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Author: Martin Derry
Publisher: Air World
ISBN: 1526786214
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 108
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Book Description
When the First World War ended the then recently established Royal Air Force was awash with aircraft of all descriptions. More surprising, perhaps, was the fact that despite an ongoing cull of obsolescing types, on the last day of 1919, the RAF still possessed 9,122 non-obsolete aircraft , with a further 1,100 more assigned to the Fleet Air Arm. while the famous SE.5A and Sopwith Camel had by this time largely been consigned to history, the RAF possessed no less than 1,860 Sopwith Snipes which, from 1920, would become the RAF’s standard single-seat fighter for years to come. Other core types on charge on 31 December 1919 included some 1,650 Bristol F.2B fighters and 1,250 de Havilland DH.9As, which, together with the Snipe, accounted for over fifty per cent of the RAF’s inventory at that time. Avro 504 training aircraft accounted for a further 2,700 airframes. In this Flight Craft Special, the authors provide a detailed and informative pictorial history of those scout/fighter aircraft that served in an operational capacity with the RAF from January 1920 until the last day of 1939 – a period in which Britain once again moved from an era of peace to war with an old enemy, albeit this time Hitler’s totalitarian National Socialist Germany as opposed to the Imperial Germany of old. As well as covering each of the fighter types used during the inter-war period, and featuring most of the squadrons, the photographs themselves convey the sense of the technical advances that rapidly took root within Britain’s aero industries from the mid-1930s onwards, moving from the brightly-marked overall silver wood and linen biplanes to the dull camouflaged metal-skinned monoplanes. The progression of machine-gun development – from the Lewis and Vickers of the First World War to the later Browning – is covered, spanning the days of the biplanes’ two fixed synchronised Lewis or Vickers .303-inch machine-guns mounted in the forward fuselage to eight wing-mounted .303-inch Browning machine-guns in the ‘new’ monoplane fighters. There is also a small, but fascinating, section on the monoplane ‘also rans’ – the monoplane fighters that were designed and had prototypes built but failed to reach the finishing post!
Author: Martin Derry
Publisher: Air World
ISBN: 1526786192
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 294
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Book Description
When the First World War ended the then recently established Royal Air Force was awash with aircraft of all descriptions. More surprising, perhaps, was the fact that despite an ongoing cull of obsolescing types, on the last day of 1919, the RAF still possessed 9,122 non-obsolete aircraft , with a further 1,100 more assigned to the Fleet Air Arm. while the famous SE.5A and Sopwith Camel had by this time largely been consigned to history, the RAF possessed no less than 1,860 Sopwith Snipes which, from 1920, would become the RAF’s standard single-seat fighter for years to come. Other core types on charge on 31 December 1919 included some 1,650 Bristol F.2B fighters and 1,250 de Havilland DH.9As, which, together with the Snipe, accounted for over fifty per cent of the RAF’s inventory at that time. Avro 504 training aircraft accounted for a further 2,700 airframes. In this Flight Craft Special, the authors provide a detailed and informative pictorial history of those scout/fighter aircraft that served in an operational capacity with the RAF from January 1920 until the last day of 1939 – a period in which Britain once again moved from an era of peace to war with an old enemy, albeit this time Hitler’s totalitarian National Socialist Germany as opposed to the Imperial Germany of old. As well as covering each of the fighter types used during the inter-war period, and featuring most of the squadrons, the photographs themselves convey the sense of the technical advances that rapidly took root within Britain’s aero industries from the mid-1930s onwards, moving from the brightly-marked overall silver wood and linen biplanes to the dull camouflaged metal-skinned monoplanes. The progression of machine-gun development – from the Lewis and Vickers of the First World War to the later Browning – is covered, spanning the days of the biplanes’ two fixed synchronised Lewis or Vickers .303-inch machine-guns mounted in the forward fuselage to eight wing-mounted .303-inch Browning machine-guns in the ‘new’ monoplane fighters. There is also a small, but fascinating, section on the monoplane ‘also rans’ – the monoplane fighters that were designed and had prototypes built but failed to reach the finishing post!
Author: Robert Jackson
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 286
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Book Description
Author: Philip Birtles
Publisher: Fonthill Media
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 863
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Book Description
Author: Air Force History Branch
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1922488046
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 644
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Book Description
Aircraft of The Royal Australian Air Force tells the story of the RAAF’s first one hundred years by describing the acquisition, operation, and service record of the multitude of aircraft types flown by the RAAF. The 176 aircraft types include the flimsy wood and canvas aircraft typical of World War I, through the technological advances during and after World War II, to modern fifth-generation, complex aircraft like the F-35 Lightning II. Even before its formation Sir Richard Williams, the Father of the RAAF, had decided to employ an alpha-numeric numbering system to identify and account for each aircraft in service. This system started with A1, A2, A3 etc as each type of aircraft came into service. Each individual aircraft within each series was identified as A1-1, A1-2 and so on and the aircraft serial became known colloquially as the ‘A-number’. With some exceptions over the century since the A-number system started, aircraft entered RAAF service in broadly the sequence of the A-numbers, and so this book is intended to assist in charting the 100-year history of the RAAF by listing aircraft operated in A-number sequence, rather than by listing them by role (such as Fighter, Bomber, Maritime, Trainer, Transport etc) or alphabetically by name or by manufacturer. The inclusion of a comprehensive Index and the Quick Reference Guide to aircraft by role is intended to facilitate the location of the entry for any specific type of aircraft for those who may not already know its A-number. Aircraft of The Royal Australian Air Force is a must have for all those who have served in the RAAF, those with a passion for military aviation and aircraft in general, and the broader members of the public wishing to gain an appreciation of the Royal Australian Air Force in its centenary year.
Author: Tony O'Toole
Publisher: Pen and Sword
ISBN: 1473851017
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 271
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Book Description
This fully illustrated volume examines the legendary RAF fighter with full details on its WWII service and design modifications. The Hawker Hurricane was aeronautical engineer Sidney Camm's masterpiece. The fighter entered Royal Air Force service in 1937 and quickly became one of the most important aircraft in Britain's military arsenal—especially in the first three years of the Second World War. It served in every wartime theatre, from Norway and France, to the Battle of Britain, the defense of Malta, the campaigns in the Western Desert, the Russian Front, and in the Far East where it saw service until the end of hostilities. Martin Derry offers a concise yet informative history of the Hurricane's development, operational career and design improvements, including many contemporary photographs with detailed captions; a 16-page color illustration section offering profiles and 2-views of 48 separate aircraft; and finally a section prepared by master maker Tony O'Toole, listing and illustrating the plastic model kits of the Hurricane available in all scales.
Author: Jo Wheeler
Publisher: Penguin UK
ISBN: 0241354641
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 307
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Book Description
Celebrating the lives of the magnificent women, the ATA girls, who courageously flew Spitfires, Tiger Moths, Lancaster Bombers and many other aircraft during World War Two. These extraordinary women, Mary Ellis, Jackie Moggridge and Pauline Gower are just a few of the remarkable stories inside . . . Since the invention of aeroplanes, women have taken to the skies. They have broken records, performed daredevil stunts and faced such sexism and prejudice that they were effectively barred from working as pilots. That changed in the Second World War. Led by firebrand Pauline Gower, an elite group of British women were selected as ferry pilots to fly for the Air Transport Auxiliary. They risked their lives flying munitions and equipment for the boys on the front line. Flying day and night without radio; dodging storms, barrage balloons and anti-aircraft fire; and with only a map, compass and their eyesight to guide them, they navigated the treacherous wartime skies. ____________ The Hurricane Girls is the thrilling, moving and inspirational story of the female air force who once ruled our skies.
Author: Martyn Chorlton
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1780966032
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 67
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Book Description
At the outbreak of World War II, only 111 Squadron and a handful of others were equipped with the Hurricane. Thanks to sudden massive orders and a well-organized Hawker sub-contracting production to Gloster and General Aircraft, more squadrons rapidly became operational. Cutting their teeth during the Battle of France, it was during the Battle of Britain that the type excelled and came to form the backbone of Fighter Command. While the Hurricane was steadily overtaken by the Spitfire in the fighter defence role, it remained the fighter of choice in North Africa and the Far East. Despite a large number being shot down in these far-flung conflicts, many received hasty repairs and returned to the fray while more fragile designs were permanently grounded. The Hurricane may not have been the prettiest or, the best-performing aircraft but, as Francis Mason stated: 'The Royal Air Force was glad to get the Spitfire...it had to have the Hurricane!'
Author: Chris Goss
Publisher: Stackpole Books
ISBN: 0811707490
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 418
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Book Description
The Battle of Britain (July to October 1940), one of World War II's turning points, as seen by the German attackers who ultimately lost the battle Personal accounts from the men who flew the Messerschmitt fighters and Junkers bombers Riveting stories of wheeling dogfights with British Spitfires and bomb runs amid exploding flak Packed with photos of pilots, crews, planes, equipment, and more
Author: Les Perera
Publisher: Character-19
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 128
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Book Description
It is generally accepted that the Spitfire was not only a great fighter aircraft but was also a symbol of Britain’s defiance of the Luftwaffe in the early years of WWII. Britain had been slow to react to German rearmament in the 1930s. Since WWI, the RAF’s front-line aircraft were mainly used in the colonial policing role where their (mostly) 1920s technology was not an issue. However, the political appeasement of Hitler’s Germany and subsequent lack of realisation had left the RAF ill-equipped to combat the potential threat posed by the German build-up. Almost too late, the government started to modernise Britain’s ageing fighter force, with orders for the Hurricane and Spitfire that were to prove invaluable in the defence of the country. These aircraft, together with others to follow, began to replace the biplane fighters and bombers that would have been hopelessly outclassed in the forthcoming war. Weapons technology, radar and electronic countermeasures all played a part in Britain’s ultimate victory. Without the aircraft and the courage of the crews who operated them, this outcome would not have been possible. Some of the aircraft that served during that period are profiled in this illustrated book with archive photography. There are many familiar names featured such as the Supermarine Spitfire, Hawker Hurricane and Avro Lancaster, but also lesser-known types including the Boulton Paul Defiant, Fairey Battle and Westland Lysander.
Author: David T. Zabecki
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1135812497
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 1140
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Book Description
World War II defined the 20th century and shaped many events, from the decolonization of Africa to the rise and fall of the Berlin Wall. This encyclopedia offers a focused overview of this complex and volatile era, the circumstances that led up to war, the underlying causes, its unfolding and consequences. Organized for quick and precise access More than 1300 entries by 150 experts are arranged in six sections for easy reference and consultation. All the key ideas, events, actions, weapons, individuals, and organizations that played vital roles in the war are covered, from the Axis Pact to the Arab League, from the OSS to the Africa Korps, from the Chetniks to the Jedburghs, from the battle of Kursk to Operation Mincemeat, from Bill Donovan to Otto Skorzeny, from Gestapo to SMERSH, from Georgi Zhukov to Jean Leclerc, from the 88 gun to the Norden Bombsight. Covers important neglected subjects The Encyclopedia puts special emphasis on the often-neglected operations in Eastern Europe and Russia. A key section inspects and rates all the major weapons, with handy tables for easy comparison. And in recognition of the first large-scale participation of women in the war, the volume thoroughly documents their individual and unit contributions to the Allied effort. Finally, the encyclopedia discusses battlefield realties that explain, for example, why the airborne drops at Normandy succeeded and the ones at Arnheim failed. A bibliography, glossary, maps, photographs, and weapons and data tables enhance the coverage. Also includes 16 maps.
