Download or read book Air War Varsity written by Martin W. Bowman and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2017-10-30 with total page 455 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Here, Martin Bowman brings us the first book on Operation Varsity to include both British and US air and ground operations, as well as the US, British and Canadian paratroop and resupply missions, all presented together in one ambitious volume.Operation Varsity-Plunder, the last large-scale Allied airborne operation of World War II, was certainly no walk-over. Varsity was the airborne part, whilst Plunder represented the British amphibious operations by the British Second Army.The airlift consisted of 541 transport aircraft containing airborne troops and a further 1,050 troop-carriers towing 1,350 gliders. The American 17th Airborne Divisions C-46 Commando transports and Waco gliders joined the British 6th Airborne Division C-54s, C-47 transport aircrafts, Horsas and Hamilcar gliders to form an immense armada that stretched for more than 200 miles across the sky. The successful air attack involved more than 10,000 Allied aircraft and was concentrated primarily on Luftwaffe airfields and the German transportation system.The combination of the two divisions in one lift made this the largest single day airborne drop in history. In this impressive account, Martin Bowman weaves firsthand testimony and a compelling historical narrative together with a variety of photographic illustrations, many of which have never been published before, in order to create a complete and fascinating record of events as they played out in March 1945.

Download or read book Four Hours of Fury written by James M. Fenelon and published by Scribner. This book was released on 2019-05-21 with total page 448 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this viscerally exciting account, a paratrooper-turned-historian reveals the details of World War II’s largest airborne operation—one that dropped 17,000 Allied paratroopers deep into the heart of Nazi Germany. On the morning of March 24, 1945, more than two thousand Allied aircraft droned through a cloudless sky toward Germany. Escorted by swarms of darting fighters, the armada of transport planes carried 17,000 troops to be dropped, via parachute and glider, on the far banks of the Rhine River. Four hours later, after what was the war’s largest airdrop, all major objectives had been seized. The invasion smashed Germany’s last line of defense and gutted Hitler’s war machine; the war in Europe ended less than two months later. Four Hours of Fury follows the 17th Airborne Division as they prepare for Operation Varsity, a campaign that would rival Normandy in scale and become one of the most successful and important of the war. Even as the Third Reich began to implode, it was vital for Allied troops to have direct access into Germany to guarantee victory—the 17th Airborne secured that bridgehead over the River Rhine. And yet their story has until now been relegated to history’s footnotes. Reminiscent of A Bridge Too Far and Masters of the Air, Four Hours of Fury does for the 17th Airborne what Band of Brothers did for the 101st. It is a captivating, action-packed tale of heroism and triumph spotlighting one of World War II’s most under-chronicled and dangerous operations.

Download or read book Forward Air Bases in Europe from D Day to the Baltic written by Trevor Stone and published by Air World. This book was released on 2024-01-18 with total page 250 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The largely sea-borne invasion of Northern France in June 1944, Operation Overlord, is acknowledged as one of the key actions which hastened the end of the Second World War. The RAF played a vital part in the landings. It then supported the subsequent advance of Montgomery’s 21st Army, and the Allies as a whole, through France, Belgium, Holland and into Germany. Following the breakout from the Normandy bridgehead in early August 1944, the RAF’s Second Tactical Air Force moved forward in support of the troops, occupying a number of temporary airfields as it went. The ground support for this operation was complex, a situation that was exacerbated by the fact that much of it had to be highly mobile. The advance, however, was rapid and soon ran into problems as the supply lines grew longer by the day. The planners had envisaged that capturing the Belgian port of Antwerp would eventually enable them to bring in vitally needed supplies much further north on the Continent. Although the city and its port were liberated in September 1944, the port’s route to the sea along the River Scheldt was still controlled by German forces. It took nearly three months until this was resolved, and the port opened for business. Until then, in the RAF’s equivalent of the US Army’s famed ‘Red Ball Express’, it was some 300 miles by road from Normandy with the Second Tactical Air Force largely reliant on the Army for transporting its needs. For an air force needing large volumes of fuel and ammunition, demand soon began to outpace supply. A number of emergency measures were put in place to keep the aircraft operational, which saw the RAF resorting to the use of its heavy bombers to fly in supplies. Even when Antwerp was up and running, supplying the Second Tactical Air Force remained a hand-to-mouth affair right through until the enemy’s surrender in May 1945. In Forward Air Bases in Europe from D-Day to the Baltic the author explores the challenges of supporting a mobile air force in those uncertain days as Hitler’s forces were retreating to their homeland. As the Allies found, things can go badly wrong when thinking loses touch with the art of the possible – logistics. In the end, miraculously, it worked, but it was a close-run thing.

Download or read book Airborne Operations in World War II European Theater written by John Cushman Warren and published by M A/A H Publishing. This book was released on 1956 with total page 262 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This monograph describes the planning and execution of airborne operations by the Army Air Forces in the European Theater during World War II. Intended to serve as a case history of large-scale airborne operations, it seeks to analyze and evaluate them as a basis for doctrine and for the benefit of future planners. Chapters are as follows: (1) The Airborne Invasion of Normandy - Plans and Preparations, including the COSSAC Phase, deployment and training, final preparations, and deception and diversion; (2) The Assault, including various paratroop and glider missions; (3) From Neptune to Market, which focuses on organizational changes, plans and campaigns during the Campaign in France, the planning of Operation Market, and preliminary support operations; (4) Market - The Airborne Invasion of Holland, which includes descriptions of operations in various sections of Holland; (5) Varsity - The Airborne Assault Across the Rhine, including planning, training, security measures, auxiliary air operations, and lift and initial operations of the British Airborne Division, American Paratroops, and American Glider Troops; and (6) Conclusions Regarding Large-Scale Airborne Operations.

Download or read book Green Light A Troop Carrier Squadron s War From Normandy to the Rhine written by and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on with total page 516 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Air Battle for Arnhem written by Alan W. Cooper and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2012-11-26 with total page 234 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Over sixty years ago a battle took place that, if it had succeeded, could have shortened the Second World war by six months. The operation to take the bridges at Arnhem was given the code name 'Operation Market Garden', Market being the air side of the operation and Garden the subsequent ground operation. The main problem was communications between the ground forces and the re-supply aircraft of the Royal Air Force.Its their efforts and the courage on evident display at Arnhem that the book is based upon. Over a period of seven days troops of the 1st Airborne were taken by the RAF in towed gliders and then in subsequent days showed courage of the highest order to make sure that the ground troops were supplied with ammunition and food to sustain them in their efforts to take the bridges at Arnhem. Their efforts were costly, 309 aircrew and 79 Air Dispatchers were killed and 107 aircraft, which included the men and aircraft who supported the main re-supply armada.One of the re-supply aircraft, flown by F/Lt David Lord DFC, was shot down. Lord was later awarded the Victoria Cross. His courage and dedication are exemplary of the efforts of the men of Transport Command to make sure the men on the ground were re-supplied. The men of the Air Dispatchers, or AD's as they were known, must always be remembered when regarding Arnhem. Their efforts to make sure the supplies were released from the aircraft, and on to the besieged men on the ground, was a vital factor in getting vital supplies to the troops successfully.This is their story, vividly told, and serves a commemorative purpose, memorialising both the events and, most importantly, the men who participated.

Download or read book The Airborne in World War II written by Michael E. Haskew and published by Macmillan. This book was released on 2017-08-01 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: D-Day, Operation Market Garden, Battle of the Bulge—the US Airborne divisions were integral at all these major points in World War II. But they also played a significant role in North Africa, where they first saw action, and in Italy in 1943. Right on the tail of these planes, this expert history follows the airborne divisions from the redesignation and initial training of the 82nd in 1942 through to their final, momentous missions in the Pacific. Featuring the equipment, division structure, and uniforms, as well as first-hand accounts, this book is the true history popularized by such titles as Band of Brothers, A Bridge Too Far, and The Dirty Dozen. With one hundred and sixty photographs, maps, and illustrations, The Airborne in World War II is an accessible account of remarkable men and the battles that they fought.

Download or read book Varsity s Soldiers written by Eric McGeer and published by University of Toronto Press. This book was released on 2019 with total page 384 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Based on the rich fund of documents housed in the University of Toronto archives, Varsity's Soldiers offers the first full-length history of military training in Toronto.

Download or read book Air Combat 1945 written by Donald Nijboer and published by Stackpole Books. This book was released on 2015-09-15 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The final year of World War II witnessed the decline of the piston-engine fighter and the beginning of the jet age. Taking to the skies were tried-and-true fighters, improved versions of old aircraft, and newly developed jets, including prototypes that flew for the first time just before the war ended. • Hundreds of photos chronicle these dynamic aircraft in Europe and the Pacific • Includes American Mustangs, Thunderbolts, and Shooting Stars; British Tempests, Spitfires, and Gloster Meteors; German Fw 190s, Bf 109Ks, and Messerschmitt Me 262s; Japanese Ki 100s, Raidens, and Tojos; and many more • Ideal reference for military history fans, scholars, and modelers

Download or read book The Last Drop written by Stephen L. Wright and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Operation Varsity was the last major airborne offensive of World War II and remains the largest and most successful drop in history. Conducted primarily by the British 6th Airborne and the American 17th Airborne Divisions, including Canadian elements, the goal of the operation was to cross the Rhine River and gain a foothold in Germany. This book combines first-person accounts from veterans with action-packed narration to tell the story of the last drop.

Download or read book A Photographic History of Airborne Warfare 1939 1945 written by Simon Forty and published by Pen and Sword Military. This book was released on 2022-01-12 with total page 497 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On 10 May 1940 German Fallschirmjäger stormed the Dutch fort of Eben-Emael, south of Maastricht. The brilliantly executed operation was the first signal success by airborne troops in the Second World War and it made the military world sit up and take notice. Improved parachutes and the creation of gliders that could carry troops meant that assault forces could be dropped or landed behind enemy lines. This was a significant new tactic which had a dramatic impact on several of the key campaigns, and it is the subject of Simon and Jonathan Forty’s in-depth, highly illustrated history. They tell the story of the development of airborne forces, how they were trained and equipped, and how they were landed and put into action in every theatre of the global conflict. The results were mixed. German airborne forces were victorious on Crete, but the cost was so great that Hitler vowed never to use them in the same way again. The Allies saw things differently. After Crete they built up elite units who would play important roles in later battles – in Normandy, for example, where the British 6th Airborne Division took vital bridges prior to the D-Day landings. These are just two examples of the many similar operations on the Western and Eastern Fronts and in the Pacific which are covered in this wide-ranging book. It offers the reader a fascinating insight into airborne warfare over seventy years ago.

Download or read book Men Will Come A History of the 314th Troop Carrier Group 1942 1945 written by Colonel Mark C. Vlahos and published by Lulu.com. This book was released on 2019-10 with total page 498 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Revised Second Edition. The roots of Tactical Airlift and Air Mobility Command Missions were founded in the Troop Carrier Groups of World War II. Meticulously researched and documented, Col Mark Vlahos' "Men Will Come" A History of the 314th Troop Carrier Group 1942 - 1945, will not only be the definitive history of this unit, but fills a major void in USAAF History. Activated March 9, 1942, the 314th participated in every major Airborne Operation in the Mediterranean and European Theaters of Operations. Through the school of hard knocks, tough lessons were learned as the new Airborne, Air-land, and Glider missions matured in WWII. The 314th played a major role in this evolving process. As we celebrate the 75th Anniversary of D-Day, this book is a must read for anyone interested in WWII Airborne, Troop Carrier Operations and the contribution of our Greatest Generation. -Gen Carlton Everhart II, USAF-Ret, former Commander Air Mobility Command. 327 photos, maps, documents; index. NOTE: This revised second edition includes a small number of typographical corrections but most importantly a number of additions in Appendix 9, specifically a number of aircraft were inadvertently missing from "Operation NEPTUNE #1 Mission Flight Crew Listing, June 5 - 6, 1944" and "Operation NEPTUNE #2 Mission Flight Crew Listing, June 7, 1944". A Merriam Press World War II History.

Download or read book United States Army in World War II written by and published by . This book was released on 1963 with total page 708 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book United States Army in World War II The European theater of operations written by and published by . This book was released on 1973 with total page 596 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Valor Without Arms written by Michael N. Ingrisano, Jr. and published by CreateSpace. This book was released on 2012-02-18 with total page 470 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Merriam Press Military Monograph 13. Sixth Edition (February 2012). The 316th Troop Carrier Group was formed at Patterson Field, Ohio, in February 1942. By November, the Group air echelon consisting of Headquarters, 36th, 37th, 44th, and 45th Squadrons, flew to its first overseas post in Egypt. There, staff sergeant pilots flew their C-47s in support of the British 8th Army across North Africa from Egypt to Tunisia, delivering supplies and pioneering in air evacuation. The Group, less the 37th Squadron which remained in Egypt, dropped the 82nd Airborne Division in the invasion of Sicily as part of the operations HUSKY 1 and 2, on 9-11 July, 1943. In HUSKY 2, the 316th lost 12 out of the 23 troop carrier command aircraft that were shot down by friendly fire. In February 1944, the Group moved to Cottesmore, England, from where it participated in the invasions of France (Normandy, D-Day), Holland (MARKET GARDEN), and Germany (VARSITY). After 30 months of overseas duty, the 316th, one of the first troop carrier groups to be sent overseas, was one of the first to return to the United States in May 1945. Stationed at Pope Field, North Carolina, it trained with the 82nd for the pending invasion of Japan. That mission was aborted when Japan surrendered in August 1945. Group personnel wore nine battle stars, three Distinguished Unit Citations, Silver Stars, numerous Distinguished Flying Crosses, Air Medals, Purple Hearts, and Soldiers' Medals. Ingrisano, a radio operator, flew with the 37th Squadron from August 1943 to the end of the war. His history is based primarily upon official records. It is heavily footnoted, contains personal recollections from members of the Group, and a roster of some 2700 names. Students of the air war in World War II, especially of vertical deployment of troops, and genealogists will find this history to be an excellent source for future research. He is also the author of a pre- and post-Civil War history, An Artilleryman's War: Gus Dey and the 2nd United States Artillery. Contents: Introduction; Preface; In the Beginning: 1942; The Middle East and North Africa: 1942-1943; HUSKY 1 and 2, and GIANT: Sicily and Italy, 1943-1944; To England; Settling In: Training, Training and More Training; Normandy: NEPTUNE: BOSTON and FREEPORT; TRANSFIGURE to MARKET GARDEN; MARKET GARDEN; Prelude to VARSITY; VARSITY; It's Over - Over There; Epilogue; Appendices: Combat Missions; Roll of Honor; Honors; Air Echelon, November 1942; Air Echelon, February 1944; Glider Pilots; Combat Crews: HUSKY 1 and HUSKY 2; Combat Crews: NEPTUNE: BOSTON and FREEPORT; Combat Crews: MARKET GARDEN; Combat Crews: VARSITY; Wing Mission Reports; 316th Troop Carrier Group Roster: 1942-1945; Glossary; Bibliography; Index; 93 photos and illustrations; 29 maps and charts; 428 footnotes.

Download or read book CCT The Eye of the Storm written by Gene Adcock and published by AuthorHouse. This book was released on 2012-10-24 with total page 439 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Volume II is 438 pages in length and contains interviews, anecdotes and descriptions of missions by Air Force Combat Controllers. GWOT stands for Global War on Terrorism.

Download or read book Paras Versus the Reich written by Bernd Horn and published by Dundurn. This book was released on 2003-08-01 with total page 377 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This meticulously researched book traces the development of airborne forces from their earliest mythology to their earth-shattering debut in the Second World War. More importantly, it reveals in exacting detail the story of Canada's paratroopers - from the early resistance to their establishment, the rigorous selection process and gruelling training, to their unrivalled combat record. It tells the story of the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion, which never failed to achieve its assigned missions, nor did it ever lose an objective once captured. Through the pages of this book the reader will experience the exceptional courage, endurance, fighting skills, and tenacity of Canada's paratroopers in the Second World War.