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Book Synopsis RAF West Malling by : Anthony J. Moor
Download or read book RAF West Malling written by Anthony J. Moor and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2019-12-19 with total page 569 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “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.
Book Synopsis From Moths to Merlins by : Robin J. Brooks
Download or read book From Moths to Merlins written by Robin J. Brooks and published by . This book was released on 2013-10 with total page 128 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As a small club airfield during the 1930s, West Malling was very popular with flyers. Taken over by the RAF in 1939 it became a forward landing airfield to Biggin Hill. Unfinished by the time the Battle of Britain began, it played no operational part during the conflict. However, due to faulty German intelligence it was bombed on several occasions delaying completion even further. From 1941 it became the home of many night fighter squadrons within the umbrella of No. 11 Group, Fighter Command. During the Dieppe operation it became a forward base for day fighter squadrons after which it reverted to its primary role. One of the main anti-diver bases during the V1 campaign during 1944, it continued in its defensive role during peacetime until 1960 when the MOD leased the airfield to the American Navy. After two years it returned to the MOD who sold the site to the Kent County Council for development as an industrial park together with housing. This entailed all civil flying and Air Cadet gliding to cease despite much local opposition to the plans.
Download or read book RAF in Camera written by Keith Wilson and published by Pen and Sword Aviation. This book was released on 2022-09-15 with total page 474 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In July 2018, the nation looked skyward over Buckingham Palace in awe as the Royal Air Force celebrated its first 100 years with a spectacular parade and flypast over London. This event demonstrated a very different perspective of the RAF; well away from its operational commitments. The expertise and precision of those RAF pilots flying in some of the most famous aircraft in the world has been displayed since the very first days of military aviation. The Inter-War period was dominated by the Hendon Air Pageants; where many aircraft made their public appearance. Post-war, it was the turn of the jet display teams, with the Black Arrows and Firebirds’ laying the foundations for the aerial mastery that is today’s Red Arrows. The various anniversaries have seen a growth in special artwork being applied to aircraft flown by squadrons celebrating key anniversaries. This is covered in considerable detail within this volume. On the ground, the RAF is represented at major celebrations and key public events by the Queen’s Colour Squadron, which demonstrates its world-famous continuity drill routine while providing a guard of honor for visiting Heads of States. They are frequently accompanied with the Service’s own bands; which have grown from those created by its squadrons over a century ago. From the Berlin Airlift in 1948; to flood relief in Kenya; and the international relief effort in the Caribbean following Hurricane Irma in 2017; the RAF has been deployed overseas in response to numerous international crises. But aid operations have also been mounted at home. Under the banner of ‘Military Aid to the Civil Powers’, helicopters and aircraft have airlifted food and supplies to areas cut off by severe weather; Sea King helicopters have rescued villagers stranded by flash flooding in Boscastle; while Chinook helicopters have assisted with the rebuilding of flood defenses breached by severe floods across the country. The golden age of record-breaking also features in this book. From long-range flights to South Africa and Australia; the Schneider Trophy triumph; speed records in the jet age; along with altitude records with pilots in special pressure suits; the RAF has demonstrated its reputation as a truly pioneering Air Arm. Keith Wilson takes us on a journey through the Royal Air Force’s public persona during their 100 year history. All landmark events are referenced in this thorough, well-researched and image-packed publication. As with the three previous releases, this new addition to the In Camera series is sure to be regarded as something of a collector’s edition and a real enthusiast’s favorite.
Download or read book By Day and by Night written by Peter Hall and published by . This book was released on 1998-01-01 with total page 62 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Book Synopsis Kent Britain's Frontline County by : Clive Holden
Download or read book Kent Britain's Frontline County written by Clive Holden and published by Amberley Publishing Limited. This book was released on 2017-04-15 with total page 165 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A fascinating insight into Kent's long and distinguished military defence heritage.
Book Synopsis From Moths to Merlins by : Robin J. Brooks
Download or read book From Moths to Merlins written by Robin J. Brooks and published by . This book was released on 1987 with total page 119 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Book Synopsis North-West Aircraft Wrecks by : Nick Wotherspoon
Download or read book North-West Aircraft Wrecks written by Nick Wotherspoon and published by Casemate Publishers. This book was released on 2007-01-31 with total page 339 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is a different approach to Aviation Archaeology. The book includes 18 crash sites and each chapter includes a description of how the incident occurred and the reasons behind the crash. Copious notes then reveal what the authors have discovered about the artifacts and the history surrounding the cause of the event. Contact with surviving relatives or fellow comrades has in many instances revealed new information and gives a more detailed insight into the geographical location itself. Each chapter will be illustrated to show the site, wreckage and objects found, the crew involved and aircraft type. In addition there will be location information. The appendices will give outline only information on some 400 other incidents, date, location, aircraft type, crew, fate etc.
Download or read book Dieppe – 1942 written by Stephen Wynn and published by Pen and Sword Military. This book was released on 2023-10-30 with total page 267 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On 19 August 1942, an Allied amphibious raid took place on the coastal town of Dieppe in northern France, when a force of some 6,500 infantry soldiers, predominantly Canadian, and supported by a number of tanks were landed by ships of the Royal Navy under a blanket of cover provided by the RAF. The official reason for the raid was to capture the town's port, gather relevant intelligence, and destroy a number of coastal defenses, port structures and other identified buildings. Allied authorities believed the raid would not only provide a much-needed boost to Allied morale, but also demonstrate to Stalin that Britain and the United States were serious in their commitment to opening a second front, in order to help the Soviet army fighting on the Eastern Front. It has also been suggested that the real reason for the raid was to capture a new German 4-rotor Enigma code machine, along with related code books. Whatever the reasons for the raid, it was an unmitigated failure. The German defenses were more formidable than intelligence reports suggested they would be, Allied aerial and naval support was insufficient, meaning soldiers were unable to achieve their objectives, and most of the tanks failed to make it off the beaches. Indeed, due to the unexpected mounting casualties, the decision was taken to cut short the raid and evacuate the remaining men.
Download or read book Cold War Kent written by Clive Holden and published by Amberley Publishing Limited. This book was released on 2021-09-15 with total page 156 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A fascinating, illustrated exploration of Kent’s military sites and installations from the Cold War.
Book Synopsis RAF and USAAF Airfields in the UK During the Second World War by : Geoff Mills
Download or read book RAF and USAAF Airfields in the UK During the Second World War written by Geoff Mills and published by Fonthill Media. This book was released on 2022-03-31 with total page 1069 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Shortly after the end of the Second World War, the United Kingdom was described as one vast aircraft carrier anchored off the coast of Europe. During a seven year period 500 airfields were constructed to serve the needs first of the RAF and later the USAAF as they carried the war to German-occupied Europe. The airfields that were constructed took many different forms from training airfields and Advanced Landing Grounds to grass fighter airstrips and vast complexes used to accommodate heavy bombers. This book charts the history of each Second World War airfield in and around the UK providing a unique insight in to the construction, operational life and post-war history of each airfield. Alongside detailing the history of each airfield, this work comprehensively records the details of each unit that operated from airfields around the UK. The information provided in this meticulously researched book is supported by a wealth of 690 photographs providing an illustration into the life of each wartime station.
Book Synopsis My Life As A Spy by : Leslie Woodhead
Download or read book My Life As A Spy written by Leslie Woodhead and published by Pan Macmillan. This book was released on 2012-12-13 with total page 260 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An award-winning and highly distinguished documentary film-maker, Leslie Woodhead has written a funny, sad and highly atmospheric memoir of what it was like to be hurled into maturity amidst the peculiar circumstances of the Cold War. In the spring of 1956, like two million other men of his generation, the eighteen-year old Leslie Woodhead received a summons to serve Her Majesty. Charting his progress from the austerity of post-war Halifax, via comically bleak RAF training camps and the grim, isolated Joint Services School for Linguistics, My Life As A Spy takes us finally to Berlin and the front line of the Cold War. In the ruins of a city gripped by espionage and paranoia, Leslie Woodhead discovered adulthood and his vocation as an observer and documenter of people. A slice of Cold War history and a poignant tale of how our lives can be formed by events and experiences we barely comprehend at the time. '[a] delightfully irreverent memoir. . . Woodhead's memories exude a wonderful sense of nostalgia for a world of lost innocence that to anyone over 60 is instantly recognisable' Sunday Times
Book Synopsis Detling Airfield by : Anthony J. Moor
Download or read book Detling Airfield written by Anthony J. Moor and published by Amberley Publishing Limited. This book was released on 2011-06-15 with total page 384 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The remarkable story of the Kentish airfield that was a station of the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) in World War I and the Royal Air Force (RAF) in World War II.
Download or read book We Guard the Gate written by M. S. Morgan and published by Independently Published. This book was released on 2021-12-21 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Following on from the book 'Bad Hat Squadron', this volume covers the period May 1943 to August 1944 and the five Mosquito squadrons which operated from RAF West Malling in a night fighter role. Initially they under-took night defence duties before going onto the offensive over France and the D-Day beach heads; as well as dealing with V1 flying bombs. MS Morgan uses combat reports, aircraft loss reports, Operational Record Books and biographies to produce a chronological history and diary of the day to day events of these squadrons. The final section details many of the pilots and radar operators who served during that period. A detailed account of Britain's primary night fighter station in WW2.
Download or read book One of Our Own written by David Duker and published by Air World. This book was released on 2023-10-30 with total page 255 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is the enthralling story of a young man who found himself at the epicenter of one of the biggest turning points in recent history – The Battle of Britain. Guided by the diaries that he meticulously kept throughout his wartime experience and that lay unread for over eighty years, Victor Howard Ekins’ story is one of duty, loss, friendship and love. He would meet his wife Kim, a ‘plotter’ serving at RAF Kenley, during the intensity of the Battle of Britain and their relationship would go on to flourish against all odds. He also rose through the ranks to become a Squadron Leader who was admired and respected by those who served with him. As an inexperienced Sergeant pilot, Victor was posted to 111 Squadron three weeks into the Battle of Britain. The baptism of fire that he went on to experience would stay with him for a lifetime as his squadron was decimated after relentlessly pursuing the tactic of the head-on attack. He was caught on the ground during the bombing of RAF Croydon on 15 August 1940, and would fight in the skies above RAF Kenley during ‘The Hardest Day’. He would also be one of the airmen tasked with defending London against the first of the huge daylight bombing raids that took place on 7 September 1940. After 111 Squadron was withdrawn from the front line due to its extreme losses, Victor was posted to 501 Squadron. On 27 September 1940, he was shot down and seriously injured as a bullet passed through his stomach and smashed into the controls of his Hurricane. Miraculously, he would go on to land by parachute in a Canadian field hospital, the staff of which were able to save his life and would return to the action within just 8 weeks. Victor became part of the brotherhood of 501 Squadron and served on the front line for a grueling twenty-one months before eventually being given a rest. A promotion to Squadron Leader followed where he was given command of 19 Squadron and placed at the heart of offensive operations over occupied Europe. After a year of intense action, Victor would form an unforgettable bond with his ‘boys’ who would forever hold a special place in his heart. One of Our Own is a unique insight into the mind and experiences of one of Churchill’s ‘Few’, a natural leader and a good man.
Book Synopsis The Royal Air Force in the Cold War 1950-1970 by : Ian Proctor
Download or read book The Royal Air Force in the Cold War 1950-1970 written by Ian Proctor and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2015-01-30 with total page 193 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Soon after the Second world War, wartime allies became Cold War adversaries, and by 1950 the perceived threat of a Soviet strike on Western Europe or Britain dominated military planning. For the next forty years, the Royal Air Force was in the front-line of the Cold War. In Britain and Germany, light bomber crews exercised in preparation for a future conflict, while interceptor pilots stood by ready to counter incursions by Soviet aircraft. Between 1956 and 1969, the elite crews of the iconic V-Force of nuclear bombers trained to perform the ultimate mission, striking targets deep in the heart of Russia. Protecting British interests overseas, personnel at stations across the Middle East and Far East were regularly engaged in supporting operations during the many colonial conflicts which occurred throughout the 1950s and 1960s.??Undertaking these duties were new British-designed aircraft introduced to squadrons from the early-1950s. The names of these extraordinary aircraft, which included the Hunter, Lightning, Vulcan and Canberra, became synonymous with the Cold War.??In this book, Ian Proctor uses over 150 highly evocative colour images from a single remarkable Air Ministry collection to portray the RAF and its personnel between 1950 and 1970. He provides a selected insight into service life, the aircraft, recruitment and training, and the operations and exercises undertaken by the RAF during a twenty year period of the Cold War.
Download or read book Kent at War 1939–45 written by Tanya Wynn and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2019-06-30 with total page 404 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This comprehensive account of the southern English county during WWII covers everything from the Dunkirk evacuations to the Battle of Britain and more. Located along the English Channel, the southeastern county of Kent played a significant role in the Second World War. This volume covers Kent’s many contributions—both civilian and military—throughout the conflict. The chronicle details how the Dover Patrol kept Allied shipping safe in the English Channel, as well as the preparation and aftermath of the Dunkirk evacuations of May 1940, with all of the vessels leaving from and returning to Kent ports and harbors. Kent’s numerous airfields were of vital importance during the Battle of Britain between July and October 1940. The Richborough camp, set up in 1939 at the old First World War Kitchener barracks, provided safe haven to thousands of German and Austrian Jewish refugees. This book includes never before published letters written to one of the camps residents during his stay there. Historian Tanya Wynn also discusses the county's military hospitals and pow camps, it’s Victorian Cross and George Medal winners, and the restricted areas that adorned the coast as the people of Kent battened down the hatches, knowing that they were the very first line of defense in case of a German invasion.
Book Synopsis Britain's Victory, Denmark's Freedom by : Mikkel Plannthin
Download or read book Britain's Victory, Denmark's Freedom written by Mikkel Plannthin and published by Fonthill Media. This book was released on 2017-08-19 with total page 450 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
