Download or read book R A F Great Massingham written by Peter B. Gunn and published by . This book was released on 1990 with total page 144 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book World War II RAF Airfields in Norfolk written by Martin W. Bowman and published by Casemate Publishers. This book was released on 2008-03-26 with total page 185 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As part of the Aviation Heritage Trail series, this book covers airfields in Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Yorkshire and Northamptonshire. 12 Group was formed in 1937 within Fighter Command to become responsible for aerial defense of the industrial Midlands. During World War Two this group was the second most important fighter group and as such, it received it's fair share of attacks from the German Luftwaffe throughout the war. As well as regional defense, 12 Group were also supposed to fly cover for 11 Group airfields during the Battle of Britain. The airfields and other places of interest include Digby, Hibaldstow, Kirton on Lindsey, Coltishall, Matlask, Swanton Morley, Catterick, Church Fenton, Clifton, Hutton Cranswick and WitteringThis book looks at the history and personalities associated with each base, what remains today and explores the favorite local wartime haunts. Museums and places that are relevant will also be described and general directions on how to get them included.
Download or read book Courage and Air Warfare written by Mark K. Wells and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2014-03-05 with total page 278 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Colonel Wells investigates the nature of aerial warfare and the men who took part. The book analyzes aircrew selection, reaction to combat, adaptability to stress, morale, leadership and combat effectiveness, and compares the efforts of the US Eighth Air Force and RAF Bomber Command.
Download or read book 100 Group Bomber Support written by Martin W. Bowman and published by Casemate Publishers. This book was released on 2006-11-27 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As part of the AHT series, the airfields and interest in this book are concentrated in a particular area—in this case Norfolk. The growing importance of the 'electronic war' in the air in 1943 caused the creation of 100 Group to fly both defensive and offensive sorties employing highly secret Radio Counter Measure equipment. The Group flew from airfields at Foulsham, Great Massingham, Little Snoring, North Creake, Swannington and West Raynham. The aircraft flown were Halifax, Beaufighter, Mosquito and Fortress. The Group included RAF Squadron numbers192, 169, 23, 171, 199, 214, 157, 85, 141 and 239.This book looks at the history and personalities associated with each base, what remains today and explores the favorite local wartime haunts where aircrew and ground crew would have sought well-deserved entertainment and relaxation. Other museums and places that are relevant will also be described and general directions on how to get them included.
Download or read book RAF and USAAF Airfields in the UK During the Second World War written by Geoff Mills and published by Fonthill Media. This book was released on 2022-03-31 with total page 1069 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Shortly after the end of the Second World War, the United Kingdom was described as one vast aircraft carrier anchored off the coast of Europe. During a seven year period 500 airfields were constructed to serve the needs first of the RAF and later the USAAF as they carried the war to German-occupied Europe. The airfields that were constructed took many different forms from training airfields and Advanced Landing Grounds to grass fighter airstrips and vast complexes used to accommodate heavy bombers. This book charts the history of each Second World War airfield in and around the UK providing a unique insight in to the construction, operational life and post-war history of each airfield. Alongside detailing the history of each airfield, this work comprehensively records the details of each unit that operated from airfields around the UK. The information provided in this meticulously researched book is supported by a wealth of 690 photographs providing an illustration into the life of each wartime station.
Download or read book Bill Edrich written by Leo McKinstry and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2024-07-18 with total page 281 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: CRICKET LEGEND. WARTIME HERO. FOOTBALL STAR. WILD MAN. 'A triumph. Leo McKinstry superbly draws together the many strands of a fascinating but flawed figure' –LAWRENCE BOOTH, WISDEN 'Bill Edrich shines through these pages. A wonderful book that needed to be written' – HENRY BLOFELD, OBE 'McKinstry's biography will fascinate cricket lovers' – THE TIMES Bill Edrich's story is one of cricket victories, explosive controversies, wartime glory and a life lived to the fullest. 571 first-class matches from 1934 to 1958. 36,965 runs. 29th on all-time lists. 86 centuries. 479 wickets. Bill Edrich was one of the biggest cricket stars of his time along with Denis Compton and Len Hutton. He was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1940 and played football for Norwich City and Tottenham Hotspur during the 1930s. In the first biography for 30 years, award-winning writer Leo McKinstry recounts Edrich's audacity both as a cricketer and an RAF pilot. Edrich's flying prowess brought him a promotion to Squadron Leader and won him the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) after his part in a courageous daylight raid over Cologne in August 1941. The same action-filled intensity applied to his turbulent private life. A man of keen amorous enthusiasms, he was married five times but rarely allowed his ardour to be inhibited by any wedding vows. Equally unrestrained was his fondness for alcohol and partying, though this trait brought him into conflict with both the cricket and the judicial authorities. After one particularly exuberant display of intoxication during a home Test match, he even lost his place in the England team, only to return for the famous Ashes triumph of 1953. A history of cricket victories, explosive controversies, wartime glory and a life lived to the fullest, this compelling biography reveals the story of one of cricketing's greatest characters.
Download or read book Bombs Away written by Martin W. Bowman and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2010-06-15 with total page 489 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is a unique selection of wide-ranging experiences of British and Commonwealth Bomber Command aircrew during World War II. Their endearing bravery and fortitude and sometimes their despondency and cynicism, shows through in these stirring, daring, often irreverent, humorous and sometimes sardonic but memorable stories. All reflect the ethos, camaraderie, fear and bravery of the largely ordinary men, most of whom were plucked from civvy street and thrust into a frightening, bitter conflict which was made even more dangerous by the lethal advance of technology.Death would normally come from an anonymous assassin, either in the black of night, or from behind a cloud or out of the sun, or simply from the Flak gunner on the ground. And, if all this was not enough, the often unmerciful weather was no respecter of mortality. There was no escaping the all-embracing shock wave that rippled through the bomber squadrons after a heavy mauling over enemy territory. Nothing could be more poignant than the vacuous places at tables in the depleted mess halls, the empty locker of the departed, or the dog pining by the barracks for its missing master. Each man had to deal with tragedy in his own inimitable way. Some hid their feelings better than others did only for the pain to resurface months or even years later. Some who had survived the physical pressures and who completed their tours then succumbed to the mental torture that had eaten away at their psyche during the incessant and interminable onslaught day after day, night after night. There was little respite. The valorous men of Bomber Command were, in turn, the Light Brigade, the stop gap, the riposte, the avengers, the undefeated. Always, they were expendable.
Download or read book 100 Group Bomber Support written by Martin W. Bowman and published by Casemate Publishers. This book was released on 2006-01-01 with total page 145 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Beretter om de flyvepladser, andre lokaliteter og personer, der under 2. verdenskrig var relateret til "100 Group (Bomber Support)" under Royal Air Force. Opgaven for 100 Group var at yde støtte til bombeoperationerne ved hjælp af elektronisk krigsførelse, såvel offensivt som defensivt.
Download or read book Aviation Landmarks Norfolk and Suffolk written by Peter B. Gunn and published by The History Press. This book was released on 2017-11-24 with total page 285 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Norfolk and Suffolk are bursting with aviation heritage, having played key roles in military aviation through the two world wars and beyond. This new edition of Aviation Landmarks– Norfolk and Suffolk presents an updated and revised account of aviation heritage and history through the two world wars right up to the present day. Nearly 70 airfields are covered, along with many lesser-known landmarks including decoy airfields, former radar stations, country houses, buildings, local heritage collections, pubs, village signs and much else. With illustrations, OS grid references and an index this reference guide to the two counties, both in the air and on the ground, will delight interested locals and aviation enthusiasts alike.
Download or read book RAF Bomber Command at War written by Rupert Matthews and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Bomber Command of the RAF fought one of the longest, most grueling, and thankless campaigns of World War II. More than 55,000 men and women were killed serving with the Command and the bombers inflicted severe and ultimately crippling damage to the German war effort. During the war years few branches of the armed services ranked higher with the public than did Bomber Command. This powerful book takes a new look at the exploits of the RAF's strike force during World War II. By looking at the conflict from the viewpoint of those serving in Bomber Command, this book reveals the why and the how of the Bomber Command campaigns. The abilities of the aircraft and aircrew are outlined, and the limits this put on operations explained. The book will help the reader understand the conditions under with the men of Bomber Command fought, lived and--tragically--so often died.
Download or read book Mosquito Mayhem written by Martin W. Bowman and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2010-11-20 with total page 388 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “This is the book that puts the flesh on the bones of its reputation as one of the best aircraft of the Second World War.” —Pennant Magazine The flak started about four or five minutes before the target and immediately it was apparent that it was intense and extremely accurate. Oboe entailed the pilot flying dead straight and level for ten minutes on the attack run. Suddenly a tremendous flash lit up the sky about 50 yards ahead of our nose and exactly at our altitude. Within a tenth of a second we were through the cloud of dirty yellowish-brown smoke and into the blackness beyond. I shall never forget the spontaneous reaction of both my pilot and myself. We turned our heads slowly and looked long and deep into one another’s eyes—no word was spoken—no words were needed. The Mosquito was probably World War II’s most versatile combat aircraft. This book contains hundreds of firsthand accounts from many of the two-man crews who flew in them; pilots and navigators. It portrays the dramatic experiences of flying in its many roles as pathfinder, night fighter, reconnaissance aircraft, precision bombing and low-level ground attack aircraft. It describes many of the RAF’s most audacious raids on prime but difficult targets where carpet bombing by heavy bombers was likely to be ineffective and cause unnecessary casualties to civilians. It is a remarkable record of the aircraft and the men that flew them.
Download or read book Norfolk at War 1939 45 written by Stephen Browning and published by Casemate Publishers. This book was released on 2018-10-30 with total page 396 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This year-on-year study of Norfolk at war is the first such for many years, which utilizes material that has not been published in book form before or, sometimes, at all. In both the First and Second World War, Norfolk was pivotal, albeit for different reasons. During the war of 1939-45 Norfolk was home to many bases of the USAAF, changing the area forever with bases remaining a fond feature of Norfolk life. Another unique and enduring legacy was the arrival and often permanent settlement of many Poles, who are commemorated today by a shrine in the Cathedral of St John the Baptist in Norwich. Norfolk was in many ways changed forever as it had largely, up until this time, been proudly, even stubbornly, isolated a feature that could not have changed more dramatically. This study is both inevitably a military and social study. The major events both at home and overseas are laid out, together with a description of how home life unfolded in very dark times when the stoicism and humor of the Norfolk residents were tested. Contemporary material from newspapers, diaries and local records, as well as over 200 photographs, are used to bring life and color and life to the account.
Download or read book Confounding the Reich written by Martin W. Bowman and published by Casemate Publishers. This book was released on 2005-02-19 with total page 239 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On 23 November 1943, 100 (Bomber Support) Group of RAF Bomber Command was formed. The object was to consolidate the various squadrons and units that had been fighting a secret war of electronics and radar countermeasures, attempting to reduce the losses of the heavy bombers—and their hard pressed crews—in Bomber Command. This secret war involved the use of air and ground radars, homing and jamming equipment, special radio and navigational aids, and intruding night-fighters to seek out and destroy their opposite numbers, the Ju 88s and Bf 110s of the Nachtjgdgeschwader who defended the night skies of the Third Reich with ever increasing success.The book contains many first-hand accounts from pilots and crew and provides a fascinating record of 100 Group's wartime history.
Download or read book Operation Oyster World War II s Forgotten Raid written by Kees Rijken and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2014-08-15 with total page 321 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Operation Oyster was carried out on the 6th December, 1942 by 2 Group RAF. Considered to be a notable success for the allies, it cost the Germans an estimated six months of lost production time at a critical point in the conflict. It is arguable, according to the authors, that the operation was in fact rather more significant than Operation Chastise, the Dambuster raid, while accepting that was a remarkable feat of arms. Operation Oyster struck at the very heart of what Churchill termed 'the wizard war' against German radio navigational technology by attacking a central hub of activity; the Philips Radio Works in Eindhoven, The Netherlands. The development of electronics in WWII was the most significant technical aspect of weaponry over the course of the conflict. On both sides, there were great advances in radar and communications which, at that time, depended on the wide- scale use of high frequency radio valves few companies had the technology to produce these, but the leading one in Europe was Philips in Eindhoven. Thus it was determined that Philips was the most important target. Ninety-three allied aircraft took part and a total of fourteen were lost. But the result in terms of damages to the enemy was considerable, hindering the German war effort significantly and consequently aiding the allies. Despite these facts however, the story of the raid has been underreported, and the efforts of the aircrew who took part have been little recognized. By comparison, the Dambuster raid which came six months later has entered into folklore. Here, for the first time, the overlooked Oyster raid is afforded the attention it deserves.
Download or read book Czechs in the Raf in Focus written by Zdenek Hurt and published by Red Kite / Air Research. This book was released on 2004-02 with total page 110 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: En fotografisk beretning om tjekkere der rejste til England under den 2.verdenskrig for at fortsætte deres kamp imod Nazi-Tyskland. Indledningsvis bliv de integreret i RAF eskadrillerne, men fra midten af 1940 blev oprettet eskadriller som udelukkende bestod af tjekker.
Download or read book UK Airfields Past and Present written by Grant Peerless and published by Fonthill Media. This book was released on 2020-10-04 with total page 668 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A great many books have been written over the years about individual airfields or those in particular counties/areas but this one covers a good proportion of them in one publication, from Abbots Bromley to Zeals. It provides brief details of over 1700 airfields from before the First World War to the present day and describes the main activities carried out, based units/operators and current status. It includes military bases, civil airports/airfields, gliding sites, microlight sites and larger farm strips, together with the probable number of based aircraft. An appendix lists over 500 books which have been published about individual airfields and this, together with the details provided in this book affords a convenient source of reference for further research. It does not pretend to include every flying site that ever existed as this would require a much larger volume but covers what are considered to be the most significant airfields of the past 110 years. It includes over one hundred photographs in colour and black & white, most of which have not been published previously.
Download or read book The RAF s French Foreign Legion written by G. H. Bennett and published by A&C Black. This book was released on 2011-04-28 with total page 398 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book examines and analyses the relationship between the RAF, the Free French Movement and the French fighter pilots in WWII. A highly significant subject, this has been ignored by academics on both sides of the Channel. This ground-breaking study will fill a significant gap in the historiography of the War. Bennett's painstaking research has unearthed primary source material in both Britain and France including Squadron records, diaries, oral histories and memoirs. In the post-war period the idea of French pilots serving with the RAF seemed anachronistic to both sides. For the French nation the desire to draw a veil over the war years helped to obscure many aspects of the past, and for the British the idea of French pilots did not accord with the myths of "the Few" to whom so much was owed. Those French pilots who served had to make daring escapes. Classed as deserters they risked court martial and execution if caught. They would play a vital role on D-Day and the battle for control of the skies which followed.
