Achtung Spitfire: Luftwaffe over England

Achtung Spitfire: Luftwaffe over England PDF Author: Hugh Trivett
Publisher: The History Press
ISBN: 075098130X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 257

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Book Description
14 August 1940, which Hitler code-named 'Adlertag', or 'Eagle Day', was fated to become one of the most significant days in the Battle of Britain. It signified the start of the Luftwaffe's aerial offensive, planned to cripple Britain and clear the path for the German troops ammased in readiness for invasion. The Luftwaffe sent out waves of unescorted bombers to attack difficult and long-range targets by daylight, hoping to confuse and split the fighter defences with the small but numerous bomb formations. The tactic was a calculated gamble and one that cost the Germans deeply. Despite successes in attacking and damaging airfields, the losses were severe and and the following day Goering vetoed such tactics, now convinced his bombers could never operate over Britain without fighter cover. Using first-hand recollections of both Luftwaffe and RAF pilots as well as local witnesses to the day's action, gleaned from interviews and written accounts and with many unpublished photographs, Hugh Trivett has collated the definitive record of Eagle Day.

Achtung Spitfire: Luftwaffe over England

Achtung Spitfire: Luftwaffe over England PDF Author: Hugh Trivett
Publisher: The History Press
ISBN: 075098130X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 257

Get Book Here

Book Description
14 August 1940, which Hitler code-named 'Adlertag', or 'Eagle Day', was fated to become one of the most significant days in the Battle of Britain. It signified the start of the Luftwaffe's aerial offensive, planned to cripple Britain and clear the path for the German troops ammased in readiness for invasion. The Luftwaffe sent out waves of unescorted bombers to attack difficult and long-range targets by daylight, hoping to confuse and split the fighter defences with the small but numerous bomb formations. The tactic was a calculated gamble and one that cost the Germans deeply. Despite successes in attacking and damaging airfields, the losses were severe and and the following day Goering vetoed such tactics, now convinced his bombers could never operate over Britain without fighter cover. Using first-hand recollections of both Luftwaffe and RAF pilots as well as local witnesses to the day's action, gleaned from interviews and written accounts and with many unpublished photographs, Hugh Trivett has collated the definitive record of Eagle Day.

Achtung Spitfire: Luftwaffe over England

Achtung Spitfire: Luftwaffe over England PDF Author: Hugh Trivett
Publisher: The History Press
ISBN: 075098130X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 246

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Book Description
14 August 1940, which Hitler code-named ‘Adlertag’, or ‘Eagle Day’, was fated to become one of the most significant days in the Battle of Britain. It signified the start of the Luftwaffe’s aerial offensive, planned to cripple Britain and clear the path for the German troops ammased in readiness for invasion. The Luftwaffe sent out waves of unescorted bombers to attack difficult and long-range targets by daylight, hoping to confuse and split the fighter defences with the small but numerous bomb formations. The tactic was a calculated gamble and one that cost the Germans deeply. Despite successes in attacking and damaging airfields, the losses were severe and and the following day Goering vetoed such tactics, now convinced his bombers could never operate over Britain without fighter cover. Using first-hand recollections of both Luftwaffe and RAF pilots as well as local witnesses to the day’s action, gleaned from interviews and written accounts and with many unpublished photographs, Hugh Trivett has collated the definitive record of Eagle Day.

The Spitfire Summer

The Spitfire Summer PDF Author: Peter Haining
Publisher: Virgin Books Limited
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 212

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Book Description


How the Spitfire Won the Battle of Britain

How the Spitfire Won the Battle of Britain PDF Author: Dilip Sarkar
Publisher: Amberley Publishing Limited
ISBN: 1445609819
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 223

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Book Description
Finally lays to rest the myth that the Hurricane won the Battle of Britain rather than the numerically inferior, yet more glamorous, Spitfire.

The Battle of Britain Story

The Battle of Britain Story PDF Author: Graham Pitchfork
Publisher: The History Press
ISBN: 0752484826
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 128

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Book Description
The summer of 1940 witnessed the greatest air battle in history, as the men Winston Churchill dubbed ‘The Few’ fought over the skies of Britain to prevent the Luftwaffe from gaining air superiority, which would have paved the way for Hitler to invade our island. Graham Pitchfork charts the development of the epic battle fought by Fighter Command as it reacted to the changes in the Luftwaffe’s strategy, reaching a climax on 15 September before finally coming to a conclusion in October 1940. In addition to the exploits of the pilots in the air, the contribution of the many ground organisations that played such a crucial role is also highlighted in this lavishly illustrated book. Air Commodore Graham Pitchfork is a well-known aviation author whose previous books include The RAF Day by Day and The RAF’s First Jet Squadron: 616 (South Yorkshire).

Spitfire vs Bf 109

Spitfire vs Bf 109 PDF Author: Tony Holmes
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472847857
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 147

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Book Description
Churchill's words, 'never was so much owed by so many to so few', came to encapsulate how, in a few critical months, the entire fate of the British Empire, if not the war, hung in the balance, to be determined by a handful of pilots fighting tirelessly in the skies over Britain. Tony Holmes describes the Battle of Britain, the clash between the Spitfire I/II and the Bf 109E - detailing not only the key elements of both aircraft types - the airframe, engine, armament and flying characteristics, but also the pilots' training and tactics accompanied by diagrams of actual flight formations. The growing influence of radar and the efforts of British air defences are also examined, as are real-life engagements - from both German and British perspectives. With a wealth of first-hand accounts from the veterans who strapped themselves into these legendary machines as well as illustrations and cockpit-view artwork, this book puts the reader in the midst of a dogfight, providing a unique insight into one of the greatest duels of history in the world's first major aerial battle.

Last of the Few

Last of the Few PDF Author: Max Arthur
Publisher: Skyhorse
ISBN: 1628730463
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 304

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Book Description
After the fall of France in May 1940, the British Expeditionary Force was miraculously evacuated from Dunkirk. Britain now stood alone to face Hitler’s inevitable invasion attempt. For the German army to land across the channel, Hitler needed mastery of the skies—the Royal Air Force would have to be broken. So every day throughout the summer, German bombers pounded the RAF air bases in the southern counties. Greatly outnumbered by the Luftwaffe, the pilots of RAF Fighter Command scrambled as many as five times a day, and civilians watched skies crisscrossed with the contrails from the constant dogfights between Spitfires and Me-109s. Britain’s very freedom depended on the outcome of that summer’s battle: Its air defenses were badly battered and nearly broken, but against all odds, “The Few,” as they came to be known, bought Britain’s freedom—many with their lives. More than a fifth of the British and Allied pilots died during the Battle of Britain. These are the personal accounts of the pilots who fought and survived that battle. Their stories are as riveting, as vivid, and as poignant as they were seventy years ago. We will not see their like again.

Spitfire Ace

Spitfire Ace PDF Author: Martin Peter Davidson
Publisher: Boxtree Limited
ISBN: 9780752225111
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 255

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Book Description
The Battle of Britain, 1940, was one of the most famous air battles in the history of warfare and it is a story of ruthless organisation, brilliant control and command. But at its heart is one particular figure, a legend ever since. The RAF fighter pilot. And one particular plane - a piece of machinery that has almost mythic historical glamour - the Supermarine Spitfire. reintroduces us to the few that flew in the Battle of Britain and includes interviews with 25 of the 35 remaining veteran Spitfire pilots. Combined with a historical narrative of the events surrounding the Battle of Britain, the reader learns what is was like to fly a Spitfire and to experience combat flying at its most visceral. Illustrated with over 80 photographs and contemporary archive material, Spitfire Pilot provides a vivid portrait of the fighter boys and their finest hour, their planes (including Spitfires, Hurricanes and Messerchmitts) and Fighter Command - RAF versus the Luftwaffe.

Celebrating a Century of Flight

Celebrating a Century of Flight PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Transportation
Languages : en
Pages : 32

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Book Description


RAF Fighters vs Luftwaffe Bombers

RAF Fighters vs Luftwaffe Bombers PDF Author: Andy Saunders
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472808541
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 81

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Book Description
The Battle of Britain was a fight for survival against a seemingly unstoppable foe. With the German army poised to invade, only the fighters of the Royal Air Force stood between Hitler and the conquest of Britain. Losses were high on both sides, but the Spitfires, Hurricanes, Havocs and Defiants of the RAF began to take their toll on the overextended, under-protected Kampfgruppen of Heinkel He 111s, Junkers Ju 87s and 88s, and Dornier Do 17s. Both sides learned and adapted as the campaign went on. As the advantage began to shift from the Luftwaffe to the RAF, the Germans were forced to switch from round-the-clock bombing to only launching night-raids, often hitting civilian targets in the dreaded Blitz. This beautifully illustrated study dissects the tactics and technology of the duels in this new kind of war, bringing the reader into the cockpits of the RAF fighters and Luftwaffe bombers to show precisely where the Battle of Britain was won and lost.