Read Books Online and Download eBooks, EPub, PDF, Mobi, Kindle, Text Full Free.
Victory Fighters The Veterans Story
Download Victory Fighters The Veterans Story full books in PDF, epub, and Kindle. Read online Victory Fighters The Veterans Story ebook anywhere anytime directly on your device. Fast Download speed and no annoying ads. We cannot guarantee that every ebooks is available!
Book Synopsis Victory Fighters: The Veterans' Story by : Stephen Darlow
Download or read book Victory Fighters: The Veterans' Story written by Stephen Darlow and published by Casemate Publishers. This book was released on 2012-07-30 with total page 317 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A collection of eyewitness accounts of the struggle that raged in the skies over occupied Europe after the Battle of Britain during World War II. Expertly selected and interwoven by Stephen Darlow, Victory Fighters centers on the stories of six pilots and one navigator, the telling of which covers every aspect of this battle over land and sea. The author describes and analyzes the relevant command decisions from the highest level down, and against this background the men give their accounts from the start of their flying careers through to the preparations for operation Overlord, the invasion itself, the liberation of France, the crossing of the Rhine, to the end of the war in Europe on VE-Day. Through their eyes, the reader is introduced to a series of different tasks and situations, a multitude of aircraft types—Sunderlands, Mustangs, Tempests, Typhoons, Spitfires, Whirlwinds, Mosquitoes—and a great many squadrons. Having conducted numerous interviews and undertaken diligent research of documents, diaries and correspondence, the author has produced a fitting testament to these men and the countless others they represent.
Book Synopsis Snow & Steel by : Peter Caddick-Adams
Download or read book Snow & Steel written by Peter Caddick-Adams and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2015 with total page 929 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A new assessment of the Battle of the Bulge, the largest and bloodiest battle fought by U.S. forces in World War II, offers a balanced perspective that considers both the German and American viewpoints and discusses the failings of intelligence; Hitler's strategic grasp; effects of weather and influence of terrain; and differences in weaponry, understanding of aerial warfare, and doctrine.
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.
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 Combat in the Stratosphere by : Steven Taylor
Download or read book Combat in the Stratosphere written by Steven Taylor and published by Air World. This book was released on 2024-05-30 with total page 157 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the summer of 1940, a new German aircraft began appearing in the skies over the British Isles. Unlike the rest of the Luftwaffes fleet in the Battle of Britain, these aircraft were flying at a height of 40,000 feet and higher way beyond the reach of the RAFs defending fighters. These virtually untouchable intruders were examples of the Junkers Ju 86P. The worlds first operational combat aeroplane equipped with a pressurized cabin, they were able to reach a maximum altitude of 42,000 feet. The Ju 86Ps introduction ushered in a new era of aerial warfare, where combat would take place at previously unimaginable heights. The Ju 86P was just one of many high-altitude aircraft projects developed by both the Axis and Allied powers during the Second World War. Others included the Vickers Wellington Mk.VI, Vickers Windsor, Boeing B-29 Superfortress, Junkers Ju 388, Heinkel He 274 and Henschel Hs 130. With pressurized cabins, such aircraft offered obvious tactical advantages: bombers and reconnaissance aircraft could operate safely above the maximum ceiling of the opposing sides fighters, prompting intense development especially by the British and Germans of pressurized interceptors to meet the threat they posed. Combat in the Stratosphere is the first book devoted exclusively to exploring the fascinating story of the development and operational history of aircraft designed specifically for high-altitude operations during the Second World War. But this is not a book solely about the machines themselves. It also focuses on the men who flew these revolutionary aircraft, both in the testing phase and in combat, and the physical challenges these courageous airmen faced, as they pushed themselves to the very edge of physical endurance in this desperate race to reach ever higher altitudes. Drawing on a wide range of sources, including air combat reports, British Cabinet files and Air Ministry documents, as well as first-hand accounts of aeronautical engineers and the pilots who flew these aircraft, Combat in the Stratosphere reveals the full story of this largely overlooked aspect of Second World War air warfare, high above the skies of Europe, North Africa, the Soviet Union and Japan.
Download or read book After Hitler written by Michael Jones and published by John Murray. This book was released on 2015-01-15 with total page 403 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On 30 April 1945, Adolf Hitler committed suicide. The following day, his propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels also killed himself and the crumbling Third Reich passed to Admiral Karl Dönitz. The Nazis' position seemed hopeless. Yet remarkably, the war in the rest of Europe went on for another ten days. After Hitler looks at these days as a narrative day-by-day countdown but also as a broader global history of a European war that had seen some of the most savage battles in history. Relations between the 'Big Three' - the United States, Great Britain and the Soviet Union - suddenly plunged to near breaking point. This book reveals that tumultuous story. After Hitler also looks at the wider canvas of the war and the terrible humanitarian catastrophe uncovered in Europe. It describes those who felt the joy of freedom, but also those who faced a highly uncertain future. As Red Army soldiers joined forces with their British and American allies, Stalin's East finally came face to face with Churchill's and Truman's West. After Hitler tells of their growing mistrust, but also of moments of remarkable goodwill and co-operation - the brief but poignant hope that these great nations could together fashion a new and safer future. This is a fascinating exploration of the brief but crucial period that shaped the emerging post-war world.
Download or read book Spitfire written by Leo McKinstry and published by John Murray. This book was released on 2010-10-14 with total page 626 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In June 1940, the German Army had brought the rest of Europe to its knees. 'Hitler knows that he will have to break us in this island or lose the war. If we can stand up to him, all Europe may be free and the life of the world will move forward into broad, sunlit uplands,' said Churchill. The future of Europe depended on Britain. A self-confident Herman Goring thought that it would be only a matter of weeks before his planes had forced Britain to surrender. The courage, resourcefulness and brilliant organisation of the RAF were to prove him wrong. By late September 1940, the RAF had proved invincible, thanks to the Vickers Supermarine Spitfire. It exceeded anything that any other air force possessed. RJ Mitchell, a shy and almost painfully modest engineer, was the genius behind the Spitfire. On the 5th March 1936, following its successful maiden flight, a legend was born. Prize-winning historian Leo McKinstry's vivid history of the Spitfire brings together a rich cast of characters and first hand testimonies. It is a tale full of drama and heroism, of glory and tragedy, with the main protagonist the remarkable plane that played a crucial role in saving Britain.
Download or read book Five of the Many written by Steve Darlow and published by Casemate Publishers. This book was released on 2008-01-19 with total page 384 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The daring exploits of five RAF airmen who carried out the truly devastating offensive to defeat the unquestionable evil of Nazi Germany in World War II. In Five of the Many, the enthralling stories of Wellington pilot Rupert Cooling, Wellington and Mosquito pilot Jack Goodman, Halifax pilot Joe Petrie-Andrews, Lancaster pilot Tony Iveson and Halifax and Mosquito navigator Harry Hughes transport the reader into the intensity of the bomber battle over western Europe. Collectively these men help thwart German invasion plans in 1940, and counter the U-boats on the seas and in the factories. They hinder German military industrial production, taking part in some of the most devastating raids in history. They counter the development and deployment of German V-weapons and fly deep into hostile airspace to attack the heart of Germany, Berlin. They clear the way for the Normandy landings and blast the German reinforcement of the battle area. They indulge in special ops, including sinking the Tirpitz, and they directly support the land advances to Germany and disrupt enemy supply lines during the German Ardennes offensive. Their stories are a fitting tribute to the youthfulness of the many, the skill of the many, the determination of the many and the sheer guts of the many. Bomber Command's motto required its airmen to "Strike Hard, Strike Sure." These five special men did just that, fighting hard, flying sure, along the flight path to victory in Europe.
Download or read book Five of the Few written by Steve Darlow and published by Grub Street Publishing. This book was released on 2006-10-31 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A personal wartime human history of five RAF airmen who fought Fighter Command’s air battles during World War II. Five distinguished RAF airmen, four pilots and one radar operator/navigator, who fought air battles during the Battle of Britain and the Blitz, have recounted their experiences in detail to author Steve Darlow. Their stories have never before been published, and they talk engagingly of their service life, combats, losses, injuries, friendships and fears—flying Spitfires, Hurricanes, Blenheims, Beaufighters and Havocs. One pilot tells of the time he fell victim to the enemy, knowing he was going down with his plane. A Beaufighter radar operator remembers being involved in shooting down a German aircraft—“He took a vertical dive, struck the ground and exploded with a shower of incendiaries. I felt like a child with a new toy. I had at last proved myself but for some reason I suddenly felt a little sad.” These men would also distinguish themselves in subsequent air campaigns—night defense of the UK, offensive operations over the continent and support to D-Day and beyond. In between the aerial combats and ground attack operations, promotions, decorations and command responsibilities would come their way. But not all would make it through safely to the end of the war. One would end up behind barbed wire. Collectively Five of the Few is a war story of youth maturing, through aspiration and idealism, courage and bravado, fear and heroism, memory and reflection. It is a reminder of why so much was owed, and still is, by so many to so few.
Download or read book Flypast written by and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 692 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Book Synopsis Norfolk and Western Magazine by : Norfolk and Western Railway Company
Download or read book Norfolk and Western Magazine written by Norfolk and Western Railway Company and published by . This book was released on 1942 with total page 778 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Writers Directory written by and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 570 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Book Synopsis American Book Publishing Record by :
Download or read book American Book Publishing Record written by and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page 1206 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Book Synopsis A Companion to American Military History by : James C. Bradford
Download or read book A Companion to American Military History written by James C. Bradford and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2009-11-03 with total page 1136 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With more than 60 essays, A Companion to American MilitaryHistory presents a comprehensive analysis of the historiographyof United States military history from the colonial era to thepresent. Covers the entire spectrum of US history from the Indian andimperial conflicts of the seventeenth century to the battles inAfghanistan and Iraq Features an unprecedented breadth of coverage from eminentmilitary historians and emerging scholars, including little studiedtopics such as the military and music, military ethics, care of thedead, and sports Surveys and evaluates the best scholarship on every importantera and topic Summarizes current debates and identifies areas whereconflicting interpretations are in need of further study
Book Synopsis The Other Face of Battle by : Wayne E. Lee
Download or read book The Other Face of Battle written by Wayne E. Lee and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2021 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Taking its title from The Face of Battle, John Keegan's canonical book on the nature of warfare, The Other Face of Battle illuminates the American experience of fighting in "irregular" and "intercultural" wars over the centuries. Sometimes known as "forgotten" wars, in part because they lackedtriumphant clarity, they are the focus of the book. David Preston, David Silbey, and Anthony Carlson focus on, respectively, the Battle of Monongahela (1755), the Battle of Manila (1898), and the Battle of Makuan, Afghanistan (2020) - conflicts in which American soldiers were forced to engage in"irregular" warfare, confronting an enemy entirely alien to them. This enemy rejected the Western conventions of warfare and defined success and failure - victory and defeat - in entirely different ways. Symmetry of any kind is lost. Here was not ennobling engagement but atrocity, unanticipatedinsurgencies, and strategic stalemate.War is always hell. These wars, however, profoundly undermined any sense of purpose or proportion. Nightmarish and existentially bewildering, they nonetheless characterize how Americans have experienced combat and what its effects have been. They are therefore worth comparing for what they hold incommon as well as what they reveal about our attitude toward war itself. The Other Face of Battle reminds us that "irregular" or "asymmetrical" warfare is now not the exception but the rule. Understanding its roots seems more crucial than ever.
Book Synopsis The Soldiers' Tale by : Samuel Hynes
Download or read book The Soldiers' Tale written by Samuel Hynes and published by Penguin. This book was released on 1998-04-01 with total page 337 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Soldiers' Tale is the story of modern wars as told by the men who did the actual fighting. Hynes examines the journals, memoirs, and letters of men who fought in the two World Wars and in Vietnam, and also the wars fought against the weak and helpless in concentration camps, prisoner-of-war camps, and bombed cities. Interweaving his own reflections on war with brilliantly chosen passages from soldiers' accounts, he offers vivid answers to the question we all ask of men who have fought: What was it like? In these powerful pages the experiences of modern war, which seem unimaginable to those who weren't there, become comprehensible and real. The wide range of writers examined includes both famous literary memoirists like Robert Graves, Tim O'Brien, and Elie Wiesel, and unknown soldiers who wrote only their war stories. Using these testimonies, Hynes considers each war in terms of its special circumstances and its effects on men who fought. His understanding of the psychology of warfare—and of each war's role in history—gives this study its intellectual authority; the voices of the men who were there, and wrote about what they saw and felt, give it its powerful dramatic impact.
Download or read book Chosen Soldier written by Dick Couch and published by Crown. This book was released on 2008-03-25 with total page 434 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An unprecedented view of Green Beret training, drawn from the year Dick Couch spent at Special Forces training facilities with the Army’s most elite soldiers. In combating terror, America can no longer depend on its conventional military superiority and the use of sophisticated technology. More than ever, we need men like those of the Army Special Forces–the legendary Green Berets. Following the experiences of one class of soldiers as they endure this physically and mentally exhausting ordeal, Couch spells out in fascinating detail the demanding selection process and grueling field exercises, the high-level technical training and intensive language courses, and the simulated battle problems that test everything from how well SF candidates gather operational intelligence to their skills at negotiating with volatile, often hostile, local leaders. Chosen Soldier paints a vivid portrait of an elite group, and a process that forges America’s smartest, most versatile, and most valuable fighting force.
