Download or read book Flak Bait the Story of the Men who Flew the Martin Marauders written by Devon Francis and published by . This book was released on 1948 with total page 418 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Flak written by Edward B. Westermann and published by University Press of Kansas. This book was released on 2001-11-12 with total page 432 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Air raid sirens wail, searchlight beams flash across the sky, and the night is aflame with tracer fire and aerial explosions, as Allied bombers and German anti-aircraft units duel in the thundering darkness. Such "cinematic" scenes, played out with increasing frequency as World War II ground to a close, were more than mere stock material for movie melodramas. As Edward Westermann reveals, they point to a key but largely unappreciated aspect of the German war effort that has yet to get its full due. Long the neglected stepchild in studies of World War II air campaigns, German flak or anti-aircraft units have been frequently dismissed by American, British, and German historians (and by veterans of the European air war) as ineffective weapons that wasted valuable material and personnel resources desperately needed elsewhere by the Third Reich. Westermann emphatically disagrees with that view and makes a convincing case for the significant contributions made by the entire range of German anti-aircraft defenses. During the Allied air campaigns against the Third Reich, well over a million tons of bombs were dropped upon the German homeland, killing nearly 300,000 civilians, wounding another 780,000, and destroying more than 3,500,000 industrial and residential structures. Not surprisingly, that aerial Armageddon has inspired countless studies of both the victorious Allied bombing offensive and the ultimately doomed Luftwaffe defense of its own skies. By contrast, flak units have virtually been ignored, despite the fact that they employed more than a million men and women, were responsible for more than half of all Allied aircraft losses, forced Allied bombers to fly far above high-accuracy altitudes, and thus allowed Germany to hold out far longer than it might have otherwise. Westermann's definitive study sheds new light on every facet of the development and organization of this vital defense arm, including its artillery, radar, searchlight, barrage balloon, decoy sites, and command components. Highlighting the convergence of technology, strategy, doctrine, politics, and economics, Flak also provides revealing insights into German strategic thought, Hitler's obsession with micromanaging the war, and the lives of the members of the flak units themselves, including the large number of women, factory workers, and even POWs who participated.
Download or read book B 26 Flak Bait written by Alan F. Crouchman and published by Schiffer Military History. This book was released on 2022-07-28 with total page 400 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The definitive history of Flak-Bait, the most accomplished American bomber of the Second World War.
Download or read book Maryland Virginia and Washington D C Warbird Survivors 2003 written by Harold A. Skaarup and published by iUniverse. This book was released on 2003-04-07 with total page 380 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: North America is replete in aviation history, both military and civilian. The sheer size of the United States dictated an early interest in air defense and profoundly influenced the nations dependence on air travel. It is no wonder that the United States developed as an air-faring nation. A large part of the leadership that contributed to that development can be traced to Americas Air Force. Indeed, its proud military heritage is embodied in the dedicated individuals who have served and continue to do soand in the marvelous aircraft they have flown. The preservation and public display of these aircraft is a labor of love for many, including the editor of this book. If you are an enthusiast of military aviation history, or one with a passing interest who simply wishes to learn more, you will find a wealth of information in these well-researched pages.
Download or read book Popular Science written by and published by . This book was released on 1948-12 with total page 302 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Popular Science gives our readers the information and tools to improve their technology and their world. The core belief that Popular Science and our readers share: The future is going to be better, and science and technology are the driving forces that will help make it better.
Download or read book Best of the National Air and Space Museum written by F. Robert van der Linden and published by Smithsonian Institution. This book was released on 2016-06-28 with total page 225 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Experience the thrill of flying some of the world's most important airplanes and spacecraft. Best of the National Air and Space Museum provides unprecedented access to the most popular museum in the world. The Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum hosts an average of seven million visits every year. The Udvar-Hazy Center—three football fields long and ten stories high—receives more than one million visits annually. Best of the National Air and Space Museum features the best of both museums, from the Challenger space shuttle and the Wright flyer to the Spirit of St. Louis and the stealth bomber. Robert Van der Linden, curator of aeronautics, has selected the most important, popular, and just plain impressive aircraft and spacecraft from the collections of both museums to be showcased in this beautiful book. Each page spread includes intriguing facts of the item's design, use, mission, specifications, and dimensions. A must-have for space and aviation buffs.
Download or read book The B 26 Goes to War written by Stan Walsh and published by AuthorHouse. This book was released on 2018-02-16 with total page 194 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center Mary Baker Engen Restoration Hangar Chantilly, Virginia Two complete and separate design cycles chronicles our story – The B-26 Goes to War. War fever caused authorities to forego prototype testing – the B-26 went straight from drawing board to battle. The 22nd Bomb Group, with short 65 ft. wingspan B-26s entered combat in the Southwest Pacific. The Army’s Torpedo Challenge chronicles exploits in the realm of pure fantasy. Getting-it-right – Navy torpedoes on Army bombers – is intense, vivid and entertaining. Flying the “straight” uncovered deficiencies. A modified B-26B emerged with a 71 ft. wingspan. These were earmarked for combat in North Africa and Europe. For the Flak-Bait story see Appendix H. The ultramodern Martin B-26 prototype medium bomber first flown 25 November 1940 achieved a top speed of 315 mph, fastest of any U.S. bomber and narrowing the gap between its speed and that of existing Army pursuit planes. Innovations include: self-sealing gas tanks, armor plating and a full bomb load of two tons.
Download or read book The Putt putt Air Force written by Patricia Strickland and published by . This book was released on 1970 with total page 140 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Flak Bait written by James P. Simpson and published by Eakin Press. This book was released on 2015-10-28 with total page 202 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: James P. Simpson is a gifted storyteller whose life embraced some of the most significant events of the 20th century. He is the last survivor of the small team that investigated and prosecuted the forces of organized crime on Galveston Island 50 years ago. His tales of defeating the Maceo gambling empire, without the assistance of local law enforcement, add a colorful chapter to Texas history. His memories of a Depression-era childhood are full of charming and bittersweet moments. Some of the most insightful writing about America's air war in Europe appears in accounts of his 59 bombing missions over France and Germany. Adventure often gives way to misadventure in his hilarious chronicle of life as an FBI agent in Chicago and Minnesota. And as a trial lawyer in Galveston County, Jim Simpson tackles some of the area's most important litigation, enthralling all with his folksy, eloquent voice-in court, in life, and in these pages. James P. Simpson is a retired trial lawyer who now lives in League City, Texas. He is a graduate of the University of Texas School of Law and the FBI Academy. In 1957, as Special Assistant Attorney General, he led a small team of investigators who were responsible for closing scores of gambling enterprises, houses of prostitution, and other illicit businesses on Galveston Island, ending decades of organized crime. Geoffrey Leavenworth is the author of Isle of Misfortune, a novel, and the architecture volume, Historic Galveston. His work has appeared in The New York Times, Texas Monthly, Time, and many other publications.
Download or read book Air Classics written by and published by . This book was released on 1968 with total page 862 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Harness Horse written by and published by . This book was released on 1991 with total page 326 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book U S Air Services written by and published by . This book was released on 1945 with total page 590 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Blister Club written by Michael Lee Lanning and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2021-10-01 with total page 365 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: During World War II, some 10,000 American bombers and fighters were shot down over Europe. Of the crews aboard, 26,000 men were killed, while 30,000 survived being shot down only to be captured and made prisoners of war. Against the longest of odds, nearly 3,000 airmen made it to the ground alive, evaded capture, and escaped to safety. These men proudly called themselves the Blister Club. Drawing on tens of thousands of pages of mostly untapped documents in the National Archives, Michael Lee Lanning tells the story of these courageous airmen. They had received escape-and-evasion (E & E) training, and some were lucky enough to land with their E-&-E kits—but all bets were off once they hit the ground. They landed after an air catastrophe. The geography was usually unfamiliar. Civilians might or might not be trustworthy. German soldiers and Gestapo agents hunted down airmen as well as civilians who dared help them. If an airman abandoned his uniform for civilian garb, he forfeited Geneva Convention protections. Most faced the daunting task of escaping on foot across hundreds of miles. The fortunate connected with one of the established escape routes to Spain or Switzerland or across the English Channel, or they hooked up with the underground resistance or friendly civilians. Upon return to friendly lines, these men were often able to provide valuable intelligence about enemy troop dispositions and civilian morale. Many volunteered to fly again even though regulations prohibited it. The Blister Club is history with a punch. With a historian’s eye, Lanning covers the hows and whys of escape-and-evasion and aerial combat in the European theater, but the book also vividly captures the stories of the airmen who did the escaping and evading, including that of a young pilot named Chuck Yeager, who, during his own escape, aided the French Resistance and helped another downed airman to safety—and then begged to fly again, eventually securing Eisenhower’s approval to return to the air, where he achieved ace status. Stories of escape are popular, especially those set during World War II, as are stories of the war in the air. Combining both of these, The Blister Club should find an enthusiastic audience.
Download or read book 322nd Bombardment Group written by and published by . This book was released on 1996 with total page 414 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book B 26 Marauder Units of the Eighth and Ninth Air Forces written by Jerry Scutts and published by Osprey Publishing. This book was released on 1997-05-15 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The medium bomber 'workhorse' of the Ninth Air Force, Martin's much-maligned B-26 Marauder recovered from its poor start with the Eighth Air Force to go on and equip no less than eight bomber groups in the ETO. Although initially dubbed 'the widow maker', a change of tactics from low- to medium-level bombing for the Marauder soon improved the crews' chances of survival – indeed, by war's end it boasted a lower loss-per-sortie ratio than any other twin-engined bomber in the USAAF. This volume covers all aspects of Marauder operations in Western Europe during World War II (1939-1945), featuring first hand accounts from surviving B-26 crews, plus an analysis of the tactics employed.
Download or read book Air Force Magazine written by and published by . This book was released on 1993-07 with total page 608 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
