has been largely ignored or written off. Roger Ward challenges hostile judgements and examines Matthews' life and career in the context of turbulent times. A successful barrister, he entered the world of nineteenth century politics as MP for an Irish constituency, before becoming the sole Conservative MP in Chamberlain-controlled Birmingham. Championed by Lord Randolph Churchill, he found himself unexpectedly propelled into Salisbury's government of 1886-92, but lost his protector and was left to face a hostile press and Commons. Despite being born into solid Herefordshire gentry, Matthews grew up in Ceylon and was educated in Paris, multi-lingual, cosmopolitan and ill at ease in the brute ranks of the Tory party. Lone Catholic in Cabinet, lone Conservative in Birmingham, with no political coterie, he was an outsider on the inside. Raised to the peerage in 1895, he dedicated his life to Catholic causes. On his death he left instructions to burn his private papers, leaving tantalisingly few traces of a fascinating career.

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This is the story of Britain’s elite special force in Italy during the Second World War. In the summer of 1943 the SAS came out of Africa to carry the fight to the Germans and Fascists in Sicily and the mainland. On the Italian Armistice and Surrender in September 1943 the originator of the SAS, Scots Guards lieutenant David Stirling, was a prisoner at the high-security prisoner of war camp five at Gavi in Piedmont, north-western Italy, after being captured in January in Tunisia. He eventually ended up as a prisoner at Colditz Castle in Germany, but his work continued. The idea of small groups of parachute-trained soldiers operating behind enemy lines to gain intelligence, destroy enemy aircraft, and attack their supply and reinforcement routes, was realised in the many daring missions carried out in Italy by the men of 2nd SAS Regiment and the Special Raiding Squadron. The famous SAS motto of `Who dares wins,’ was swiftly translated into the Italian `Chi osa vince.’ This book reveals how words were turned into deeds.

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For a time, the flying boat was seen as the way of the future. These aircraft, so strange and foreign to the modern mind, once criss-crossed the world and fulfilled essential military roles. In his latest book for Fonthill, Charles Bain looks at the golden age of the flying boat, when these sometimes strange and often beautiful vessels spanned the globe. These vessels-a combination of ship and airplane-found themselves working as patrol aircraft, passenger aircraft, transports, and even as combat aircraft. This volume contains their stories, from memorable aircraft such as the Short Sunderland and Boeing 314 Clipper, to the craft that roamed the Pacific Theatre of the Second World War, to forgotten giants from Saunders-Roe and even strange jet fighters that once landed like ducks. It even includes the flying boat that has not let time get in the way of doing its job-the Martin Mars. Each of these aircraft has a story worthy of the telling, and often a memorable role to play in the history of aviation. `High Hulls' delves deeply into a long-vanished part of aviation's golden age.

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This is the fascinating story of Captain Stanley Algar, an oil tanker master. Captured in the Atlantic, he and his colleagues spent four years behind barbed wire. This book, partly based on his diaries, hidden from the Germans, tells how the prisoners survived, confronted starvation and reacted to camp life and German propaganda. A graphic account of their liberation, written as it happened, is included. The role of the U boats and the merchant raider vessels and their commanders is discussed. Why, initially, were they so successful? Many other aspects of the war, including the role of the BBC, the German attempt to persuade some prisoners to change sides and enemy propaganda, are considered. How did the prisoners know what was happening in the war and why was their information so accurate? What was their relationship with the guards? What correspondence with home was allowed? There is a discussion of the Nuremberg trials and the appalling cost of the war. Finally, there are many pen portraits of international leaders and 'ordinary' men propelled into another conflict so soon after the war to end all wars had been concluded.

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This book is the first to give a detailed and comprehensive account of all the children of Richard III, covering his only legitimate child, Edward of Middleham, Prince of Wales, his illegitimate children John of Gloucester, and Katherine, who became countess of Huntingdon, and to other possible children, particularly Richard Plantagenet of Eastwell. Much information has been gathered from all known sources and there are discussions of the disputed date of birth and death at the age of about eight years of Edward of Middleham.

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The object of this book is not to prove that Adolf Hitler was insane. So much is obvious, both intuitively and from a clinical perspective. Nevertheless the reasons for arriving at such a conclusion will be reiterated and enlarged upon. Instead, the aim of the author is to discover what light Hitler’s associates were able to shed on the personality and modus operandi of the Führer, and to determine the extent to which they (and indeed, Hitler himself) realized that their leader was insane. The aim is also to investigate the cause of his insanity. In this regard, the testimony of the leading Nazis, who were tried for war crimes at Nuremberg during 1945 and 1946, are of particular relevance. These captured Nazis surely realized that in all probability, they would be found guilty, and their lives would terminate at the end of a rope. Surely, therefore, they had nothing to lose by giving the `low down’ on their late Führer, i.e. revealing their innermost thoughts as to his sanity, or otherwise.

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The year 2002 saw a radical change on the railways of Devon and Cornwall: it was the last year of daily locomotive hauled passenger trains (other than the overnight London sleeper). These remaining workings were in the capable hands of the ubiquitous Class 47 diesel locomotives, which had plied their trade on the rails of the south-west for almost four decades. `Devon and Cornwall—The Class 47 Years’ is a book of two halves: the first documenting the locomotives’ daily work on all manner of trains and lines in the area from 1966 onwards and the second providing a detailed examination of 2002—their last year in front-line passenger service in the West Country—with a glimpse of some of the other automotive power seen in that year. All of this is now history, a snapshot back in time. Over 180 colour photographs, all captured by the author, take the reader on a chronological trip with much nostalgia and a host of unrepeatable scenes that showcase many of the stunning locations to be found in the two counties.

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An informative and personal account of a young man’s flying experiences during WW2. Growing up in York, shaped by the threat of war—Jack Colman achieves his long held desire to become a pilot, joining the RAF in October 1940 just after his 21st birthday. He is sent to Canada to learn to fly and becomes intrigued by the technical and practical aspects of flying and navigation. Becoming a Pilot/Navigator, he joins Costal Command on Liberators based in Iceland. The practical difficulties of flying over the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans protecting the convoys and hunting U-boats are relived as he battles with atrocious weather and navigational uncertainties. His brushes with death whether due to mechanical failure, hitting the sea, U-boat gun fire or running out of fuel, in an ever changing hostile environment are described realistically and calmly (often with humour), situations helped by a confidence in the good advice given by others, his knowledge, skills and a trust in his crew. When training he hears about the death of his father, on leave he finds time to fall in love and marry.

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Soon after entering the war in April 1917 American propaganda promised that she would `Darken the skies over Europe’ by sending over `the Greatest Aerial Armada ever seen’. Encouraged by the French Government America promised to build no less than 22,000 aeroplanes within a year and to field, and to maintain, a force of 4,000 machines, all of the latest type, over the Western Front during 1918, not only to provide adequate air support for her own troops, but because she saw this as a way to use her industrial strength to bypass the squalor of the war in the trenches, and so bring an end to the stalemate of attrition into which the war had descended. However, by the time of the Armistice more than 18 months later just a few hundred American built aeroplanes had reached the war fronts and several investigations into the causes of the failure of the project were already in progress.

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The world continues to be fascinated with Marilyn Monroe who dazzled with her beauty and captivated the hearts of millions, worldwide, with her innocence, charm, generosity, and kindness, and yet, who died tragically at the age of only 36. Hollywood columnist, film critic, and author of `The Fifty Year Decline and Fall of Hollywood’, Ezra Goodman, writing in 1961, the year prior to her death, declared, `The riddle that is Marilyn Monroe has not been solved’. Aside from the fact that Marilyn’s so-called autobiography cannot be relied upon, making sense of her is certainly problematical, not least because in her early years, she was insecure and introspective, and unable even to make sense of herself. There has been much debate, in particular, about the frame of mind that Marilyn was in when, on the night of 5 August 1962, she knowingly or unknowingly took her own life. With his medical background, the author is in a position to shed new light on the enigmatic character of Marilyn Monroe, this fascinating, yet deeply troubled, former Hollywood icon who is regarded, arguably, as the world’s most famous ever movie star.

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Britain's Cold War Fighters explores the creation and development of the jet fighter, tracing the emergence of the first jet designs (the Meteor and Vampire) through to the first-generation jets which entered service with the RAF and Fleet Air Arm. Each aircraft type is examined, looking at how the design was created and how this translated into an operational aircraft. The basic development and service history of each type is also examined, with a narrative that links the linear appearance of each new design, leading to the present day and the latest generation of Typhoon aircraft. Other aircraft types explored will include Hunter, Lightning, Phantom, Javelin and Tornado F2/3. A beautiful and comprehensive study of the UK's design and manufacture of its fighter programme from the end of the Second World War to present, Britain's Cold War Fighters is of much importance to aviation and military historians, modellers as well as those interested in the growing popularity of the Cold War. Highly illustrated with many unpublished photos, interviews and eyewitness accounts.

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The British airliners we see today in our airports are the result of numerous takeovers and mergers, involving large and small companies. This book covers some of these airlines that have ceased operating since 1946: some collapsed because of financial difficulties, some were taken over by larger airlines, and some ceased operating altogether. In post-war Britain, several small airlines were founded and equipped with surplus military aircraft, the most popular being the Douglas Dakota. The book is a guide to each airline, accompanied by a brief historical account, and interesting images of the aircraft in their distinctive colour schemes. The airlines covered are a selection of large and small aircraft, who flew international and regional routes, as well as airlines involved in inclusive tours business.

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More than 33,000 Messerchmitt Bf 109s were built between 1935 and 1945, making it the second-most produced warplane of all time. Its baptism of fire was in Spain during the Spanish Civil War of 1936-39. The Bf 109 was the mainstay of Luftwaffe fighter squadrons, and the favoured choice of most of the Luftwaffe's fighter aces. Luftwaffe Bf 109 pilots accounted for thousands of Allied aircraft, with individual scores for some pilots reached hundreds of downed aircraft. It saw service in Poland, the invasion of France and, of course, during the Battle of Britain in 1940. Although gradually becoming obsolete, the Bf 109 remained in large-scale production until the end of the war, and was supplied to more than ten countries, including Finland, Hungary, and Romania. After the war, development and production continued in Czechoslovakia and Spain as the Avia S-199 and Hispano Ha-1112 respectively, the latter powered by a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine. Incredibly, the state of Israel operated Czech-built Avia S-199s during its War of Independence in 1948-49. Today, the Bf 109 is considered one of the greatest fighters ever produced.

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Leicestershire and Rutland, occupying the area between the Great North Road and Watling Street have seen the movement of armies from Roman times to the Civil War, with the decisive battles of Bosworth and Naseby fought within or close to their borders. The Victorian era saw the development of both the regular and volunteer forces that would later fight in two world wars, while the development of military flight in both defensive and offensive roles was a twentieth-century theme. Leicestershire and Rutland witnessed defence against the Zeppelins in the First World War; jet engines and US airborne forces in the Second World War; and elements of Britain's nuclear deterrent during the Cold War. The eavesdroppers of the 'Y' Service at Beaumanor Hall provided much of the raw material for Bletchley Park's code-breakers during the Second World War. Evidence of this military activity is visible in the landscape: castles of earthwork, stone or brick; barracks and volunteer drill halls; airfields, missile sites and munitions factories; pillboxes, observer corps posts and bunkers. This book places sites into their social, political, historical and military contexts, as well as figures such as William the Conqueror, Richard III, and Oliver Cromwell.

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Pasco's Boatyard started in 1771. When it was sold to new owners Craig Brown and Chris De Glanville in 2013, one of their aims was to preserve the traditions of wooden boats in the St Just Creek, and to foster the shipwright skills required to build and maintain them. Under previous ownership, the thrust of the yard's activities had been towards mooring, wintering, and maintaining boats for their owners-it was now time to change. One of the first decisions of the new owners was to agree on a way of demonstrating those skills and traditions, so what better way than to design and build the first new Pasco's boat in over a decade? It would also demonstrate to the local community the yard's commitment to expanding maritime employment in the St Just area. There was no better man to lead the team than Bob Edwards, who was a well-established designer and builder of boats, as well as an enthusiastic owner of an earlier Pasco's P21 Motor Launch. A few discussions, and several nights of drawing plans and making calculations later, and the stage was set for the new P23 to become the next of the long line of Pasco's built boats. This book follows that build.

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The process to deliver a modern combat aircraft from concept to introduction to service is often measured in decades. Described as a weapon system, modern designs such as the Eurofighter Typhoon are intricate jigsaws with a fusion of new techniques and sometimes unproven, emerging technologies. By the time the new weapons system reaches the front line, it will have been tested by the manufacturer, evaluated by test pilots, and assessed by service pilots. There have been examples of success but also some spectacular failures, with projects cancelled late in development. This book will investigate why. It will take you from the original requirement through the complex testing and evaluation process, showing recent examples of the path to declaring a new combat aircraft operational on the front line. It will look at how today's test organisations have matured to meet the task and investigate the pressures they face, and will also look at real-life examples of systems testing. David Gledhill and David Lewis, both experienced test evaluators, will uncover the reasons why some aircraft serve on the front line for years before becoming truly effective in their role.

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From the earliest days of West Ham United the club sought out competition from outside the British Isles. Building on this, the Hammers, led by England captain Bobby Moore, won their way into top class competition in Europe to become the first side made up entirely of English players to win a major international trophy: the European Cup Winners Cup in 1965 at Wembley. Although this was to be the zenith of the team's performance on the international stage, there were to be further exciting and intriguing campaigns and games-great goals, magnificent victories, and defeats fought to the finish. However, this is more a story about places, people, and times, as West Ham went about breaking ground and hearts on their rampage across the continent. The boys from London's East End were learning, teaching, and developing a pedigree of football that was to be replicated, but never entirely reproduced. No-one else had the pioneering magic that the Irons engendered; they nearly reached the sky, while others just followed. This is the story of that glory.

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During the Second World War both Germany and Japan developed several types of anti-aircraft and anti-ship missiles. Unfortunately for them, the Allies were technologically superior in electronic warfare by mid-1944, just in time to interfere the guidance systems of first generation. The Japanese thought to have found the tactic to stop the invasion fleets, with the ritual of the terminal dive bombing. The Germans adapted their Sturmjager squadrons to the Taran tactics learnt from the Soviets. Once the radio frequency war was lost, the Axis scientists tried to develop other control techniques. But the acoustic, electrostatic and infrared sensors, together with the TV guidance system, were not ready on time and broken cables made the wire guided bombs frequently fail. Both countries began to design ramming fighters and suicide bombers when the futile devastation of their cities by the Allies bombers ensured that, when the time comes, there would not be lack of volunteer pilots. But this book is just about machines, depicting all known designs of all Axis suicide airplanes and panic fighters."

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Based on many unpublished sources, this book narrates the individual parts played by over 1,500 of those who served with the 1/5th King's Own in the Great War. First seeing action in Flanders in March 1915, they fought in almost all of the major campaigns on the Western Front. Initially recruited from Lancaster, Morecambe, Blackpool and Fleetwood, this battalion was very much a 'family' unit with many of the men closely related and no less than seven father-son relationships within the battalion. Though these relationships helped strengthen the men in times of need, when casualties were suffered they brought extra heartache to the battlefield. Often, these tragic outcomes are related in the men's own words. Using a combination of mainly unpublished sources, this volume details the deeds of this gallant battalion. Wherever possible, accurate coordinates have been given for the places men served, fought and in many cases, were wounded or died. A series of sketch maps detail the trench locations in which the battalion fought. An appendix listing nearly 3,500 officers and men who served with the 1/5th is included and is the most complete battalion roll ever published.

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This fascinating history, recounted from both the American and Japanese perspectives, follows the course of the Empire of the Sun's ultimately unequal struggle against the great allied powers. Drawing on archive material, this new history provides the reader with piercing strategic and political insights which debunk many of the enduring myths which encompass Japan's apocalyptic drive for hegemony in Southeast Asia. Why did Japan invade China? Was war with America and the British Empire inevitable? Why was the Japanese mobile fleet defeated so decisively at Midway? Why did the Japanese continue fighting when defeat was inevitable? Was Emperor Hirohito merely a puppet of the militarists? Why did the Japanese people acquiesce in the occupation of their homeland? Whilst unsparing in its treatment of Japan's ultimate culpability for unleashing the Second World War, 'Japan at War 1931-1945' is an objective appraisal of the tragedy that engulfed much of the territories under Japanese control, and eventually Japan itself.

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The last three decades of the twentieth century saw dramatic changes in the bus industry with deregulation of bus services nationally in October 1986 in the provincial areas. Visually London seemed to stay the same with the buses still operating in the customary red liveries which all cherished from childhood. This book sets out to show how the vehicles moved forward from the traditional layout of rear platform and open half cab to the introduction of one man buses with their front entrances. The effects of deregulation are shown with dynamic colour schemes especially with the Bexleybus blue and cream colour scheme. With the passing of years we progress to the now familiar single deck buses, and also cover various other transport experiments.

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The Sino-Japanese war of 1937-1945 was the longest struggle of the Second World War. It started with the Japanese aggression in July 1937 and soon accelerated into a full-scale war with the Chinese Kuomintang government. The Chinese Air Force was to suffer large losses during the whole conflict with Japan. During the first weeks of the war the Chinese lost almost all of their medium bombers. This was a pattern that would be repeated again and again. Not getting much help from the outside world, the Kuomintang government, led by Chiang Kai-shek, soon closed a un-holy treaty with the communistic Soviet Union to receive armament including a large number of aircraft and Soviet volunteers to fly some of them. This difficult relation with the Soviet Union lasted until 1941, when the USA became the main supplier of armament to China, which included the short-lived but famous US voluntary group called the Flying Tigers. Everything was to change with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, but the struggle was to continue until the end of the war in August 1945.

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Although one of the best medium bombers of the Second World War, fast, tough, and with an excellent bomb load, the Tu-2 is little known in the West. This book provides a comprehensive history of this important aeroplane, complete with its developmental history in the Second World War and later, and its long postwar history, both with the Soviet Union and other countries. First produced in 1942, the Tu-2's initial production ended in 1943, then as its combat capabilities became clear, it was reinstated into production. Because of the stop in production, the Tu-2 was not used in large numbers until the last year of the war, where it proved a very useful weapon indeed. Neither its development nor production stopped with the end of the war, and it was developed into additional variants, including an all-weather fighter. In addition to its service in the Great Patriotic War, it saw service in the Korean War with the Chinese Air Force. This book also features accurate colour profiles of the Tu-2 in the colours of the various nations it was in service with postwar, as well as colour profiles from its wartime service with the Red Air Force.

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The book is about Liverpool docks and the dockland area its history, strategic importance in times of peace and war; the kinds of cargoes carried into the docks including slaves! The book provides a complete timeline from the very earliest days right up to the modern time a time when a new and even larger container dock is being built and the advent of the new cruise liner terminal this terminal having been at the center of a political and economic argument between Southampton, Liverpool and the EU. The book also speculates as to the future of Liverpool docks, and also, to a lesser extent, the city itself."

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One of the many wartime airmen who documented his day to day experiences in a diary, was RCAF navigator Jan Gellner. Prior to the outbreak of the Second World War, Jan was a lawyer practicing in the Czechoslovak town of Brno. With the outbreak of hostilities on the European continent, he went to Canada and trained as an air observer on the first course of the fledgling British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. Jan Gellner began his operational tour with No. 311 Czechoslovak (B) Squadron flying the venerable Vickers Wellington. It did not take long for Jan's abilities to shine, especially as an instructor in astro navigation. For his farrowing role in the attack on the German cruise Prinz Eugen, Jan received the coveted Distinguished Flying Cross. After an incredible 37 operations over occupied France and Germany, he became Operational Tour Expired. Jan was selected for pilot training and went to Canada. During his postwar service with the RCAF, he had a distinguished career as an administrative officer, retiring in 1958. Now a civilian, Jan turned to writing and became one of Canada's most knowledgeable and sought after aviation and military affairs journalist."

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For almost half a century, Biggin Hill was the scene of one of the world's best loved and longest-running air shows. Already well known as the site from which Spitfires and Hurricanes were launched during the Second World War, Biggin Hill was made even more famous by the International Air Fair, staged between 1963 and 2010. Often innovative, sometimes weather affected and consistently of the highest calibre, the Biggin Hill International Air Fair was keenly attended by aircraft enthusiasts and families alike. From its outset, the event also inspired countless visitors to pursue a career within aviation. The History of the Biggin Hill International Air Fair details each show, its text accompanied by a host of high quality and nostalgic images, a considerable number of them previously unpublished. It is hoped that with its publication, the story of this legendary event is given the coverage deserved, yesteryear's air show stars are honourably remembered and that many memories are happily reignited.

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Henry VI is the youngest monarch ever to have ascended the English throne and the only English king to have been acknowledged by the French as rightfully King of France. His reign was the third longest since the Norman conquest and he came close to being declared a saint. This masterly study, unparalleled in its informative detail, examines the entire span of the king's reign, from the death of Henry V in 1422, when Henry was only nine months old, to the period of his insanity at the beginning of the Wars of the Roses, his dethronement in 1461 and his murder ten years later. This classic re-assessment of the third Lancastrian king is essential reading for anyone interested in the history of fifteenth-century England. The third edition includes an additional chapter on recent research.

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Much of what has been written about the treatment of prisoners of war held by the British suggest that they have often been treated in a more caring and compassionate way than the prisoners of other countries. During the First World War, Germans held in Britain were treated leniently while there were claims of British prisoners being mistreated in Germany. Was the British sense of fair play present in the prison camps and did this sense of respect include the press and public who often called for harsher treatment of Germans in captivity? Were those seen as enemy aliens living in Britain given similar fair treatment? Were they sent to internment camps because they were a threat to the country or for their own protection to save them from the British public intent on inflicting violence on them? Prisoners of the British: Internees and Prisoners of War during the First World War examines the truth of these views while also looking at the number of camps set up in the country and the public and press perception of the men held here.

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The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress began her life at the Boeing Aircraft Corp back in 1946. She was the answer to the problem that General Curtis LeMay of the USAF was looking for: A BIG bomber. The B-52, in 1955 entered the service of the USAF and as of 2016 she is still in service and on active duty. The B-52 had lived through the Cold War, being on alert 24/7 in case the Russian Bear stepped out of line. The B-52 saw service in the Vietnam War of which Operation Rolling Thunder became one of the monumental programs in USAF history. The B-52 went on to service in the deserts of the Middle East in Operation Desert Storm and later in Enduring Freedom and Afghanistan. Through all this, the B-52 has stood for the many revisions, from A to H, that have been done to her massive airframe and her cockpit, which is now an up to-date glass cockpit. Of the 744 that were built 85 of the 'H' model still remain in service. Her armament capacity is immense. 50 years of service, and many battle scars later, still the B-52 remains the Queen of the skies of War.

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The Panavia Tornado was designed as a multi-role combat aircraft to meet the needs of Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom. Since the prototype flew in 1974, nearly 1000 Tornados have been produced in a number of variants serving as a fighter-bomber, a fighter and in the reconnaissance and electronic suppression roles. Deployed operationally in numerous theatres throughout the world, the Tornado has proved to be exceptionally capable and flexible. From its early Cold War roles it adapted to the rigours of expeditionary warfare from The Gulf to Kosovo to Afghanistan. The early "dumb" bombs were replaced by laser-guided weapons and cruise missiles and in the air-to-air arena fitted with the AMRAAM and ASRAAM missiles.In this book David Gledhill explores the range of capabilities and, having flown the Tornado F2 and F3 Air Defence Variant, offers an insight into life in the cockpit of the Tornado. Lavishly illustrated, Darren Willmin's superb photographs capture the essence of the machine both from the ground and in the air.This unique collection including some of David Gledhill's own air-to-air pictures of the Tornado F2 and F3 will appeal to everyone with an interest in this iconic aircraft.

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The Apache helicopter is a revolutionary development in the history of war, designed to hunt, take out and destroy its targets, to inflict damage on its enemy and potentially destroy up to 256 targets in less than 5 minutes. Highly maneuverable and heavily armed, the combat-proven Apache helicopter is today the primary attack helicopter for many countries including United States, Royal Netherlands, United Kingdom and Greece, it is feared by many armed forces across the globe and also terror groups in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan. Flying the Apache into battlefield is extremely dangerous, but with all its weapons, armor and sensor equipment, it is a formidable opponent to almost everything else on the battlefield. It is a deadly combination of strength, agility and fire power, it is the Apache. In this book Darren Willmin explores the immense flying capabilities and the weaponry systems of the Apache from the British, Royal Netherlands and Greeks Army. Amazing illustrations from Darren Willmin's superb photographs capture the fundamentals of the Apache both from the ground and in the air from the British Army Air Corps training ground and at European Airshows. This unique collection will appeal to everyone with an interest in this truly amazing helicopter.

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Ernest Sheasby arrived in the small village of Corfe Castle in Dorset around 1896. After ten years in employment, he set up shop with a horse and carriage business. During the next few years, the business grew, Sheasby purchased motor vehicles and two tea rooms were opened to cater for visitors. After obtaining a school contract to transport children, he purchased his first coaches; sadly in 1932, he was fatally injured in an accident with one of his coaches. Sheasby's family continued to operate the business and the name South Dorset Coaches was introduced. The business expanded and a further garage was opened in Wareham. In 1966, a rival coach operator in Swanage was acquired and the family sold South Dorset Coaches in 2005. Gloriously illustrated with many rare and unpublished photographs, 99 Years of Coaching: The Story of Sheasby's South Dorset Coaches lists most of the 120 vehicles that were operated during the company's ninety-nine years as well as a biography of the Sheasby family.

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A Regular Revolution explores the making of the Moray countryside - and offers an intimate portrait of people in the landscape on the distant shoulder of northeast Scotland. A Regular Revolution traces the progress through Moray of the craze for Improvement that swept through Scotland during the later eighteenth century. Moray's landowners applied Enlightenment rationalism to agricultural practice and the rural environment. The countryside was redesigned: from the fertile farmland of the coastal Laich of Moray, to the rugged highland whisky country of Strathavon and Strathspey. Lochs were drained and bogs reclaimed. Fieldscapes were replanned. New crops were sown and new farming traditions took root. Naked moorland was clothed with forestry, or colonised by doughty settlers. Meanwhile, a Great Rebuilding regularised built environments to a neoclassical template, establishing new vernacular styles and a revolution in domestic comfort and convenience.Moray's landhungry husbandmen were willing recruits to their lairds' regular revolution; and even among landless cottars - displaced from traditional townships, transplanted to new villages, and proletarianised as agricultural labourers - there was scarcely a murmur of dissent.

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The great heroic myth of 20th century British history is that after the fall of France in June 1940 Britain stood alone . This does a great disservice to the millions of men and women from around the world who rallied to the British cause. As in 1914-18 Britain in 1939-45 could call on the human and material resources of the world s greatest empire, and without them could not have held off Germany and Italy, and later Japan. In the First World War Britain initially depended on volunteers to form Kitchener s New Army, but from 1916 it had to resort to conscription. The imperial forces were mainly raised voluntarily although, as in Britain, various forms of social and economic pressure were applied to get men into uniform. In both wars some Commonwealth and Empire territories applied formal conscription. In 1939-45 these countries doubled the military manpower available from Britain itself. This book draws on official documents, diaries, memoirs and other sources to describe how, alongside Britain s own forces, men and women drawn from the Americas to the Pacific served, fought, and suffered injury and death in Britain s cause."

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German leader Adolf Hitler (1889-1945) was one of the most controversial politicians and military commanders in all recorded history. As such, his life was conspired against by all manner of enemies, both foreign and domestic: German and Russian Communists, political and military opponents, rival Nazi leaders, and the intelligence services of the Allied powers, among them the British SOE. Dozens of attempts were made on his life over the course of two decades, including a bomb explosion in his own headquarters-and yet, he survived them all. This is the story of how he did so, as told via the exciting sagas of Sepp Dietrich and his SS, as well as of German government security leader Johann Rattenhuber and his Reich Security Service, the RSD. Here we see the measures used to protect Hitler in public, his cars, planes, trains, homes, military headquarters scattered across conquered Europe, and during personal appearances. Ironically, of course, in the end Hitler decided to take his own life in the infamous Berlin bunker, but this is the story of how a man that so many people wanted dead managed to stay alive for so long in volatile circumstances.

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