When the Allies crossed the Rhine, Hitler decreed to go down fighting to the last man. A strange triangular bomber launched the 'Nicht loschbares Feuer' over London, destroying the city. Later, a black boomerang of sixty metres dropped two tons of anthrax over Washington and New York, making them inhabitable for fifty years. Thankfully, the inextinguishable firebomb was a figment of H. G. Wells' imagination. However, the construction of the secret flying wings had commenced at the start of 1945. Indeed, one fighter took to the skies on its only test flight. If these radical fighters of the Luftwaffe had been pressed into service earlier, they may well have changed the outcome of the Second World War. Profusely illustrated with technical drawings and fascinating data and information on the Luftwaffe's most radical fighter and bomber projects, The Ultimate Flying Wings of the Luftwaffe chronicles these revolutionary designs. A fascinating book for the military historian, modellers and those interested in aviation, this shows how close Hitler may have come in winning the war.

Warfighters takes a first-hand look at how the U.S. Air Force creates its most elite, highly trained aircrews, and provides an inside look at the USAF Weapons School at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, one of the Air Force\s most highly classified programs. There is a detailed look at the USAF Weapons and Tactic Center and the 57th Wing both residing at Nellis, "The Home of the Fighter Pilot".\nOver an entire six month course, the authors were given unprecedented access to the leaders, instructors and students during the intense and demanding curriculm. Fly with A-10 Warthogs, E-16 Vipers, F-15E Strike Eagles and many other sophisticated aircraft as the crews put their knowledge to the test during the programs\ final two week "war".\nWarfighters also contains interviews with some of the most important figures in the history of the USAF, many of whom have fought and won in the skies over Korea, Vietnam, and Iraq.

Written by an expert with more than 30 years of experience, Guidance of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles contains new analytical results, taken from the author's research, which can be used for analysis and design of unmanned aerial vehicles guidance and control systems. This book progresses from a clear elucidation of guidance laws and unmanned aerial vehicle dynamics to the modeling of their guidance and control systems. Special attention is paid to guidance of autonomous UAVs, which differs from traditional missile guidance. The author explains UAV applications, contrasting them to a missile's limited ability (or inability) to control axial acceleration. The discussion of guidance laws for UAVs presents a generalization of missile guidance laws developed by the author. The computational algorithms behind these laws are tested in three applications-for the surveillance problem, the refueling problem, and for the motion control of a swarm of UAVs. The procedure of choosing and testing the guidance laws is also considered in an example of future generation of airborne interceptors launched from UAVs. The author provides an innovative presentation of the theoretical aspects of unmanned aerial vehicles' guidance that cannot be found in any other book. It presents new ideas that, once crystallized, can be implemented in the new generation of unmanned aerial systems.

This book is the first to present every rocket aircraft flown in Germany and the rocket systems developed by Walter and BMW, as well as several of the most interesting projects drawn up by Germany's aviation industry. In 1940 the Deutsche Forschungsanstalt fer Segelflug launched the DFS 194, developed by Alexander Lippisch, and the tests with this experimental plane laid the foundation for the Messerschmitt Me 163, the world's first operational rocket fighter. Using a Walter rocket engine, the Me 163 achieved hitherto unimaginable climb rates and speeds. It was in this rocket powered plane that, on 2 October 1941, Heini Dittmar reached 1003 km/h and thus became the first pilot in the world to break the magic mark of 1000 km/h. In so doing, he also brushed against the sound barrier. The technology incorporated into Germany's rocket planes - the Messerschmitt Me 163 Bs and Cs, the Me 263, and Bachem Ba 349 Natter - was recognized throughout the world as cutting edge and after the war had a major impact on the technological development of other countries. This book is a must-have for every aviation enthusiast.

This new book is the war diary of a Flying Tiger American Volunteer Group crew chief from the 3rd Pursuit Squadron. Much of the Flying Tiger history is written from the pilots viewpoint. These brave pilots deserve much praise, but those who fixed the aircraft and kept them flying also have a story to tell. Though their story is perhaps not as flashy, it is quite interesting and very much in tune with the everyday spirit of that intense period before America entered the World War II. This book contains Losonskys war diary, which is supplemented with interviews and dialogue, and includes over 200 unpublished photographs. This format provides the reader with a multi-dimensional view of the period. Flying Tiger will give aviation historians new insights into the days shortly before the Flying Tiger successes in late 1941.

More than 33,000 Messerchmitt Bf 109s were built between 1935 and 1945, making it the second-most produced warplane of all time. Its baptism of fire was in Spain during the Spanish Civil War of 1936-39. The Bf 109 was the mainstay of Luftwaffe fighter squadrons, and the favoured choice of most of the Luftwaffe's fighter aces. Luftwaffe Bf 109 pilots accounted for thousands of Allied aircraft, with individual scores for some pilots reached hundreds of downed aircraft. It saw service in Poland, the invasion of France and, of course, during the Battle of Britain in 1940. Although gradually becoming obsolete, the Bf 109 remained in large-scale production until the end of the war, and was supplied to more than ten countries, including Finland, Hungary, and Romania. After the war, development and production continued in Czechoslovakia and Spain as the Avia S-199 and Hispano Ha-1112 respectively, the latter powered by a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine. Incredibly, the state of Israel operated Czech-built Avia S-199s during its War of Independence in 1948-49. Today, the Bf 109 is considered one of the greatest fighters ever produced.

A vivid narrative history, packed with first-hand accounts, of the US Eighth Air Force's VIII Fighter Command from its foundation in 1942 through to its victory in the skies over Nazi Germany. On August 7, 1942, two events of major military importance occurred on separate sides of the planet. In the South Pacific, the United States went on the offensive, landing the First Marine Division at Guadalcanal. In England, 12 B-17 bombers of the new Eighth Air Force’s 97th Bombardment Group bombed the Rouen–Sotteville railroad marshalling yards in France. While the mission was small, the aerial struggle that began that day would ultimately cost the United States more men killed and wounded by the end of the war in Europe than the Marines would lose in the Pacific War. Clean Sweep is the story of the creation, development and operation of the Eighth Air Force Fighter Command and the battle to establish daylight air superiority over the Luftwaffe so that the invasion of Europe could be successful. Thomas McKelvey Cleaver has had a lifelong interest in the history of the fighter force that defeated the Luftwaffe over Germany. He has collected many first-hand accounts from participants over the past 50 years, getting to know pilots such as the legendary “Hub” Zemke, Don Blakeslee and Chuck Yeager, as well as meeting and interviewing leading Luftwaffe pilots Adolf Galland, Gunther Rall and Walter “Count Punski” Krupinski. This story is told through accounts gathered from both sides.

In the summer of 1944, as the Second World War drew to a close, an unusual airplane took to the skies over Leipzig-Brandis on its maiden flight. It was the prototype version of the Ju 287 V1, a four-engine jet bomber. With its forward swept wings, the design was a critical milestone in the annals of aviation technology and made the Ju 287 the first swept-wing design in the world. One of the world's most interesting airplanes is revealed through many previously unpublished reports, photographs and drawings. It is an airplane whose revolutionary design played a major role in the postwar development of jet aircraft, in both the East and the West. This book fills a gap in the material covering the first chapter of the jet era.

Detailed developmental and operational history of the first USAF dedicated all-weather, jet-powered interceptor. It also features the colorful paint schemes applied to F-89s, which should appeal to both modelers and historians.

The book contains color profiles of the MiG-15, MiG-17, MiG-19 and MiG-21 aircraft belonging to the Warsaw Pact country. The first volume includes machines from the USSR and Poland.

The Russian Military Air Fleet in World War I two volume set is a prodigious scholarly endeavor, offering for the first time in the English language a close up view of Air Fleet operations and personnel. Vol.1 is a chronology of the development of aeronautics and aviation in Russia beginning in the earliest days and the eventual emergence of the Air Fleet, which is carried through to its dissolution by the Bolsheviks and the beginning of the Red Air Fleet in March 1918. There are also chapters on manufacturers, airmen badges, aviation uniforms, flight helmets, markings, flags and pennants, organizational charts, maps of the Russian and Romanian Fronts, and bibliography.

These are pictorial studies of the Allied air offensive that defeated Japanese air forces in the vast Pacific Ocean region, destroyed Japan's navy and its supply lines, and finally devastated the war making potential of the Japanese homeland. The photos come from official archives as well as from the private collections of veterans. The captions reflect painstaking research to supply date, place, and units engaged.

The supersonic fighter in the Polish Air Force of the MiG-21MF is described in unparalleled detail. Includes many unpublished photos from the private collections. Color schemes and markings are described and illustrated in a series of specially commissioned color profiles.

Written by Swords to the Knight's Cross holder and last regimental commander Otto Weidinger, Comrades to the End is the complete history of SS-Regiment "Der Fuhrer." One of the original infantry regiments of the pre-war SS-Verfugungstruppe (Special Purpose Troops), "Der Fuhrer" was formed in 1938 and fought throughout the war as a component of Division "Das Reich." Being among the most successful and decorated regiments of the Waffen-SS, this complete history was written with the full assistance of four highly decorated regimental commanders. In addition to Otto Weidinger, portions of the text were contributed by Georg Keppler (Knight's Cross), Sylvester Stadler (Swords to the Knight's Cross) and Otto Kumm (Swords to the Knights Cross). From its creation from primarily Austrian recruits through the Western Campaign, to the bitter battles in Russia where it was almost completely destroyed, the authors explain the engagements of this famous unit in full detail. Later it fought in Normandy and finally in Austria at the end of the war as one of the last fully battle ready units of the Waffen-SS. This classic study is now available for the first time in a complete English edition. With a preface by famed Waffen-SS commander Paul Hausser, the detailed text is illustrated by more than twenty regimental maps in addition to photographs.

An illustrated history of how Japan devised and launched a new kind of air campaign in late 1944 - the suicidal assaults of the kamikaze units against the approaching Allied fleets. As summer changed to autumn in 1944, Japan was losing the war. Still unwilling to surrender, Japan's last hope was to try to wear down US resolve enough to reach a negotiated settlement. Extraordinary measures seemed necessary, and the most extraordinary was the formation of Special Attack Units - known to the Allies as the kamikazes. The concept of organized suicide squadrons was first raised on June 15, 1944. By August, formations were being trained. These formations were first used in the October 1944 US invasion of the Philippine Islands, where they offered some tactical success. The program was expanded into a major campaign over the rest of the Pacific War, seeing a crescendo during the struggle for Okinawa in April through May 1945. This highly illustrated history examines not just the horrific missions themselves, but the decisions behind the kamikaze campaign, how it developed, and how it became a key part of Japanese strategy. Although the attacks started on an almost ad hoc basis, the kamikaze soon became a major Japanese policy. By the end of the war, Japan was manufacturing aircraft specifically for kamikaze missions, including a rocket-powered manned missile. A plan for a massive use of kamikazes to defend the Japanese Home Islands from invasion was developed, but never executed because of Japan's surrender in August 1945. Packed with diagrams, maps and 3D reconstructions of the attacks, this book also assesses the Allied mitigation techniques and strategies and the reasons and the degree to which they were successful.

This book is about the men of the 79th Fighter Group on the "forgotten" Mediterranean front in World War II. It tells who they were, what they did, and because it is set in the broader context of the entire conflict in that theater is shows how the war on the ground influenced their war in the air. The 79th spent much of its tour with the RAF's Desert Air Force in Tunisia, Sicily, and the "other side" of Italy - providing readers with an inside look at battles generally not well known to the American public - and also took part in the battle for Rome and the invasion of southern France. It racked up an enviable record. It destroyed hundreds of ground targets, led all Allied fighters in victories over both Pantelleria and Anzio, gave three destroyers the "deep six," and was the only fighter group to sink an aircraft carrier.

The Imperial War Museum holds approximately 11 million photographs in its archives, covering the causes, course and consequences of modern conflict from the First World War to the present day. Off ering a snapshot into this unique collection, Bomber Command showcases 50 iconic photographs of the aircraft and crew that lead Britain and its Allies to victory during one of the longest, most expensive and controversial of the Allied campaigns during the Second World War. This vivid collection of photographs traces Bomber Command through each stage of its development and brings to life the experiences of those both in the air and on the ground

Presented here is the most complete photo collection of U.S. Air Force F-4 Phantoms and F-105 Thunderchiefs credited with aerial victories during the Vietnam era. Of the total one hundred-thirteen individual Phantoms and Thunderchiefs credited with aerial victories, the reader will discover photographs of one hundred and six of these historic aircraft. The reader will discover photographs of the only F-4 Phantom to down six MiGs. The jet flown by Captain Richard Steve Ritchie on 28 August 1972, when he distinguished himself by becoming the first Air Force ACE of the Vietnam War appear here. Also shown are the three Phantoms flown by Colonel Robin Olds in claiming four MiG kills. Accompanying each photograph is detailed information regarding the aircrews, units, call signs of the individual aircraft, primary weapon system used in destruction of the enemy MiG, and a short narrative regarding each air battle.

The twin-engined Focke-Wulf Fw 187 was a contemporary of the Messerschmitt Bf 110, however production was limited to a handful of prototypes. So far the story of this largely forgotten fighter has been shrouded in darkness. Developed by Professor Kurt Tank, the Fw 187 first flew in the summer of 1937. Not only was it faster than any other German fighter with similar engines, it was also earmarked for record attempts which had to be abandoned with the outbreak of war. The debacle of the Me 210, which was supposed to succeed the Bf 110, revived the Fw 187's fortunes. With a speed of 700 km/h, it was faster than any contemporary fighter and was considered as a replacement for the Me 210. Once again, however, no production contract was forthcoming. The few Fw 187s built served in industry defense and were later operated by the Vaerlose Aerial Gunnery School. This little-known aircraft is documented with numerous photographs and drawings, many of them never before published. This is a book for aviation enthusiasts and modelers, which closes a significant gap in German aviation history.

Most people think the US Army only flies helicopters, but it has quietly flown a multitude of fixed-wing aircraft for decades. One of the Army's best aircraft providers is Beech Aircraft of Wichita, Kansas. Beginning about the time of the Korean War and up to present day, the Army has utilized twin-engined Beech aircraft for an abundance of missions and duties. All of these Beech aircraft have been purchased off-the-shelf, instead of developing new aircraft for a specific mission, as they are much more economical to purchase and operate. Beeches have been used for almost every mission imaginable, from utilitarian, to VIP, to bombers, to photo-reconnaissance and surveillance to training. Some of the Beeches look really "spooky" due to their massive antenna arrays on the "reconnaissance" versions. This book will give you all of the "unclassified" details, data, information, and photos of these unique aircraft operated by the US Army.

Adolf Galland began World War II in Poland, as a lieutenant and squadron commander, flying obsolescent biplanes. He ended the war as a Lieutenant General a and was again a squadron commander a this time flying Me 262 jet fighters. In all of aviation history there is no comparable rise and fall by a fighter pilot. The most famous German ace and fighter leader of his generation, Galland's story is simultaneously that of the Luftwaffe Fighter Arm, in which he served from foundation to finish. Fighter General recounts the career of an outstanding combat leader torn from the fighter cockpit to defend his country a and sometimes his own pilots a in the bizarre bureaucracy of the Luftwaffe High Command. Galland's battles against the Allied air forces, both as a general and in individual combat, hold no less drama than his head-on battles with Goering and Hitler. Galland's triumphs and tragedies, his friends and his flames, his humor and heartaches pulse anew in Fighter General. Here in this official biography is real-life adventure to shame the wildest fiction.

The North American XB-70 is one of the most unusual looking aircraft in aviation history, and only two were constructed. It was originally designed as a Mach 3 high-altitude bomber, but was later used as a research aircraft. This new book by John Campbell and Garry Pape gives a short, detailed history of the XB-70, including production, flight tests, and the fatal crash of Aircraft #2 in 1965. Aircraft #1 is now at the U.S. Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson AFB.

How did the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) 'cavalry of the air' transform into the strategic RAF of the Cold War? The flying lives of these three pilots combine across the years to illustrate how it happened. Trained on Bristol Boxkites in 1912, Major Leonard Dawes helped shape the RFC in its infancy. Posted to France with BE2s, he saw action at the birth of battlefield reconnaissance and air fighting, then activated many new squadrons during the First World War. Joining the RAF in 1923, Group Captain Dickie Barwell became a fighter pilot and respected leader of men. As a Hurricane squadron commander, he routed the first major Luftwaffe air attack of the Second World War and flew with Bader's Wing in the Battle of Britain. While commanding RAF Biggin Hill, he flew combat operations over France before his death in a friendly-fire incident in 1942. Squadron Leader Brian Fern learned to fly at Ponca City, Oklahoma, in 1942, then trained hundreds of RAF bomber pilots during the Second World War. Post-war tours on Canberra bombers and spy flights in Chipmunks were followed by selection to the elite Valiant bomber force, where he became a leading exponent of in-flight refuelling, which finally gave the RAF its global reach. Combining these three stories into a narrative that explores the rise of the RAF through an era of dazzling technological breakthroughs and ever-changing operational requirements, Alastair Goodrum tells the story of a journey through adversity to the stars.