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Book Synopsis Tales of the RAF - Fighter Escort by : Don Patterson
Download or read book Tales of the RAF - Fighter Escort written by Don Patterson and published by Rising Star Studios LLC. This book was released on 2010 with total page 97 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When the squadron is sent on a mission to provide fighter escort for a formation of American bombers flying into enemy territory, they all wonder what it will take to bring the Americans back.
Book Synopsis The Official Illustrated History of RAF Search and Rescue by : Paul E Eden
Download or read book The Official Illustrated History of RAF Search and Rescue written by Paul E Eden and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2020-07-09 with total page 193 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In February 2016 the RAF's Search and Rescue Force (SARF) celebrated its 75th anniversary. In June that year the world-renowned and universally admired service was officially disbanded, despite attempts from many, including HRH Prince William, to save it as part of the RAF. This book is an official, fully illustrated, in-depth account of the SARF's rich and glorious history, from its origins in World War II through to its recent withdrawal. The book contains a foreword by HRH Prince William himself, plus action-packed and awe-inspiring photographs from the RAF's archive of photographs and exclusive interviews with former crewmembers, telling their own dramatic stories of derring-do. Officially endorsed by the RAF, An Illustrated History of the RAF Search and Rescue Force is the first, and probably the only, major book of its kind written on this subject. It is an essential purchase for anyone with an interest in military history, British history, the Royal Family and those who love stories of extreme and daring rescue missions.
Book Synopsis Badges and Uniforms of the Royal Air Force by : Malcolm Hobart
Download or read book Badges and Uniforms of the Royal Air Force written by Malcolm Hobart and published by Casemate Publishers. This book was released on 2012-12-19 with total page 187 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Throughout the relatively short yet highly distinguished history of the Royal Air Force there has been a tendency for the men and women of the Service to be overshadowed by the glamour of the aircraft.Nonetheless it is surprising that there has never before been a complete record of the uniforms and badges of the RAF and its predecessor, the Royal Flying Corps. Malcolm Hobart and Pen and Sword Books have cooperated to rectify this serious omission with this superbly color illustrated and comprehensive collector's guide. Badges of rank and trade are all depicted not only for the flying arms but for ground staff. This valuable addition to our Collector series also covers the RAF Reserves and Auxiliary Service, Air Training Corps and the Royal Observer Corps.
Book Synopsis Tales of the RAF - Scramble! by : Don Patterson
Download or read book Tales of the RAF - Scramble! written by Don Patterson and published by Rising Star Studios LLC. This book was released on 2010 with total page 77 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Twelve-year-old Harry Winslow's quiet life in the English countryside has been interrupted by World War II. Harry finds a special group of friends in the RAF fighter squadron stationed near his home.
Book Synopsis The RAF Colouring Book by : The History Press
Download or read book The RAF Colouring Book written by The History Press and published by History Press. This book was released on 2018-07-04 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Stunning illustrations to colour in, charting the 100-year history of the RAF
Book Synopsis Tempest Squadrons of the RAF by : Chris Thomas
Download or read book Tempest Squadrons of the RAF written by Chris Thomas and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2016-11-17 with total page 100 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Hawker's charismatic Tempest V entered RAF service just in time to be the most successful counter to the V1 flying bomb assault on southern England in the summer of 1944. With more than 800 of the robot missiles to its credit, Tempest V units then crossed the Channel to lock horns with the best the Luftwaffe had to offer – Fw 190D-9s, Ta 152s, Me 262s and Bf 109G/Ks – achieving an impressive kill/loss ratio in aerial combat. With incredibly detailed aircraft profiles and exciting combat reports this title covers the full history of Tempest squadrons, from their initial design and combat experience in World War 2 through to their post-war role and the eventual decline of this iconic British fighter.
Book Synopsis RAF in Camera: 1950s by : Keith Wilson
Download or read book RAF in Camera: 1950s written by Keith Wilson and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2015-04-30 with total page 451 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This photographic record of the RAF during the 1950s looks set to appear widely. Featuring varied and dynamic visual representation throughout, the events of this important decade are enlivened to great effect. The 1950s was a pivotal decade in aviation for many reasons. The RAF were employed in a great number of post-WWII roles, and the beginning of the Cold War saw many advances in the field of developmental aviation. The early years of the decade saw the Coronation of HRH Queen Elizabeth II take place, and a variety of photographs taken at the Queen's Review flypast at RAF Oldham on the 15 July 1953 are arrayed here. Meteors, Sabres, Chipmunks, Canberras, Vulcans... the list goes on. A wide selection of action shots illustrate the impressive aesthetics of some of these aircraft in formation. Shots of aircraft utilised during the course of the Cold War also feature, as do highly intriguing photographs of the Thor Intermediate Range Ballistic Missiles, stored on Bomber Command bases towards the end of the decade. Each chapter focusses on a specific year, relaying all the most fascinating highlights. This is a colourful, insightful and image-packed history, told with narrative flair and a clear passion for the subject matter at hand.
Book Synopsis The Royal Air Force by : Michael Napier
Download or read book The Royal Air Force written by Michael Napier and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2018-02-22 with total page 342 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A fully illustrated history of the Royal Air Force while on operations, publishing to mark the centenary of its foundation in World War I. The world's first independent air force, the Royal Air Force celebrates its centenary in 2018. In the 100 years since the end of World War I, the service has been involved in almost continuous operations around the globe, giving the RAF the longest and most wide-ranging history of any air force in the world. But over the years this history has also become entangled with myths. The Royal Air Force: A Centenary of Operations sets the record straight, dispelling these as it uncovers – in both words and photographs – the true exploits and accomplishments of RAF personnel over the last 100 years. From its formation as an independent service in the dying days of World War I, its desperate fight against the Axis air forces in World War II, to its commitments during both the Cold War and modern times, this is the complete story of how the RAF has defended Britain for a century.
Download or read book Flying Freestyle written by Jerry Pook and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2009-06-25 with total page 487 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A British Royal Air Force pilot recounts his 25-year career in the cockpit during the Cold War in this military memoir. During a twenty-five-year flying career in the RAF, Jerry Pook has flown Hunter Fighter/Ground Attack aircraft in the Gulf, Harriers in West Germany, the supersonic Starfighter with the Dutch Air Force, the Harrier in Belize, Central America and the Tornado bomber at the Tri-national Tornado Training Establishment where he trained German and Italian pilots and navigators. Jerry had a long relationship with the Harrier Fighter/Ground Attack vertical take-off aircraft. This he flew in West Germany at the height of the Cold War operating from Wildenrath and off-base operations with Field Wing operations based in the fields and woods of the German countryside. Jerry saw action during the Falklands War when based on HMS Hermes and flying one of the few RAF Harriers in the Ground Attack role in support of the troops fighting ashore. He then enjoyed flying the American-built Starfighter RF 104G during a three-year exchange tour with the Dutch Air Force—he describes the Starfighter as “beautiful to fly, smooth and sophisticated, supremely fast and powerful—if you took liberties with it you knew it would kill you in an instant.” After three years with No 1 (Fighter) Squadron and again flying the Harrier, he moved to the then new Tornado, flying in its bomber role. This he continued to fly operationally and in the instructional role for thirteen years until grounded from military flying for medical reasons.
Download or read book Yanks in the RAF written by David Johnson and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page 284 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is the story of American volunteer pilots who risked their lives in defense of Britain during the earliest days of World War II-more than a year before Pearl Harbor, whenathe United States first became embroiled in the global conflict. Based on interviews, diaries, personal documents, and research in British, American, and German archives, the author has created a colorful portrait of this small group who were our nation's first combatants in World War II. As the author's research shows, their motives were various- some were idealistic; others were simply restless and looking for adventure. And though the British air force needed pilots, cultural conflicts between the raw American recruits and their reserved British commanders soon became evident. Prejudices on both sides and lack of communication had to be overcome.aa Eventually, the American pilots were assembled into three squadrons known as the Eagle squadrons. They saw action and suffered casualties in both England and France, notably in the attack on Dieppe.a By September 1942, after America had entered the war, these now experienced pilots were transferred to the US air force, bringing their expertise and their British Spitfireswith them. As much social as military history, Yanks in the RAF sheds new light on a little-known chapter of World War II and the earliest days of the sometimes fractious British-American alliance.
Book Synopsis The RAF's Armourers by : Tony Lamsdale
Download or read book The RAF's Armourers written by Tony Lamsdale and published by Air World. This book was released on 2023-11-23 with total page 338 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It is said that one of the earliest trades in the world is that of the armorer. Historically, it is a profession dated slightly after prostitution, but well before banking! Since the birth of the Royal Flying Corps in 1912 through to the modern Royal Air Force, the role of the armorer has been pivotal. Not for nothing did the founder of the RAF, Lord Trenchard, once declare: ‘The armorer – without him there is no need for an air force.’ In the years since the need for RAF armorers was first recognized, it has been a role that has evolved with the times. What has remained constant, however, is the fact that it is still a fascinating and potentially dangerous trade with many different branches and specialisms. In this book the authors, one of whom, Tony Lamsdale, is himself a former RAF armorer, reveal the previously untold story of how the trade has adapted to the most modern of military machines, the aircraft. The authors look at the shared history of the armorer and the RAF through the eyes of those who served. These veterans’ stories span decades, and their first-hand accounts and insights into conflict and peace-time operations demonstrate the qualities and characteristics that make armorers unique. The book starts with a brief history of the armorer, then before capturing the adventures and exploits of RAF armorers from the Second World War and on into the Cold War. The dangerous duties of the armorers on deployment in such places as the Falklands, Iran, Iraq or Afghanistan are all explored. There is also the question of having to learn of bomb dumps, the use of small arms and the unique world of the armorer with its own peculiar language and the camaraderie of the crew room. With each chapter brought to life through personal anecdotes and shared experiences, this book provides an insight into an utterly essential role which has remained largely hidden – until now.
Book Synopsis The RAF's French Foreign Legion by : G. H. Bennett
Download or read book The RAF's French Foreign Legion written by G. H. Bennett and published by A&C Black. This book was released on 2011-04-28 with total page 289 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book examines and analyses the relationship between the RAF, the Free French Movement and the French fighter pilots in WWII. A highly significant subject, this has been ignored by academics on both sides of the Channel. This ground-breaking study will fill a significant gap in the historiography of the War. Bennett's painstaking research has unearthed primary source material in both Britain and France including Squadron records, diaries, oral histories and memoirs. In the post-war period the idea of French pilots serving with the RAF seemed anachronistic to both sides. For the French nation the desire to draw a veil over the war years helped to obscure many aspects of the past, and for the British the idea of French pilots did not accord with the myths of "the Few" to whom so much was owed. Those French pilots who served had to make daring escapes. Classed as deserters they risked court martial and execution if caught. They would play a vital role on D-Day and the battle for control of the skies which followed.
Book Synopsis The RAF's Cross-Channel Offensive by : John Starkey
Download or read book The RAF's Cross-Channel Offensive written by John Starkey and published by Air World. This book was released on 2023-01-31 with total page 297 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The story of the RAF, and in particular Fighter Command, during the Battle of Britain has been told many times. It is a tale of the gallant pilots of ‘The Few’, in their Hurricanes and Spitfires, with the nation’s back to the wall, fighting off the Luftwaffe’s airborne assault against enormous odds. But the story of Fighter Command’s operations immediately after the Battle of Britain is less well known. Marshal of the Royal Air Force Hugh Montague Trenchard commanded the Royal Flying Corps in the First World War. His policy then had been for his aircraft and men to be continually on the offensive, always over the German lines taking the fight to the enemy. After being promoted to command the RAF, Trenchard retired in 1930. In November 1940, Trenchard showed up again at the Air Ministry and proposed that the RAF should ‘Lean Towards France’ – that it should go on the offensive. The RAF would, claimed Trenchard, win the resulting battle of attrition. One of the main outcomes of the RAF’s new offensive stance was the introduction of the Circus sorties. These were attacks undertaken by a small force of bombers with a powerful fighter escort. They were intended to lure enemy fighters into the air so that they could be engaged by RAF fighters, the primary objective being the destruction of Luftwaffe fighters, followed by the protection of the bombers from attack. A further development of the Circus missions were Ramrods, Rhubarbs and Rodeos, all of which were variations on the same theme. A Ramrod was similar to a Circus, though in this instance the primary objective was the destruction of the target, the main role of the accompanying fighters being to protect the bombers from attack. A Rhubarb was a small-scale attack by fighters using cloud cover and/or surprise, the object of which was to destroy German aircraft in the air and/or striking at ground targets, while a Rodeo consisted of a fighter sweep over enemy territory with no bombers. Drawing on official documents and archive material, as well as accounts by many of those involved, James Starkey reveals just how Trenchard’s views won through and the RAF went on the offensive from late 1940 into 1941. Was it a failed strategy? If so, why was it not halted once the results began to be seen?
Book Synopsis The RAF's Air War In Libya by : Dave Sloggett
Download or read book The RAF's Air War In Libya written by Dave Sloggett and published by Casemate Publishers. This book was released on 2013-01-19 with total page 354 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The uprising in Libya in the spring of 2011 took the world by surprise. The Gaddafi regimes brutal attempts at suppressing the uprising, however, soon prompted the international community to respond. NATO agreed to impose a no-fly zone across Libya, which was led by Britain, France and the USA.For the British Prime Minister, David Cameron, the deployment of RAF and Royal Navy assets in support of UN Resolution 1973, came at a time when severe cuts to the UKs defense spending were in the process of being enacted. With the Royal Navy aircraft carriers and their Harrier jets no longer available, would the UK be able to mount operations 3,000 miles away?In this, the first book to analyze the Libyan campaign, David Sloggett details the causes of the uprising, and examines each stage of the war through to its termination with the death of Colonel Gaddafi.In conclusion, Dr. Sloggett considers the future prospects for a post-Gaddafi Libya and, more significantly, how NATO in general and Britain in particular, will respond to similar events in the future.
Book Synopsis The RAF's Road to D-Day by : Greg Baughen
Download or read book The RAF's Road to D-Day written by Greg Baughen and published by Air World. This book was released on 2023-07-31 with total page 338 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: By the summer of 1943, the Third Reich’s fate seemed sealed. The combined might of Britain and the Commonwealth nations, the United States and the Soviet Union had made a Germany victory impossible. All that remained to decide was how the Allies should complete their victory. Would strategic bombing decide the outcome or would ground and air forces working together play the more significant role? Greg Baughen follows the air and land battles in Italy, France and Germany between 1943 and early 1944, as well as the equally bitter battles behind the scenes as army and air commanders debated and argued over how the war should be won. He charts the trials, tribulations, and successes of the bomber offensive and assesses whether, in the final analysis, the bomber strategy shortened or lengthened the war. He explains how army air support went backwards after the successes of the Desert Air Force, and how this led to a failure to support the troops landing on the D-Day beaches in Normandy. He also describes the subsequent revival of tactical air support and how it went on to play a key role in the subsequent campaigns but questions whether Eisenhower, Montgomery or Tedder ever fully understood how to make best use of the massive aerial forces available to them. Drawing on archive documents and accounts written at the time, the author tackles some fundamental defense issues. Was RAF independence a benefit or a hindrance to the Allied cause? To what extent was the War Office to blame for shortcomings in army air support? Did Britain understand the way the methods for waging war were evolving in the twentieth century? He takes a look at how the Air Ministry was interpreting the lessons being learned during the war. Were the defense policies of the twenties and thirties still valid? Had they ever been valid? This, then, is the story of the decisions and actions that the RAF followed in the months leading up to D-Day and the Normandy landings.
Download or read book Project Emily written by John Boyes and published by Tempus. This book was released on 2008 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is a history of the period from 1959 to 1963 when RAF bomber command operated 60 Thor Intermediate Range Ballistic Missiles as part of the UK nuclear deterrent force. In 1956, the US approached the UK to explore the possibility of basing IRBMs on UK soil amid growing concerns over Soviet missiles. Keen to reestablish a relationship which had suffered after Suez, Macmillan and Eisenhower met in Bermuda and seeds were sown for the RAF to become sole operator of 20 squadrons with 3 missiles each. However, once their own bases were established in continental America the US considered the IRBM obsolete and it was decided to draw down the Thor force in 1962, 5 years earlier than originally planned. Though 59 of the 60 missiles were brought to operational readiness during the Cuban Missile Crisis and despite acknowledgement of their efficiency at that time, the squadrons were disbanded by summer 1963 and subsequent UK plans for a follow-on program were also scrapped.
Book Synopsis RAF Airfields of World War 2 by : Jonathan Falconer
Download or read book RAF Airfields of World War 2 written by Jonathan Falconer and published by Midland Publishing. This book was released on 2013-01-06 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book gives complete coverage of all the RAF airfields in World War 2 in Britain, including all the RAF Fighter, Bomber, Coastal, and Transport Command airfields and bases of the period. Each airfield is described with a short history, first-person accounts, and information on airfield buildings, illustrated with photographs and maps, making this book a complete and unique single-volume illustrated reference book covering all of the RAF's frontline airfields in the UK during World War 2. General chapters also cover airfield construction and organization, orders of battle for each command at notable points of the war, and a significant part of the book is its tabular listings of RAF frontline airfields, including full details of location and user squadrons/units. Present-day usage of the airfields and the buildings is also covered. Firsthand accounts by veterans of the four wartime commands add a layer of compelling personal testimony to the book.
