A Century of Air Warfare With Nine (IX) Squadron, RAF

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Publisher : Pen and Sword
ISBN 13 : 147383841X
Total Pages : 432 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (738 download)

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Book Synopsis A Century of Air Warfare With Nine (IX) Squadron, RAF by : Gordon Thorburn

Download or read book A Century of Air Warfare With Nine (IX) Squadron, RAF written by Gordon Thorburn and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2014-07-02 with total page 432 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the earliest days of World War One, when IX Squadron was formed, we went to the fight in little 50mph machines that were barely capable of taking pilot and observer, a gun and a few small, hand-held bombs into the sky, especially on a windy day. When we took a wireless set, to spot for the artillery and report on troop movements, the extra load forced the defenceless pilot to leave his observer behind.A century later, IX (B) Squadron flies jets that can exceed the speed of sound, place laser-guided missiles within a few centimetres of the target, and transmit the most complex data in real time across the globe.In between, the tale is of ponderous beasts of biplanes, of Wellingtons and Lancasters in the bloody battles of World War Two, of Canberras and Vulcans in the nuclear age of the Cold War.Above all, it's the story of the men and women of the RAF's senior bomber squadron across a hundred years of war and peace, and their words fill this book. We go from those beginnings in wood, wire and fabric kites over France and a pilot armed with a service revolver, to the world's first Tornado squadron in the Gulf wars, over Kosovo and Afghanistan, and so to the present, a century on.It really is one hell of a story.

From The Battle of Britain to Bombing Hitler's Berchtesgaden

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Author :
Publisher : Air World
ISBN 13 : 1399066927
Total Pages : 261 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (99 download)

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Book Synopsis From The Battle of Britain to Bombing Hitler's Berchtesgaden by : James Bazin

Download or read book From The Battle of Britain to Bombing Hitler's Berchtesgaden written by James Bazin and published by Air World. This book was released on 2023-06-30 with total page 261 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It was Tuesday, 17 October 1939. Britain had been at war with Germany for more than a month and for only the second time the Luftwaffe had dared to enter British airspace – and at last James ‘Jim’ Bazin’s chance had come. After joining the RAF in 1935, Jim was an experienced pilot when war broke out and he was eager to test his skills against the enemy. This first combat was the start of a career which saw Wing Commander Bazin, as he was to become, being posted to France with 607 (County of Durham) Squadron. He fought there until the last days of the Battle of France. In the course of the campaign, Bazin had battled his way to becoming an ace. He was also shot down behind enemy lines, but successfully evaded capture to return to his squadron and resume the fight. There was no respite for Bazin as he was once again in the air defending Britain’s skies in his trusty Hurricane as the Luftwaffe sort to destroy Fighter Command in the summer of 1940. With ten ‘kills’ to his name, Jim Bazin was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in October that year. But merely driving off the Luftwaffe was not enough for him. He was posted to Inverness where he served as a Controller in 14 Group’s Operations Room, which gave him a taste for offensive operations. In time, Bazin volunteered to move to Bomber Command. He duly undertook a conversion course in 1943, eventually joining 49 Squadron as a Lancaster pilot to take the war to the very heart of the enemy. After commanding 49 Squadron, including taking part in Bomber Command’s support of the D-Day landings, Bazin was promoted to Wing Commander, leading 9 Squadron on many attacks on special targets such as U-boat pens, viaducts, refineries and, most notably, operating with the famous Dambusters against Hitler’s great battleship Tirpitz. Unrelenting in his efforts against the enemy, Jim Bazin was involved in operations against targets in Poland and Germany right up until the end of the war. This culminated in the last major RAF operation of the Second World War when, on 25 April 1945, Bomber Command attacked the Berghof, Hitler’s Alpine retreat, and other targets in Berchtesgaden. Jim Bazin was awarded the DSO in September 1945 – rightful recognition for a man who had done so much to bring about the defeat of the enemy.

Flying against Fate

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Author :
Publisher : University Press of Kansas
ISBN 13 : 0700624694
Total Pages : 264 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (6 download)

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Book Synopsis Flying against Fate by : S. P. MacKenzie

Download or read book Flying against Fate written by S. P. MacKenzie and published by University Press of Kansas. This book was released on 2017-08-04 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: During World War II, Allied casualty rates in the air were high. Of the roughly 125,000 who served as aircrew with Bomber Command, 59,423 were killed or missing and presumed killed—a fatality rate of 45.5%. With odds like that, it would be no surprise if there were as few atheists in cockpits as there were in foxholes; and indeed, many airmen faced their dangerous missions with beliefs and rituals ranging from the traditional to the outlandish. Military historian S. P. MacKenzie considers this phenomenon in Flying against Fate, a pioneering study of the important role that superstition played in combat flier morale among the Allies in World War II. Mining a wealth of documents as well as a trove of published and unpublished memoirs and diaries, MacKenzie examines the myriad forms combat fliers' superstitions assumed, from jinxes to premonitions. Most commonly, airmen carried amulets or talismans—lucky boots or a stuffed toy; a coin whose year numbers added up to thirteen; counterintuitively, a boomerang. Some performed rituals or avoided other acts, e.g., having a photo taken before a flight. Whatever seemed to work was worth sticking with, and a heightened risk often meant an upsurge in superstitious thought and behavior. MacKenzie delves into behavior analysis studies to help explain the psychology behind much of the behavior he documents—not slighting the large cohort of crew members and commanders who demurred. He also looks into the ways in which superstitious behavior was tolerated or even encouraged by those in command who saw it as a means of buttressing morale. The first in-depth exploration of just how varied and deeply felt superstitious beliefs were to tens of thousands of combat fliers, Flying against Fate expands our understanding of a major aspect of the psychology of war in the air and of World War II.

Air Warfare & Air Base Air Defense, 1914-1973

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Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9780160022494
Total Pages : 428 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (224 download)

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Book Synopsis Air Warfare & Air Base Air Defense, 1914-1973 by : John F Kreis

Download or read book Air Warfare & Air Base Air Defense, 1914-1973 written by John F Kreis and published by . This book was released on 1988-12-01 with total page 428 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

1 Group Bomber Command

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Author :
Publisher : Pen and Sword
ISBN 13 : 147383810X
Total Pages : 439 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (738 download)

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Book Synopsis 1 Group Bomber Command by : Chris Ward

Download or read book 1 Group Bomber Command written by Chris Ward and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2014-06-18 with total page 439 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A history of the British Royal Air Force’s 1 Group Bomber Command during World War II. During the period immediately before the Second World War, the RAF modified its command structure to rationalize for rapid expansion. Bomber Command was divided into six operational groups, each flying the same type of aircraft, including Wellingtons, Sterlings, and Lancasters. Chris Ward presents us here with the history of 1 Group Bomber Command, having previously acquainted us with the histories of three, four, five, and six Groups in four highly acclaimed volumes, published by Pen and Sword. He continues with characteristic ease, quality of research, and narrative pace, to present us with an operational record of the group’s activities during a particularly dramatic period of aviation history. The book contains individual squadron statistics, their commanding officers, stations, and aircraft losses. It provides an exhaustive reference for one of the RAF’s most important operational groups.

The Paths of Heaven The Evolution of Airpower Theory

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Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (227 download)

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Book Synopsis The Paths of Heaven The Evolution of Airpower Theory by :

Download or read book The Paths of Heaven The Evolution of Airpower Theory written by and published by . This book was released on 1997 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Airpower is not widely understood. Even though it has come to play an increasingly important role in both peace and war, the basic concepts that define and govern airpower remain obscure to many people, even to professional military officers. This fact is largely due to fundamental differences of opinion as to whether or not the aircraft has altered the strategies of war or merely its tactics. If the former, then one can see airpower as a revolutionary leap along the continuum of war; but if the latter, then airpower is simply another weapon that joins the arsenal along with the rifle, machine gun, tank, submarine, and radio. This book implicitly assumes that airpower has brought about a revolution in war. It has altered virtually all aspects of war: how it is fought, by whom, against whom, and with what weapons. Flowing from those factors have been changes in training, organization, administration, command and control, and doctrine. War has been fundamentally transformed by the advent of the airplane.

Air University Library Index to Military Periodicals

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Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 500 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis Air University Library Index to Military Periodicals by :

Download or read book Air University Library Index to Military Periodicals written by and published by . This book was released on 1998 with total page 500 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

The Future of Air Power in the Aftermath of the Gulf War

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Author :
Publisher : DIANE Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1428992812
Total Pages : 387 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (289 download)

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Book Synopsis The Future of Air Power in the Aftermath of the Gulf War by : Robert L. Pfaltzgraff

Download or read book The Future of Air Power in the Aftermath of the Gulf War written by Robert L. Pfaltzgraff and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on 1992 with total page 387 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This collection of essays reflects the proceedings of a 1991 conference on "The United States Air Force: Aerospace Challenges and Missions in the 1990s," sponsored by the USAF and Tufts University. The 20 contributors comment on the pivotal role of airpower in the war with Iraq and address issues and choices facing the USAF, such as the factors that are reshaping strategies and missions, the future role and structure of airpower as an element of US power projection, and the aerospace industry's views on what the Air Force of the future will set as its acquisition priorities and strategies. The authors agree that aerospace forces will be an essential and formidable tool in US security policies into the next century. The contributors include academics, high-level military leaders, government officials, journalists, and top executives from aerospace and defense contractors.

The Last Century of Sea Power, Volume 2

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Publisher : Indiana University Press
ISBN 13 : 0253004098
Total Pages : 706 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (53 download)

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Book Synopsis The Last Century of Sea Power, Volume 2 by : H. P. Willmott

Download or read book The Last Century of Sea Power, Volume 2 written by H. P. Willmott and published by Indiana University Press. This book was released on 2010-03-22 with total page 706 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “An important contribution . . . a thoughtful account of the years preceding the Second World War and, at much greater length, of the war itself.” —History In this second volume of his history of naval power in the 20th century, H. P. Willmott follows the fortunes of the established seafaring nations of Europe along with two upstarts—the United States and Japan. Emerging from World War I in command of the seas, Great Britain saw its supremacy weakened through neglect and in the face of more committed rivals. Britain’s grand Coronation Review of 1937 marked the apotheosis of a sea power slipping into decline. Meanwhile, Britain’s rivals and soon-to-be enemies were embarking on significant naval building programs that would soon change the nature of war at sea in ways that neither they nor their rivals anticipated. By the end of a new world war, the United States had taken command of two oceans, having placed its industrial might behind technologies that further defined the arena of naval power above and below the waves, where stealth and the ability to strike at great distance would soon rewrite the rules of war and of peace. This splendid volume further enhances Willmott’s stature as the dean of naval historians. Praise for The Last Century of Sea Power series “The author, dean of naval historians, provides a sweeping look at, and analysis of, the transformation of naval power . . . Wilmott is fearless in his judgments.” —Seapower “H. P. Willmott is the finest naval historian and among the finest historians of any discipline writing today.” —Bernard D. Cole, author of The Great Wall at Sea

Air Power History

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Author :
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1135316058
Total Pages : 388 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (353 download)

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Book Synopsis Air Power History by : Sebastian Cox

Download or read book Air Power History written by Sebastian Cox and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-11-05 with total page 388 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: he 20th century saw air power transformed from novelists' fantasy into stark reality. From string and canvas to precision weaponry and stealth, air power has progressed to become not only the weapon of first political choice, but often the only conceivable option. This rapid development has given rise to considerable debate and controversy with those holding entrenched views rarely slow to shout their case. Many myths have grown over the period, ranging from the once much vaunted ability of air power to win wars alone through to its impact as a coercive tool. This volume examines the theory and practice of air power from its earliest inception. The contributors have been drawn from academia and the military and represent some of the world's leading proponents on the subject. All significant eras on air power employment are examined: some are evidently turning points, while others represent continuous development. Perhaps more importantly, the book highlights the areas that could be considered to be significant, and invites the reader to enter the debate as to whether it constitutes a continuum, a turning point, or indeed a revolution.

World War II [5 volumes]

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Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN 13 : 1851099697
Total Pages : 2730 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (51 download)

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Book Synopsis World War II [5 volumes] by : Spencer C. Tucker

Download or read book World War II [5 volumes] written by Spencer C. Tucker and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2016-09-06 with total page 2730 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With more than 1,700 cross-referenced entries covering every aspect of World War II, the events and developments of the era, and myriad related subjects as well as a documents volume, this is the most comprehensive reference work available on the war. This encyclopedia represents a single source of authoritative information on World War II that provides accessible coverage of the causes, course, and consequences of the war. Its introductory overview essays and cross-referenced A–Z entries explain how various sources of friction culminated in a second worldwide conflict, document the events of the war and why individual battles were won and lost, and identify numerous ways the war has permanently changed the world. The coverage addresses the individuals, campaigns, battles, key weapons systems, strategic decisions, and technological developments of the conflict, as well as the diplomatic, economic, and cultural aspects of World War II. The five-volume set provides comprehensive information that gives readers insight into the reasons for the war's direction and outcome. Readers will understand the motivations behind Japan's decision to attack the United States, appreciate how the concentration of German military resources on the Eastern Front affected the war's outcome, understand the major strategic decisions of the war and the factors behind them, grasp how the Second Sino-Japanese War contributed to the start of World War II, and see the direct impact of new military technology on the outcomes of the battles during the conflict. The lengthy documents volume represents a valuable repository of additional information for student research.

The Next War in the Air

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Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1317022637
Total Pages : 303 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (17 download)

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Book Synopsis The Next War in the Air by : Brett Holman

Download or read book The Next War in the Air written by Brett Holman and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2016-02-17 with total page 303 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the early twentieth century, the new technology of flight changed warfare irrevocably, not only on the battlefield, but also on the home front. As prophesied before 1914, Britain in the First World War was effectively no longer an island, with its cities attacked by Zeppelin airships and Gotha bombers in one of the first strategic bombing campaigns. Drawing on prewar ideas about the fragility of modern industrial civilization, some writers now began to argue that the main strategic risk to Britain was not invasion or blockade, but the possibility of a sudden and intense aerial bombardment of London and other cities, which would cause tremendous destruction and massive casualties. The nation would be shattered in a matter of days or weeks, before it could fully mobilize for war. Defeat, decline, and perhaps even extinction, would follow. This theory of the knock-out blow from the air solidified into a consensus during the 1920s and by the 1930s had largely become an orthodoxy, accepted by pacifists and militarists alike. But the devastation feared in 1938 during the Munich Crisis, when gas masks were distributed and hundreds of thousands fled London, was far in excess of the damage wrought by the Luftwaffe during the Blitz in 1940 and 1941, as terrible as that was. The knock-out blow, then, was a myth. But it was a myth with consequences. For the first time, The Next War in the Air reconstructs the concept of the knock-out blow as it was articulated in the public sphere, the reasons why it came to be so widely accepted by both experts and non-experts, and the way it shaped the responses of the British public to some of the great issues facing them in the 1930s, from pacifism to fascism. Drawing on both archival documents and fictional and non-fictional publications from the period between 1908, when aviation was first perceived as a threat to British security, and 1941, when the Blitz ended, and it became clear that no knock-out blow was coming, The Next War in the Air provides a fascinating insight into the origins and evolution of this important cultural and intellectual phenomenon, Britain's fear of the bomber.

When Zippo Went to War

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Publisher : Pen and Sword History
ISBN 13 : 152677772X
Total Pages : 208 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (267 download)

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Book Synopsis When Zippo Went to War by : Philip Kaplan

Download or read book When Zippo Went to War written by Philip Kaplan and published by Pen and Sword History. This book was released on 2021-03-30 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Throughout the 1930s the Zippo Company in Pennsylvania prospered on the growing success of its stylish, charismatic little cigarette lighter. The lighter was made mostly of brass, but with the Second World War that metal was declared a ‘strategic material’ in the U.S. where huge amounts of it were needed for shell and cartridge casings. Zippo replaced the brass with steel, which can corrode, and wartime Zippos were given a new baked-on black ‘crackle’ finish to protect them. That non-reflective characteristic helped save the lives of many American soldiers in combat zones. The demand of the Armed Forces for the lighter led to the company to earmark its entire production for military. The big wartime market for the Zippo resulted in a rise of imitations. After the war, through subsequent conflicts in Korea, Vietnam and elsewhere, thousands of such phoneys appeared in boot sales and swap meets across the world. Movie stars added sophistication and glamor when someone lit up a cigarette with a Zippo and the distinctive ‘clink-clop’ sound the lighter made when opened and closed was unmatchable. Legend has it that the great star Bette Davis was once asked by an interviewer if she smoked after sex. Her supposed response: “To tell you the truth, I’ve never looked.” In later years- and a dark medical reality- the cigarette began losing its allure, but in wartime the soldier, sailor, marine and airman was frequently nervous in the service and found solace and a brief time-out-of-war in the relaxation of a quick smoke. Zippo was ready in such moments. Today many examples survive with a special history and caché. When Zippo Went to War is illustrated with more than 140 unpublished photos those unique little lighters of old. Like the remarkable Zippo itself, the book works well and sheds some new light on its subject.

Courage and Air Warfare

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Author :
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1135204896
Total Pages : 278 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (352 download)

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Book Synopsis Courage and Air Warfare by : Mark K. Wells

Download or read book Courage and Air Warfare written by Mark K. Wells and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2014-03-05 with total page 278 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Colonel Wells investigates the nature of aerial warfare and the men who took part. The book analyzes aircrew selection, reaction to combat, adaptability to stress, morale, leadership and combat effectiveness, and compares the efforts of the US Eighth Air Force and RAF Bomber Command.

A Concise History of the U.S. Air Force

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Author :
Publisher : Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 96 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (6 download)

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Book Synopsis A Concise History of the U.S. Air Force by : Stephen Lee McFarland

Download or read book A Concise History of the U.S. Air Force written by Stephen Lee McFarland and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 1997 with total page 96 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Except in a few instances, since World War II no American soldier or sailor has been attacked by enemy air power. Conversely, no enemy soldier orsailor has acted in combat without being attacked or at least threatened by American air power. Aviators have brought the air weapon to bear against enemies while denying them the same prerogative. This is the legacy of the U.S. AirForce, purchased at great cost in both human and material resources.More often than not, aerial pioneers had to fight technological ignorance, bureaucratic opposition, public apathy, and disagreement over purpose.Every step in the evolution of air power led into new and untrodden territory, driven by humanitarian impulses; by the search for higher, faster, and farther flight; or by the conviction that the air way was the best way. Warriors have always coveted the high ground. If technology permitted them to reach it, men, women andan air force held and exploited it-from Thomas Selfridge, first among so many who gave that "last full measure of devotion"; to Women's Airforce Service Pilot Ann Baumgartner, who broke social barriers to become the first Americanwoman to pilot a jet; to Benjamin Davis, who broke racial barriers to become the first African American to command a flying group; to Chuck Yeager, a one-time non-commissioned flight officer who was the first to exceed the speed of sound; to John Levitow, who earned the Medal of Honor by throwing himself over a live flare to save his gunship crew; to John Warden, who began a revolution in air power thought and strategy that was put to spectacular use in the Gulf War.Industrialization has brought total war and air power has brought the means to overfly an enemy's defenses and attack its sources of power directly. Americans have perceived air power from the start as a more efficient means of waging war and as a symbol of the nation's commitment to technology to master challenges, minimize casualties, and defeat adversaries.

The War in the Air, 1914-1994

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Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 448 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (243 download)

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Book Synopsis The War in the Air, 1914-1994 by : Alan Stephens

Download or read book The War in the Air, 1914-1994 written by Alan Stephens and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page 448 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book contains the proceedings of a conference held by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) in Canberra in 1994. Since its publication by the RAAF's Air Power Studies Center in that year, the book has become a widely used reference at universities, military academies, and other educational institutions around the world. The application of aerospace power has seen significant developments since 1994, most notably through American-led operations in Central Europe and continuing technological advances with weapons, uninhabited vehicles, space-based systems, and information systems. But notwithstanding those developments and the passing of six years, the value of this anthology of airpower in the twentieth century seems undiminished.

Flight Artworks

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Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781320369176
Total Pages : pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (691 download)

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Book Synopsis Flight Artworks by : Gary Eason

Download or read book Flight Artworks written by Gary Eason and published by . This book was released on 2015-09-18 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Collected in book form for the first time – and also available as an ebook – are some of Gary Eason's acclaimed Flight Artworks: carefully researched and crafted photorealistic pictures of historical air combat. This first volume presents images of WWII scenes, selected from artworks created since 2011."From my point of view as a pilot for the last 43 years and an RAF fighter pilot for 30 years, the realism he captures is uncanny ...". - Squadron Leader Clive Rowley MBE RAF (Retd)Third edition, September 2015