Fleet Air Arm Legends: Supermarine Seafire
Fleet Air Arm Legends: Supermarine Seafire

Author: Matthew Willis

Publisher: Tempest

Published: 2020-06-17

Total Pages: 116

ISBN-13: 1911658824

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Renowned naval aviation author Matthew Willis tells the story of the Supermarine Seafire – a navalized version of the famous Spitfire adapted for use on aircraft carriers. Some 2646 examples were built and saw action with the Royal Navy’s Fleet Air Arm from November 1942 until after the Korean War in the early 1950s. It was involved in combat during the Allied landings in North Africa (Operation Torch), the Allied invasions of Sicily and Italy, the D-Day landings, and Operation Dragoon in southern France. With the Pacific fleet, the Seafire proved capable of intercepting and destroying the feared Japanese kamikaze attack aircraft.

Churchill's Navy
Churchill's Navy

Author: Brian Lavery

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2016-06-02

Total Pages: 290

ISBN-13: 1844863387

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In this remarkable book, now reissued in paperback, Brian Lavery examines every aspect of the Royal Navy, both ashore and at sea, during the Second World War, and casts a lucid eye over the strengths and weaknesses of an organisation that was put under acute strain during the period, yet rose to the challenge with initiative and determination. Divided into twelve sections, the book delves into the structure of naval power from the Board of Admiralty and shore commands to officers and crews, their recruitment and training, daily life and discipline. The roles of the Reserves, Merchant Navy, Royal Marines and Wrens within this structure are also explained. Developments in ship design and technology, as well as advances in intelligence, sensors and armament are all discussed and set in context. The different divisions are dealt with one by one, including the Submarine Service, Fleet Air Arm, Coastal Forces, and Combined Operations. The text is complemented by over 300 illustrations and the personal accounts of those who served.

Fly Navy
Fly Navy

Author: Charles Manning

Publisher: Pen and Sword

Published: 2000-03-07

Total Pages: 238

ISBN-13: 0850527325

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This book tells the full story of flight from sea, discussing the dangers that naturally come with this seemingly unnatural mode of airbase, including the unfortunate losses of over 900 men during this period. It covers the development of new technology of the period and how changes in other areas such as the cold war and rise of nuclear power, meant that much of the abilities had to be changed and developed.

Spitfire
Spitfire

Author: Leo McKinstry

Publisher: John Murray

Published: 2010-10-14

Total Pages: 626

ISBN-13: 1848545037

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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.

The Secret Horsepower Race: Western Front Fighter Engine Development - Special Edition Merlin
The Secret Horsepower Race: Western Front Fighter Engine Development - Special Edition Merlin

Author: Calum E. Douglas

Publisher: HarperTempest

Published: 2021-04-25

Total Pages: 480

ISBN-13: 9781911658870

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The piston engines that powered Second World War fighters, the men who designed them, and the secret intelligence work carried out by both Britain and Germany would determine the outcome of the first global air war. Advanced jet engines may have been in development but every militarily significant air battle was fought by piston-engined fighters. Whoever designed the most powerful piston engines would win air superiority and with it the ability to dictate the course of the war as a whole. This is the never before told story of a high-tech race, hidden behind the closed doors of design offices and intelligence agencies, to create the war's best fighter engine. Using the fruits of extensive research in archives around the world together with the previously unpublished memoirs of fighter engine designers, author Calum E. Douglas tells the story of a desperate contest between the world's best engineers - the Secret Horsepower Race.

Aircraft of World War II in Combat
Aircraft of World War II in Combat

Author:

Publisher:

Published: 2008

Total Pages: 196

ISBN-13: 9781905704880

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A comprehensive history of the use of air power during World War II, From Blitzkrieg Dive-Bombing Attacks To Parachute Landings And Aerial Reconnaissance.

The Fairey Barracuda
The Fairey Barracuda

Author: Matthew Willis

Publisher: MMP

Published: 2017-01-05

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9788365281241

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The Fairey Barracuda was the first monoplane torpedo bomber operated by the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm. The Barracuda experienced a difficult birth and development during the Second World War, and this, added to a number of fatal crashes, led to a poor reputation which the aircraft would never truly shake. Despite this, the Barracuda proved highly successful in service, carrying out raids against the Tirpitz, and against Japanese forces in the East Indies that contributed greatly to the war effort. It also undertook a variety of less well known roles, and remained in Fleet Air Arm service into the 1950s. This new book by naval aviation historian Matthew Willis contains an extensive history and technical description of the Barracuda, drawing from a wide range of archive materials and accounts from the men who flew and operated the aircraft in service, together with over 100 photographs, many never before published. Scale plans and color profiles also included.

Fleet Air Arm Legends
Fleet Air Arm Legends

Author: Matthew Willis

Publisher:

Published: 2021-07-19

Total Pages:

ISBN-13: 9781911658498

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Few aircraft encompass as many contradictions as the Fairey Swordfish - the legendary 'Stringbag' naval torpedo bomber was approaching antiquation at the start of the war yet struck mortal blows against some of the most powerful battleships in the Axis fleets. Naval Aviation historian Matthew Willis explores how modern technology such as radar kept the Swordfish effective in the early years of the war and enabled it to find and hit the Italian fleet at Taranto, and the Bismarck in the Atlantic, in circumstances where no other aircraft could have succeeded.When it was finally superseded in its main role with the Fleet, the Swordfish fulfilled vital roles protecting convoys from the U-boat menace. The story of the Swordfish's service across the majority of theatres in WW2, from the hunt for the Graf Spee to the beaches of Normandy, is told here with never-before-published accounts from veteran aircrews. Includes 100+ historic photographs and unique images of the Royal Navy Historic Flight's preserved aircraft.

Aviation in the Literature and Culture of Interwar Britain
Aviation in the Literature and Culture of Interwar Britain

Author: Michael McCluskey

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2020-12-01

Total Pages: 350

ISBN-13: 3030605558

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Aviation in the Literature and Culture of Interwar Britain looks at the impact of aviation in Britain and beyond through the 1920s and 1930s. This book considers how in this period flying went from a weapon of war to an extensive industry that included civilian air travel, air mail delivery, flying shows and campaigns to create ‘airmindedness’. Essays look at these developments through the work of writers, filmmakers and flyers and examines the airminded modernism that marked this radical period. Its fourteen chapters include studies of texts by Virginia Woolf, George Orwell, Elizabeth Bowen, W.H. Auden, T.H. White and John Masefield; accounts of the annual RAF Display at Hendon and the Schneider Trophy; and the achievements of celebrity flyers such as Amy Johnson. This collection provides a fresh perspective on the interwar period by bringing analysis of aviation and airmindedness to the study of British literature, history, modernism, mobilities and the history of technology and transportation.