Since their formation seven years ago, the British firm Historic Flying has restored ten World War II -- era Spitfires to flying condition. This full-color chronicle follows the company's history from formation to the present, providing a blow-by-blow account of all their rebuilds and the various Spitfires involved. A fascinating look at the resurrection of one of the most recognizable and quintessential World War II warbirds.
A groundbreaking new account of the Battle of Britain from acclaimed Cambridge historian James Holland The Battle of Britain paints a stirring picture of an extraordinary summer when the fate of the world hung by a thread. Historian James Holland has now written the definitive account of those months based on extensive new research from around the world including thousands of new interviews with people on both sides of the battle. If Britain's defenses collapsed, Hitler would have dominated all of Europe. With France facing defeat and British forces pressed back to the Channel, there were few who believed Britain could survive; but, thanks to a sophisticated defensive system and the combined efforts of the Royal Air Force, the Royal Navy and the defiance of a new Prime Minister, Britain refused to give in. From clashes between coastal convoys and Schnellboote in the Channel to astonishing last stands in Flanders, slaughter by U-boats in an icy Atlantic and dramatic aerial battles over England, The Battle of Britain tells this epic World War II story in a fresh and compelling voice.
A former fighter pilot chronicles his career flying for the Royal Air Force for over four decades in this action-packed memoir. For forty-four years, Clive Rowley flew with the Royal Air Force, and for thirty-one of those years he specialized as an air defense fighter pilot. Such was his love of fast fighter aircraft that, in order to stay flying, he transferred to Specialist Aircrew terms of service, relinquishing any chance of further promotion above his rank of squadron leader. During those years Clive flew Lightnings, Hawks, and Tornado F.3s but, perhaps more intriguingly, for eleven years he flew Hurricanes and Spitfires with the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF), the RAF’s, if not the world’s most famous “warbird” display team, which he ultimately led and commanded. Many readers will have watched him, perhaps unknowingly, as he flew these iconic aircraft, often alongside the Lancaster, at air shows and large-scale commemorations around the UK and Europe. During the Cold War, Clive flew the BAC Lightning from Gütersloh in Germany and in the UK, becoming an expert in the art of air combat in the process. Then for sixteen years he flew the Tornado F.3 as the RAF moved into expeditionary operations. Packed with humorous and often hair-raising anecdotes, but also revealing the shock and sorrow he felt at the deaths of friends and colleagues, this book is a highly detailed account of life as a fighter pilot in the RAF in the last three decades of the twentieth century and into the twenty-first. Clive is open about the fears he sometimes felt in this dangerous world and how he allayed them to continue flying for more than four decades. This book is illustrated with wonderful photographs from his time on the front line as well as with the BBMF, many of which have never been published before. If you have ever wondered what it is like to fly supersonic jet fighters, like the Lightning and the Tornado F.3, or iconic “warbirds,” such as the Hurricane and Spitfire, Clive Rowley brings you into those cockpits and shares his experiences.
Learn how to build, modify, detail, paint and weather legendary aircraft from the experts found in FineScale Modeler magazine. The 18 projects feature classic Allied and Axis that include Gabby's Last Jug, a D-Day Spitfire, an American Mosquito, and a late-war Messerschmitt Bf 109.
The sequel to On a Clear Day, which continues the enchanting story of Clare Richardson; Clare, now aged 20 and blossoming into a beautiful young woman, is looking forward to her final year at university, and to the return of her childhood sweetheart Andrew to Ulster. After a happy summer together they become engaged, and the future looks bright. But when Clare and Andrew's romance ends in disappointment and shattered dreams, she determines to make a new life on her own. Following in the footsteps of so many of her fellow countrymen, she takes the Liverpool boat and from there goes to Paris. Life 'beyond the green hills' is exciting and stimulating, but it brings with it the realization that she will only ever be at home in her beloved Ireland.
Although most famous for their role in the Battle of Britain, many Spitfire squadrons also served in the Mediterranean theatre, aiding the Allied victories in North Africa and later in the invasion of Italy. Numerous pilots, both Royal Air Force and South African Spitfire squadrons, made ace during these engagements. This book tells their story.
En detaljeret fortegnelse over de lande, der i tidens løb har haft det britisk-producerede "Spitfire"-jagerfly i deres flyvevåben. Indeholder oplysninger om de individuelle fly med angivelse af bl. a. registrerings- og serienumre samt det enkelte flys "historie".
The arrival of the Spitfire in Burma came at a crucial time as the RAF struggled against the Japanese to support the Chindit operation on the ground. Proving a huge boost to morale, the Spitfire played a large part in defeating the enemy, and covering the subsequent Allied advance through Burma, protecting the ground troops and providing vital supplies. Covering this little documented aerial war, this book tells the stories of the 54 aces who flew against the Japanese, and also those who fought in India and Australia. Full-colour artwork reveals the markings and paint schemes of this most-famous of British planes, whilst first-hand accounts and archive photographs bring the aerial battles of Burma, India and Australia to life.
Best known for creating the fictional air-adventurer Biggles, W. E. Johns was a First World War pilot and beloved writer of adventure and science-fiction stories. A prolific author, Johns penned over 160 books, including nearly one hundred Biggles books, more than sixty other novels and non-fiction works, as well as numerous short stories. He was one of the most translated children’s authors of the interwar period, winning the admiration of countless readers across the world. This eBook presents Johns’ collected (almost complete) works, with numerous illustrations, rare texts, informative introductions and the usual Delphi bonus material. (Version 1) * Beautifully illustrated with images relating to Johns’ life and works * Concise introductions to the series * All 97 Biggles books, with individual contents tables * The complete Steeley, Worrals, Gimlet and Space books too! * Features rare novels appearing for the first time in digital publishing * Images of how the books were first published, giving your eReader a taste of the original texts * Excellent formatting of the texts * Rare story collections available in no other collection * Includes the two Biggles non-fiction books – appearing here for the first time in digital print * Ordering of texts into chronological order and series order CONTENTS: The Biggles Books The Camels are Coming (1932) The Cruise of the Condor (1933) Biggles of the Camel Squadron (1934) Biggles Flies Again (1934) Biggles Learns to Fly (1935) The Black Peril (1935) Biggles Flies East (1935) Biggles Hits the Trail (1935) Biggles in France (1935) Biggles & Co (1936) Biggles in Africa (1936) Biggles — Air Commodore (1937) Biggles Flies West (1937) Biggles Flies South (1938) Biggles Goes to War (1938) The Rescue Flight (1939) Biggles in Spain (1939) Biggles Flies North (1939) Biggles — Secret Agent (1940) Biggles in the Baltic (1940) Biggles in the South Seas (1940) Biggles Defies the Swastika (1941) Biggles Sees It Through (1941) Spitfire Parade (1941) Biggles in the Jungle (1942) Biggles Sweeps the Desert (1942) Biggles — Charter Pilot (1943) Biggles in Borneo (1943) Biggles Fails to Return (1943) Biggles in the Orient (1945) Biggles Delivers the Goods (1946) Sergeant Bigglesworth CID (1947) Biggles’ Second Case (1948) Biggles Hunts Big Game (1948) Biggles Takes a Holiday (1948) Biggles Breaks the Silence (1949) Biggles Gets His Men (1950) Another Job for Biggles (1951) Biggles Goes to School (1951) Biggles Works It Out (1952) Biggles Takes the Case (1952) Biggles Follows On (1952) Biggles — Air Detective (1950) Biggles and the Black Raider (1953) Biggles in the Blue (1953) Biggles in the Gobi (1953) Biggles of the Special Air Police (1953) Biggles Cuts It Fine (1954) Biggles and the Pirate Treasure (1954) Biggles Foreign Legionnaire (1954) Biggles Pioneer Air Fighter (1954) Biggles in Australia (1955) Biggles’ Chinese Puzzle (1955) Biggles of 266 (1956) No Rest for Biggles (1956) Biggles Takes Charge (1956) Biggles Makes Ends Meet (1957) Biggles of the Interpol (1957) Biggles on the Home Front (1957) Biggles Presses On (1958) Biggles on Mystery Island (1958) Biggles Buries a Hatchet (1958) Biggles in Mexico (1959) Biggles’ Combined Operation (1959) Biggles at the World’s End (1959) Biggles and the Leopards of Zinn (1960) Biggles Goes Home (1960) Biggles and the Poor Rich Boy (1960) Biggles Forms a Syndicate (1961) Biggles and the Missing Millionaire (1961) Biggles Goes Alone (1962) Orchids for Biggles (1962) Biggles Sets a Trap (1962) Biggles Takes It Rough (1963) Biggles Takes a Hand (1963) Biggles’ Special Case (1963) Biggles and the Plane That Disappeared (1963) Biggles Flies to Work (1963) Biggles and the Lost Sovereigns (1964) Biggles and the Black Mask (1964) Biggles Investigates (1964) Biggles Looks Back (1965) Biggles and the Plot That Failed (1965) Biggles and the Blue Moon (1965) Biggles Scores a Bull (1965) Biggles in the Terai (1966) Biggles and the Gun Runners (1966) Biggles Sorts It Out (1967) Biggles and the Dark Intruder (1967) Biggles and the Penitent Thief (1967) Biggles and the Deep Blue Sea (1967) The Boy Biggles (1968) Biggles in the Underworld (1968) Biggles and the Little Green God (1969) Biggles and the Noble Lord (1969) Biggles Sees Too Much (1970) Biggles Does Some Homework Uncollected Biggles Stories The Steeley Books Sky High (1936) Steeley Flies Again (1936) Murder by Air (1937) The Missing Page (1937) The Murder at Castle Deeping (1938) Wings of Romance (1939) Nazis in the New Forest (1940) The Worrals Series Worrals of the W.A.A.F. (1941) Worrals Flies Again (1942) Worrals Carries On (1942) Worrals on the War-Path (1943) Worrals Goes East (1944) Worrals of the Islands (1945) Worrals in the Wilds (1947) Worrals Down Under (1948) Worrals Goes Afoot (1949) Worrals in the Wastelands (1949) Worrals Investigates (1950) The Gimlet Books King of the Commandos (1943) Gimlet Goes Again (1944) Gimlet Comes Home (1946) Gimlet Mops Up (1947) Gimlet’s Oriental Quest (1948) Gimlet Lends a Hand (1949) Gimlet Bores in (1950) Gimlet off the Map (1951) Gimlet Gets the Answer (1952) Gimlet Takes a Job (1954) The Space Books Kings of Space (1954) Return to Mars (1955) Now to the Stars (1956) To Outer Space (1957) The Edge of Beyond (1958) The Death Rays of Ardilla (1959) To Worlds Unknown (1960) The Quest for the Perfect Planet (1961) Worlds of Wonder (1963) The Man Who Vanished into Space (1963) Other Fiction The Ravensdale Mystery (1941) The Badge (1950) The Spy Flyers (1933) The Raid (1935) Champion of the Main (1938) The Unknown Quantity (1940) Sinister Service (1942) Comrades in Arms (1947) Adventure Bound (1955) Adventure Unlimited (1957) No Motive for Murder (1958) Where the Golden Eagle Soars (1960) The Non-Fiction The Biggles Book of Heroes (1959) The Biggles Book of Treasure Hunting (1962)
