The Stirling Story

The Stirling Story PDF Author: Michael J. F. Bowyer
Publisher: Crecy Publishing
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 420

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Book Description
Conceived in the shadow of looming war, when the RAF's bomber force was largely made up of obsolete and outmoded aircraft, the Stirling became the first British four-engined 'heavy' bomber of the Second World War. Developed, tested and brought into service in the first desperate years of the Second World War, the arrival of the Stirling marked a turning point in the aerial warfare of that conflict, the moment when the Allies went on the offensive against the German homeland. In the years that followed Stirling squadrons were at the forefront of the developing tactics of the Allied bomber campaign - target marking, pathfinding, electronic navigation, the thousand bomber raids etc. - that were ultimately to lead to the utter devastation of so many German cities. Despite this leading role the Stirling has never enjoyed the standing of the Halifax and the even more celebrated Lancaster. Handicapped by an unrealistic peacetime design specification, it could not match the performance of its more famous successors and was withdrawn from frontline service as deliveries of Lancasters and Halifaxes gathered momentum. However, even then the Stirling proved to be versatile and adaptable as a glider tug, transport in secret SOE operations, and later as a civilian transport in the immediate post-war years.The Stirling Story is the culmination of years of exhaustive research by one of the world's foremost aviation authors. From original design specification and testing, through its development, introduction to service, developing marks and later adaptations the full story of the Shorts Stirling bomber is told with the aid of eyewitness accounts from the designers, production workers, engineers and above all the crews of the Stirling. Much more than the history of just one aircraft type, The Stirling Story is the story of RAF Bomber Command emerging from obscurity and failure to become a devastatingly effective weapon of war. It is an essential work of reference that no serious military aviation enthusiast or war historian can afford to be without, as well as a fascinating read for anyone with any interest in, or connection with, the Shorts Stirling.'

The Sky People

The Sky People PDF Author: S.M. Stirling
Publisher: Tor Books
ISBN: 1429987472
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 340

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Book Description
Marc Vitrac was born in Louisiana in the early 1960's, about the time the first interplanetary probes delivered the news that Mars and Venus were teeming with life—even human life. At that point, the "Space Race" became the central preoccupation of the great powers of the world. Now, in 1988, Marc has been assigned to Jamestown, the US-Commonwealth base on Venus, near the great Venusian city of Kartahown. Set in a countryside swarming with sabertooths and dinosaurs, Jamestown is home to a small band of American and allied scientist-adventurers. But there are flies in this ointment – and not only the Venusian dragonflies, with their yard-wide wings. The biologists studying Venus's life are puzzled by the way it not only resembles that on Earth, but is virtually identical to it. The EastBloc has its own base at Cosmograd, in the highlands to the south, and relations are frosty. And attractive young geologist Cynthia Whitlock seems impervious to Marc's Cajun charm. Meanwhile, at the western end of the continent, Teesa of the Cloud Mountain People leads her tribe in a conflict with the Neanderthal-like beastmen who have seized her folk's sacred caves. Then an EastBloc shuttle crashes nearby, and the beastmen acquire new knowledge... and AK47's. Jamestown sends its long-range blimp to rescue the downed EastBloc cosmonauts, little suspecting that the answer to the jungle planet's mysteries may lie there, among tribal conflicts and traces of a power that made Earth's vaunted science seem as primitive as the tribesfolk's blowguns. As if that weren't enough, there's an enemy agent on board the airship... Extravagant and effervescent, The Sky People is alternate-history SF adventure at its best. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

The Stirling Story

The Stirling Story PDF Author: Michael J. F. Bowyer
Publisher: Crecy Publishing
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 420

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Book Description
Conceived in the shadow of looming war, when the RAF's bomber force was largely made up of obsolete and outmoded aircraft, the Stirling became the first British four-engined 'heavy' bomber of the Second World War. Developed, tested and brought into service in the first desperate years of the Second World War, the arrival of the Stirling marked a turning point in the aerial warfare of that conflict, the moment when the Allies went on the offensive against the German homeland. In the years that followed Stirling squadrons were at the forefront of the developing tactics of the Allied bomber campaign - target marking, pathfinding, electronic navigation, the thousand bomber raids etc. - that were ultimately to lead to the utter devastation of so many German cities. Despite this leading role the Stirling has never enjoyed the standing of the Halifax and the even more celebrated Lancaster. Handicapped by an unrealistic peacetime design specification, it could not match the performance of its more famous successors and was withdrawn from frontline service as deliveries of Lancasters and Halifaxes gathered momentum. However, even then the Stirling proved to be versatile and adaptable as a glider tug, transport in secret SOE operations, and later as a civilian transport in the immediate post-war years.The Stirling Story is the culmination of years of exhaustive research by one of the world's foremost aviation authors. From original design specification and testing, through its development, introduction to service, developing marks and later adaptations the full story of the Shorts Stirling bomber is told with the aid of eyewitness accounts from the designers, production workers, engineers and above all the crews of the Stirling. Much more than the history of just one aircraft type, The Stirling Story is the story of RAF Bomber Command emerging from obscurity and failure to become a devastatingly effective weapon of war. It is an essential work of reference that no serious military aviation enthusiast or war historian can afford to be without, as well as a fascinating read for anyone with any interest in, or connection with, the Shorts Stirling.'

Stirling Moss

Stirling Moss PDF Author: Robert Edwards
Publisher: Orion Publishing Company
ISBN: 9780752865621
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 266

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Book Description
Sir Stirling Craufurd Moss raced professionally over 500 times until his near fatal crash in 1962. At the end of his racing career, he was the most famous Briton - no footballer, jockey, boxer or pop star has approached the national adulation Moss received. In this book Robert Edwards recounts the life of this extraordinary man, whose tally of wins was proportionately higher than any other driver's, ever, by a wide margin. During his colourful racing career Stirling Moss was incredibly gifted and competitive, and has talked in detail to Robert Edwards about his eventful life, from the bullying at school which helped forge his competitive spirit to the crash that almost ended his life.

The Only Pirate at the Party

The Only Pirate at the Party PDF Author: Lindsey Stirling
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1501119184
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 272

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Book Description
Dancing electronic violinist Lindsey Stirling shares her unconventional journey in an inspiring New York Times bestselling memoir filled with the energy, persistence, and humor that have helped her successfully pursue a passion outside the box. A classically trained musician gone rogue, Lindsey Stirling is the epitome of independent, millennial-defined success: after being voted off the set of America’s Got Talent, she went on to amass more than ten million social media fans, record two full-length albums, release multiple hits with billions of YouTube views, and to tour sold-out venues across the world. Lindsey is not afraid to be herself. In fact, it’s her confidence and individuality that have propelled her into the spotlight. But the road hasn’t been easy. After being rejected by talent scouts, music reps, and eventually on national television, Lindsey forged her own path, step by step. Detailing every trial and triumph she has experienced until now, Lindsey shares stories of her humble yet charmed childhood, humorous adolescence, life as a struggling musician, personal struggles with anorexia, and finally, success as a world-class entertainer. Lindsey’s magnetizing story—at once remarkable and universal—is a testimony that there is no singular recipe for success, and despite what people may say, sometimes it’s okay to be The Only Pirate at the Party.

The Phantom Major

The Phantom Major PDF Author: Virginia Cowles
Publisher: Pen and Sword
ISBN: 1848849648
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 298

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Book Description
An action-packed biography of “one of the legitimate storybook heroes of World War II” and the special forces regiment he founded (The New York Times). In the dark and uncertain days of 1941 and 1942, when Rommel’s Afrika Korps was sweeping toward Egypt and the Suez Canal, a small group of daring raiders made history for the Allies. They operated deep behind German lines, driving hundreds of miles through the deserts of North Africa. They hid by day and struck by night, destroying aircraft, blowing up ammunition dumps, derailing trains, and killing many times their own number. These men were the Special Air Service. The SAS was the brainchild of David Stirling, a deceptively mild-mannered man with a brilliant idea. Under his command, small teams of resourceful, highly trained men penetrated beyond the front lines of the opposing armies and wreaked havoc where the Germans least expected it. From Virginia Cowles, whose biographies have been praised as “splendidly readable” (Sunday Times) and “fascinating” (Kirkus Reviews), this is a classic account of these raids, an amazing tale of courage, impudence, and daring packed with action and high adventure. Her narrative, based on the eyewitness testimony of the men who took part, gives a compelling insight into the early years of the SAS.

Conquistador

Conquistador PDF Author: S. M. Stirling
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 1101043938
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 528

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Book Description
“In this luscious alternative universe, sidekicks quote the Lone Ranger and Right inevitably triumphs with panache. What more could adventure-loving readers ask for?”—Publishers Weekly Oakland, 1946. Ex-soldier John Rolfe, newly back from the Pacific, has made a fabulous discovery: A portal to an alternate America where Europeans have never set foot—and the only other humans in sight are a band of very curious Indians. Able to return at will to the modern world, Rolfe summons the only people with whom he is willing to share his discovery: his war buddies. And tells them to bring their families... Los Angeles, twenty-first century. Fish and Game warden Tom Christiansen is involved in the bust of a smuggling operation. What he turns up is something he never anticipated: a photo of authentic Aztec priests decked out in Grateful Dead T-shirts, and a live condor from a gene pool that doesn’t correspond to any known in captivity or the wild. It is a find that will lead him to a woman named Adrienne Rolfe—and a secret that’s been hidden for sixty years…

Ciao, Stirling

Ciao, Stirling PDF Author: Valerie Pirie
Publisher: Biteback Publishing
ISBN: 178590499X
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 227

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Book Description
When Valerie Pirie interviewed for her first real secretarial job after college, she did not expect to end up working for Stirling Moss. Regarded as the greatest driver who was never crowned world champion, he would become not only her new boss but also a lifelong friend. Here, in this playful and moving memoir, she opens up about the man behind the steering wheel. With a joie de vivre and unparalleled pluck, Pirie details the highs and lows of her many years working – and occasionally living – at very close quarters with a true pioneer of Formula One, recounting anecdotes from the track, the office and nights out in the West End of London with one of the best-known names in motor racing. Whether at Goodwood, Le Mans or the Nürburgring, Pirie was often there beside Moss to witness the wins, losses and technical malfunctions – and, of course, his career-ending crash in 1962. If she wasn’t at his bedside in the hospital, managing his never-ending building works or – on one occasion – transporting his spare dentures to France, Pirie was accompanying Moss wherever he needed her most. Never ‘just’ colleagues, the pair were true companions, and this book brings to light the story of their enduring friendship from the classic post-war era of motor racing through to today.

Island in the Sea of Time

Island in the Sea of Time PDF Author: S. M. Stirling
Publisher: National Geographic Books
ISBN: 0451456750
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
“Utterly engaging...a page-turner that is certain to win the author legions of new readers and fans.”—George R. R. Martin, author of A Game of Thrones It's spring on Nantucket and everything is perfectly normal, until a sudden storm blankets the entire island. When the weather clears, the island's inhabitants find that they are no longer in the late twentieth century...but have been transported instead to the Bronze Age! Now they must learn to survive with suspicious, warlike peoples they can barely understand and deal with impending disaster, in the shape of a would-be conqueror from their own time.

Stirling's Men

Stirling's Men PDF Author: Gavin Mortimer
Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson
ISBN: 9780304367061
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 388

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Book Description
The first ever officially sanctioned history of the SAS in World War II A riveting history book that reads like a novel, STIRLING'S MEN investigates the story of the SAS from its creation by David Stirling to the last battles of World War II. This is the first account of the SAS to be officially supported by the veterans and based on their unique first-hand testimony. Gavin Mortimer weaves their stories together to produce a fabulous page-turning narrative that will capture the imagination.

Drakas!

Drakas! PDF Author: S.M. Stirling
Publisher: Baen
ISBN: 9780671319465
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
THINK ABOUT HISTORY. NOW MAKE IT WORSE... The Domination of the Draka begins as a British possession in Africa, but soon becomes far more. Absorbing refugees after the American Revolution, and later the Civil War, the Draka become a people bred to rule with an iron fist. They permanently enslave the peoples of Africa, when they do not simply kill them. But this does not slake the Draka thirst for power. Sweeping across the world, the Draka empire engulfs nation after nation, shackling into servitude all who are not Draka. Europe, Asia, and finally all the Earth and its colonies throughout the Solar System fall before the might of the Draka. But empires are not faceless monoliths; they are made of individuals, complex humans with their own hopes and dreams. And so one might ask: Who are the Draka? What sort of people does the Domination rule? The Draka would have many different answers... ...and this is their story.