"This is an interesting, informative, and important work. Overall, the quality of the essays is very high, and the focus of the book is on a topic of great importance." . Stephen Nathanson, Northeastern University

In this first interdisciplinary study of this contentious subject, leading experts in politics, history, and philosophy examine the complex aspects of the terror bombing of German cities during World War II. The contributors address the decision to embark on the bombing campaign, the moral issues raised by the bombing, and the main stages of the campaign and its effects on German civilians as well as on Germany's war effort. The book places the bombing campaign within the context of the history of air warfare, presenting the bombing as the first stage of the particular type of state terrorism that led to Hiroshima and Nagasaki and brought about the Cold War era "balance of terror." In doing so, it makes an important contribution to current debates about terrorism. It also analyzes the public debate in Germany about the historical, moral, and political significance of the deliberate killing of up to 600,000 German civilians by the British and American air forces. This pioneering collaboration provides a platform for a wide range of views-some of which are controversial-on a highly topical, painful, and morally challenging subject.

Igor Primoratz is Emeritus Professor of Philosophy at the Hebrew University, Jerusalem, and Professorial Fellow at the Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics, Charles Sturt University, Canberra. His publications include Banquos Geist: Hegels Theorie der Strafe (Bouvier, 1986), Justifying Legal Punishment (Humanities Press, 1989, 1997), and Ethics and Sex (Routledge, 1999), and a number of edited books, including Terrorism: The Philosophical Issues (Palgrave Macmillan, 2004) and Civilian Immunity in War (Oxford University Press, 2007)."

From the first military uses of powered aircraft to the B-2 stealth bomber and beyond, an enormous body of data concerning the various flying machines used by American military forces has been assembled in repositories across the land. This is a comprehensive guide to the printed literature on the U.S. military's different airplanes and helicopters. Thousands of entries cover 525 fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft models, including prototypes. The published materials listed include books and monographs, periodical articles over one page long, and government documents.

The true story of the 1944 Rangoon Disaster-when only 1 of 11 B-29s returned to its home base-when 18 men died, and 29 airmen were captured by the Japanese. All this was the result of a very bad decision by our commanding officer which had a dramatic impact on the lives of 47 men.

Biography of Group Captain Lord Malcolm Douglas-Hamilton, OBE, DFC

It is 1966, the war is escalating, and a young Air Force Academy graduate's assignment is to patrol unfriendly territory with six-man hunter-killer teams. As a Forward Air Controller, flying single engine spotter planes, Flanagan is the link between fighter-bomber pilots and ground forces. This autobiographical account recreates the period when Flanagan, assigned to Project Delta, was plunged into major operations in key combat areas. Spectacular airstrikes, team rescues, lost men, thwarted attempts to save comrades--all are recounted here with raw honesty. A factual combat history from one man's perspective, this is also a thoughtful look at the warrior values of bravery, honesty, and integrity. Flanagan examines the influences that help build these values--educational institutions, the military training system (including the service academies), and religion--and reflects on the high cost of abandoning them. In Vietnam Above the Treetops, Flanagan traces his life from adolescence through the training period, combat missions of all kinds, and re-entry into the everyday world. His war tales take us to key regions: from the Demilitarized Zone, south through the Central highlands, and into War Zone C near Cambodia. Flanagan tells the absolute truth of his experience in Vietnam-- call signs, bomb loads, and target coordinates are all historically accurate. He offers observations on the Vietnamese and Korean forces he worked with, comparing Eastern and Western cultures, and he vents his frustrations with the U.S. command structure. Determined to reconstruct the past, Flanagan re-read old letters from Vietnam, examined maps, deciphered pocket diaries, interviewed former comrades, and let his own long-buried memories surface. Flanagan did not find this book easy to write, but he wanted to pay tribute to his fellow warriors, especially those still missing in action; he wanted to exorcise his war nightmares and further understand his experience. Even more important, he needed to communicate the values he and his comrades lived by, in distant jungles where they faced some of the toughest circumstances known to human beings.

Air Warfare provides an introduction to the subject's theory, history and practice. As well as delivering an up to date look at the strategy, and historiography of air power, Peter Gray explores the theories behind air power and looks at the political, legal and moral dimensions of the application of air power. Topics covered include: - Key military strategists and their legacy - Air power's strategic effects - Leadership, management and command - Tactics, technology and operations The book draws on primary sources including official narratives and published reports, examines key thinkers in the study of air power, and discusses topics such as concepts of warfare as an art or science, cultural perceptions of air power, and the experience of being an airman. With its broad scope and thorough coverage of a range of key topics, Air Warfare takes air power beyond the study of individual campaigns, or controversies, providing a multi-disciplinary approach to air power studies.

The book begins in a small town setting where aviation has earned a bad name because of an avoidable fatal crash. It is autobiographical only in the sense of the author's progression from non-interest to intense involvement in all aspects of flying. The title "Near Misses" describes close calls as well as choices that determined final outcomes. The highlights of an aspiring Naval Aviator's struggle to become a fighter pilot are revealed. Along the way, bits of historical and technical information are included The main theme is that anyone attempting the same task could benefit by either avoiding the pitfalls described or by being prepared to compensate for them in ways similar to those of the author.

Although it took place over three decades ago, the Vietnam War, at times, seems to be a scar that will not heal. This memoir/essay details the journey of an extremely eager "true believer," a young pilot who couldn't wait to get in the war, and was afraid it would be over before he could participate. Starting in the early sixties, this memoir captures the thoughts and feelings of a somewhat idealistic, young pilot as he seeks adventure, glory and excitement, in what he believes to be a truly worthwhile cause. The narrative covers Colonel McCarthy's assignment to the F-4 Phantom II fighter, at the time one of the most capable fighter planes available. It details the extensive training necessary to turn him into a fighter pilot, and follows him as he is thrust into the midst of the intense air campaigns over North Vietnam and Laos. The numerous descriptions of "toe curling" missions give the reader a realistic feeling of what it was like to be in combat, but, more than that, they show how America's longest and most divisive war was perceived by those who were at the very sharpest point of the spear. Unlike many fighter pilot narratives of combat, McCarthy's retrospective account offered him an opportunity to reexamine his past beliefs, and he candidly discusses why they have altered significantly. While the accounts of air combat are riveting by themselves, these reflections prove to be equally fascinating.

Since Tudor times the ships of the Royal Navy have dropped anchor in Dorset's waters. The English fleet first attacked the Spanish Armada off Portland. Four captains at Trafalgar were Dorset-born. Much of the D-Day fleet set sail from Dorset. Until recently, Portland was a major naval and helicopter base, whilst Poole remains a home of the Royal Marines and Special Boat Squadron.

Architectures of survival is an original and innovative work of history that investigates the relationship between air war and urbanism in modern Britain. It asks how the development of airpower and the targeting of cities influenced perceptions of urban spaces and visions of urban futures from the interwar period into the Cold War, highlighting the importance of war and the anticipation of war in modern urban history. Airpower created a permanent threat to cities and civilians, and this book considers how architects, planners and government officials reframed bombing as an ongoing urban problem, rather than one contingent to a particular conflict. It draws on archival material from local and national government, architectural and town planning journals and cultural texts, to demonstrate how cities were recast as targets, and planning for defence and planning for development became increasingly entangled. -- .

The conclusion of a war typically signals the beginning of a flood of memoirs and instant campaign histories, many presenting the purported, but often dubious lessons of the recent conflict. Cordesman is careful to avoid such pitfalls in this detailed and closely reasoned analysis, and helps us to begin to understand the implications of this dramatic conflict on its own terms. Based on a combination of official and unofficial (but always authoritative) sources, he builds a thorough case for the true lessons of NATO's first battle fought within Europe.

After consideration of the historical, major political, and strategic factors that set the stage for the Kosovo campaign, Cordesman critically examines the actual effectiveness of the NATO air campaigns, both in Kosovo and Serbia proper. Operations in this rugged part of Europe were difficult, and compounding the challenges of terrain and weather were the conflicting national agendas within the Allied coalition that seriously hampered focused and decisive action by NATO. Although Milosevic ultimately conceded defeat, all of these factors played an important role in limiting the intensity and shaping the military outcome of the campaign, and the likely political and strategic results were far from certain. Cordesman unflinchingly concludes, that the air campaign over Kosovo exposed deep fault lines within and among the NATO countries and fundamental flaws in the way the West wages war.

Announced in 1912, the Schneider Trophy was a series of glamorous air contests, popularly known as races, that captivated both sides of the Atlantic. While there were many other aviation competitions, the Schneider proved to be, after a rocky start, by far the most memorable attracting a hugely popular and glamorous following whether Trophy races were held in Monaco, the Venice Lido, the Solent or Chesapeake Bay. The Schneider Trophy was a focus not just of remarkable aircraft, derring-do pilots and swooning public attention, but also of fierce rivalries between the competitors: Britain, France, Italy and the United States.

It gripped the imaginations of pioneering manufacturers and two of the world's finest aircraft designers - Reginald Mitchell and Mario Castoldi - who worked feverishly hard to outdo one another. Perhaps inevitably, the dynamism of rival engineering and politics led to the most potent military fighters of World War Two with Reginald Mitchell's record-breaking Supermarine seaplanes morphing, one way or another, into the Spitfire.

Wings Over Water not only tells the story of the Schneider Trophy afresh but also examines the backdrop and legacy of these legendary air races, which became a driver and celebration of speed and engineering prowess for both sea and ground-based aircraft. It is an exhilarating tale of raw adventure, public excitement, engineering genius and the fortunes of flying boats and seaplanes.

On December 18, 1972, more than one hundred U.S. B-52 bombers flew over North Vietnam to initiate Operation Linebacker II. During the next eleven days, sixteen of these planes were shot down and another four suffered heavy damage. These losses soon proved so devastating that Strategic Air Command was ordered to halt the bombing. The U.S. Air Force's poor performance in this and other operations during Vietnam was partly due to the fact that they had trained their pilots according to methods devised during World War II and the Korean War, when strategic bombers attacking targets were expected to take heavy losses. Warfare had changed by the 1960s, but the USAF had not adapted. Between 1972 and 1991, however, the Air Force dramatically changed its doctrines and began to overhaul the way it trained pilots through the introduction of a groundbreaking new training program called "Red Flag." In The Air Force Way of War, Brian D. Laslie examines the revolution in pilot instruction that Red Flag brought about after Vietnam. The program's new instruction methods were dubbed "realistic" because they prepared pilots for real-life situations better than the simple cockpit simulations of the past, and students gained proficiency on primary and secondary missions instead of superficially training for numerous possible scenarios. In addition to discussing the program's methods, Laslie analyzes the way its graduates actually functioned in combat during the 1980s and '90s in places such as Grenada, Panama, Libya, and Iraq. Military historians have traditionally emphasized the primacy of technological developments during this period and have overlooked the vital importance of advances in training, but Laslie's unprecedented study of Red Flag addresses this oversight through its examination of the seminal program.

World War II saw pilots from around the world battling in the skies over Europe, Asia and Africa, with victory resting upon their nerve, skill and the capabilities of some of history's most iconic aircraft. In the chaos of battle, it was vital that they could quickly identify friend from foe. But do you know your Hurricane from your Bf 109, or what the legendary P-51 Mustang looks like? Do you know the wingspan of the A6M Zero-sen, or how fast it could fly? THE WORLD WAR II FIGHTER PLANES SPOTTER'S GUIDE answers all of these questions and more, providing essential information on over 90 legendary aircraft, from the celebrated Spitfire to the jet-powered Me 262. Featuring full-colour artwork to aid recognition, as well as all the details you need to assess their performance, this is the perfect pocket guide to the Allied and Axis fighters of World War II.

Among the greatest developments in conventional war since 1914 has been the rise of air/land power the interaction between air forces and armies in military operations. This book examines the forging of an air support system that was used with success for the remainder of the war, the principles of which have applied ever since.

April Fool's Day, 1992. Author Gordon R. Page receives a call from a business associate offering him the chance to travel to Russia in hopes of acquiring a rare World War II fighter plane. He's waited for this call for years-and it's not a joke. Packed with action, intrigue, and danger, "Warbird Recovery" delivers Page's gripping true story of his journey to Russia to recover the aircraft and fulfill a lifelong dream.

In bitter winter conditions, Page journeys to St. Petersburg, Russia, in an attempt to recover a rare German Bf 109 fighter plane. But everything about traveling in the former Soviet Union only reinforces the vast differences between cultures. Placing a call, buying lunch, and even riding in a taxi-to say nothing of buying an aircraft-prove to be strange and dangerous.

Putting his life at risk, Page discovers that he must learn to negotiate and have plenty of cash on hand to ensure both his safety and his return to the United States. Yet nothing can compare to the excitement he experiences upon finding lost aircraft. Unfortunately, chasing a childhood dream just might cost him his life.

To capture the defense reform debate surrounding the proper application of high technology in military systems, this study focuses on tactical aircraft, an area epitomizing cutting-edge technology. Air combat history is revisited (including the 1991 Persian Gulf War) to confirm, reject, or qualify positions advocating certain technologies in tactical aviation. Emphasis is placed on enduring combat ideas and aircraft design principles. The interaction between mission requirements, inventory composition, and aircraft design is discussed to illustrate the dynamics of constrained choice that enters acquisition decisions. The relevance of reform arguments in the post-Cold War era is assessed, including the impact of political and economic constraints on future force-mix options, the shift from NATO-centered contingencies to Third World Low Intensity Conflict (LIC), and the threat of conventional arms proliferation.

Organised chronologically by type, Russian Aircraft of World War II offers a highly-illustrated guide to the main types of aircraft used by the Soviet Air Force during World War II. The book provides a comprehensive survey of combat aircraft, from the compact, revolutionary Polikarpov I-16 fighter of the Winter War in Finland, to the Ilyushin Il-2 Shturmovik and Petlyakov Pe-2, two of the outstanding ground-attack aircraft of the Eastern Front campaign. All the major and many minor types are featured, including fighters, dive-bombers, ground-attack aircraft, night bombers, strategic bombers and reconnaissance and transport aircraft. This includes both well-known models, such as the classic MiG-3 fighter and Ilyushin Il-4 bomber, through lend-lease aircraft like the Douglas A-20 and Bell P-39, to lesser-known models, including the Yermolayev Yer-2 medium bomber and Bereznyak-Isayev BI-1 rocket-propelled interceptor. Each featured profile includes authentic markings and colour schemes, while every separate model is accompanied by exhaustive specifications. Packed with 110 full-colour artworks with detailed specifications, Russian Aircraft of World War II is a key reference guide for military modellers and World War II enthusiasts.