As the course of World War II turned against the Third Reich after Stalingrad some of the most inventive and radical proposals, and designs, were put forward by armaments manufacturers, scientists and technicians, aircrew and even private individuals to the Reichsluftministerium (German Air Ministry) for consideration. Some proposals were destined never to leave the drawing board, while others not only underwent trials but were issued to operational units and used in action. In this fascinating new book, leading Luftwaffe historian Robert Forsyth examines the many different types of weapons that comprised the Luftwaffe's increasingly potent arsenal during the second half of the war. This was the period that saw the development and adoption of aerial torpedoes, wire-guided rockets and missiles, batteries fired by photo-electric cells, chemical weapons, composite bombers and air-launched flying bombs.

No story about one type of aircraft could be more complete than this coverage about the B-57 Canberra. A brief history of its British inception sets the stage for the conversion that took place to American standards for production in the United States. The Canberra was needed to fill the night intruder role in the USAF that was identified during the Korean War. The B-57, did that, and far more.\n The author, who flew the B-57 over a 15-year period, covers all aspects of the 28 years of operational service of the B-57. Initially, the B-57 outfitted four combat wings in the bomber version, along with many units in the reconnaissance role. Missions changed and units faded, but the Vietnam War set the history for this remarkable airplane. It remained in combat for eight years, and many of these daring missions are covered in detail in this book. This becomes another informative reference book dealing with the lively aaspect of the Vietnam War.\n The book is filled with many rare action pictures of this airplane in color and black and white. The expanded appendices contain many historical points such as units and time period of assignment, production records, individual line entries for the history of each aircraft, and many more details that appeal to the airplane historian. \n Robert C. Mikesh had accumulated 2,000 hours in flying the B-57 Canberra, beginning with the first USAF unit to receive the bomber version. Enamored from the very beginning with this airplane, the thought of one day writing a book about the B-57 inspired him to gather detailed notes over the years while the airplane was operational. This brings to life this airplane story that could not be compiled any other way than through this first hand experience.\n Mikesh served a 21-year career in the USAF as a pilot, having spent much of this time in the Far East. During the Korean War he flew a tour in Douglas B-26 night intruder missions over North Korea, and during the Vietnam War he was a Forward Air Controller in the Cessna 0-2A, directing air strikes, many being his comrades in B-57s. \n After retiring from the Air Force in 1970, Mikesh joined the National Air and Space Museum as curator. He became responsible for managing the worlds foremost collection of historic aircraft. This not only included locating and gathering historic and technologically significant aircraft and acquisitions, but overseeing their restoration as well. Now retired from NASM as of 1991, Mikesh devotes much of his time to aviation writing and consulting work for museums and aircraft restorers.

The epic story of one of the highest scoring fighter units in the southwest Pacific. Aces included McGuire, Loisel, MacDonald, Roberts and Bong.

Israel acquired sixty-one Dassault Mystere IVA combat aircraft from France that were delivered to the Israeli Air Force from April to September 1956 and were issued to two units: Squadron 101 at Hatzor, in the south, and Squadron 109 at Ramat David, in the north. From 1956 until 1959, and to a lesser extent from 1959 until 1962, the Mystere was the ILAF's cutting-edge interceptor. From 1959, the Mystere's main mission shifted from air-to-air to air-to-ground, as more modern interceptors-Super Mystere from 1959 and Mirage from 1962-entered Israeli Air Force service. At the same time, the Israeli Air Force initiated an effort to introduce an attack aircraft to succeed the Mystere. The Squadron 109 Mystere era therefore covered mostly air-to-air from 1956 until 1962 and mostly air-to-ground from 1962 until 1968.

On June 6, 1944, paratroopers of the legendary 101st Airborne Division jumped into Normandy with the mission of seizing exits of beaches at night before the amphibious invasion of France. They were the elite of the U.S. Army and were primed and ready to take on the Germans. This new large-format book contains over 300 photographs and a selection of full-color photographs of World War II era airborne uniforms and equipment. 101st Airborne in Normandy is written by a historian who has been interviewing many paratroopers veterans and collecting photographs for years. Dominque Francois is one of the leading experts on U.S. Airborne units during World War II. He has written eight books on the subject including his recent 82nd Airborne in Normandy, published by Schiffer Publishing Ltd.

This rarely presented topic is shown in its uses as personnel, assault and equipment transport.

Originally published to acclaim in 2009, this paperback re-issue aims to give readers access to the tangible remains of hundreds of historic aircraft that still lie at crash sites on the moors and mountains of the British Isles, all of which can be visited. It covers almost 500 selected sites, with emphasis placed on those located within open access land. The book includes accurate verified grid references, up-to-date site descriptions and recent photographs. Arranged geographically, each chapter features details of all major recorded air crashes to have occurred in that particular region. Areas covered include: South-west Moors - 15 entries. ~ Wales - 93 entries. ~ Peak District - 82 entries. Pennines - 76 Entries. ~ Lake District - 32 entries. ~ North Yorkshire Moors - 23 entries. Isle of Man - 18 entries. ~ Scotland: Lowlands - 47 entries. ~ Highlands and Islands - 85 entries. ~ Ireland - 19 entries. Representing the main upland areas of the British Isles, each of these sections is introduced with a brief narrative describing its geographical characteristics and aviation background, discussing the factors and trends lying behind the concentration of losses within each area and noting any especially significant incidents. Individual site entries include precise location details including, where required, additional references for scattered major items of wreckage and any relevant notes to aid finding or interpreting the crash site, together with details of the aircraft, names and fates of those onboard and the circumstances of the loss.

The Lavochkin fighters remain little known in the West, although with the Yakovlev fighter series they were the backbone of the Red Air Force fighter force during the Second World War. The author rectifies that with this comprehensive history of these fighters. With this book he describes in great detail the three main variants of the Lavochkin fighter series during the Second World War: the only partially successful LaGG-3 inline-engined fighter, the successful radial-engined La-5 fighter, and the superb radial engined La-7 fighter, one of the best piston-engined fighter aircraft of the entire Second World War. Both the design and history of these fighters are featured, including how the mediocre inline engined LaGG-3 was turned into a top notch fighter by the replacement of the Klimov inline engine by the Shvetsov M-82 radial engine. Besides describing the wartime designs he includes a section on the postwar successors to the Second World War fighters, the completely new all metal La-9 and La-11, which saw extensive postwar service. Accurate color profiles illustrate all variants.

Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) have seen unprecedented levels of growth during the last decade in both military and civilian domains. It is anticipated that civilian applications will be dominant in the future, although there are still barriers to be overcome and technical challenges to be met. Integrating UAS into, for example, civilian space, navigation, autonomy, see-detect-and-avoid systems, smart designs, system integration, vision-based navigation and training, to name but a few areas, will be of prime importance in the near future.

This special volume is the outcome of research presented at the International Symposium on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, held in Orlando, Florida, USA, from June 23-25, 2008, and presents state-of-the-art findings on topics such as: UAS operations and integration into the national airspace system; UAS navigation and control; micro-, mini-, small UAVs; UAS simulation testbeds and frameworks; UAS research platforms and applications; UAS applications.

This book aims at serving as a guide tool on UAS for engineers and practitioners, academics, government agencies and industry.

Previously published in the Journal of Intelligent and Robotic Systems, 54 (1-3, 2009).

This volume, the second in a mulit-volume history of German aviation, discusses the life work of one of Germany's greatest aircraft designers in pictures, tables, drawings and in his own words discussing flight testing of his airplanes. Examined are the birth of Focke-Wulf's airplanes, the ideas and thinking which formed the foundation of Tank's designs, his masterpieces in the areas of long-range and high-speed flight as well as flight test results. The reader experiences the metamorphosis of an aircraft design from the first pencil line on the drawing board to the screaming, nearly supersonic dives during its evaluation phase. Tank would only entrust to civilian pilots, military flyers and the captains of the Lufthansa fleet those designs whose superior flying characteristics, stability, and flawless stall handling he had been able to experience first hand. A mixture of technical history, flight testing and previously unpublished data enable the reader to catch a fascinating glimpse of the aircraft built during the 1930s and 1940s, not to mention the outstanding designs Tank worked on in other countries following the war. All of the classic Focke-Wulf aircraft are to be found: the well-known Fw 200, Fw 190, Ta 152, and Ta 154, as well as the lesser known Fw 57, Fw 187, Fw 189 and others.

The true story documenting the short range history of the bomber force. Told in three parts, it demonstrates the versatility of the military pilot and observer and is a credit to the training they receive, coupled with the experience each one of them acquired.

The key roles played by the Royal Observer Corps in the Second World War have, all too often, been overshadowed by more glamourous arms of the defence forces. The teams in the Sector Stations, plotting the battles raging above, and the Spitfires and Hurricanes swooping upon the formations of enemy fighters and bombers, present easily-imagined and dramatic scenes. Yet between the radar stations, detecting the German aircraft approaching over the Channel, and the Sector Controls were the little sand-bagged posts of the Observer Corps that provided over-land tracking of the enemy formations. The Royal Observer Corps (the Royal' prefix being approved in 1941) proved a vital link in the communication chain in the defence of the UK, particularly in the Battle of Britain, as it provided the only means of tracking enemy aircraft once they had crossed the coastline. The highly-skilled Observers were also able to identify and count the enemy aircraft, turning blips on a screen into actual types and numbers of German machines. Even after the threat from the Luftwaffe receded after the Battle of Britain and the Blitz, the ROC again came to the fore when the V1s opened a new reign of terror in 1944. Because these small, fast weapons were so hard to detect the RAF's fighter controllers moved into the ROC's operations rooms so that they could respond to the V-1 threat more rapidly. In this official history of the ROC written shortly after the war, the corps' operations throughout the conflict are set out in great detail. This includes a section on the last flight of Rudolf Hess, as well as one detailing the work of those who were selected for employment as Seaborne Observers on ships during the D-Day landings, where their specialist identification skills were used to prevent the all-too prevalent instances of friendly fire'.

These essays cover a wide range of subjects and tell the story of air power's evolution over the past century. The author discusses the golden age of air theory before World War II, examining the ideas of British, American and continental airmen. In the great test of World War II, he covers some of the key roles played by air power in both Europe and the Pacific.

After twenty-five years of service with the USAF, the F-15 is still the most effective air superiority fighter in the world today. In addition, the F-15E Strike Eagle has taken over the F-111's role as the USAF's Strike Fighter. This book chronicles, with over 750 color photos, the story of the F-15A, B, C, D, and E. The book includes F-15 program history, prototype and operational aircraft paint schemes, and unit markings of all USAF and Air National Guard units operating the F-15. A section on USAF F-15 MiG killers in both Operation Desert Storm and Operation Allied Force, with photos of all USAF F-15 MiG killers, is included. Over 130 colorful official and unofficial unit patches involving the F-15 are included. The book also includes a description of the aircraft, its systems, and weapons.

This new large format volume is a grand tribute to all of those who served in SAC from its inception in 1947 to its disestablishment in 1992. The great variety of aircraft and missile systems of Strategic Air Command are shown in over 800 color and black and white photographs, making this volume one of the definitive pictorials on the subject.

The legendary Convair B-58 Hustler, one of the most interesting bombers to reach operational status, and had an appearance - even though designed in the 1940s - that would not look out of date in the 21st century. The first USAF delta-wing bomber was the Mach 2 Hustler that had the performance of a fighter aircraft. However, its tenure was short due to technical problems and excessive costs. The majority of Hustlers met their demise in the late 1960s, but a few remain at museums across the country.

'Vivid, wholly convincing, compelling. One of the best memoirs for years about the experience of flying in war' Max Hastings, Sunday Telegraph Two months before the outbreak of WWII, seventeen-year-old Geoffrey Wellum becomes a fighter pilot with the RAF . . . Desperate to get in the air, he makes it through basic training to become the youngest Spitfire pilot in the prestigious 92 Squadron. Thrust into combat almost immediately, Wellum finds himself flying several sorties a day, caught up in terrifying dogfights with German Me 109s. Over the coming months he and his fellow pilots play a crucial role in the Battle of Britain. But of the friends that take to the air alongside Wellum, many never return. *** 'An intimate account . . . rich in detail' James Holland, Wall Street Journal, 'Five Best World War II Memoirs' 'An extraordinarily deeply moving and astonishingly evocative story. Reading it, you feel you are in the Spitfire with him, at 20,000ft, chased by a German Heinkel, with your ammunition gone' Independent 'A brilliantly fresh, achingly written memoir. Thrilling and frightening on virtually every page . . . Wellum takes you into battle with him. A book for all ages and generations, a treasure' Daily Express

Baroness Kunigunde von Richthofen originally published Mein Kriegstagebuch (My War Diary) in 1937, at a time when tales of heroes of the First World War inspired the youth of a country being prepared for a second war. Mother of Eagles is the culmination of the translation of the war diary, along with numerous facts and information not included in the original work. Follow the youth and wartime exploits of Manfred and Lothar, the leading German aces of World War I, through the eyes of their mother and a nation. Letters to the Barronness from each of her sons intially depict the wartime conditions on the ground, and then evolve into vivid details about the exhiliration of the hunt in the air for ever increasing numbers of enemy planes. This book will not only appeal to those interested in the Red Baron and his ace brother, Lothar, but to anyone who is interested in reading of the civilian life in Germany during the Great War.

As a small club airfield during the 1930s, West Malling was very popular with flyers. Taken over by the RAF in 1939 it became a forward landing airfield to Biggin Hill. Unfinished by the time the Battle of Britain began, it played no operational part during the conflict. However, due to faulty German intelligence it was bombed on several occasions delaying completion even further. From 1941 it became the home of many night fighter squadrons within the umbrella of No. 11 Group, Fighter Command. During the Dieppe operation it became a forward base for day fighter squadrons after which it reverted to its primary role. One of the main anti-diver bases during the V1 campaign during 1944, it continued in its defensive role during peacetime until 1960 when the MOD leased the airfield to the American Navy. After two years it returned to the MOD who sold the site to the Kent County Council for development as an industrial park together with housing. This entailed all civil flying and Air Cadet gliding to cease despite much local opposition to the plans.

Drawing on a superb collection of rare and unpublished photographs the 5th SS Division Wiking 1941 - 1945 is the 5th book in the Waffen-SS Images of War Series by Ian Baxter. The book tells the dramatic story of the 5th SS Panzer Division�Wiking at War. �The men of the division were recruited from foreign volunteers in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, the Netherlands and Belgium under the command of German officers. Not all were collaborators - the choice they were all too often presented with was join up or be locked up - or worse. During the course of the war, the division served on the Eastern Front in 1941. It surrendered in May 1945 to the American forces in Austria.

The full story of the development and early use of the U-2 has never been properly told - until now. This book describes in vivid detail how the high-flying spyplane was conceived, designed, built, and deployed in record time. It explains why the CIA, and not the U.S. Air Force, controlled the project. It traces how the Iron Curtain was pried apart by the epic overflights of denied territory from 1956 to 1960. It discusses why these flights were needed, what they were looking for, and how the intelligence they returned was processed and analyzed. Readers are taken inside the Soviet Union's military machine, as it developed new strategic weapons and (eventually) the means to shoot the U-2 down. The book also explores the political dimension, telling how President Eisenhower and Premier Khrushchev each faced the challenge of the U-2 flights - albeit from very different perspectives. Toward the Unknown will appeal to students of aviation and intelligence history, and to anyone wishing to learn more about a key episode in the Cold War.

This new book is the third of a multi-volume series covering the complete history of Germany's legendary World War II jet fighter, the Messerschmitt Me 262. Featured here are the Me 262 "A" series types from the A-1a jabo through the A-5 and including bomber, recon, night-fighter and other variants. Forthcoming volumes in the series will cover additional production types and unusual design versions.

Choice Outstanding Academic Title A groundbreaking account of the Soviet Air Force in World War II, the original version of this book, Red Phoenix, was hailed by the Washington Post as both "brilliant" and "monumental." That version has now been completely overhauled in the wake of an avalanche of declassified Russian archival sources, combat documents, and statistical information made available in the past three decades. The result, Red Phoenix Rising, is nothing less than definitive. The saga of the Soviet air force, one of the least chronicled aspects of the war, marked a transition from near annihilation in 1941 to the world's largest operational-tactical air force four years later. Von Hardesty and Ilya Grinberg reveal the dynamic changes in tactics and operational art that allowed the VVS to bring about that remarkable transformation. Drawing upon a wider array of primary sources, well beyond the uncritical and ultra-patriotic Soviet memoirs underpinning the original version, this volume corrects, updates, and amplifies its predecessor. In the process, it challenges many "official" accounts and revises misconceptions promoted by scholars who relied heavily on German sources, thus enlarging our understanding of the brutal campaigns fought on the Eastern Front. The authors describe the air campaigns as they unfolded, with full chapters devoted to the monumental victories at Moscow, Stalingrad, and Kursk. By combining the deeply affecting human drama of pilots, relentlessly confronted by lethal threats in the air and on the ground, with a rich technical understanding of complex military machines, they have produced a fast-paced, riveting look at the air war on the Eastern Front as it has never been seen before. They also address dilemmas faced by the Soviet Air Force in the immediate postwar era as it moved to adopt the new technology of long-range bombers, jet propulsion and nuclear arms. Drawing heavily upon individual accounts down to the unit level, Hardesty and Grinberg greatly enhance our understanding of their story's human dimension, while the book's more than 100 photos, many never before seen in the West, vividly portray the high stakes and hardware of this dramatic tale. In sum, this is the definitive one-volume account of a vital but still underserved dimension of the war—surpassing its predecessor so decisively that no fan of that earlier work can afford to miss it.