Download or read book Hurricane Aces 1939 40 written by Tony Holmes and published by Osprey Publishing. This book was released on 1998-01-15 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Hawker Hurricane was the Raf's first monoplane fighter, and it dragged the air force into a position where it could defend Britain in its 'hour of need'. Prior to the Battle of Britain, a number of squadrons equipped with the fighter had seen action firstly in the 'Phoney War', and then during the disastrous campaign in France. Pilots like 'Cobber' Kain had achieved impressive scores in the face of overwhelming LUftwaffe forces, and although the RAF lost no less than 386 Hurricanes during the Blitzkried, it gave many pilots valuable experience. Hawker fighters outnumbered Spitfires during the Battle of Britain by three to one, and downed far mor aircraft. Overseas, a handful of pilots put up stiff resistance against Germany's Italian ally in Libya and Egypt, and also over Malta.

Download or read book Duel of Eagles written by Peter Townsend and published by Booksales. This book was released on 2008-05-15 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Former RAF ace chronicles the growth of the Royal Air Force and the Luftwaffe and their decisive engagements during the Battle of Britain in 1940.

Download or read book Soviet Hurricane Aces of World War 2 written by Yuriy Rybin and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2012-08-20 with total page 155 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 1942, about 80 per cent of the fighters serving with Air Forces of the Karelian and Northern Fronts were Hurricanes. This book explores the bitter struggle against well-drilled Luftwaffe and Finnish units flying in the polar regions of northern Russia. Following the destruction wrought on the Red Army Air Forces during the first days of Operation Barbarossa in June 1941, the Soviet Union found itself desperately short of fighter aircraft. Premier Josef Stalin duly appealed directly to Prime Minister Winston Churchill for replacement aircraft, and in late 1941 the British delivered the first of 3360 Hurricanes that would be supplied to the Soviet Union under the Lend-Lease agreement. Specifically requested by the USSR, the Hurricanes were quickly thrown into action in early 1942 – the Soviet Air Forces' most difficult year in their opposition to the Luftwaffe. Virtually all the Hurricanes were issued to Soviet fighter regiments in the northern sector of the front, where pilots were initially trained to fly the aircraft by RAF personnel that had accompanied the early Hawker fighters to the USSR. The Hurricane proved to be an easy aircraft to master, even for the poorly trained young Soviet pilots, allowing the Red Army to form a large number of new fighter regiments quickly in the polar area. In spite of a relatively poor top speed, and only a modest rate-of-climb, the Hurricane was the mount of at least 17 Soviet aces.

Download or read book The Hawker Hurricane written by Francis Mason and published by . This book was released on 2010-08 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Hawker Hurricane matched the best aircraft of Britain's enemies at the moment of greatest crisis and went in to fight in more campaigns, on more fronts, and in more theaters and countries than any other Allied airplane in World War II.

Download or read book Hawker Hurricane Survivors written by Gordon Riley and published by Grub Street Publishing. This book was released on 2015-10-19 with total page 225 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A comprehensive catalog of the remaining World War II fighter planes, including anecdotes and photos. With 2015 being the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain—arguably the Hawker Hurricane’s “finest hour”—it is appropriate to tell the story of the surviving Hurricanes from around the world. Building on research originally started thirty years ago, Gordon Riley has delved into the archives to amass new information—and in the process managed to identify positively one Hurricane that had proved elusive for more than forty years. Today a number of Hurricanes are being privately restored globally. However, the oldest in existence, a veteran of both the British Expeditionary Force to France in 1939 and the Battle of Britain, is displayed in the Science Museum in London, and the youngest—the very last Hurricane ever built—is still flying with the RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight. This book documents each aircraft by country of origin and mark by mark from the day it left the factory up to the present day. Some have incredible histories whereas others served in very mundane, but still essential, second-line roles until they were disposed of. Where possible each aircraft is illustrated with a present-day photograph along with others taken throughout its life. From the serious enthusiast to the casual museum or air show visitor, if you have an interest in the Hurricane, this is the book for you. “Heavily illustrated and well produced and will serve as an excellent guide not only for historians but also warbird enthusiasts.” —Air Classics

Download or read book The Hawker Hurricane Mk I Mk II written by Phil H Listemann and published by Philedition. This book was released on 2022-06-02 with total page 32 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Hawker Hurricane was the first of the modern fighter types to begin re-equipping the RAF in the 1930s. As the RAF was undergoing a massive expansion in the mid-thirties, the Hurricane, which performed well during its trials, was soon ordered in large numbers. In June 1936, the first order was placed for 600 aircraft. In November 1938, just after the Munich Crisis, another order was placed for 1000. When war broke out almost 500 Hurricanes had been delivered to Fighter Command and that number had reached 2300 one year later. The Hurricane remained the backbone of the RAF's fighter force at least until 1942 in Europe, 1943 in the Mediterranean and the Middle East, and 1944 in the Far East, when more modern types were introduced or became more plentiful. It remained in frontline inventory in the Middle and Far East until the very last days of the war. Indeed, while the Hurricane as a pure fighter was easily obsolete by that time, it proved to be a fine fighter-bomber. The Hurricane was involved in most of the first combats against the Luftwaffe over France and then over Britain. The basic model was continually improved and the Mk.II appeared in 1941. In 1940, American volunteers began to reach the UK to enlist in the RAF to fight against the Luftwaffe. Once trained they formed their own units, called the Eagle squadrons and in 1940-1941 three fighter squadrons were formed, Nos. 71, 121 and 133 equiped with Hurricanes...The Americans pilots would soon claim their first victories over the Luftwaffe. 30 photos, 5 profiles.

Download or read book HAWKER HURRICANE written by RICHARD A. FRANKS and published by . This book was released on 2020 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The Hawker Hurricane Mk I Mk II The Canadians written by Phil H. Listemann and published by Philedition. This book was released on 2018-06-22 with total page 76 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Hawker Hurricane was the first of the modern fighter types to begin re-equipping the RAF in the 1930s. As the RAF was undergoing a massive expansion in the mid-thirties, the Hurricane, which performed well during its trials, was soon ordered in large numbers. In June 1936, the first order was placed for 600 aircraft. In November 1938, just after the Munich Crisis, another order was placed for 1000. When war broke out almost 500 Hurricanes had been delivered to Fighter Command and that number had reached 2300 one year later. The Hurricane remained the backbone of the RAF's fighter force at least until 1942 in Europe, 1943 in the Mediterranean and the Middle East, and 1944 in the Far East, when more modern types were introduced or became more plentiful. It remained in frontline inventory in the Middle and Far East until the very last days of the war. Indeed, while the Hurricane as a pure fighter was easily obsolete by that time, it proved to be a fine fighter-bomber. The Hurricane was involved in most of the first combats against the Luftwaffe over France and then over Britain. The basic model was continually improved and the Mk.II appeared in 1941. Being an impressive aircraft at the end of the thirties, the Hurricane attracted interest from foreign countries and the Dominions. Before the war, and just after the war broke out, the Hurricane was exported including in Canada. This book focuses on the connection between the Hurricane and the Canadians which took various aspects in UK with No. 242 (Canadian) Squadron (up to July 1940), No. 1 Squadron RCAF during the Battle of Britain and after (later No. 401 Squadron) and No. 402 Squadron. The Canadians used also the Hurricane in the Middle East with No. 417 Squadron. The book relates also the little known usage of the Hurricane with the RCAF in Canada (Hurricane Mk X, XI and XII). Illustrated with close to 60 photos and 10 colour profiles.

Download or read book Air War Over Malta written by Tony O'Toole and published by Sam Publications. This book was released on 2010-09-01 with total page 132 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first of an exciting new series which will concentrate on significant air campaigns throughout the history of aviation. The book chronicles the air battles during the George Cross island's siege from late 1940 to early 1944, with a well-documented and informative text, hundreds of historical photographs and pages of full-colour illustrations documenting the colour schemes and markings of the aircraft taking part.

Download or read book The Hawker Hurricane written by Mantelli - Brown - Kittel - Graf and published by Edizioni R.E.I.. This book was released on 2016-02-07 with total page 80 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Hawker Hurricane at the time could not have been better expressed in deeds what was his name. Born as Fury Monoplane, sought to continue the project monoplane version of Fury, one of the best and finest hunting among the older generation. Created by Sidney Camm of HG Hawker Engineering Company, created in 1933 around the new engine RR PV 12 and responsive to the specific F.5/34, which called for a hunt with 8 light machine guns, really an impressive increase compared to the two normally course at the time. Consider that the first specification for an Italian fighter monoplane spoke of a plane armed with a single machine gun (but 12.7), increased to two only later. After this specification were issued the F.36/34 and the new Hurricane flew November 6, 1935, soon surpassing the 483 km/h (300 mph), with the PV 12 that according to the latest specification was to get to 1,025 hp to 4,500 m, a far cry from the Kestrel that potentiate, for example, the first Bf-109. The Hurricane monoplane, in a shiny metallic gray livery, was actually a mixture of new technologies - in aerodynamic terms - like the wing monoplane, retractable by the providential wide track, closed cockpit, radio, but the reality behind the fuselage 'cockpit was in welded steel tubes covered with wooden structures which were given the painted canvas, remained so in the future. The Hurricane was a formidable fighter for 1937, when he entered the service had no equal in the world. But you could not ignore that its structure only partially metallic, and its thick wing were not entirely acceptable for the evolution necessary for the following years: even with upgraded engines, it would not be possible to significantly exceed the speed Hurricane base.

Download or read book Polish Fighter Colours 1939 1947 written by Bartłomiej Belcarz and published by MMP. This book was released on 2016 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book describes in detail the camouflage and markings of the day fighters used by the Polish Air Force in 1939-47. Aircraft of Polish, French, British, American, Soviet and German origin are shown. Written by a well-known quartet of distinguished Polish aviation historians: Kopański, Belcarz, Gretzyngier and Matusiak. Many historical photos and color profiles.

Download or read book Hawker Hurricane written by Melvyn Hiscock and published by Crowood Press UK. This book was released on 2003-12-18 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Directly descended from some of the fastest, most beautiful and most effective military aircraft of the 1930s, the Hawker Hurricane was the RAF's first monoplane fighter, and the hero of the Battle of Britain. Melvyn Hiscock's photographic study takes us under the skin of the aircraft, to the very first principles of the design and construction of this beautiful fighter. Using archive and specially taken photographs, many shot behind the scenes at AJD Engineering - Hurricane restoration experts - the author shows in detail how the Hurricane is put together, revealing details rarely seen and providing an invaluable resource for the modeler and the aviation enthusiast.

Download or read book RAF Fighter Pilots Over Burma written by Norman Franks and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2014-01-22 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It is a recognized fact that, had the war gone badly for the Allies on the India/Burma front, and had the Japanese succeeded in invading the Indian Continent, the outcome of the war would have been entirely different. Yet despite this, the campaign on the Burma front is offered surprisingly scant coverage in the majority of photo-history books. This new book, from respected military historian and author Norman Franks, attempts to redress the balance, noting the importance of this particular aerial conflict within the wider context of the Second World War.Franks takes as his focus the pilots, aircraft and landscapes that characterized the campaign. Photographs acquired during the course of an intensive research period are consolidated into a volume that is sure to make for a popular addition to the established Images of War series. Many unpublished photographs feature, each one offering a new insight into the conflict as it unfolded over Burmese skies. The archive offers a wealth of dynamic images of RAF Hurricanes and Spitfires in flight, with shots of both the aircraft and the pilots employed during this challenging conflict. To fly and fight in Burma, pilots really had to be at the top of their game. The Japanese enemy certainly weren't the only problem to contend with; weather, poor food, incredible heat and all its attendant maladies, jungle diseases, tigers, elephants, fevers... The Japanese were the real enemy but the British pilots had so much more to deal with. And they did it for years. In Britain, a pilot could look forward to a break from operations every six months or so on average. In Burma, pilots first employed in 1941 were still flying operations in 1944. The collection represents a determination on the author's part to record the part played by these resilient and skilled RAF fighter pilots, the contribution that they paid in supporting General Slim's 14th Army and the part they ultimately played in defeating the Japanese attempts to break through into India. These efforts, all paramount and imperative to success, are celebrated here in words and images in a volume sure to appeal to Spitfire and Hurricane enthusiasts, as well as the more general reader.

Download or read book Polish Air Force Fighter Aircraft 1943 1945 written by Peter Sikora and published by Air World. This book was released on 2024-08-30 with total page 266 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the first combat over Poland in 1939, until Bomber Command’s assault on Hitler’s alpine retreat at Berchtesgaden in April 1945, when the red and white marked Mustangs escorted the bombers on their way to the target, there was no major RAF aerial operation undertaken in Europe without the involvement of Polish fighter squadrons and pilots. As well as mounting offensive sorties from the UK, Polish fighter squadrons fought in North Africa in 1943, where they added to their already formidable reputation. Some Polish airmen were even posted to the US Air Force, again proving themselves in battle. Polish fighter pilots operated over the Normandy beaches in support of the D-Day landings in June 1944. Some of the Polish squadrons were then deployed across the Channel to France, from where they undertook dangerous dive-bombing missions, while their colleagues in Britain chased the much-feared V1 flying bombs. The last Polish claims were made in April 1945, when a number of the Luftwaffe’s technically-advanced Messerschmitt Me 262 jets were destroyed in a dog fight by Nos. 306 and 309 Polish squadrons. These victories marked the end of the journey that started almost six years earlier. After claiming a total of 748 enemy aircraft destroyed under British and American command, Polish fighter pilots gained a reputation for being loyal and fearsome warriors, who sacrificed nearly 550 of their own men, killed in action, wounded, missing, or captured, while fighting for the freedom that their countrymen would not enjoy for many decades. Polish fighter pilots fought in the skies from the very first day of the war until its last. As well as seeing action in Western Europe, they fought in Italy, North Africa and in Asia. The last PAF airman was killed in action on 4 May 1945. He was a fighter pilot of No. 317 (City of Wilno) Squadron. While his Spitfire was going down, not only Wilno, but the rest of Poland, was being absorbed into the Soviet Union. He died for a cause that was already lost. Nevertheless, the achievements of the Polish squadrons, man for man, rank amongst the highest of the Allied nations.

Download or read book The Four Geniuses of the Battle of Britain written by David Coles and published by Casemate Publishers. This book was released on 2012-10-24 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Had it not been for the vital contributions of the four men and their inventions described in this book the Battle of Britain could not have been won by the Royal Air Force. Each of these brilliant men contributed enormously to the aircraft and equipment upon which the gallant RAF fighter pilots depended to take on and defeat the hitherto overpowering Luftwaffe during Hitlers European onslaught. Watson Watt was the moving force behind Britains vital early warning radar network that allowed Allied fighter aircraft to intercept the incoming German bomber raids. Henry Royce was the driving force throughout the development of the Merlin engine that powered both the Hurricane and Spitfire.Sydney Camm persevered with the design of the Hawker Hurricane which was to destroy more Luftwaffe bombers in the Battle than any other type. It was amazingly resilient and provided an extremely stable gun platform. Never living long enough to see the success of his beautiful Spitfire, RJ Mitchell was the designer of the only British aircraft that could outperform the Nazi Bf 109s fighters and which allowed the attacking Hurricanes a little more safety while doing their job below. This is the story of those men behind the scene of the greatest air battle in history. "

Download or read book Bader s War written by S. P. Mackenzie and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: More than a quarter of a century after his death, Douglas Bader remains the most famous fighter pilot Britain has every known. He lost both of his legs a flying accident in 1931, but overcame his disability and returned to the RAF in 1939, rising to command a Canadian fighter squadron and then the first RAF fighter wing during the Battle of Britain. Shot down and made prisoner, he made numerous escape attempts and became so aggravating to his German captors that he was held in Colditz Castle. Widely recognised for his exploits during the war, he became even more famous from the 1950s onward as a result on a bestselling biography that served as the basis of the hit film Reach for the Sky.While he had as many flaws as laudable qualities, Bader undeniably achieved great things, both during the Second World War and in his later work for the disabled. Bader's War makes use of new memoirs, interviews, and documents that have only recently become available to shed more light on various episodes in his life and provide a rounded and unbiased portrayal of this fascinating man.

Download or read book The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II written by Chris Bishop and published by Sterling Publishing Company, Inc.. This book was released on 2002 with total page 558 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The encyclopedia of weapns of world war II is the most detailed and authoritative compendium of the weapons of mankind's greatesst conflict ever published. It is a must for the military, enthusiast, and all those interested in World War II.