Download or read book Bomber Missions written by G. E. Patrick Murray and published by Friedman/Fairfax Pub. This book was released on 2001 with total page 144 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Planes on the ground, being readied for the fight. Others in mid-battle, soaring above smoke-and-fire filled targets or engaging in skirmishes with nearby enemy pilots. And still more, returning from the fray, their crews blessedly still alive. 75 breathtaking paintings capture in vivid detail the drama and action of air combat in World War II--the war that launched a new era in military history with its strategic use of bombers. The contributors include many of today's most noted historical artists, including Robert Bailey, Stan Stokes, Robert Taylor, Roy Grinnell, and Jim Dietz. Extensive captions offer insight into each scene, with information on the pilot, crew, and unit, while archival photographs of these brave soldiers of the air breathe life into each scene--Publisher.
Download or read book Bomber Pilot on the Eastern Front written by Vasily Reshetnikov and published by Casemate Publishers. This book was released on 2008-09-22 with total page 362 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A Soviet bomber pilot who flew more than 300 missions behind enemy lines offers a rare firsthand account of life on the Eastern Front in this WWII memoir. Soviet bombers played a vital role in defeating the Germans on the Eastern Front, yet their contribution is often forgotten. This graphic memoir should help to set the record straight. Vasily Reshetnikov, a leading Soviet bomber pilot who flew throughout the conflict, tells his story from the desperate days of the German assault in 1941 through the Russian offensive and the race to Berlin. For his heroism in combat, Reshetnikov was named a Hero oft he Soviet Union, the highest honor awarded in the Soviet military. In Bomber Pilot on the Eastern Front, he shares a vivid account of his experiences during more than three hundred bombing missions in the dangerous skies over Russia, the Ukraine, Poland and Germany.
Download or read book Realistic Bomber Training Initiative written by United States. Air Force and published by . This book was released on 2000 with total page 334 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book 33 Heavy Bomber Missions with 576th Sq 392nd B Gp 2nd Air Division 8th Air Force and Then 10 Months in Stalag Luft III Forced March Box Car Ride and Stalag VII A written by Harry Everett Thomas and published by . This book was released on 1993 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Shot at and Missed written by Jack R. Myers and published by University of Oklahoma Press. This book was released on 2014-10-30 with total page 321 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this riveting narrative, Jack R. Myers recounts his experiences as a B-17 bombardier during World War II. Commissioned a second lieutenant in 1944 at age twenty, Myers began flying missions with the 2nd Bomb Group, U.S. Fifteenth Air Force. He learned firsthand the exhilaration—and terror—of being shot at and missed. Based in Italy, the Fifteenth Air Force flew strategic bombing raids over southern Germany, Austria, Hungary, Rumania, and Czechoslovakia. Less celebrated than the Eighth Air Force, which flew out of England, the Fifteenth, nevertheless, was pivotal in dismantling the German industrial complex. Myers offers an insider’s view of these missions over southern and central Europe. The reader goes with him into the highly exposed Plexiglas nose of the Flying Fortress, flying with him through the flak-filled skies of Europe and peering with him through his Norden bombsight at Axis targets. On average, a heavy-bomber crewman survived only sixteen bombing missions. Myers survived his allotted thirty-five missions before being honorably discharged in 1945.
Download or read book Flying Flak Alley written by Alan L. Griggs and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2015-01-28 with total page 268 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Air warfare was a decisive component of World War II, especially in western Europe and over Japan, where Allied bombers damaged 66 of the country's largest cities. The guts and glory of the bomber crews came, however, with a high casualty rate which had only improved marginally by the war's end. Descriptions of the bombers' harrowing missions told from the firsthand perspective of their pilots, navigators, bombardiers and gunners create the immediacy of a single person's experience during one of America's most daring military expeditions. A short biography of each veteran accompanies these tales of typical and not-so-typical missions.
Download or read book B 1B Bomber written by United States. General Accounting Office and published by . This book was released on 1995 with total page 28 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Evolution of the USAF Strategic Nuclear Bomber Deterrent written by George J. Refuto and published by Dorrance Publishing. This book was released on 2023-04-28 with total page 436 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: About the Book In this research study, former Defense Department consultant George Refuto traces the technological evolution of USAF long-range strategic nuclear bomber aircraft during and after the Cold War, as well as the development of their missions and utilization of US nuclear bombers in 21st century regional and global military threat scenarios. Five distinct periods are covered in this study: World War I (1914-1918), the Interwar Period (1919-1939), World War II (1939-1945), the Cold War (1946-1991), and the Post-Cold War Period (1991-present), with an emphasis on the latter two. In his writing, Refuto focuses on developing a model that encompasses bombing and air defense for each period, and showing how concepts, technologies, and implementations of strategic bombing have changed and influenced the current level of development of the USAF strategic nuclear bomber force and doctrine, and what is projected for the future. About the Author George J. Refuto is a former Defense Department consultant who has extensive academic and professional experience in the fields of military history, weapon systems technology, intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance systems, and US national security/defense policy. He has worked in both the defense and intelligence communities, and holds a master’s degree in International Affairs from Columbia University, with specializations in US/USSR strategic and theater/tactical nuclear forces, undersea and airborne naval weapons systems, and Russian-Soviet politics. He has previously published Evolution of the US Sea-based Nuclear Missile Deterrent: Warfighting Capabilities and is working on a third book on the US ICBM deterrent.
Download or read book Operation Chowhound written by Stephen Dando-Collins and published by St. Martin's Press. This book was released on 2015-02-24 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The true story of a little-known, yet remarkable World War II operation, which had all the hallmarks of a suicide mission. Beginning with a crazy plan hatched by a suspect prince, and an even crazier reliance on the word of the Nazis, Operation Chowhound was devised. Between May 1 and May 8, 1945, 2,268 military units flown by the USAAF, dropped food to 3.5 million starving Dutch civilians in German-occupied Holland. It took raw courage to fly on Operation Chowhound, as American aircrews never knew when the German AAA might open fire on them or if Luftwaffe fighters might jump them. Flying at 400 feet, barely above the tree tops, with guns pointed directly at them, they would have no chance to bail out if their B-17s were hit—and yet, over eight days, 120,000 German troops kept their word, and never fired on the American bombers. As they flew, grateful Dutch civilians spelled out "Thanks Boys" in the tulip fields below. Many Americans who flew in Operation Chowhound would claim it was the best thing they did in the war. In this gripping narrative, author Stephen Dando-Collins takes the reader into the rooms where Operation Chowhound was born, into the aircraft flying the mission, and onto the ground in the Netherlands with the civilians who so desperately needed help. James Bond creator Ian Fleming, Hollywood actress Audrey Hepburn, as well as Roosevelt, Eisenhower, and Churchill all play a part in this story, creating a compelling, narrative read.
Download or read book A Wing and a Prayer written by Harry H. Crosby and published by Open Road Media. This book was released on 2021-09-14 with total page 366 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “A compelling account of the air war against Germany” written by the navigator portrayed by Anthony Boyle in Apple TV’s Masters of the Air (Publishers Weekly). They began operations out of England in the spring of ’43. They flew their Flying Fortresses almost daily against strategic targets in Europe in the name of freedom. Their astonishing courage and appalling losses earned them the name that resounds in the annals of aerial warfare and made the “Bloody Hundredth” a legend. Harry H. Crosby—depicted in the miniseries Masters of the Air developed by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg—arrived with the very first crews, and left with the very last. After dealing with his fear and gaining in skill and confidence, he was promoted to Group Navigator, surviving hairbreadth escapes and eluding death while leading thirty-seven missions, some of them involving two thousand aircraft. Now, in a breathtaking and often humorous account, he takes us into the hearts and minds of these intrepid airmen to experience both the triumph and the white-knuckle terror of the war in the skies. “Affecting . . . A vivid account . . . Uncommonly thoughtful recollections that address the moral ambiguities of a great cause without in any way denigrating the selfless valor or camaraderie that helped ennoble it.” —Kirkus Reviews “Re-creates for us the sense of how it was when European skies were filled with noise and danger, when the fate of millions hung in the balance. An evocative and excellent memoir.” —Library Journal “The acrid stench of fear and cordite, the coal burning stoves, the heroics, the losses . . . This has to be the best memoir I have read, bar none.” —George Hicks, director of the Airmen Memorial Museum
Download or read book Flying with the Fifteenth Air Force written by Tom Faulkner and published by University of North Texas Press. This book was released on 2018-11-15 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 1944 and 1945, Tom Faulkner was a B-24 pilot flying out of San Giovanni airfield in Italy as a member of the 15th Air Force of the U.S. Army Air Forces. Only 19 years old when he completed his 28th and last mission, Tom was one of the youngest bomber pilots to serve in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II. Between September 1944 and the end of February 1945, he flew against targets in Hungary, Germany, Italy, Austria, and Yugoslavia. On Tom’s last mission against the marshalling yards at Augsburg, Germany, his plane was severely damaged, and he had to fly to Switzerland where he and his crew were interned. The 15th Air Force generally has been overshadowed by works on the 8th Air Force based in England. Faulkner’s memoir helps fill an important void by providing a first-hand account of a pilot and his crew during the waning months of the war, as well as a description of his experiences before his military service. David L. Snead has edited the memoir and provided annotations and corroboration for the various missions.
Download or read book V 1 Flying Bomb 1942 52 written by Steven J. Zaloga and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2011-07-20 with total page 49 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first deployment of the V-1 was in June 1944 when, following two years of tests, Hitler gave the order to attack England. Known to the Allies as the "Buzz Bomb" or "Doodlebug", the V-1 was the world's first cruise missile. This book explores the V-1 in detail, from its initial concept, first use in 1944, the various Allied counter-measures, and the later use of the V-1 during the Battle of the Bulge. The major foreign derivatives, including the US copy "JB-2 Loon" and numerous post-war Soviet variants, are also covered.
Download or read book Solo into the Rising Sun written by Ed Kittrell and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2020-06-01 with total page 377 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When we think about World War II bombers, we picture formations of scores of bombers, escorted and protected by fighters, flying into enemy territory and bombing the hell out of the enemy. In Europe and usually the Pacific, this was the standard approach, but some bomber squadrons flew a different kind of mission. This was the case for VPB-117 – the Blue Raiders – unique not only because its B-24 Liberators flew for the U.S. Navy and not the Army, but also because most of the Raiders’ missions entailed bombers venturing out over the Pacific, alone, to seek and destroy on long-range missions of a thousand miles out and a thousand back, often at altitudes close enough for sea spray to cloud their windows. This is their story.
Download or read book The Reich Wreckers An Analysis Of The 306th Bomb Group During World War II written by Major Charles J. Westgate III and published by Pickle Partners Publishing. This book was released on 2015-11-06 with total page 81 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This paper presents an analysis of the 306th Bomb Group’s contributions during World War II. Rather than providing a simple recounting of the various dates and accomplishments, the paper analyzes some of the key indicators and statistics of the group’s performance. In particular, the paper focuses on comparing aircraft losses and bombing results of the 306th with the Eighth Air Force’s. The analysis also examined other areas, such as: mission aborts, enemy aircraft claimed destroyed, weather conditions over target, bombing methods used, presence of fighter escorts, and strength of enemy air defenses (enemy fighter aircraft and flak). The purpose of the analysis was to gain a better understanding of the group’s overall performance within the bigger scope of the Eighth Air Force’s war effort. The analysis was conducted in three steps. First, the archives of the Air Force Historical Research Agency (AFHRA) were searched for statistics on the 306th. Next, similar statistics were collected for the Eighth Air Force. Finally, the data for the two units was analyzed and compared, to aid in determining conclusions. To facilitate the last step of the research, the air war was divided into four periods. The goals and objectives for each period were used as criteria to grade the unit’s effectiveness. In general, the study concluded that the 306th Bomb Group was a “typical” B-17 bomber group in World War II. When comparing the various statistics and graphs provide in this paper, we see that in most cases there was little difference in the data for the 306th and the Eighth Air Force. However, the statistics do not tell the whole story. As one of the cadre groups of the Eighth Air Force, many of the improvements and lessons learned during the early period of the war were at the expense of the 306th. These early lessons and experiments were important and led to the improvements that saved many lives and brought an end to the war.
Download or read book B 1B Bomber and Options for Enhancements written by Jeffrey A. Merkley and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on 2008-11 with total page 122 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The B-1B bomber has many special features that enhance its ability to penetrate Soviet air defenses. Even so, many reported deficiencies -- including shortcomings in the bomber¿s defensive and offensive avionics and a range that is shorter than anticipated -- have instilled doubts about its capability to perform the mission for which it was originally designed. This report raises three fundamental questions: (1) How serious are the deficiencies? (2) Should the U.S. change current plans and use the B-1B bomber as a standoff bomber carrying cruise missiles rather than as a penetrating bomber? (3) What enhancements should the Congress fund to improve the B-1B as either a penetrating bomber or as a standoff bomber? Illustrations.
Download or read book The B 1B Bomber and Options for Enhancements written by Jeffrey A. Merkley and published by . This book was released on 1988 with total page 124 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
