Download or read book Valiant Boys written by Tony Blackman and published by Grub Street Publishing. This book was released on 2015-04-19 with total page 209 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A fascinating collection of personal accounts of operating Britain’s first V bomber by aircrew and ground crew. Valiant Boys tells the story from the aircraft’s birth, taking off from Vickers’ tiny airfield at Wisley near Brooklands, to its premature death from fatigue. There are tales of testing atom bombs in the Australian desert, dropping hydrogen bombs in the middle of the Pacific, and attacking airfields with conventional bombs in Egypt during the Suez campaign. We are reminded of how the Valiant provided the UK’s first nuclear deterrent by always having some armed aircraft on stand-by twenty-four hours a day, supported by their air and ground crews, ready to be flown at a moment’s notice on a one-way trip to launch an atomic war. Some Valiants were given a photographic role providing accurate images from high altitude and were used not only to gather military intelligence but also to survey the UK and countries overseas. Others were developed into flight refueling tankers, breaking point to point records before enabling Britain’s fighter aircraft to be refueled and fly anywhere in the world. Valiant Boys completes Tony Blackman’s trilogy of the three V bombers. As Marshal of the Royal Air Force, Sir Michael Beetham makes it clear in his foreword, “It is good to have a book written by aircrew and ground crew telling their stories and how they operated the aircraft so that all these things are recorded and not forgotten.” Not as well-known as the Vulcan and Victor, the Valiant is often overlooked; this book will change that.
Download or read book 46 Miles written by Jarra Brown and published by Andrews UK Limited. This book was released on 2015-06-24 with total page 452 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When Jarra Brown hears church bells he cannot fail to be reminded of the hundreds – 345 to be precise – of service personnel who passed through the beautiful rural Wiltshire countryside into Oxfordshire. These men and women were not hiking across its green pastures or sitting on top of the number 55 bus, instead they were lifeless, resting inside a coffin draped with the Union flag. By the end of August 2011 the bells of St Bartholomew's Church in Wootton Bassett had tolled more times than the residents of this once peaceful town cared to think about, for each chime represented the moment the police convoy accompanying the hearse from RAF Lyneham entered the High Street. A moment frozen in time, a moment when the residents of this town came to show their respects, a moment that couldn't have been more fitting even if it had been choreographed. There was no call to arms by the Town Crier, just a spontaneous, modest and unprompted response to those who had paid the ultimate price in the name of duty. 46 Miles is not a book about the politics of war, the whys and wherefores of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts, or indeed the hidden agendas and government strategies. It is about a town which captured the hearts of our nation and whose emotions rippled the entire 46 mile journey of honour, dignity and respect into Oxford. It is dedicated to those 345 people who, having signed up to serve their Queen and country, paid with their lives. Wootton Bassett, who nurtured the grieving on every occasion, wanted to let the nation know that these heroes will never be forgotten.
Download or read book Strategic lift written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Defence Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2007-07-05 with total page 106 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Ministry of Defence needs the capability to transport personnel, equipment and stores from the UK to operational theatres across the globe. This capability, known as Strategic Lift, can by delivered by sea, land or air, and its annual cost to the MoD is almost £800 million a year. The Committee's report examines the progress of the MoD in delivering the Strategic Lift requirements set out in the Strategic Defence Review and whether these requirements need to be revisited given the experience of the operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. Findings include that good progress has been made in improving strategic sea-lift, particularly in relation to Ro-Ro ships and the acquisition of Landing Platform Dock (Auxiliary) vessels. However, strategic air-lift is a particular concern given the age of many of the aircraft, and the report looks at the progress of two major equipment programmes designed to deliver new transport aircraft (the A400M transport aircraft) and new tanker aircraft (the Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft).
Download or read book Air Pictorial written by and published by . This book was released on 1992-02 with total page 62 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Lifeline in Helmand RAF Frontline Air Supply in Afghanistan written by Roger Annett and published by Casemate Publishers. This book was released on 2011-02-23 with total page 387 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Afghanistan is the theater where 1310 Flights role is to provide the heavy-lift support helicopter element within the British Forces Joint Helicopter Command. Its Headquarters are at Wilton because the unit reports to British Land Forces HQ, meaning that the Operational Command of its RAF personnel lies with the Army. RAF Odiham in Hampshire offers the Flight the largest fleet of Chinooks outside the US Army. Currently, eight of those machines are detached to Afghanistan at any one time, within the International Security Assistance Force. This book explains how 1310 Flight practice and prepare the replacement crews for their tour in Helmand, the most difficult combat zone experienced by the British since World War II. It also contains firsthand accounts and photographs of operational experience during a tour in the battle zone.
Download or read book Flight written by and published by . This book was released on 1961 with total page 1036 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Praetorian STARShip the untold story of the Combat Talon written by and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on 2001 with total page 507 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Jerry Thigpen's study on the history of the Combat Talon is the first effort to tell the story of this wonderfully capable machine. This weapons system has performed virtually every imaginable tactical event in the spectrum of conflict and by any measure is the most versatile C-130 derivative ever produced. First modified and sent to Southeast Asia (SEA) in 1966 to replace theater unconventional warfare (UW) assets that were limited in both lift capability and speed the Talon I quickly adapted to theater UW tasking including infiltration and resupply and psychological warfare operations into North Vietnam. After spending four years in SEA and maturing into a highly respected UW weapons system the Joint Chief of Staff (JCS) chose the Combat Talon to lead the night low-level raid on the North Vietnamese prison camp at Son Tay. Despite the outcome of the operation the Talon I cemented its reputation as the weapons system of choice for long-range clandestine operations. In the period following the Vietnam War United States Air Force (USAF) special operations gradually lost its political and financial support which was graphically demonstrated in the failed Desert One mission into Iran. Thanks to congressional supporters like Earl Hutto of Florida and Dan Daniel of Virginia funds for aircraft upgrades and military construction projects materialized to meet the ever-increasing threat to our nation. Under the leadership of such committed hard-driven officers as Brenci Uttaro Ferkes Meller and Thigpen the crew force became the most disciplined in our Air Force. It was capable of penetrating hostile airspace at night in a low-level mountainous environment covertly to execute any number of unconventional warfare missions.
Download or read book Craftsmen of the Army written by Prince Philip and published by Casemate Publishers. This book was released on 2017-10-30 with total page 690 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) provides the Armys integral repair and recovery capability. Its soldiers are deployed at the front line and have to be capable of switching instantly from a technical role to fighting alongside those they support, as their many awards for gallantry demonstrate.This, the third volume of REMEs distinguished history covers the period from post-Cold War drawdown to the end of UK combat operations in Afghanistan, during which time REME was continuously involved in operations. The narrative knits together personal accounts of front line experiences with an explanation the political and military background, with a particular focus on equipment support issues.It explains how REME operates and deals with broader issues related to the procurement and support of equipment, and the changing organizations delivering these vital services, within which members of REME have frequently played key enabling roles.
Download or read book Parliamentary Debates Hansard written by Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 1218 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Straight True written by Hugh Soar and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2012-10-08 with total page 229 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The arrow, essentially a specialized spear, is among the most ancient human inventions and can be found in cultures throughout the world. The need to launch a projectile farther and with greater accuracy than is possible with the human arm gave rise to a variety of solutions. Spearthrowers which extend the length of the users arm and therefore transfer greater power to the projectile were developed far back in prehistory, and both the American Indian atlatl and the Australian woomera are examples of this technology. Blowpipes, too, are recorded in various cultures and represent another ancient technology. It was soon discovered that a stringed bow could launch a small spear-like projectile we now know as the arrow, and this combination became the dominant method for shooting projectiles for tens of thousands of years. A wonderfully simple device, the arrow and bow revolutionized both hunting and warfare, not only because of the speed, force, and accuracy that could be achieved, but by the fact that the arrow makes almost no sound as it flies toward its target, providing an essential element of surprise. In The Arrow: A Brief History, Hugh D. H. Soar describes the transition from hand-thrown spear to bow-launched arrow and then follows the arrows developments in cultures around the world and across time. The book describes arrows found in Neolithic sites; those used by North and South American Indiansincluding a detailed discussion of poison- tipped arrows; arrows used in China, Japan, and Mongolia; and finally the arrow in Europe, where it was successfully paired with the longbow during the Middle Ages. The author completes his survey with the changes in technology introduced during the twentieth century though the use of aluminum and other light-weight metals as well as synthetic materials to construct parts of the arrow. Relying on his considerable knowledge accumulated through decades of research, the author provides the reader with an appreciation for a humble device that, coupled with the bow, changed the history of the world.
Download or read book Indian Aviation written by and published by . This book was released on 1967 with total page 650 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Sweeping the Skies written by David Charles Gunby and published by . This book was released on 1995 with total page 440 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Cold War Boys Overseas written by Graham Pitchfork and published by Grub Street Publishing. This book was released on 2024-09-26 with total page 233 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Until the end of the Cold War in 1990, the RAF had several major bases worldwide – largely in those areas where the service had been based during the inter-war years. In Cold War Boys Overseas contributors recall their time at these foreign destinations. With almost half of RAF personnel serving abroad in the 1960s situated throughout Germany, the book starts its focus there with tales of monitoring the Soviet threat. The stories then advance to the warmer climates of the Near East and Far East where different challenges awaited those serving there. As the period progressed RAF squadrons saw changes to their equipment with Hunters, Javelins and Canberras being replaced by a new generation of combat aircraft such as the Buccaneer, Harrier, Jaguar, Phantom and Vulcan. Innovation of missile defense and the expansion of the role of helicopters were also critical at this time. How this affected the RAF is told by the aircrew and ground crew who served then. The stories that feature in the book reveal just how serving overseas was a different way of life and the chapters illustrate the many facets of the RAF’s capabilities across the globe. They also highlight a lifestyle that no longer exists in today’s RAF. Buckle up and allow the Cold War Boys to take you on a thrilling adventure across the globe.
Download or read book Flight and Aircraft Engineer written by and published by . This book was released on 1957 with total page 1020 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Tirpitz written by John Sweetman and published by Sutton Publishing. This book was released on 2000 with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Based on extensive research of British and German records, plus interviews and correspondence with a wide range of participants and relevant authorities this book is the most comprehensive account of the air attacks on the Tirpit yet to be published.
Download or read book Nursing Times Nursing Mirror written by and published by . This book was released on 2003 with total page 692 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Aeroplane written by and published by . This book was released on 1957 with total page 1068 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
