Curtiss Aircraft, 1907-1947

Curtiss Aircraft, 1907-1947 PDF Author: Peter M. Bowers
Publisher: US Naval Institute Press
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 652

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Curtiss Aircraft, 1907-1947

Curtiss Aircraft, 1907-1947 PDF Author: Peter M. Bowers
Publisher: US Naval Institute Press
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 652

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Curtiss Fighter Aircraft

Curtiss Fighter Aircraft PDF Author: Francis H. Dean
Publisher: Schiffer Military History
ISBN: 9780764325809
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Making use of primary Curtiss documents, as well as the combined resources of the world's leading historians of the subject, the authors have skillfully resolved myths and woven a comprehensive study of the often very confusing story of these classic airplanes. Making use of previously unpublished documents and photographs, this massive, life-long work will stand as a legacy to the memory of those wonderful shapes, the men and women who built them, flew them and took them to war, and the lasting contributions they have made, collectively, to aviation history and the defense of democracy.

A Preliminary to War: The 1st Aero Squadron and the Mexican Punitive Expedition of 1916

A Preliminary to War: The 1st Aero Squadron and the Mexican Punitive Expedition of 1916 PDF Author:
Publisher: DIANE Publishing
ISBN: 1428910689
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 64

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Book Description
On March 15, 1916, the 1st Aero Squadron arrived at Columbus, New Mexico. Led by Captain Benjamin D. Foulois, the squadron included 11 officers, 82 enlisted men, and 1 civilian technician. The men unloaded an automobile, 6 motorcycles, and 12 motor trucks, vehicles rare in an army still wedded to the horse and mule. These were followed by wooden crates containing 8 wood, wire, and fabric Curtiss JN-3 biplanes, every airplane owned by the U.S. Army, save those assigned to its aviation school at San Diego, California. The squadron was in Columbus to join an expedition commanded by Brig. Gen. John J. "Black Jack" Pershing. President Woodrow Wilson had ordered Pershing's force into Mexico in response to a March 9 attack on the tiny border town by the Mexican desperado, Francisco "Pancho" Villa. For the first time, the U.S. Army's entire air force -- the 1st Aero Squadron -- had deployed for an active campaign. The 1st Aero Squadron played a significant role in the Punitive Expedition, but, in dramatic contrast to how an air force functions today, it served as a means of communication and observation, not as a combatant arm. Some experiments with bombs and machine guns had been conducted, and the war in Europe was quickly turning the airplane into a serious weapon of war. Nevertheless, U.S. Army leaders envisioned aviation's primary mission to be the receipt and transmission of information for tactical commanders and long-distance scouting as an adjunct to the cavalry. Accordingly, during the mobile phase of the Punitive Expedition, the 1st Aero Squadron enabled Pershing to locate and communicate with his widely dispersed, fast-moving columns and carried dispatches between Pershing's main and advanced bases. The squadron also scouted for hostile forces and kept a watch for threats to Pershing's line of communications. These efforts were made in some of the worst weather and poorest conditions imaginable, and by the end of April, all eight airplanes had been destroyed7.

American Aircraft Development of the Second World War

American Aircraft Development of the Second World War PDF Author: William Norton
Publisher: Fonthill Media
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 474

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Book Description
This book presents a little-known aspect of America's aircraft development of World War II in emphasizing unique and non-production aircraft or modifications for the purpose of research and experimentation in support of aircraft development, advancing technology, or meeting narrow combat needs. It describes some important areas of American aviation weapons maturation under the pressure of war with emphasis on advanced technology and experimental aircraft configurations. The great value of the work is illumination of little known or minimally documented projects that significantly advanced the science of aeronautics, propulsion, aircraft systems, and ordnance, but did not go into production. Each chapter introduces another topic by examining the state-of-the-art at the beginning of the war, advantages pursued, and results achieved during the conflict. This last is the vehicle to examine the secret modifications or experiments that are little known. Consequently, this is an important single-source for a fascinating and diverse collection of wartime efforts never before brought together under a single cover. The "war stories" are those of military staffs, engineering teams, and test pilots struggling against short schedules and tight resource constraints to push the bounds of technology. These epic and sometimes life-threatening endeavors were as vital as actual combat operations.

RAF Training Command

RAF Training Command PDF Author: Keith Wilson
Publisher: Amberley Publishing Limited
ISBN: 1445666014
Category : Transportation
Languages : en
Pages : 182

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Book Description
A profusely illustrated history of the command responsible for the RAF’s flying and ground training.

Race with the Wind

Race with the Wind PDF Author: Birch Matthews
Publisher: Zenith Press
ISBN: 0760307296
Category : Aeronautics
Languages : en
Pages : 204

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Book Description
In the decades leading up to World War II, air races were often the proving grounds for radical new aviation principles and designs. The people and machines of air racing during this period made tremendous strides and contributed incredible new technologies, aerodynamics, powerplants, and airframes. This unique look at the key players and aircraft of the early 20th century's great air races examines and explains how innovative racing technologies found their way into future fighter and passenger aircraft. Coverage of exciting races like the Schneider Trophy, Pulitzer Trophy Race, and the National Air Races, an in-depth look at their contributions to aeronautics, exclusive line drawings illustrating the technologies, and archival photography make this a must for air racing fans and aviation enthusiasts.

Billy Mitchell's War with the Navy

Billy Mitchell's War with the Navy PDF Author: Thomas Wildenberg
Publisher: Naval Institute Press
ISBN: 1612513328
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 339

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Book Description
When Billy Mitchell returned from WWI, he brought with him the deep-seated belief that air power had made navies obsolete. However, in the years following WWI, the U.S. Congress was far more interested in disarmament and isolationist policies than in funding national defense. For the military services this meant lean budgets and skeleton operating forces. Billy Mitchell’s War with the Navy recounts the intense political struggle between the Army and Navy air arms for the limited resources needed to define and establish the role of aviation within their respective services in the period between the two world wars. After Congress rejected the concept of a unified air service in 1920, Mitchell and his supporters turned on the Navy, seeking to substitute the Air Service as the nation's first line of defense. While Mitchell proved that aircraft could sink a battleship with the bombing of the Ostfriesland in 1921, he was unable to convince the General Staff of the Army, the General Board of the Navy, the Secretary of War, the Secretary of the Navy, or Congress of the need for an independent air force. When Mitchell turned to the pen to discredit the Navy, he was convicted by his own words and actions in a court-martial that captivated the nation, and was forced to resign in 1925. Rather than ending the rivalry for air power, Mitchell’s resignation set the stage for the ongoing dispute between the two services in the years immediately before WWII. After Mitchell’s resignation, the rivalry for air power between the two services resurfaced when the Navy's plans to procure torpedo planes for the defense of Pearl Harbor and Coco Solo were brought to the attention of the Army. The book concludes with a description of the events surrounding the Air Corps' abysmal performance at Pearl Harbor and Midway followed by a critical assessment of how the development of aviation was pursued by the Army and the Navy after WWII.

American Aircraft Development Second World War Legacy

American Aircraft Development Second World War Legacy PDF Author: William J. Norton
Publisher: Fonthill Media
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 642

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Book Description
This volume focuses on the influence of America’s Second World War aviation development and experience, subsequent aviation technological advances, and world events, in shaping American choices in military aircraft and associated weapons’ development during the few years following the war. It shows how air warfare weapons from the last conflict were carried forward and altered, how new systems evolved from these, and how the choices fared in the next war―Korea. The period was one of remarkable progress in a short span of time via a great many aircraft and weapons programs, and associated technological progress. These systems were of immense importance influencing and growing the engineering, production, and operational capabilities to be exploited for the next generation of weapons that soon followed. Emphasized is the innovative features or new technology and how these contributed to advancing American military aviation, influencing the evolution of follow-on models or types. Included are military prototype, experimental, and research aircraft that are equally important in understanding the history of American aircraft development. Combat employment, progress, and equipment adaptation during the Korean Conflict is then highlighted. Tabulated characteristics are provided of those aircraft that entered production or represented significant technological advances influencing others that follow.

Pearl Harbor

Pearl Harbor PDF Author: Spencer C. Tucker
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN: 1440837198
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 297

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Book Description
This book provides students with an understanding of the motives behind the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the consequences of this action on Japan, on the United States, and on the outcome of World War II. This essential reference guide is devoted to one of the most important military events in American history: the Pearl Harbor attack of December 7, 1941, "the day of infamy." Distinguished military historian Spencer C. Tucker is the editor of this thorough study of the Japanese attack that contains reference entries as well as primary documents and oral histories describing the circumstances that led up to the attack, the event itself, and its immediate aftermath and consequences, thereby providing readers with the necessary context to understand all aspects of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Readers will understand why Japanese leaders decided to go to war with the United States, what they expected to accomplish in attacking Pearl Harbor, why this key American base was not better defended, and what the aftereffects of the attack were for the outcome of the war. Biographies on major players in the crisis such as Franklin Roosevelt, Chester Nimitz, Isoroku Yamamoto, and Hideki Tojo will provide insight into the individuals who played key roles in the events before, during, and after December 7, 1941.

American Warplanes of WWII

American Warplanes of WWII PDF Author:
Publisher: PediaPress
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 763

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Book Description