Much has been written in the West on the history of the Soviet space program, but few Westerners have read direct first-hand accounts of the men and women who were behind the many Russian accomplishments in exploring space. The memoir of academician Boris Chertok, translated from the original Russian, fills that gap. Chertok began his career as an electrician in 1930 at an aviation factory near Moscow. Thirty years later, he was deputy to the founding figure of the Soviet space program, the mysterious "Chief Designer" Sergey Korolev. Chertok's 60-year-long career and the many successes and failures of the Soviet space program constitute the core of his memoirs, Rockets and People. In these writings, spread over four volumes (volumes two through four are forthcoming), academician Chertok not only describes and remembers, but also elicits and extracts profound insights from an epic story about a society's quest to explore the cosmos. This book was edited by Asif Siddiqi, a historian of Russian space exploration, and General Tom Stafford contributed a foreword touching upon his significant work with the Russians on the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project. Overall, this book is an engaging read while also contributing much new material to the literature about the Soviet space program.

NASA SP 2004-4109. NASA History Series. Presents the memoirs of Dr. Kenneth W. Iliff, the retired Chief Scientist of NASA Dryden Flight Research Center. He worked at NASA from 1962-2002. Reprint of 2004 publication.

The early days of today's Royal Air Force
The exploits of those 'daring young in their flying machines' who fought a daredevil war in the air in machines made of little more than wood, canvas and wire continue to enthral students of air warfare-both academic and casual. Whist these remarkable aviators appear within these pages, they are not this book's principal theme. The author was engaged in the momentous task of actually creating an air force-the original Royal Flying Corps-and keeping it in the air as a vital contribution to the war effort against Imperial Germany. This fascinating book details the earliest days of an arm of British forces which today we accept as a norm. Constant problems with maintenance, parts, new machines and greater refinements in the development of new and improved aircraft undertaken against the demands of operational necessity are the central story of this account told by one who was personally involved. Available in soft cover and hard cover with dust jacket.

Aces over the Western Front
The Lafayette Escadrille is now a legend of early aeronautics and warfare in the air. Originally titled the Escadrille Americaine, this squadron of the French Air Force of the Great War was formed in 1916 and as it name suggests was piloted mainly by Americans who came to the Western Front to fight the battle of the skies for the Allies out of conviction-in the hope of encouraging the United States to join the fray-or simply in the spirit of adventure. The elan of this crack squadron has survived it and today its Indian chief insignia is instantly recognisable. There have been several books concerning the Lafayette Escadrille, but this one has unimpeachable credentials since its author was none other than the unit's commander. Few readers interested in the subject of this book will need explanation as to its contents. The wartime action of the squadron and its personnel are recounted here in the most immediate detail by a man who was on the spot to witness it all. Available in soft cover and hard cover with dust jacket for collectors."

The young R. F. C pilot's air war above the Western Front
It seems incredible that just over 100 years ago no country counted an air-force among its armed services. Pilots were drawn from other branches of the military and the early airmen were not referred to as 'the cavalry of the air' for no reason. The First World War introduced aerial bombing of troops, transport, manufacturing installations and cities, aerial reconnaissance, air to air combat-the 'dog-fight'-and the potential for the destruction of shipping from the air. The third dimension of warfare had come of age. Flying was still a primitive business with flimsy aircraft of canvas and wood often powered by unreliable engines. The brave young men who sat at their controls often died before they could master their craft. Nevertheless, if there can be any romance in war the exploits of these early aviators embodied it and retain it to the present day. The author of this book has written an account of high adventure: a story of a war fought in the clouds and clear blue skies, high above the wire, mud and blood of the trenches of the Western Front. This is an exceptionally enjoyable book about the early days of the R. F. C. It covers every aspect of the Great War in the air from an allied fighting pilot's perspective and will delight anyone interested in the subject. The introduction is by General C. G Hoare of the Royal Air Force.
Leonaur editions are newly typeset and are not facsimiles; each title is available in softcover and hardback with dustjacket; our hardbacks are cloth bound and feature gold foil lettering on their spines and fabric head and tail bands.

The history of "strategic bombing" is inextricably intertwined with the history of the Royal Air Force. This book explores the question of doctrinal development in the RAF. It employs a neo-Clausewitzian analysis to reveal that the RAF based the preparation of its strategic bombing force on supposition and hypothesis. Rather than review the evidence of the First World War objectively to determine the fundamental principles of "strategic" bombing, the RAF adopted a subjective approach. The failure to develop a realistic theory of strategic bombing and to test it through a dialectical process resulted in a lack of attention to the equally necessary element of doctrine. Bomber Command was incapable of carrying out a strategic bombing campaign because it failed in peace to develop the necessary doctrine.

From Greenwich Village to Guadalcanal in just over a year, David Zellmer would find piloting a B-24 bomber in the South Pacific a far cry from his life as a fledgling member of the Martha Graham Dance Company. He soon discovered the unimagined thrills of first flights and the astonishment of learning that an aerial spin was merely a vertical pirouette which one spotted on a barn thousands of feet below, instead of on a doorknob in Martha's studio. Reconstructed from letters home, this captivating account traces Zellmer's journey from New York to the islands of the South Pacific as the 13th Air Force battled to push back the Japanese invaders in 1943 and 1944.

Spurred to action by encouraging letters from Martha Graham, who urges him to document his participation in the great tragic play of the Second World War, Zellmer struggles to come to terms with the fears and joys of flying, of killing and being killed. Each stage of the battle takes him farther and farther from those he loves, until the soft night breezes and moon-splashed surf no longer work their magic. From bombing runs against Truk, the infamous headquarters of the Japanese Fleet, to much savored slivers of civilization in Auckland and Sydney, the young pilot bemoans a gnawing concern at a loss of sensation, the prospect of life--not as a performer, but as a spectator. With distant memories of life on the stage, he finds that only the threat of death can bring the same intensity of feeling.

Strategy for Victory: The Development of British Tactical Air Power, 1919-1943 examines the nature of the inter-Service crisis between the British Army and the RAF over the provision of effective air support for the army in the Second World War. Material for this book is drawn primarily from the rich collection of documents at the National Archives (UK) and other British archives. The author makes a highly original point that Britain's independent RAF was in fact a disguised blessing for the Army and that the air force's independence was in part a key reason why a successful solution to the army's air support problems was found. The analysis traces why the British army went to war in 1939 without adequate air support and how an effective system of support was organized by the RAF. As such, it is the first scholarly survey of the origins and development of British air support doctrine and practice during the early years of the Second World War. The provision of direct air support was of central importance to the success enjoyed by Anglo-American armies during the latter half of the Second World War. First in North Africa, and later in Italy and North-West Europe, American, British and Empire armies fought most if not all of their battles with the knowledge that they enjoyed unassailable air superiority throughout the battle area. This advantage, however, was the product of a long and bitter dispute between the British Army and the Royal Air Force that began at the end of the First World War and continued virtually unabated until it was resolved in late 1942 and early 1943 when the 2nd Tactical Air Force was created. Battlefield experience and, in particular, success in North Africa, combined with the hard work, wisdom and perseverance of Air Marshals Sir Arthur Tedder and Arthur Coningham, the active co-operation of General Bernard Montgomery, and the political authority of Prime Minister Winston Churchill, produced a uniquely British system that afforded the most comprehensive, effective and flexible air support provided by any air force during the war. The book is divided into two equal parts of five chapters. Part one surveys how the British Army went to war in 1939 without adequate air support, and part two explains how an effective system of air support was organized by the middle years of the war. The analysis traces Britain's earliest experience with aircraft in the Great War 1914-1918, the inter-war period of doctrinal development and inter-Service rivalry, and the major campaigns in France and the Middle East during the first half of the Second World War when the weaknesses in Army-RAF co-operation were first exposed and eventually resolved. As such, it is the first scholarly survey of the origin and development of British air support doctrine and practice during the early years of the Second World War.

Toward the end of World War II, the commander of the Air Corps, General Henry "Hap" Arnold, remarked: "Someday . . . the man holding my job will meet here with a staff of scientists, and they will wear no pilot's wings on their chests." That day may be near. Here, Collins reveals the emerging challenges posed by cyberspace to the traditional culture of the Air Force. The U.S. Air Force added cyberspace to its warfighting mission in December 2005, and the 8th Air Force was assigned operational responsibility for cyberspace in November 2006. These events clearly indicate that the nexus of activities collectively known as command, control, communications, computer systems, and intelligence, which are the nervous system of the military, had achieved critical mass. Such activities are no longer merely important to airpower, but form the basis for independent operations in cyberspace. Although the technological implications of this shift in Air Force missions is apparent, the ultimate impact on the officer corps is not. While fighter pilots have traditionally represented the image of the Air Force, today more and more officers work at remote consoles operating unmanned aerial vehicles that deliver precision-guided munitions.

The fighter pilots-their aircraft and aerial battles fighting for France These two books are brought together in a single volume by Leonaur for the first time. They concern the lives, adventures, dogfights-and sometimes violent deaths-in the skies over the battlefields of the Western Front of young Americans who found common cause with France at a time when their own nation remained neutral. Their squadron was originally entitled the Escadrille Americain, but it became the internationally renowned Lafayette Escadrille and subsequently became part of the infant American Air Force. The first book, Flying for France is the account of one of the earliest groups of Americans who rallied to the tricolour. Drawn from among soldiers of fortune and the ranks of the Foreign Legion they flew the Spads and Nieuports bearing the Indian Chief head insignia which became the hallmark of their skill and daring. The second title Our Pilots in the Air is a is an account written as 'faction' by a serving officer and published shortly after the war. Nevertheless, it has the ring of historical authenticity whilst retaining its entertainment value.

The development of the pistol helped bring the age of the armored knight to an end, provided the elite with a status symbol of dangerous glamour, and inspired both artisans and industrialists to reach new heights of invention. Pistols follows the evolution of personal sidearms in Europe, the United States, and Asia from medieval-era "hand cannons" with their clunky ignition systems, to the revolutionary Colt revolvers of the 19th century, to the modern semiautomatic weapons of today. Full of fascinating insights and details, this work shows how pistols brought about the decline of knights in armor, and ultimately replaced the sword on the battlefield. The book also explores the pistol's astonishing "democratization" as it moved from being a luxury item of the nobility, to standard issue for soldiers, to a mass-produced commodity and source of intensive corporate competition. Along the way, readers meet the many colorful characters (often eccentric geniuses) who devoted themselves to pistol development. Provides complete technical details of exemplary pistols from the first working models to the present In-depth coverage of the three major pistol designs-single-shot, revolver, and automatic-and their production and issuance in the United States, Europe, and Asia

Those incredible young men in their flying machines at war
This excellent book contains nearly thirty accounts of the extraordinary exploits of allied airman at war in the skies high above the mud, barbed wire and trenches of the Western Front during the First World War. Enthusiasts of the subject and period will find much here to interest them as the author takes us aloft with the Ariel V. C's, into No Man's Land, on bombing raids, through mid-air pistol duels, up with the kite-balloons, with the sea-planes over the cold and inhospitable ocean and many other fascinating accounts of the earliest days of air combat and the brave, individualistic aviators who fought it. This an ideal book for those with a fascination for the time when flight meant a flimsy machine of wire, canvas and wood with a hero at the controls. Available in soft cover and hard cover with dust jacket.