The Airborne Forces Experimental Establishment
The Airborne Forces Experimental Establishment

Author: Tim Jenkins

Publisher: Wolverhampton Military Studies

Published: 2015

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781910777060

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The evolution of British airborne warfare cannot be fully appreciated without reference to the technological development required to convert the detail contained in the doctrine and concept into operational reality. Airborne Forces Experimental Establishment is a detailed investigation of the British technological investment in an airborne capability and analyses whether the new technology was justifiable, or indeed, entirely achievable. The book combines the detail contained in the original policy documentation for airborne warfare and the subsequent technological investigations to determine whether sufficient strategic requirement had been demonstrated and how policy impacted upon the research program. Without clear research parameters technological investment could not achieve maximum efficiency and consequent military effectiveness. The allocation of resources was a crucial factor in the technological development and the fact that aircraft suitability and availability remained unresolved throughout the duration of the war would suggest that the development of airborne forces was much less of a strategic priority for the British than has previously been suggested. Ultimately, despite the creation of a dedicated research institution in 1942 (Airborne Forces Experimental Establishment), and the development of specialist hardware such as the assault glider, the British did not possess the material resources required for the large-scale deployment of airborne troops. Analysis of the technology has revealed that the development of airborne warfare was as much for the purpose of psychological warfare and British morale as it was for offensive operations.

The Soviet Airborne Experience
The Soviet Airborne Experience

Author: David M. Glantz

Publisher: DIANE Publishing

Published: 1984

Total Pages: 232

ISBN-13: 1428915826

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Contents: The Prewar Experience; Evolution of Airborne Forces During World War II; Operational Employment: Vyaz'ma, January-February 1942; Operational Employment: Vyaz'ma, February-June 1942; Operational Employment: On the Dnepr, September 1943; Tactical Employment; The Postwar Years.

The Red Devils
The Red Devils

Author: G.G. Norton

Publisher: Pen and Sword

Published: 1984-09-24

Total Pages: 307

ISBN-13: 147381751X

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From Bruneval to North Africa, from Normandy to Suez, by parachute and glider the men of the Airborne Forces have gone by air to battle. But their activities have by no means been confined to purely airborne operations- the Special Air Service performed prodigies of valor behind the German Lines in the Western Desert and Italy; the Glider Pilot Regiment fought beside their infantry comrades in Normandy, at Arnhem and across the Rhine. Their post-war successors, maintaining these traditions, have stood between Jew and Arab in Palistine; fought and sweltered in the jungles of Malaya and Borneo; sweated in the Persian Gulf and the Radfan; chocked on the summer dust of Cypriot roads; tasted the grit and sand of Egypt and Jordan in their mess mess tins; spent more then a decade facing terrorist ambush, bombs and bullets in Northern Ireland; experienced subzero temperatures and biting arctic winds in the South Atlantic and 'tabbed' across the Falklands to spearhead victory in 1982. Now should the aircrews who flew them be forgotten, or the air supply dispatches who maintained them, or the units who supported them. With well over 100 photographs and illustrations this book is a comprehensive single-volume history of the Airborne Forces. Accounts are given of the airborne actions fought by the British Army, whilst the development of the parachute assault and the use of the glider-borne troops can be followed from their infancy to the massive coup de main technique employed in the Rhine crossing.

Paras Versus the Reich
Paras Versus the Reich

Author: Bernd Horn

Publisher: Dundurn

Published: 2003-08-01

Total Pages: 377

ISBN-13: 1459712722

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This meticulously researched book traces the development of airborne forces from their earliest mythology to their earth-shattering debut in the Second World War. More importantly, it reveals in exacting detail the story of Canada's paratroopers - from the early resistance to their establishment, the rigorous selection process and gruelling training, to their unrivalled combat record. It tells the story of the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion, which never failed to achieve its assigned missions, nor did it ever lose an objective once captured. Through the pages of this book the reader will experience the exceptional courage, endurance, fighting skills, and tenacity of Canada's paratroopers in the Second World War.

The Records of the War Office and Related Departments, 1660-1964
The Records of the War Office and Related Departments, 1660-1964

Author: Michael Roper

Publisher: Public Record Office Publications

Published: 1998

Total Pages: 404

ISBN-13: 9781873162453

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This guide covers the period from the Restoration of Charles II to the establishment of the Ministry of Defence in 1964. It includes the records of the Board of Ordnance, military intelligence and military aviation.

Airborne Combat
Airborne Combat

Author: James E. Mrazek

Publisher: Stackpole Books

Published: 2011-04-05

Total Pages: 514

ISBN-13: 0811744663

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Comprehensive look into the dangerous world of glider warfare.

Westland and the British Helicopter Industry, 1945-1960
Westland and the British Helicopter Industry, 1945-1960

Author: Matthew R.H. Uttley

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2014-05-22

Total Pages: 256

ISBN-13: 1135282382

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This study explains how Westland dominated British helicopter production and why government funding and support failed to generate competitive "all-British" alternatives. In doing so, the book evaluates broader historiographic assumptions about the purported "failure" of british aircraft procurement during the early post-war period and considers the scope and limitations of licensed production as a government-mandated procurement strategy.

Test Pilot
Test Pilot

Author: Brian Johnson

Publisher: Random House

Published: 2011-06-20

Total Pages: 204

ISBN-13: 1446416038

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Test pilots - dashing and courageous young men or foolhardy gamblers? In this fully illustrated book written by the producer of the BBC1 television series of the same name, we follow the ups and downs of a group of trainee test pilots at Boscombe Down in Wiltshire. Beginning with the exacting selection procedure, we discover what personal and professional qualities a pilot needs in order to become a test pilot. Only six UK and twelve foreign students are chosen each year and, once selected, the pressure on them steadily mounts. As the students learn to push each aircraft's performance to its limits they, too, are being mentally and physically stretched further than ever before. Training is given on both fixed - and rotary - wing aircraft and by the end of the course each student is fully conversant with the different techniques necessary to fly each type. They learn how to recover safely from spins, how to cope with sudden failures of equipment in mid-flight and how to land an aircraft with no power. All the time, they are assessing each aircraft's capabilities and the scope of the on-board technology. The final part of the course is the 'preview exercise' when every student is required to evaluate an aircraft he has never flown before and to make a formal presentation to his tutors and examiners. Using a number of remarkably frank interviews with students and tutors, Brian Johnson explores the process of becoming a test pilot and reveals both the stresses and successes of the year. The RAF has given its full support to both the book and the television programmes and thus has enabled Brian Johnson to produce a unique and authoritative account of the training for one of the most responsible and exciting jobs in modern aviation.