Aviation

From Detail & Scale. The Grumman F-14 Tomcat was one of the most iconic naval fighter aircraft of the latter half of the twentieth century. Colors & Markings of U. S. Navy F-14 Tomcats, Part 2: Pacific Fleet and Reserve Squadrons is a comprehensive look at the paint schemes and unit markings used by operational F-14 squadrons assigned to the Pacific Fleet from 1972 through to 2004. The book covers the fifteen active Pacific Fleet fighter squadrons and the two Naval Reserve units that flew the To...

The Israeli Air Force grew from humble beginnings to one of the largest and most experienced air combat teams in the world. This came through several major and minor wars with its Arab neighbors, almost continuous military actions short of war, and preparation for power-projection operations unusual for so small a nation. The 75-year history of the Israeli Air Force is, then, a fascinating study of a relatively small military organization working to meet shifting obligations under multiple imped...

FRENCH LANGAUGE BOOK. The 6th Luftwaffe Bombardment Squadron remains a little-known unit due to its relatively short existence. It was indeed put together with great difficulty by an order of October 1941, this squadron having been designed to support KG 2 in its sporadic operations to harass Great Britain. Its training was slow and laborious for lack of staff. The poverty of the Luftwaffe (clearly visible at that time) explains why the entire III./LG 1 had to be recalled from the eastern front ...

FRENCH LANGAUGE BOOK. Thanks to its qualities of reliability and robustness, the Ju-52 is a huge success: built mainly in Germany to more than 4200 units, but also in Spain to 170 units with the name Casa 352, it flies under the colors of several Airlines companies. Unfortunately, it was above all its military use by the Luftwaffe during the Spanish Civil War and then during the Second World War that made famous its singular silhouette and its corrugated iron coating. In France, under German oc...

The Blackburn, later Hawker Siddeley, Buccaneer enjoyed an incredible service career that lasted over four decades. Designed as a carrier-borne attack aircraft, the Buccaneer was a solid aircraft designed to take the punishment of carrier operations and the constant stresses to the airframe caused by low-level flying. The aircraft entered service with the Royal Navy in 1962 in place of the Supermarine Scimitar and would continue with the senior service until 1978.

A profusely illustrated history of this iconic airplane. Looking at the many variants and there history.

This is the remarkable story of Lancaster pilot Sidney 'Stevie’ Stevens DFC AE. After serving as an ARP Controller in London and witnessing his family home obliterated by German bombing during the Blitz, he vowed to become a Bomber Pilot, joined the RAFVR in April 1941, and completed his initial pilots training at Carlisle. This book tells Stevie's story, it has been a labour of love for all concerned and is designed and printed to the highest standards using full colour throughout.

When Jacques Schneider devised and inaugurated the Coupe d'Aviation Maritime race for seaplanes in 1913, no-one could have predicted the profound effect the Series would have on aircraft design and aeronautical development, not to mention world history. Howard Pixton's 1914 victory in a Sopwith Tabloid biplane surprisingly surpassed the performance of monoplanes and other manufacturers turned back to biplanes. During The Great War aerial combat was almost entirely conducted by biplanes, with the...

Little has been written about Royal Marines rotary aviation, the small and select unit which operated light helicopters between 1965 and 1995. Officer and senior non-commissioned officer pilots had the unique privilege of being both Commandos and aviators, flying from warships and operating ashore in support of the Royal Marines. Initially called Unit Air Troops, which then coalesced into 3 Commando Brigade Air Squadron Royal Marines, they operated in hostile environments, including the Arctic, ...

The German invasion of the Netherlands was meant to be a lightning-fast surgical strike, aimed at shoring up the right flank of the assault on France and Belgium. With a bold plan based largely on Luftwaffe air power, air-landing troops, and the biggest airborne assault yet seen, a Dutch surrender was expected within 24 hours. But the Netherlands possessed Europe's first fully integrated anti-aircraft network, as well as modern and competitive aircraft.

In 1938, the Yokosuka Naval Air Technical Arsenal, acting under the requirements issued by the Kaigun Koku Hombu for a Navy Experimental 13-Shi Carrier Borne specification for a dive-bomber to replace the venerable 'Val' aboard carriers. The resulting D4Y Suisei ('Comet'), codenamed 'Judy' by the Allies, was initially powered by a licence-built German Daimler-Benz DB 601 inline engine as used in the Bf 109E. Despite making an inauspicious combat debut during the Battle of Midway in June 1942, th...

The Do 217 had a much larger bomb load capacity and had considerably greater range than the Do 17, which it replaced in frontline service from mid to late 1941. Although initially used simply as a bomber, later variants were developed to allow the Do 217 to undertake the precision maritime strike role. In order to perform the latter mission, the Do 217 was modified to launch glide bombs - units employing these pioneering weapons enjoyed some success in the Mediterranean from the autumn of 1943.