Download or read book Tales of Lancasters and Other Aircraft written by George Culling and published by The History Press. This book was released on 2017-07-06 with total page 149 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Of every 100 operational airmen in World War Two, 9 were killed flying in England and 3 severely injured in crashes, so non-operational casualties were significant in numbers, over 15,000. Operational casualties were of course chillingly grim – over 56,000 airmen died in the Second World War, over half those involved. George Culling was a nineteen-year-old Lancaster navigator whose own experiences often involved battling tricky and dangerous conditions. Fascinated by the ever-present dangers for airmen even well away from combat, he has collated tales from comrades and combined them with his own to preserve some of the unexpected, inconvenient, dangerous, and often downright bizarre experiences that frequently typified daily life for airmen in the Second World War.
Download or read book Tales of Lancasters and Other Aircraft written by George Culling and published by The History Press. This book was released on 2017-07-03 with total page 160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Of every 100 operational airmen in the Second World War, nearly seven were killed flying in England and more than three severely injured in crashes. With a total of 12,398, the number of non-operational casualties was significant. Operational casualties were of course chillingly grim – over 56,000 airmen died in the war. George Culling was a 19-year-old Lancaster navigator whose own experiences often involved battling tricky and dangerous conditions. Fascinated by the ever-present dangers for airmen even well away from combat, he has collated tales from comrades and combined them with his own to preserve some of the unexpected, inconvenient, dangerous, and often downright bizarre experiences that frequently typified daily life for airmen in the Second World War.
Download or read book The Lancaster Story written by Sarah-Louise Miller and published by Michael O'Mara Books. This book was released on 2024-05-23 with total page 330 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A dramatic and vividly rendered account of the most successful RAF bomber of the Second World War - the Avro Lancaster - and the lives of the men and women who flew, designed, constructed, maintained it.
Download or read book Lancaster written by John Nichol and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2020-05-28 with total page 543 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'The epic story of an iconic aircraft and the breathtaking courage of those who flew her' Andy McNab, bestselling author of Bravo Two Zero 'Compelling, thrilling and rooted in quite extraordinary human drama' James Holland, author of Normandy 44 From John Nichol, the Sunday Times bestselling author of Spitfire, comes a passionate and profoundly moving tribute to the Lancaster bomber, its heroic crews and the men and women who kept her airborne during the country's greatest hour of need. 'The Avro Lancaster is an aviation icon; revered, romanticised, loved. Without her, and the bravery of those who flew her, the freedom we enjoy today would not exist.' Sir Arthur Harris, the controversial chief of Royal Air Force Bomber Command, described the Lancaster as his 'shining sword' and the 'greatest single factor in winning the war'. RAF bomber squadrons carried out offensive operations from the first day of the Second World War until the very last, more than five and a half years later. They flew nearly 300,000 sorties and dropped around a million tons of explosives, as well as life-saving supplies. Over 10,000 of their aircraft never returned. Of the 7,377 Lancasters built during the conflict, more than half were lost to enemy action or training accidents. The human cost was staggering. Of the 125,000 men who served in Bomber Command, over 55,000 were killed and another 8,400 were wounded. Some 10,000 survived being shot down, only to become prisoners of war. In simple, brutal terms, Harris's aircrew had only a 40 per cent chance of surviving the war unscathed. Former RAF Tornado Navigator, Gulf War veteran and bestselling author John Nichol now tells the inspiring and moving story of this legendary aircraft that took the fight deep into the heart of Nazi Germany.
Download or read book The Merlin written by Gordon A. A. Wilson and published by Amberley Publishing Limited. This book was released on 2018-12-15 with total page 237 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: First ever narrative history of the famous aero engine that powered the Spitfire, Hurricane, Lancaster, Mosquito and Mustang, the aircraft that made the difference between victory and defeat at critical moments in the Second World War - the Battle of Britain and the allied aerial offensive against Germany.
Download or read book The Female Few written by Jacky Hyams and published by The History Press. This book was released on 2012-01-01 with total page 197 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Through the darkest days of the Second World War, an elite group of courageous civilian women risked their lives as aerial courier pilots, flying Lancaster bombers, Spitfires and many other powerful war machines in thousands of perilous missions. The dangers these women faced were many: they flew unarmed, without radio and in some cases without instruments, in conditions where even unexpected cloud could mean disaster. In The Female Few, five of these astonishingly brave women tell their awe-inspiring tales of incredible risk, tenacity and sacrifice. Their spirit and fearlessness in the face of death still resonates down the years, and their accounts reveal a forgotten chapter in the history of the Second World War.
Download or read book Hidden Warbirds written by Nicholas A. Veronico and published by Zenith Press. This book was released on 2013-06-17 with total page 259 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Veronico explores the romantic era of World War II warbirds and the stories of some of its most famous wrecks, including the "Swamp Ghost" (a B-17E which crashed in New Guinea in the early days of World War II and which was only recently recovered), and "Glacier Girl" (a P-38, part of "The Lost Squadron," which crashed in a large ice sheet in Greenland in 1942). Throughout, Veronico provides a history of the aircraft, as well as the unique story behind each discovery and recovery with ample illustrations.
Download or read book I Flew the Lancaster Bomber written by Leo Richer and published by Lulu.com. This book was released on 2013-09-18 with total page 90 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The memoirs of Leo Richer, featuring his time as a pilot during World War II flying the Lancaster Bomber.
Download or read book The Veterans Tale written by Frances Houghton and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2019-01-10 with total page 307 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is a unique account of the ways in which British veterans of the Second World War remembered, understood, and recounted their experiences of battle throughout the post-war period. Focusing on themes of landscape, weaponry, the enemy, and comradeship, Frances Houghton examines the imagery and language used by war memoirists to reconstruct and review both their experiences of battle and their sense of wartime self. Houghton also identifies how veterans' memoirs became significant sites of contest as former servicemen sought to challenge what they saw as unsatisfactory official, scholarly, and cultural representations of the Second World War in Britain. Her findings show that these memoirs are equally important both for the new light they shed on the memory and meanings of wartime military experience among British veterans, and for what they tell us about the cultural identity of military life-writing in post-war British society.
Download or read book World War II Scottish Tales of Adventure written by Allan Burnett and published by Casemate Publishers. This book was released on 2011-08-01 with total page 112 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Second World War from a Scottish point of view—stories about men and women, allies and enemies to captivate and intrigue young readers. Acclaimed children’s author Allan Burnett turns his attention to the Second World War in a book of explosively exciting and emotionally charged tales of bravery and adventure. Featuring the true exploits of soldiers, spies, pilots, sailors and many others, these stories, all based on interviews with these heroes themselves or their descendants, offer a unique, personal insight into the Second World War that no conventional history book can ever hope to match. “With accounts of life on a variety of fronts this is a valuable introduction to life during the Second World War for younger readers . . . In a slim volume he manages to pack a lot in, allowing the reader a taste of a wide range of views and experiences, and never succumbing to a simplistic goodies versus baddies take on things . . . the heart of the stories themselves is surely universal, reminding us that war is a multi-faceted business affecting different people in all sorts of different ways.” —Daily Record
Download or read book Your Loving Son written by George McCowan King and published by University of Regina Press. This book was released on 2002 with total page 228 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is a compilation of various sources that form a coherent narrative that leads up to, documents, and explores the repercussions of the death of George McCowan King, a navigator in the Royal Canadian Air Force who was shot down over Germany on September 22, 1943. Focussing on the period from late 1942 to the end of the war, but extending even into the 1990s, the voices that combine to tell the story of the navigator's life and death include his letters, the letters of other family members, correspondence with families of other servicemen & friends, diary & logbook entries, and official government missives concerning the circumstances of the death and the naming of King Creek in northern Saskatchewan.
Download or read book The Lancaster Bomber Pocket Manual written by Martin Robson and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2017-12-14 with total page 120 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Avro Lancaster was the RAF's most famous and successful heavy bomber of the Second World War. Used predominantly at night, 'Lancs' dropped 608,612 tons of bombs in 156,000 sorties in the period 1942-1945. Some of these missions were incredibly daring – notably the 'dambusters' raid of 617 squadron on the Ruhr valley dams in May 1943. The success of such operations was testament both to the rugged, reliable qualities of this amazing aircraft and the bravery and skill of the pilots, navigators, bombardiers, flight engineers and gunners that crewed it. They relied on their training and experience, supplemented by various pamphlets and manuals that were produced throughout the war. Supplemented with illustrative plans and diagrams, this fascinating pocket manual provides a unique insight into the wartime operation of this famous aircraft.
Download or read book Flying Forwards Facing Backwards written by Jim Walls and published by Grub Street Publishing. This book was released on 2022-07-20 with total page 217 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Since he was a child in the 1950s watching Vampires and Meteors operating from RAF Turnhouse, Jim Walls wanted to fly aircraft, he just never envisaged that his flying career would be spent in the back seat as opposed to the front. Jim guides readers through his 40-year RAF career that started as a Boy Entrant at RAF Cosford, then as an air radar tradesman, before specializing as an air electronics operator (AEOp) in the Nimrod MR1, and later as an air electronics officer (AEO) who flew in Nimrod R1s and Vulcan B2s. With detailed insight into the world of radar, electronic countermeasures, and signals intelligence, Jim highlights the role they played in warfare for numerous operations during the Cold War as well as the Falklands campaign, First Gulf War, and Bosnian War. He also recalls the peacetime role of the Nimrod and Vulcan with stories from his time on 51, 120, and 617 Squadrons. As well as focusing on his career, Jim gives his viewpoint on matters such as Operation Black Buck and the reduced war-fighting capability of the Vulcan as it neared retirement. This fascinating book showcases the vital role that AEOs held and the importance of radar and electronic warfare in the fight against enemy forces. It is also a tribute to the much-loved Cold War icons, the Nimrod and the Vulcan. With photography throughout, mainly from the author’s personal collection, this book will appeal to Cold War enthusiasts and fans of the iconic jets of that era.
Download or read book The Shepherd written by Frederick Forsyth and published by Open Road Media. This book was released on 2012-10-30 with total page 69 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Christmas Eve, 1957: An RAF pilot needs a miracle to make it home as his fighter jet begins to fail, in a story by the #1 New York Times–bestselling author. It is Christmas Eve, 1957, and there are cozier places to be than the cockpit of a de Havilland Vampire fighter plane. But for the Royal Air Force pilot who has just taken off from West Germany, this single-seat jet is the only way to make it back to England for Christmas morning. His flight plan is simple; the fuel tank is full. In sixty-six minutes, he will be back in Blighty. But then the plane begins to fail. First the compass goes haywire, then the radio dies. Lost and alone above the English coast, the pilot is searching for a landing strip when the fog closes in, signaling certain death. He has given up hope when a second shadow appears—a Mosquito fighter-bomber of World War II vintage. The plane is a “shepherd,” guiding the Vampire to a safe landing, and its appearance is a gift from fate, a miracle out of time—but for one lonely pilot, the mystery has just begun. A classic bestseller, beloved by aviation fans (including actor John Travolta, who calls it “one of my favorites because it personalizes the two planes”) and general readers alike, The Shepherd is a gripping, heartwarming tale for a cold winter’s night.
Download or read book From Spitfire to Focke Wulf written by H. Leonard Thorne and published by The History Press. This book was released on 2013-09-02 with total page 287 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'I hold the greatest respect for Len for what he achieved in the RAF'. – Gordon Mitchell, son of Spitfire designer R.J. Mitchell In May 1940, 20-year-old Len Thorne joined the RAF, as did many young men during the Second World War. After two hectic tours of operational duty as a fighter pilot, including some desperately dangerous low-level flying at Dunkirk, he was posted to AFDU (Air Fighting Development Unit) and remained there as a test pilot for the rest of the war. Fortunately for us, Len kept a detailed diary, which, set alongside his log book, tells the unique story of a test pilot tasked with developing operational tactics and testing captured enemy aircraft, such as the feared Fw 190. During Len's career, he worked alongside some of the most famous fighter aces and his records cast light on some of the most famous flyers of the RAF, including Wing Commander Al Deere and Spitfire aces Squadron Leader 'Paddy' Finucane, Ernie Ryder and many others. A unique record of military aviation history, From Spitfire to Focke Wulf offers a window to this era of rapid and high-stakes aircraft development.
Download or read book The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aviation written by and published by . This book was released on 1979 with total page 132 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Bomber Command written by Roddy MacKenzie and published by Air World. This book was released on 2023-02-16 with total page 500 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Roddy MacKenzie’s father served in Bomber Command during the Second World War, but like so many brave veterans who had survived the war, he spoke little of his exploits. So, when Roddy started on his personal journey to discover something of what his father had achieved, he uncovered a great deal about the devastating effectiveness of Bomber Command and the vital role it played in the defeat of Third Reich. He realised that the true story of Bomber Command’s achievements has never been told nor fully acknowledged. Roddy became a man on a mission, and this startlingly revealing, and often personal study, is the result. Bomber Command: Churchill's Greatest Triumph takes the reader through the early days of the Second World War and introduces all the key individuals who turned the Command into the war-winning weapon it eventually became, as well as detailing the men and machines which flew night after night into the heart of Hitler’s Germany. The main focus of his book is the destruction and dislocation wrought by the bombing to reduce, and ultimately destroy, Germany’s ability to make war. In his analysis, Roddy dug deep into German archival material to uncover facts rarely presented to either German or English language readers. These demonstrate that Bomber Command’s continual efforts, at appalling cost in aircrew casualties and aircraft losses, did far more damage to the Reich than the Allies knew. Roddy’s father served with the Royal Canadian Air Force and Roddy naturally highlights its contribution to Bomber Command’s successes, another aspect of this fascinating story which the author believes has not been duly recognized. Bomber Command: Churchill's Greatest Triumph will certainly raise the debate on the controversial strategy adopted by ‘Bomber’ Harris and how he was perceived by many to have over-stepped his remit. But most of all, this book will revise people’s understanding of just how important the endeavours were of those men who flew through the dark and through the searchlights, the flak, and the enemy night fighters, to bring the Second World War in Europe to its crushing conclusion.
