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The Biggin Hill Wing 1941
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Book Synopsis The Biggin Hill Wing, 1941 by : Peter Caygill
Download or read book The Biggin Hill Wing, 1941 written by Peter Caygill and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2008-10-30 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is an in-depth study of Englands most famous fighter station during the year of the Battle of Britain. It looks at the political upheaval within Fighter Command that saw the removal of Dowding and Park and their replacement by Sholto Douglas and 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 authors research is based on combat reports and squadron Operation Record Books and first-hand accounts written by the participant pilots in the battles over southern England and northern France. Extensive appendices will include Air Combat Claims of the Wing, Operational Aircraft Losses, Details of Selected Operations and The Great Escape the marked influence of ex Biggin Hill pilots on the escape from Stalag Luft III in 1944.
Book Synopsis Aces, Airmen and The Biggin Hill Wing by : Jon E. C. Tan
Download or read book Aces, Airmen and The Biggin Hill Wing written by Jon E. C. Tan and published by Casemate Publishers. This book was released on 2016-11-30 with total page 403 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.
Book Synopsis Aces, Airmen and the Biggin Hill Wing by : Jon E. C. Tan
Download or read book Aces, Airmen and the Biggin Hill Wing written by Jon E. C. Tan and published by Pen & Sword Aviation. This book was released on 2016 with total page 250 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Book Synopsis Aces, Airmen and the Biggin Hill Wing by : Jon E. C. Tan
Download or read book Aces, Airmen and the Biggin Hill Wing written by Jon E. C. Tan and published by Pen & Sword Aviation. This book was released on 2016 with total page 250 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Book Synopsis Spitfire Aces of the Channel Front 1941-43 by : Andrew Thomas
Download or read book Spitfire Aces of the Channel Front 1941-43 written by Andrew Thomas and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2016-06-16 with total page 228 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 80 years after the Spitfire was first developed it remains an icon of military aviation. Though many associate its victory during the Battle of Britain as the high point in the history of the Spitfire, the years following were of equal importance. Having weathered the initial storm, at the start of 1941 Fighter Command took the fight to the Germans with offensive missions over the Channel. This book reveals how first using the Spitfire I and II, and then following the introduction of the Bf 109 the cannon-armed Spitfire V, RAF squadrons embarked on a range of missions which included one of the most important air battles of the war, over Dieppe on 19 August 1942. Alongside British pilots were squadrons manned by exiled Europeans and pilots from the RAAF, RCAF and RNZAF. In just three years over 100 of these pilots were to rack up ace status in the Spitfire.
Book Synopsis Bader’s Spitfire Wing by : Dilip Sarkar
Download or read book Bader’s Spitfire Wing written by Dilip Sarkar and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2022-05-05 with total page 314 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Whether you have feelings about Bader or not, this is an excellent book to gain insight into the summer of 1941 when, ready or not, the RAF went on the offensive."—The Journal of the Air Force Historical Foundation On 30 August 1940, at the height of the Battle of Britain, the pilots of RAF Fighter Command’s No.12 Group were requested to reinforce 11 Group and intercept a Luftwaffe raid on an aircraft factory at Hatfield. The events that day led the swashbuckling, legless, fighter pilot Douglas Bader to submit a report arguing that the more fighters he had at his disposal, the greater would be the execution of the enemy that could be achieved. It was a concept that received support from 12 Group’s Air Officer Commanding, Air Vice-Marshal Leigh-Mallory. In Bader’s proposal, Leigh-Mallory saw an opportunity for 12 Group to play a greater part in what was clearly an historic battle. Leigh-Mallory authorised Bader to lead three, then five, squadrons – a controversial formation that came to be known as the ‘Duxford Wing’ or ‘Big Wing’. For the rest of 1940, Bader and the ‘Big Wing’, then based at Duxford, played its part in the defense of Britain’s skies. Then, in March 1941, the role of ‘Wing Commander (Flying)’ was created. This was the fighter pilot’s dream appointment because the Wing Leader’s sole responsibility was leading his wing in action, unfettered by tedious administration and logistical matters. Needless to say, Douglas Bader was amongst the first wing leaders. He was even given the choice of which Wing he preferred. He chose to take command of that based at Tangmere on the South Coast – right at the fore of the RAF’s battle against the Luftwaffe. In Bader’s Spitfire Wing, Dilip Sarkar not only explores the full story of the men and machines of the Tangmere Wing in 1941, as well as the controversy that surrounds their use, he also fully investigates the part that they played in the RAF’s efforts to take the offensive to the Luftwaffe on the opposite side of the English Channel. It was in one such sortie in August 1941 that the Tangmere Wing lost its famous leader. Bader went on to spend the rest of the war in captivity.
Download or read book Aces High written by Christopher Shores and published by Grub Street Publishing. This book was released on 2008-07-15 with total page 736 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A revised collection of the biographies of the highest scoring Allied fighter pilots of World War II. All details of their combat are arranged in tabular form. Included are a selection of photographs from hitherto private collections.
Download or read book Sailor written by Philip Kaplan and published by Casemate Publishers. This book was released on 2013-01-19 with total page 226 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “I do not think that [Adolph] Malan could join a squadron without improving it, however good it was . . . he was the best pilot of the War.” —Air Commodore Al Deere, C.B.E., D.S.O., D.F.C. The Battle of Britain produced many airmen of great skill and accomplishment—high achievers who made their mark in one of history’s most memorable and demanding campaigns. But only a few of these men distinguished themselves in such a way as to become legends in their own lifetimes. Among the greatest of these was Sailor Malan. Here is the story of this talented man, eloquently told by Philip Kaplan, who manages to strike a balance between objectivity and reverence in order to commit Malan’s story to paper. Featured too are a series of evocative black and white illustrations that supplement the descriptive text and create a real sense of the character of the man, flourishing as he did in this dramatic wartime context. As Malan continues to inspire young aviators, this book celebrates his legacy for a new generation of pilots and aviation enthusiasts.
Book Synopsis Through Adversity by : Alastair Goodrum
Download or read book Through Adversity written by Alastair Goodrum and published by Amberley Publishing Limited. This book was released on 2020-01-15 with total page 268 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The stories of three individual careers combine seamlessly to tell the dramatic story of the RAF from the era of biplanes and into the jet age of the Cold War.
Book Synopsis Air War, 1941: From the Blitz to the non-stop Offensive by : John Foreman
Download or read book Air War, 1941: From the Blitz to the non-stop Offensive written by John Foreman and published by . This book was released on 1994 with total page 380 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Book Synopsis JG 26 Luftwaffe Fighter Wing War Diary by : Donald Caldwell
Download or read book JG 26 Luftwaffe Fighter Wing War Diary written by Donald Caldwell and published by Stackpole Books. This book was released on 2012-04-15 with total page 355 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Day-by-day account of a German fighter squadron, one of only two Luftwaffe units to spend the entire war in the West Covers the Battle of France, the Battle of Britain, the Dieppe raid, and more JG 26 was known as "The Abbeville Boys" and seen by the Allies as an elite squadron Unit flew Messerschmitt Bf 109s and Focke-Wulf Fw 190s
Book Synopsis Free French Spitfire Hero by : Dilip Sarkar
Download or read book Free French Spitfire Hero written by Dilip Sarkar and published by Air World. This book was released on 2023-02-16 with total page 428 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: René Mouchotte was born on 21 August 1914, at Saint Mande, Paris. He joined the Armée de l’Air for his period of military service in 1934, obtaining his flying brevet. Though Mouchotte returned to civilian life, he was called up at the outbreak of war in 1939, becoming a Sergeant-Pilot instructor in North Africa. When France capitulated in June 1940, Mouchotte and fellow pilot Charles Guerin decided to make their way to the United Kingdom. Along with four other French pilots, Mouchotte made the short flight to Gibraltar on the morning of 30 June. From there he traveled on to Britain, being accepted into the RAF soon after their arrival. The Battle of Britain was already several weeks old when Mouchotte was posted to 245 Squadron, then based at Aldergrove, on 11 September 1940. A week later he transferred to 615 (County of Surrey) Squadron at Prestwick. Flying Hurricanes, it was with 615 Squadron that Mouchotte became a flight commander, shot down a Junkers Ju 88, and earned a Croix de Guerre. He moved to Turnhouse as Deputy ‘A’ Flight Commander with 340 (Free French) Squadron. He was promoted to captain in March 1942 and awarded the DFC. On 18 January 1943, Mouchotte returned to Turnhouse to form and command 341 Squadron, which transferred to Biggin Hill. On 15 May 1943, Mouchette and Squadron Leader E.F.J Charles shared the sector’s 1000th victory. Two days later, Mouchotte destroyed a Me 109. Mouchotte failed to return from a bomber escort to the proposed V2 launch site at Eperlecques, near St. Omer, on 27 August 1943. He was reported ‘Missing’. Later evidence emerged that his body had been washed up on the beach at Middelkerke, Belgium, on 3 September and that he was buried in the town’s cemetery. Commandant René Gaston Octave Jean Mouchotte DFC, CdeG – one of ‘The Few’ of the Battle of Britain – became one of the most famous Free French pilots of the Second World War, during which he served alongside such notables as the legendary Group Captain ‘Sailor’ Malan and the Wing Commander Al Deere. It is Commandant Mouchotte’s diaries, written between 1940 and 1943, that form the basis of this book. The diaries are introduced and contextualized by the renowned aviation historian Dilip Sarkar, who also forensically examines the story behind Biggin Hill’s 1000th ‘kill’ and the circumstances of René’s last flight, adding new detail to both events. The TV presenter and newsreader Jan Leeming also reveals her journey into Mouchotte’s courageous and inspirational story – one that began with sponsoring a name on the Sir Christopher Foxley Norris Wall of Remembrance at the Battle of Britain Memorial, Capel-le-Ferne; leaving a letter in the Mouchotte Family Tomb in the famous Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris; a meeting with René’s 101 year old Sister Jacqueline; the realization that his Battle of Britain Medals had never been forwarded to his family - an omission which was happily rectified. Jacqueline lived long enough to receive the medals which, after her death were presented to the Mouchotte family by the British Ambassador Sir (Lord) Peter Ricketts at the Ambassador’s Residence in Paris. Finally after many years of research and perseverance, Jan had a documentary about her Search for René Mouchotte broadcast in 2013 on BBC South East; BBC South and BBC North. Later that year she was invited to Gibraltar where the RAF HQ was renamed Mouchotte Buildings.
Book Synopsis Spitfire Mark I/II Aces 1939–41 by : Alfred Price
Download or read book Spitfire Mark I/II Aces 1939–41 written by Alfred Price and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2012-11-20 with total page 100 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Spitfire Mk Is and IIs served only briefly in the frontline with the RAF, but their pilots were responsible for achieving impressive scores against the Luftwaffe during 1940/41. This volume details the RAF's first aces of World War 2 who helped stem the German tide during Britain's struggle for survival in the bitter years between 1939 and 1941. Early-mark Spitfires were notorious for their light armament, overheating engines and short range, but during the dogfights over Dunkirk and south-east England, then the first tentative sweeps across France, many pilots achieved scores of note.
Book Synopsis A History of Insanity and the Asylum by : Juliana Cummings
Download or read book A History of Insanity and the Asylum written by Juliana Cummings and published by Pen and Sword History. This book was released on 2023-01-24 with total page 263 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The iconic image of the lunatic asylum is one that often leaves us wondering what went on inside these imposing buildings. In this new book, Juliana Cummings first questions what behaviors and characteristics define insanity and leads us through a comprehensive history of insanity and the asylum from the early treatment and care of mental illness in the Middle Ages and early modern period through to the closure of mental institutions in the twentieth century. Throughout the years, we learn of how the treatments and institutional structures for caring for the mentally ill developed and changed. The Age of Enlightenment and the rise of humanitarian reform was followed by the emergence of the insane asylum in the 1800s, which saw the beginning of the widespread constructions of asylums. We explore the different reasons for admittance, as well as the vast array of treatments. It shows that your treatment as an inmate of an asylum could vary depending on your gender and your social class. Although once thought of as criminals, the mentally ill were gradually treated with care. Juliana discusses the different treatments used over time as attitudes towards the mentally ill changed, such as drug use, psychosurgery and insulin therapy. We learn of the regulations and reforms that led to the closure of asylums, how their closure affected society and consider how the mentally ill are treated today. This insightful new history helps us to better understand the haunting past of the asylum and leads us down a fascinating road to where we come to an understanding of a time in history that is often mistaken.
Book Synopsis MESSERSCHMITT Bf 109 by : Chris Goss
Download or read book MESSERSCHMITT Bf 109 written by Chris Goss and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2019-04-30 with total page 279 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A retired RAF Wing Commander examines the history of Germany’s favored fighter plane during the latter years of World War II. The most iconic German aircraft of the Second World War, the Messerschmitt Bf 109 was the Luftwaffe’s principal fighter from 1939 until 1942 when the superior Focke-Wulf Fw 190 came into greater prominence. The Bf 109 served in every theatre of the war, though in this book the author examines the Tip and Run era, D-Day, and the Eastern Front. In the later years of the war, the Bf 109 fought with some success in the defense of Germany against Allied bombers. The Bf 109 was the most produced fighter aircraft in history and more aerial kills were made with this fighter than any other aircraft. Indeed, A total of 105 Bf 109 pilots were each credited with the destruction of 100 or more enemy aircraft; thirteen of these men scored more than 200 kills, while two scored more than 300. The Bf 109 was flown by the three top-scoring fighter aces of the war: Erich Hartmann, Gerhard Barkhorn, and Günther Rall. All of them flew with JG 52, a unit which exclusively flew the Bf 109 and was credited with over 10,000 victories, chiefly on the Eastern Front. The Bf 109 was also supplied to several of Germany’s allies, including Finland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, and Slovakia. In this selection of unrivalled images collected over many years, the operations of this famous aircraft in the latter part of the Second World War are portrayed and brought to life
Download or read book Dowding's Eagles written by Norman Franks and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2015-09-30 with total page 297 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Twenty-five veteran airmen share stories of their experiences during World War II’s Battle of Britain in this unique history. The Battle of Britain fought by The Few, as Churchill famously called them, will remain a legendary feat of arms for centuries to come. Sadly, there remain only a handful today who can tell their stories so this collection of personal accounts is extremely timely. The Author has over the years gathered the stories of twenty-five survivors and in Dowding’s Eagles he brings these stirring stories together. Each account describes the actions and impressions of the individuals who fought lonely battles against a numerically superior enemy. The odds were stacked against The Few. Over 500 pilots were killed in action during the summer of 1940, and this book is as much about those who gave their lives for their country as those who risked everything but managed to survive. Together with photographs of the men and their aircraft, this is an inspiring book.
Book Synopsis Raf Fighter Command Victory Claims by : John Foreman
Download or read book Raf Fighter Command Victory Claims written by John Foreman and published by Red Kite / Air Research. This book was released on 2005 with total page 266 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This reference work will provide a vital tool for those researching the combats that took place over Europe, whether from the RAF or Luftwaffe view point.
