Search results for ""Fonthill Media Ltd""

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 Highly illustrated with many unpublished photos, interviews and eyewitness accounts.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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This remarkable book pictures the growth of British civil air transport from its inception in 1910 through to the formation of Imperial Airways in 1934 and then the beginnings of British Overseas Airways Corporation. The author shows the impetus given to aircraft production by the First World War, and presents a careful account of the operational and financial fortunes of each of the four principal British airlines which began operations shortly thereafter. The fight against official apathy and lack of foresight on the part of the government, the campaign for subsidies and the struggle with foreign competition are interestingly presented.The development of the chosen-instrument concept in Great Britain is interestingly covered and the use of subsidies in this connection justified in order to place civil aviation on a firm financial base for the establishment of a great British airline to serve the Empire. The result was Imperial Airways, which soon found itself in the awkward position of being expected to be both a successful commercial company and the chosen instrument of imperial policy.The final emergence of British Overseas Airways was the result, and its organization marks the close of the period covered in this volume. Included in the book are comprehensive statistical appendices and a complete bibliography.

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As a small club airfield during the 1930s, West Malling was very popular with flyers. Taken over by the RAF in 1939 it became a forward landing airfield to Biggin Hill. Unfinished by the time the Battle of Britain began, it played no operational part during the conflict. However, due to faulty German intelligence it was bombed on several occasions delaying completion even further. From 1941 it became the home of many night fighter squadrons within the umbrella of No. 11 Group, Fighter Command. During the Dieppe operation it became a forward base for day fighter squadrons after which it reverted to its primary role. One of the main anti-diver bases during the V1 campaign during 1944, it continued in its defensive role during peacetime until 1960 when the MOD leased the airfield to the American Navy. After two years it returned to the MOD who sold the site to the Kent County Council for development as an industrial park together with housing. This entailed all civil flying and Air Cadet gliding to cease despite much local opposition to the plans.

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'Shrieking from the clouds, the Stukas achieved the measure of surprise they needed. The accuracy of the raid was good. Every runway was hit, the length of them just bomb craters, rock and earth. Fires were started in all the hangers eventually spreading to enormous proportions. As the operations room disappeared in one large explosion, the Station Commander fell dead with a piece of jagged concrete driven straight through his skull...' 500 Squadron was formed in 1930 at Manston in Kent. Initially recruited from Kent men and women, it became international when war broke out. The Battle Honours are the English Channel and North Sea, Dunkirk, Biscay Ports, Atlantic, North Africa, the Mediterranean and Italy. In peacetime, it won the coveted Cooper and Esher Trophy twice for the best performance in the auxiliary squadrons. Sadly, it fell victim to defence cuts in 1957 when allauxiliary squadrons were disbanded. The squadron may have disappeared from the Royal Air Force Order of Battle, but it will never be forgotten.Its history lies in the annals of the service and the fact that the Old Comrades Association of 500 Squadron holds an annual reunion at their ancestral home, RAF Manston in Kent.

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Much of the fascination which Soviet aircraft and its associated aerospace industry holds for the analyst, enthusiast or ordinary member of the public, stems from the thick fog of secrecy that enveloped the industry throughout the 'Cold War' until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1990/91. Until then details which in case of Western designs could be found from the nearest reference book was in the case of Russian aircraft often a matter of conjecture and an inaccurate article written by a western journalist. This author has been fortunate to have obtained much original and previously unpublished information from the former Soviet Union for this unique volume on the history of the Soviet Aircraft Industry Since 1909. It gives the reader a clear understanding of the unique characteristics of Soviet-designed aircraft, in particular military types that at times caused great concern in the West with regards to the technical advances inherent in their design. The book is as much a history of the USSR as it is its, aerospace industry, culminating as it does with President Putin's Russian Federation.

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Numerous books have been written on airships, but few concentrate on the bases and infrastructure which supported their operations. British Airship Bases of the Twentieth Century documents the development of airship facilities, beginning with their primitive arrangement prior to the First World War. The outbreak of hostilities in 1914 resulted in the adoption of airships for military purposes: ambitious bases and mooring-out stations were established across Britain, operated chiefly by the Royal Naval Air Service for the protection of shipping against U-boats. Finally, Malcolm Fife also relates the aeronautical developments, airship accidents, and post-war vacuum which led to the closure and dismemberment of most British bases. In the 1920s, the Government tried to refashion these giants of the sky into a means of transport, to link together the far-flung regions of the Empire-a scheme that never came to fruition. This did not, however, bring an end to their fascination for certain private enthusiasts or communities marked by this industry.This is an enthralling chronicle of the birth and transitions of airships and their bases, from an experimental, to military, to commercial, to private purpose. The construction, accommodation, and individual service history of each airship station are researched and described in detail, as well as proposed passenger terminals overseas. Malcolm Fife pays equal attention to the attempts to revive the airship in the closing decade of the twentieth century, and the locations associated with them. This is a beautifully illustrated, informative, and moving read, essential to an understanding of Britain's aeronautical history.

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Charles Dickens was a phenomenon: a demonicly hardworking journalist, the father of ten children, a tireless walker and traveller, a supporter of liberal social causes, but most of all a great novelist - the creator of characters who live immortally in the English imagination: the Artful Dodger, Mr Pickwick, Pip, David Copperfield, Little Nell, Lady Dedlock and many more. At the age of twelve he was sent to work in a blacking factory by his affectionate but feckless parents. From these unpromising beginnings, he rose to scale all the social and literary heights, entirely through his own efforts. When he died, the world mourned, and he was buried - against his wishes - in Westminster Abbey. Yet the brilliance concealed a divided character: a republican, he disliked America; sentimental about the family in his writings, he took up passionately with a young actress; usually generous, he cut off his impecunious children. This pictorial history will shed a new and alternative light on this literary giant.

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Wakefield, the capital of the former West Riding of Yorkshire, has a long and distinguished past. It came to prominence as a centre for the cloth trade in the latter half of the 15th century, the trade in cloth becoming a major part of the town's economy until recent years. By 1880, Wakefield as a town had expanded and gained many new institutions built on the wealth of the cloth trade, coal mining and heavy industry. Changing Wakefield presents a glimpse into what the townscape of Wakefield was like at the close of the 19th century and compares it to the modern cityscape that has constantly changed and evolved since 1880. Important buildings in today's cityscape are looked at in depth with concise histories of the buildings and the people that built or lived in these notable landmarks. This fascinating historical time capsule also presents rare images and histories of many of the lost architectural treasures of Wakefield.

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This collection of archive images, many never before published, documents life in the ancient Shropshire market town of Wellington between two World Wars. Entertaining and informative, this book reveals how the people of Wellington recovered from the effects of one devastating war before they were obliged to make preparations for coping with another. It shows long-established industries continuing to survive during the interwar period, and an abundance of family run shops helping to retain the traditional character of the town, then the main centre for commerce and entertainment in this part of the county. New forms of public and private transport brought immediate change, while local Councils embraced developments required for new national legislation and prepared the way for poorly conceived town plans which would later blight the economic landscape. Throughout this period of change, Wellingtonians displayed remarkable resilience. The Great War had been regarded as 'the war to end all wars', and it was with this belief that a rise in population occurred, schools thrived and a wide range of sporting and cultural events blossomed.By 1939, many folk had money to spare on dances, theatre visits and other pastimes. Then another period of austerity and heartbreak began.

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London's Lost Battlefields hides the ghosts of bloodshed and rebellion from Boudicca to the devastating but little known Zeppelin attacks of the First World War. The Peasant's Revolt of 1381 saw murder and plunder in central London, notably at The Savoy, where the present day hotel is located laid claim to thirty-two rebels who whilst drinking wine in the cellar were trapped by fire and falling masonry and over several days died there. St Albans was the site of two vicious battles during the Wars of the Roses where an eyewitness said that the market place ran with blood. One of the bloodiest battles of the Wars of the Roses took place just north of Barnet. Under a nearby field lie the bodies of between 3,000 and 4,000 forgotten soldiers of the Wars of the Roses. This book suggests the location. The Wyatt Rebellion in 1544 saw London streets again awash with blood and gallows set up all over London by Queen 'Bloody' Mary to take her revenge. 1642 saw two London English Civil Wars battles at Brentford and Turnham Green. Many fleeing Parliamentarian soldiers jumped into the Thames at Brentford and drowned. Some were buried anonymously on Hounslow Heath. Parts of central London still bear the shrapnel marks and memorials relating to Zeppelin attacks that killed 200 Londoners and injured many more. London's Lost Battlefields tells you where you will find them.

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Prior to the nationalisation of the railways in 1948, Britain's rail network was operated almost exclusively by four private companies. The 'Big Four' as they were called - the Great Western, the Southern, the London Midland & Scottish and the London & North Eastern - were not only nationalised in 1948, but consolidated into one large concern: British Railways. Each of the Big Four had built up its own system of working in its own geographic area with its own rolling stock, staff and livery. Thus, BR inherited a diverse mix, not only of physical plant, but of traditions and loyalties developed over generations. Additionally, management had to grapple with many and varied constraints in its desire to improve efficiency and create a nationally recognisable system. Also, cash was in short supply and much of the existing equipment was old, run down and in urgent need of attention. Further, all the major railway companies had a large number of restrictions as to which engines and stock could go where, even on their own system. Axle loading was often the deciding consideration and this governed which engine types could run on specific lines over which bridges and at what speed. For example, LNER Pacifics were banned entirely from East Anglia. Also, loading gauges differed on the national infrastructure. All these considerations impinged on BR's desire to introduce a modern range of steam engines of its own, so that these would have the widest route availability. This, by and large, they successfully achieved, though in later years even the new BR diesels had more restrictions placed upon them than was originally envisaged. The Unusual and the Unexpected on British Railways: A Chronology of Unlikely Events 1948-1968 is an assiduous and personal trawl on how BR overcome such engineering incompatibilities and bureaucratic confusion on a national scale. This engaging tribute is a historical and rail engineering document, which despite plans and intentions to unite the country with a single operating network, shows how daunting such a restructuring was.

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The Surrender of Napoleon tells the true story of how the legendary French emperor surrendered to the British on HMS Bellerophon and the events between 24 May and 8 August 1815. While HMS Bellerophon was stationed off Rochefort in the Bay of Biscay observing French warships in the harbour, Napoleon has been defeated at the Battle of Waterloo. News had reached Rear Admiral Sir Frederick Lewis Maitland on 28 June that Napoleon was planning an escape to America from the French Atlantic coast, possible from Bordeaux. Believing that Rochefort was the more likely point of escape, Maitland also sent two ships to cover the ports of Bordeaux and Arcachon. With HMS Superb and a string of British frigates, corvettes and brigs watching the coast, there was no escape for Napoleon. Maitland's instincts proved correct and Napoleon arrived at Rochefort in early July. Finding escape barred by the patrolling HMS Bellerophon and unable to remain in France, he authorised the opening of negotiations with the commander of the British warship off the coast. Maitland refused the request to allow Napoleon to sail for America, but offered to take him to England. The negotiations went on for four days, but eventually Napoleon acquiesced. He embarked on 15 July with his staff and servants where he surrendered to Maitland. Maitland placed his cabin at the former emperor's disposal and sailed for England. She reached Torbay on 24 July, but was ordered to Plymouth, while a decision was made by the government over Napoleon's fate. She sailed again on 4 August and while off Berry Head on 7 August, Napoleon and his staff were removed to HMS Northumberland, which conveyed him to his final exile on Saint Helena. The Surrender of Napoleon is Maitland's detailed and stunning narrative of the French emperors time on HMS Bellerophon, which he originally published in 1826.

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A St Helena Who's Who details the island of St Helena and its administration, including military, naval and civil offices as well as the overall population in the 1820s and expenses. A must have for Napoleon historians, this comprehensive book chronicles the residents of Longwood, the 'Who's Who' of St Helena and what flag-ships were stationed there. As well as listing the regiments based on the island such as the 53rd Foot Regiment (2nd Battalion) and artillery and engineers, Napoleon's visitors to the island are recorded as well as the chronology of his death, the construction of his tomb and reports on the post-mortem examination. Also, Sir Hudson Lowe and the East India Company involvement in the island are exhaustively covered as are stories of military figures, marriages and the abolition of slavery.

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After the fall of France and the allied retreat from Dunkirk, Hitler proposed the planned invasion of Great Britain. A secret aerial reconnaissance of the United Kingdom (and all of Europe) had been undertaken by the Luftwaffe several years prior to the outbreak of war. The images were used in the detailed planning for the invasion of the United Kingdom. After the collapse of the Third Reich the great race began to salvage the secrets of Hitler's huge intelligence gathering operation. The RAF and Army intelligence scoured the remains of the Reich desperately searching for the library of the "Zentral Archiv Der Fliegerfilm." The Luftwaffe archive was of extreme value both to the West and the newly emerging super power of the Communist Soviet Union, under the dictatorship of Stalin. One power held the secrets of both and competing Soviet and Allied intelligence searched disparately the debris of the Third Reich for aerial library. In June 1945 a British intelligence unit stumble upon 16 tonnes of reconnaissance pictures, dumped in a barn, at "Bad Reichenhall" deep in the forests of Bavaria.The original Luftwaffe reconnaissance archive had been destroyed at the end of the war, and this discovery was an incomplete German Army Intelligence copy. With great secrecy the documents were immediately evacuated back to England and by July 1945 twenty-three plane loads of documents had been removed from the chaos of Germany, to a special RAF intelligence clearing house at Medmenham. The entire archive was methodically recorded, sorted and classified as top secret and disappeared from public view. There were no announcements and very few were aware of this major discovery and the archive was locked away in a secure vault with access classified and restricted to the intelligence services. The records discovered by the allies remained classified till 1984 although parts of this vast archive escaped into the packs and luggage of returning soldiers, as souvenirs. It is from this source that Nigel Clarke slowly acquired images and amassed a collection of over 1000 pictures of the UK taken by the Luftwaffe.

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The Holy Grail and Holy Thorn explores the legends of King Arthur and Joseph of Arimathea at Glastonbury and how their influence has been felt from medieval to modern times. Joseph was said to have built at Glastonbury the first church in Christendom, which made it a center of medieval pilgrimage, and gave Glastonbury an international profile in the fifteenth century. Through the winter-flowering holy thorn, said to have grown from Joseph's staff, and later the Chalice Well, Glastonbury remained a focus of superstition in the Protestant centuries. In medieval romance Joseph of Arimathea had been the first keeper of the Holy Grail, a mystical past that was revived by Romantic writers and artists and ensured that Glastonbury retained a place in our national culture. In the twentieth century Glastonbury's reputation was further elaborated by the belief that Joseph was the great-uncle of Jesus Christ, and that when he first came to Britain he brought the young Jesus with him, an idea suggested by William Blake's Jerusalem. In the same mystical tradition, in the 1960s John Michell saw in Glastonbury the dimensions of New Jerusalem, which proved crucial in making Glastonbury the capital of New Age culture.

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During World War 2, the Merchant Navy's main task was to run the German blockade, bringing essential food, fuel and materials to a besieged nation. The civilian crews came from all parts of the Empire and beyond - more than one in six were killed. Even less is known about the part played by merchantmen in evacuations from countries that were overrun. They saved over 90,000 troops from Dunkirk and went on to rescue more than 200,000 troops and civilians from other parts of France. When Singapore fell, the Merchant Navy again helped many to escape. They moved men and materials for the landings of Madagascar, North Africa and the Mediterranean coast of Europe. A British government press release reported that 50,000 volunteer British merchant seamen manned over 1,000 ships for D-Day. They also manned salvage ships, rescue tugs and other specialist craft. Merchantmen in Action tells the story of these other achievements. Chapters include Singapore; the Norwegian campaign; Dunkirk; the Channel Islands; Greece and Crete; Sicily and Italy; the Normandy landings; the South of France, Gibraltar, etc, with detailed ship listing and human stories.

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"The Luftwaffe - the German Air Force - will no longer have a decisive influence on the outcome of World War II, no matter how long it takes to beat Hitler." It is more than two years since I first heard these words. The man who spoke them to me continued: "No doubt, we will hear of the Luftwaffe before the war is over. We will hear a lot. But don't let us be deceived. No matter what happens, the Luftwaffe can never be used as a strategic first-line weapon within the Nazi plan. It can play no role but that of a tactical and auxiliary weapon." Curt Reiss, December 1943. Can it really be true that in 1941 insiders knew the Luftwaffe was a spent force; and a failed organization? This remarkable, but little-known book was written in 1943 and published in 1944. It argues, with remarkable clarity how incompetence at the highest level, both in planning and strategy led the Luftwaffe - pushed by the Nazi Party - to adopt a policy that left it hopelessly stretched and exposed. Little known facts shine out - such as the policy of failing to produce spares led the Luftwaffe to lose 2,500 aircraft during the invasion of Poland alone. The regime designed the Luftwaffe for Blitzkrieg, and Blitzkrieg alone. When a long-haul set in on an eastern front, on an African front and later on a western front, the collapse of Germany became simply inevitable. Crammed full of fascinating detail, and displaying much prescience, this book leaves the reader with the distinct impression that the much-vaunted German efficiency suffered from the dead-hand of the Nazi Party with its corruption and its contradictions. The insights into Goering and his wholesale thefts to fund a lavish life-style add colour to the picture of his incompetence.

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RAF Tempsford, a remote Second World War airfield between Cambridge and Bedford, was designed by an illusionist to give over-flying enemy pilots the impression it was a disused airfield. Home to the RAF's Special Duties Squadrons, it was only used on the clear nights on either side of the full moon. Flying low and without lights, brave pilots and aircrews carried many hundreds of tons of arms and supplies to resistance groups north of the Arctic Circle, east to Czechoslovakia and Poland, southeast to the Balkans and south as far as the Pyrenees and Italy. 'The Tempsford Academy' tells the story of William Stephenson, the man sent by Roosevelt to assess Britain's potential to resist German invasion in 1940, his meeting the men running Britain's secret service and being shown round SOE's training facilities, weapons, R&D sites etc. He persuaded the President to send William Donovan, subsequent head of OSS (what became the CIA), to see how the Americans could establish an intelligence network in London. Offices were set up in London and establishments for the training and deployment of US secret agents into occupied Europe as well as assisting the SOE in supplying the resistance. Until an airfield was built for their clandestine operations, agents were flown out from RAF Tempsford: Churchill's Most Secret Airfield.

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Following the German invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941, Churchill and Stalin secretly agreed that Britain would infiltrate Soviet agents into occupied Western Europe. Liaison began between the NKVD and the SOE, each country's secret service. Transported in convoys across the Arctic Ocean and often attacked by German U-Boats, thirty-four men and women arrived in Scotland. To stop people finding out that Britain was helping the Communists, the agents were given false identities and provided with accommodation and training at remote country houses in southern England, including Beaulieu. Codenamed PICKAXES, they were sent for parachute practice at Ringway aerodrome, provided with documents, cover stories and wireless sets and sent on clandestine missions into France, Belgium, Holland, Austria, Germany and Italy. Whilst most were sent from RAF Tempsford, Churchill's Most Secret airfield, one was sent by boat across the Channel and another by submarine into Northern Italy. Only a few survived the war as most were caught, interrogated and executed. Based on extensive research, Bernard O'Connor tells their human stories enmeshed in a web of political intrigue and diplomacy.

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1939 was a glorious year for Hermann Goering. He spent it entertaining dignitaries visiting the Third Reich, attending galas, going on official visits, giving rousing speeches at factories and military parades, and indulging in his love of fine art, rich cuisine and sumptuous clothes and jewels. Ever vain, pompous and ambitious, in 1939 he attained the summit of his power and popularity when Hitler, speaking to a packed Reich Chancellery on 1 September, named him his successor. Goering's rise was inseparable from that of his Luftwaffe. As commander-in-chief, he basked in the glory of the Condor Legion's victory in Spain in April 1939 and the Luftwaffe's decisive role in the Blitzkrieg of Poland in September. From these encounters, the Luftwaffe emerged as the world's most feared and respected air force-but beyond the trappings of victory, there were deep-seated flaws. Fearing their exposure against a more powerful enemy, Goering did not want Germany to go to war with Great Britain and France. Hermann Goering: From Madrid to Warsaw and Beyond, 1939 is a photographic chronicle of a momentous year in the life of the Luftwaffe's commander-in-chief, showing him at his most happy and self-confident, and equally, at his most anxious about what the future might bring.

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The Allied Operation Mallory Major (northern Italy, July 1944) aimed at the destruction of all bridges across the Po River and its tributaries and at isolating the enemy in the northern Apennine mountains (the Gothic Line). The Allied Air Forces could count on the ground support of the guerrillas from the Great Partisan Pocket (in the Apennines south of Piacenza) and were opposed by the Flak. This army was led by aging German officers and NCOs leading young non-German women and men in Wehrmacht service: the Czech guards (Regierungstruppe), and the Italian, Slovak, Polish and former Soviet gunners (the Wehrmacht had transferred its German young men to front line units). Yet, this improbable Flak force proved to be effective and supported by Luftwaffe aircraft (outnumbered by at least 10 to 1) it faced both a hailstorm of Allied bombs and guerrilla ground attacks. Women played a major role in this campaign. Axis, guerrillas, and Allied intelligence used women to infiltrate the enemy and as auxiliaries, nurses and fighters. Another aspect of this battle was the Hitler-Beneš confrontation, an intelligence-guerrilla war which took place within the ranks of the Regierungstruppe.

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In December 1820, at twenty-one years old, Edward Geoffrey Stanley, the future 14th earl of Derby and three-times prime minister, began an extensive tour of continental Europe. By the time of his return to England twenty months later, he had visited many of the foremost centres for art and culture in Europe, and mostly in Italy. In his travel diaries he recorded his intensive social life, his visits to historical sites, his viewings of art collections, his comments on architecture, his admiration of landscapes and his impressions of foreign societies. He was energetic, enthusiastic and discerning: the bridge of Augustus in Umbria gave him 'a stupendous idea of Roman grandeur'; the charm of the towns crowning the Tuscan hills struck him with the same delight that he felt when gazing at one of Poussin's paintings; the waterfall at Terni, which dropped 370 feet into an abyss of spray, was 'awfully magnificent'; while the ceremonies of the Italian Catholic Church he judged to be a blend of mummery, superstition and bigotry. Sights and experiences like these influenced him for the rest of his life. This precious collection of diaries, found only recently and published here for the first time, reveal Edward Stanley to have been a young man of diligence, courage and decisiveness: a future leader with a conspicuous and burgeoning sense of political and social justice. It was these characteristics, seen in early development within these pages, that shaped the man and the extraordinary career to come.

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The Soviet T-34 medium tank needs no introduction, being the most famous tank ever built especially as has seen service across the globe throughout the twentieth century’s most brutal wars. However, despite this fame, little has been written about its design changes. While most tank enthusiasts can differentiate between the ‘T-34/76’ and the ‘T-34-85’, identifying different factory production batches has proven more elusive. Until now. With nearly six hundred photographs, mostly taken by soldiers who both operated and fought against the T-34, this book seeks to catalogue and contextualise even the subtlest details to create a true ‘T-34 continuum’. The book begins with the antecedents of the T-34, the ill-fated BT ‘fast tank’ series and the influence of the traumatic Spanish Civil War before moving to an in-depth look at the T-34’s prototypes. After this, every factory production change is catalogued and contextualised, with never-before-seen photographs and stunning technical drawings. Furthermore, four battle stories are also integrated to explain the changing battle context when major production changes take place. The production story is completed with sections on the T-34’s post-war production (and modification) by Czechoslovakia, Poland, and the People’s Republic of China, as well as T-34 variants.

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