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Author: Peter Caygill
Publisher: Airlife Publishing
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 188
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Book Description
Beretter om jageroperationer under 2. verdenskrig i tilknytning til et bestemt RAF Spitfire-fly med navnet "The Darlington Spitfire."
Author: Peter Caygill
Publisher: Airlife Publishing
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 188
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Book Description
Beretter om jageroperationer under 2. verdenskrig i tilknytning til et bestemt RAF Spitfire-fly med navnet "The Darlington Spitfire."
Author: Craig Armstrong
Publisher: Pen and Sword Military
ISBN: 1526704838
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 186
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Book Description
During the Second World War, Darlington had a number of industries that were important to the war effort. With its historic links to the railway industry, the town possessed several engineering firms, as well as a number of companies that produced iron and steel products, and many of these companies switched some or all of their production over to wartime demands. The town also had an extensive rural hinterland and the farmers of Teesdale were faced with a barrage of new demands and regulations governing their vital work. Many residents of the area served as members of the armed forces and losses were grievous: the number of Darlington men killed while serving with the RAF was particularly high, with the impact of these losses spreading throughout the community. Despite many setbacks, Darlington was very efficient in bring its Air Raid Precautions and civil defence services up to full strength. With Britain facing invasion in 1940, many older men in the area, along with those younger men who were in reserved occupations, volunteered to serve in the Local Defence Volunteers (later the Home Guard) and one man was still serving at the age of 89. Thankfully, Darlington did not see the heavy bombing that many other communities in the North East of England suffered. However, there were still a large number of accidents in the area caused by the blackout, resulting in a number of fatalities. Locals also had to deal with rationing and not all were willing to pull together, seeing the wartime conditions, instead, as an opportunity to make illegal profits.
Author: Leo McKinstry
Publisher: John Murray
ISBN: 1848545037
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 626
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Book Description
In June 1940, the German Army had brought the rest of Europe to its knees. 'Hitler knows that he will have to break us in this island or lose the war. If we can stand up to him, all Europe may be free and the life of the world will move forward into broad, sunlit uplands,' said Churchill. The future of Europe depended on Britain. A self-confident Herman Goring thought that it would be only a matter of weeks before his planes had forced Britain to surrender. The courage, resourcefulness and brilliant organisation of the RAF were to prove him wrong. By late September 1940, the RAF had proved invincible, thanks to the Vickers Supermarine Spitfire. It exceeded anything that any other air force possessed. RJ Mitchell, a shy and almost painfully modest engineer, was the genius behind the Spitfire. On the 5th March 1936, following its successful maiden flight, a legend was born. Prize-winning historian Leo McKinstry's vivid history of the Spitfire brings together a rich cast of characters and first hand testimonies. It is a tale full of drama and heroism, of glory and tragedy, with the main protagonist the remarkable plane that played a crucial role in saving Britain.
Author: John Shelton
Publisher: Fonthill Media
ISBN:
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 809
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Book Description
R. J. Mitchell at Supermarine is the definitive account of the life of Britain’s best-known aeronautical engineer. Shelton calls upon unpublished letters, extensive press accounts, and updated material from his previous publications, concentrating particularly on the harsh conditions of Mitchell’s apprentice years, the precarious state of the aircraft firm he joined, and moments of good fortune of which he took advantage. He was a ‘chancer’ as well as a methodical developer of, mainly, slow flying seaplanes. Mitchell’s progress from draughtsman, with no formal training in aeronautical design, to internationally known chief designer is charted through a chronological study of his designs, revealing a formidable work ethic with a complex personality that combined ‘dreams and common sense’. It will also be shown how the success of his high-speed Schneider Trophy designs propelled him reluctantly into public attention and how his anxiety for his pilots’ safety matched an equal concern that his designs should not let down an expectant nation. Later expectations on him to produce a ‘killer fighter’ were equally daunting, and the outcome was often uncertain, but details of colleagues’ accounts highlight the essential and unique contribution of R.J.’s experience and drive to the eventual appearance of the iconic Spitfire.
Author: Christopher Shores
Publisher: Grub Street Publishing
ISBN: 1909808423
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 1266
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Book Description
First in the Aces High series—a military reference of the fighter pilots who had five or more confirmed victories while serving in the Royal Air Force. Introduced by the French quite early in World War I, the term “ace” was used to describe a pilot credited with five or more aerial victories. But in the United Kingdom, the term was never officially recognized. Becoming an ace was partly luck, especially considering the campaigns in which they flew and the areas of combat. There are three distinct kinds of aces: the defensive ace, the offensive ace, and the night fighter. This book is a revised collection of the biographies of the highest scoring Allied fighter pilots of World War II—including those with the confirmed claims of shooting down five aircraft and those pilots with lower scores but whose wartime careers prove them worthy of inclusion. All details of their combat are arranged in tabular form. Included are a selection of photographs from hitherto private collections. “There are some authors whose name alone is sufficient reason to but a book, and Christopher Shores is surely one of these . . . By profession a chartered surveyor, he served in the Royal Air Force in the 1950s so his writing bears the stamp of authenticity.” —HistoryNet
Author: Anthony J. Moor
Publisher: Pen and Sword
ISBN: 1526753243
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 569
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Book Description
“Inspiring history of the first designated night fighter base . . . an important piece of social and military history . . . a must-read!” —Books Monthly Anthony J. Moor’s exhaustively researched and highly illustrated book is the first to tell the full story of the part West Malling played in the defense of the United Kingdom, and how it served the RAF for twenty-eight action-packed years. Opened as a private landing ground after the First World War, the airfield at West Malling became home to the Maidstone School of Flying in 1930. The airfield’s RAF role came to the fore in June 1940; by then the station had been fitted with a concrete runway. The first aircraft arrived on 8 June 1940. As the UK’s first designated night fighter base, over the years that followed, RAF West Malling was home to many famous pilots—men such as John Cunningham, Peter Townsend, Bob Braham and even Guy Gibson, later of Dambusters fame. During the summer of 1944, Mosquitoes, Spitfires and Mustang Mk.3s successfully destroyed many V-1s, as well as played their part in the D-Day landings. West Malling’s strategic night fighter role continued into the Cold War, when No.500 (Kent’s Own) Squadron adopted it as its home in this period. A US Navy Facility Flight was also based at the airfield in the 1960s. After closure as an operational air station in 1969, West Malling re-acquired its civilian guise, hosting a Gliding School, Short Brothers and several major Great Warbirds Air Displays during the 1970s and 1980s, until eventually closing completely as an airfield, for re-development.
Author: Peter Caygill
Publisher: Pen and Sword
ISBN: 1781598401
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 472
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Book Description
An in-depth study of England’s most famous fighter station during the year of the Battle of Britain. The Biggin Hill Wing, 1941 looks at the political upheaval within Fighter Command that saw the removal of Sir Hugh Dowding and Keith Park and their replacement by Sir William Sholto Douglas and Trafford Leigh-Mallory. The ongoing Big Wing controversy and the resulting change in tactics during 1941 are examined. The main part of the book is a chronological account of the squadrons of the Biggin Hill Wing, with particular emphasis on the pilots. The units covered include No.s 66, 72, 74, 92, 124, and 609 Spitfire Squadrons and 264 Defiant Night Fighter Squadron. The author’s research is based on combat reports and squadron Operation Record Books as well as firsthand accounts written by the participant pilots in the battles over southern England and northern France. Extensive appendices include Air Combat Claims of the Wing, Operational Aircraft Losses, Details of Selected Operations, and The Great Escape, which recounts the marked influence of ex-Biggin Hill pilots on the escape from Stalag Luft III in 1944.
Author: Tom Docherty
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
ISBN: 1783409266
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 332
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Book Description
This first of three volumes traces the history of 72 Fighter Squadron, one of the premier squadrons in the Royal Air Force. The aircraft flown, operational personnel and missions flown are fully described with firsthand accounts from pilots and both air and ground crew.Having been first established in 1917 the squadron was disbanded in February 1918. It was re-formed in February 1937 from B Flight of 1 Squadron and was equipped with Gloster Gladiators. In 1939 it was re-equipped with Spitfires which were used in air defense and convoy protection sorties following the start of the war. In 1940 the squadron moved to assist in the evacuation of Dunkirk. During The Battle of Britain, 72 spent the early days at RAF Acklington as part of 13 Group before moving south during September to assist the main defense force. The squadron then flew penetration Circus missions over occupied Europe with the intention of causing havoc to the German forces and also to lure German fighters into combat.
Author: Dennis Newton
Publisher: Amberley Publishing Limited
ISBN: 1445654156
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 501
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Book Description
A family-authorised biography of Pat Hughes, one of the top-scoring aces of the Battle of Britain.
Author: Jon E. C. Tan
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
ISBN: 1473881714
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 403
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Book Description
During the Second World War, RAF Biggin Hill was one of Fighter Commands premier stations. Throughout the Battle of Britain and beyond, it became a hotbed of talent and expertise, home to many of the Commands most notable and successful squadrons. Both on the ground and in the air, Biggin Hill had a formidable reputation and its prowess was very much built on a partnership between air and ground personnel, including squadron members, specialist engineers, armorers and other ground-crew. This fascinating new book from Jon Tan offers a rich account of the years 1941-1942, an incredibly varied and eventful period in Biggins story.The authors late grandfather, David Raymond Davies, was assigned to a specialist armorers team at Biggin Hill and his grandsons narrative serves as a tribute to a particularly fascinating RAF career. Told from Davies firsthand viewpoint and taking a ground-crew members perspective, no other history has been published that examines day-to-day operations at Biggin Hill in this way.Drawing on many sources, including original interviews with veterans, the narrative foregrounds Davies story, using it as the backbone for Tans broader historical record of the operations of Biggins Spitfire squadrons. It thus establishes a collective memoir, taking in accounts by such notable pilots as Don Kingaby, Jamie Rankin, Brian Kingcome, Walter Johnnie Johnston, Dickie Milne and Raymond Duke-Woolley, all of whom had close associations with Davies in his capacity as a specialist armourer. Reading the manuscript, Squadron Leader Johnnie Johnston told the author I read it often; it sits here on the table next to me. Its the closest to how I remember it.Far from being a dry account of daily operations, this narrative seeks to engage the reader emotionally. Bringing together a considerable amount of evidence and oral history, it tells the story of one twenty-one year old and his comrades, thrown into the howling gale of the Second World War and the intensity of the conflict as experienced by front-line RAF personnel.
