Download or read book Bristol Bulldog Gloster Gauntlet written by Alex Crawford and published by MMP. This book was released on 2005 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is the story of two of Britain's most successful and popular inter-war (1930s) fighter aircraft. It contains: A complete and comprehensive history of the development & service of both types * Scale plans * photos and drawings from Technical Manuals * Superb color illustrations of camouflage and markings, walk-around color photographs of the sole surviving examples * rare b+w archive photographs. * Essential reading for aviation enthusiasts & scale air modelers.

Download or read book Fighter Command 1936 1968 written by Ken Delve and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2007-08-16 with total page 401 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Beretter om den historiske udvikling inden for det britiske flyvevåbens "Fighter Command" gennem perioden 1936-1968, og beskriver bl.a. doktriner, organisation, opgaver, materiel og personel.

Download or read book The Hercules written by Gordon A. A. Wilson and published by Amberley Publishing Limited. This book was released on 2024-08-15 with total page 237 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What links the Bristol Aeroplane Company, Armstrong Whitworth, AVRO, Short Brothers PLC, Handley Page Ltd and Vickers Aviation? The Hercules engine.

Download or read book Horizons written by HR Ray Kidd OBE and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2014-04-22 with total page 466 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Although the first air cadet unit was raised in Bournmouth in 1928, the first squadrons to be formed in a privately funded national organisation were part of the Air Defence Cadet Corps in 1938. Thousands of youngsters joined and were able to learn about aircraft, aerodynamics, navigation, mechanics and other subjects not taught in schools. The organization was to become known as The Air Training Corps (ATC) and as war loomed it was considered a useful RAF recruitment tool to attract potential airmen and ground crew. ??Throughout the war ATC cadets supported the home defences by fire watching, as messengers and as observers, working alongside the Home Guard, the fire services and other vital organisations. During the second half of the 1900s the corps continued to thrive. Girls were now included and retired RAF officers and other ranks continued to take an active part in each squadron. There are now over 900 squadrons within the UK, providing the same skills to modern youth and teaching them the importance of personal responsibility and teamwork via annual camps at RAF stations, adventure training and flight experience. ??This book looks at all aspects of the Air Cadet's history and tradition, including the RAF sections of the Combined Cadet Force attached to public and grammar schools. It concludes with an analysis of what subjects and courses are currently available with many past and present illustrations.??As seen in The York Press and The Scarborough News.

Download or read book A Century of Triumph written by Christopher Chant and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2002 with total page 406 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On December 17, 1903, on the windswept beaches of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, Orville Wright piloted the world's first powered flight, in one of the most famous moments in history. Within a few short years, airplanes of various designs were lifting into the air over Europe and America. Soon, the entire world was caught up in the fevered advance of flight and airplanes, Zeppelins, autogyros and helicopters were making the world a much smaller place. To celebrate the first full century of powered flight premier aviation historian Christopher Chant and world-famous illustrator John Batchelor have joined forces to showcase an astonishing march of progress. From the early experiments of gliderman Otto Lilienthal to the moon walk of Neil Armstrong, it has indeed been A Century of Triumph. From the golden age of Zeppelins to the extreme design experiments of World War II to the fierce modernism of supersonic fighter jets, A CENTURY OF TRIUMPH demonstrates the full richness of mankind's flying craft. In addition to Batchelor's illustrations, the book features never-before-published vintage watercolour posters of pre-World War I aviation races and a treasure trove of photographs. Chant's text combines full histories of the planes themselves with biographical essays on some of the great figures of the twentieth century: the Barnstormers, Igor Sikorsky, Amelia Earhart, Chuck Yeager, and the Apollo XVII astronauts, among others. A CENTURY OF TRUMPH is a visual and factual feast for anyone who marvels at the majesty of flying.

Download or read book Prelude to War written by Martin Derry and published by Air World. This book was released on 2020-09-30 with total page 269 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Through the use of contemporary photographs and informative captions, Prelude To War: The RAF 1936-1939 chronicles many of the RAF’s aircraft that continued to serve in the years immediately preceding the start of hostilities in 1939, a period of rapid technological change and mechanical innovation at a time when many European nations held their collective breath as, yet again, they witnessed the steady rise of German militarism and, ultimately, conquest. Forced to take note of this emerging threat the British government authorized a policy of modernizing and re-equipping Britain’s armed forces. This process, frequently confusing and fitful, was by 1936 taking shape with the RAF at the forefront of modernization, although as Winston Churchill solemnly noted in 1937, ‘It was no longer in our power to forestall Hitler or to regain air parity. Nothing could now prevent the German Army and the German Air Force from becoming the strongest in Europe…we could only improve our position. We could not cure it.’ To this day, isolated perceptions still linger to the effect that by September 1939 the RAF had become an all-monoplane force with Fighter Command fielding countless squadrons of Hurricanes and Spitfires ready to overwhelm any enemy insolent enough to enter British skies. Similarly, the same perceptions suggest that a confident Bomber Command stood ready to darken German skies with armadas of modern bombers. These notions were wide of the mark – such was the power of propaganda! Certainly, numbers of monoplanes did exist, but until the aircraft industry could expand to cope with the demands of a modern war, fleets of obsolescent biplanes had to be employed in secondary roles, with others remaining in the front line until monoplanes could replace them: there was no other choice. It is hoped that this modest work will shed light on some of the RAF’s better known aircraft of the period, but more particularly upon those that remain virtually unknown today and which might be described as having ‘also ran’.

Download or read book The Royal Air Force Volume 2 written by Ian Philpott and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2006-07-20 with total page 536 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Volume II of this mammoth reference work covers the years in which the League of Nations failed because of the emerging dictatorships in Germany and Italy and the expansionist policies adopted by Japan. Britain was still reeling from the consequences of World War I and the RAF was sadly far behind the other major world powers in aircraft design, still relying on bi-planes that were direct descendants of World War I thinking. It gradually became apparent that, despite UK government dithering, the RAF needed to develop new aircraft, engines and increase production to confront the bully-boy tactics of the Axis powers. As the turn of the decade approached extraordinary measures were taken to enable RAF to defend Britain's skies and this her freedom. As with Volume 1, this book covers every conceivable part of the RAF's history through these pre-War days. It looks at the development and invention of new equipment such as radar, monoplane fighters, metal construction and the heavy bomber. This was an era when science in aviation was rushing ahead and fortunately for Britain's freedom, it laid the foundations of victory in 1.945

Download or read book 1940 written by Mitch Peeke and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2015-05-31 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The epic story of 1940 is not confined to the great air battle over England that summer; The Battle of Britain. Whilst that battle was indeed a major turning point in the course of the Second World War, it was only fought because of the ultimate outcome of the battle that preceded it. When Hitler's forces swiftly overran the Low Countries and then France, the remnants of the French and British Armies were trapped in a pocketed position around the channel port of Dunquerque. Militarily, that should have been the end of it. Trapped with their backs to the sea, the tired soldiers surely faced annihilation or capture. Hitler's Generals certainly thought so. But then Hitler made his first and biggest mistake. He listened to his old friend and commander of the German Air Force, Herman Goering. Instead of allowing his Armies to finish the job, he ordered them to halt. Goering had persuaded his Fuhrer to allow his Air Force to finish it instead. Goering failed, giving the British time to evacuate the stranded Armies from Dunqerque. The Battle of France was over, but now there would have to be a Battle of Britain, as Britain would now have to be eliminated as well; either by diplomacy, which wasn't likely, or by invasion. This was the prospect facing those in England at that time and this is the story of that momentous year.

Download or read book Men of Power written by Robert Jackson and published by Casemate Publishers. This book was released on 2007-03-28 with total page 406 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The story begins in 1940 when Harvey Heyworth was leading No. 79 Squadron RAF defending north-eastern England from Luftwaffe raids made by bombers based in Norway and Denmark and then later in the Battle of Britain when the unit moved south. During late 1940 and up to June 1941 Heyworth led his squadron in defense of Bristol and Swansea operating by night and day. By 1942 he had amassed 4,000 flying hours. Harvey then joined Rolls-Royce test flying early British jet aircraft including the famous Gloster-Whittle and test-bed Wellington bombers powered by the new jet engines.In 1944 Harvey's brother Jim also joined Rolls, having flown with No. 12 Squadron in Bomber Command. The story then unfolds into the development of the Trent turboprop and the Avon jet engines. Development work on a variety of test-bed aircraft was ongoing and included some weird combinations of airframe and engine.Jim succeeded his brother as chief test pilot in 1958 and flew 82 different aircraft types. He recounts his experiences of piloting the Vulcan bomber, Lightning and the 'Flying Bedstead' VTOL test rig.

Download or read book The RAF s Cross Channel Offensive written by John Starkey and published by Air World. This book was released on 2023-01-05 with total page 297 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The story of the RAF, and in particular Fighter Command, during the Battle of Britain has been told many times. It is a tale of the gallant pilots of ‘The Few’, in their Hurricanes and Spitfires, with the nation’s back to the wall, fighting off the Luftwaffe’s airborne assault against enormous odds. But the story of Fighter Command’s operations immediately after the Battle of Britain is less well known. Marshal of the Royal Air Force Hugh Montague Trenchard commanded the Royal Flying Corps in the First World War. His policy then had been for his aircraft and men to be continually on the offensive, always over the German lines taking the fight to the enemy. After being promoted to command the RAF, Trenchard retired in 1930. In November 1940, Trenchard showed up again at the Air Ministry and proposed that the RAF should ‘Lean Towards France’ – that it should go on the offensive. The RAF would, claimed Trenchard, win the resulting battle of attrition. One of the main outcomes of the RAF’s new offensive stance was the introduction of the Circus sorties. These were attacks undertaken by a small force of bombers with a powerful fighter escort. They were intended to lure enemy fighters into the air so that they could be engaged by RAF fighters, the primary objective being the destruction of Luftwaffe fighters, followed by the protection of the bombers from attack. A further development of the Circus missions were Ramrods, Rhubarbs and Rodeos, all of which were variations on the same theme. A Ramrod was similar to a Circus, though in this instance the primary objective was the destruction of the target, the main role of the accompanying fighters being to protect the bombers from attack. A Rhubarb was a small-scale attack by fighters using cloud cover and/or surprise, the object of which was to destroy German aircraft in the air and/or striking at ground targets, while a Rodeo consisted of a fighter sweep over enemy territory with no bombers. Drawing on official documents and archive material, as well as accounts by many of those involved, James Starkey reveals just how Trenchard’s views won through and the RAF went on the offensive from late 1940 into 1941. Was it a failed strategy? If so, why was it not halted once the results began to be seen?

Download or read book The Magic of a Name The Rolls Royce Story Part 1 written by Peter Pugh and published by Icon Books Ltd. This book was released on 2015-04-02 with total page 554 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Magic of a Name tells the story of the first 40 years of Britain's most prestigious manufacturer - Rolls-Royce. Beginning with the historic meeting in 1904 of Henry Royce and the Honourable C.S. Rolls, and the birth in 1906 of the legendary Silver Ghost, Peter Pugh tells a story of genius, skill, hard work and dedication which gave the world cars and aero engines unrivalled in their excellence. In 1915, 100 years ago, the pair produced their first aero engine, the Eagle which along with the Hawk, Falcon and Condor proved themselves in battle in the First World War. In the Second the totemic Merlin was installed in the Spitfire and built in a race against time in 1940 to help win the Battle of Britain. With unrivalled access to the company's archives, Peter Pugh's history is a unique portrait of both an iconic name and of British industry at its best.

Download or read book Aircraft Camouflage and Markings 1907 1954 written by Bruce Robertson and published by . This book was released on 1966 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book International Warbirds written by John C. Fredriksen and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2001-08-01 with total page 407 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In depth descriptions and photographs of the aircraft of 21 nations presented with a unique human dimension that goes behind the machines to the people involved. Invaluable for specialists, accessible to enthusiasts, International Warbirds: An Illustrated Guide to World Military Aircraft, 1914–2000 puts the most legendary fighter aircraft of the 20th century developed outside the United States on vivid display. It offers 336 illustrated "biographies" of the most significant warplanes used in squadron service from World War I to the Balkan conflict, including numerous models from Great Britain, France, Russia, and Japan, as well as notable machines from Israel, Canada, China, India, Brazil, and other nations. Entries span the history and scope of military aircraft from bombers and fighters to transports, trainers, reconnaissance craft, sea planes, and helicopters, with each capsule history combining nuts-and-bolts technical data with the story of that model's evolution and use. Together, these portraits offer an exciting, well-researched tribute to visionary designers and builders as well as courageous pilots and crews across the globe, and tell a vivid tale of how air power became such a decisive factor in modern warfare.

Download or read book Combat Biplanes of World War II written by Peter C. Smith and published by Casemate Publishers. This book was released on 2015-09-30 with total page 401 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The era of the combat biplane is usually thought to have been between 1914 and 1938. By the outbreak of World War II, most of the advanced air forces of the world had moved on to monoplane aircraft for their front-line battle forces, both in bomber and fighter capacities. Yet despite this, many biplanes did still survive, both in front-line service and in numerous subsidiary roles, and not just as training machines but as fully operational warplanes. Thus in 1939 the majority of major European powers still retained some, albeit few, biplane aircraft. Sadly, and as an indictment of failed British Government defence policies, it was Great Britain who still had the bulk of such obsolescent combat aircraft, machines like the Gladiator, Swordfish, Walrus, Vildebeeste and Audax for example, while the inferior Albacore, meant to replace the Swordfish, was still yet to enter service!Germany had relegated most of her biplane designs to secondary roles, but they still managed to conduct missions in which biplanes like the He.50, He.51 and Hs.120 excelled. Both France and Italy had biplanes in active service, Mussolini's Regia Aeronautica attaching great importance to the type as a fighter aircraft as late as 1941, while the Soviet Union also retained some machines like the Po-2 in front-line service right through the war and beyond. In addition, a whole range of smaller nations utilised biplanes built for larger combatants in their own air forces. By the time Japan and the United States entered the war two years later, they had mainly rid themselves of biplanes but, even here, a few specialised types lingered on. This book describes a selection of these gallant old warriors of all nations. They represent the author's own personal selection from a surprisingly large range of aircraft that, despite all predictions, fought hard and well in World War II.

Download or read book The Battle of Britain written by Edward Bishop and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2021-11-21 with total page 236 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book, first published in 1960, is a close examination of the twelve most decisive weeks in British history. It looks at the responsibility of pre-war politicians for the preparedness of the air defence system, the conflicting views on the conduct of the battle on both sides, the attitude of the US, and the part played by such leading figures as Dowding, Park, Beaverbrook, Kesselring and Sperle.

Download or read book The Air Annual of the British Empire written by and published by . This book was released on 1935 with total page 864 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Gladiator vs CR 42 Falco written by Håkan Gustavsson and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2012-12-20 with total page 172 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Both the Gloster Gladiator and the Fiat CR.42 Falco represented the peak in the development of the biplane fighter, which could trace its lineage back to World War I. However, by the time both aircraft entered service in the late 1930s, they were already obsolete. Nevertheless, they gave sterling service on all fronts in the Mediterranean and Africa in 1940–41. Indeed, the CR.42 was the Regia Aeronautica's staple fighter in both North and East Africa, Greece and over Malta in 1940–41, during which time its pilots routinely fought British and Commonwealth squadrons equipped in the main with Gladiator biplanes. Some bitter dogfights were fought between these two types as the Allies attempted to gain control of the skies over North Africa, Greece and East Africa. Both types were flown in the main by highly experienced pre-war pilots, and this in turn made for some closely fought engagements. The first known combat between the CR.42 and the Gladiator took place on 14 June 1940 over North Africa and the last engagement between the two types occurred on 24 October 1941 over the East African front.