The Northrop YF-17 holds a special place in aircraft history. The YF-17 was one of the two prototypes tested in the U.S. Air Force Air Combat Fighter competition, a program which attempted to reverse the trend of increasing cost and complexity of new fighter aircraft, and which resulted in the selection and manufacture of the F-16 as the next generation free world fighter. Even though the YF-17 lost the USAF competition, it was the prototype for the U.S. Navys F/A-18 aircraft. Don Logan is also the author of Rockwell B-1B: SACs Last Bomber, The 388th Tactical Fighter Wing: At Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base 1972, and Northrops T-38 Talon: A Pictorial History(all three available from Schiffer Publishing Ltd.).

In 1935, the intent of the Army Air Corps was to build a potential intercontinental bomber, a "Guardian of the Hemisphere"; they granted Donald Douglas a contract to build the world's largest bomber. Over the past 75 years, there have only been a few magazine articles on the gigantic Douglas XB-19 bomber, usually showing it in photos dwarfing the aircraft around it. Since the XB-19 project was top secret and there was only one example, there is little information remaining for researchers. William Wolf presents this enigmatic bomber, a "Flying Laboratory" that was the precursor to America's first intercontinental bomber, the Continental B-36 Peacemaker. Wolf has used original Douglas and Army Air Force documents and very rare (as few were needed for one bomber) Erection & Maintenance Manuals in this history, which also includes never-seen-before photos and color profiles. This volume is a must for the aviation historian, enthusiast, and modeler.

Photo study showing the post-World War II use, and redesign of the German V1 by the Allies. Also shows the air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles it helped develop.

The Gloster Aircraft Company had its foundation in 1917 and in 1934 the company was taken over by Hawker Aircraft, though it continued to produce aircraft under its own name. In that same year the company produced the famous Gladiator biplane. Having no modern designs of its own in production, Gloster undertook manufacture for the parent company Hawker. During the Second World War it built more than 6,000 Hurricanes and Typhoons. The Gloster Meteor was the first operational Allied jet fighter aircraft of the Second World War, commencing operations in mid-1944, only some weeks later than the world's first operational jet, the German Messerschmitt Me 262. In 1945 a Meteor gained a World Airspeed Record of 606 mph. Meteors remained in service with several air forces and saw action in the Korean War. In 1952, the two seat, delta winged Gloster Javelin was developed as an all-weather fighter that could fly above 50,000 feet. In 1961, the company was merged with Sir W. G. Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft Limited to form Whitworth Gloster Aircraft Limited. Following re-organisation, the firm became part of the Avro Whitworth Division of Hawker Siddeley Aviation in 1963, and the name Gloster disappeared.

David Mearns has discovered some of the world's most fascinating and elusive shipwrecks. From the mighty battlecruiser HMS Hood to the crumbling wooden skeletons of Vasco da Gama's 16th century fleet, David has searched for and found dozens of sunken vessels in every ocean of the world. The Shipwreck Hunter is an account of David's most intriguing and fascinating finds. It details both the meticulous research and the mid-ocean stamina and courage required to find a wreck miles beneath the sea, as well as the moving human stories that lie behind each of these oceanic tragedies. Combining the derring-do of Indiana Jones with the precision of a surgeon, in The Shipwreck Hunter David Mearns opens a porthole into the shadowy depths of the ocean.

The JAAF Nakajima Ki-49 DONRYU (Helen) is presented in this volume. All variations, markings and units are covered in this, the seventh in a multi-volume series.

This fully illustrated reference book charts the complete history of frigates, from their post-World War I function as escort vessels, their role as sloops and corvettes, and their subsequent transformation into post-World War II anti-submarine vessels. A country-by-country directory of over 70 classes describes the main characteristics of each vessel. Each entry, with its expert commentary and high-quality photography, is accompanied by a specification box detailing country of origin, displacement, dimensions, armament, machinery, power, performance and protection. A useful glossary containing definitions of key naval terms is included at the back of the book. With its lively narrative and over 235 photographs, this authoritative volume provides historians and enthusiasts with key information about these important naval vessels.

The One-Man Pneumatic Life Raft - was the unheralded and almost unknown savior of uncounted downed airmen of World War II and the early Korean War. This is the story of its history, development, and usage as little raft survival kits. Coverage includes issued raft kits of U.S. Army Air Forces, U.S. Navy, British RAF and Commonwealth, German Luftwaffe, and Imperial Japan. Details include many original issue specifications and accessories along with over 320 photographs. This is the most complete work on the subject ever published.

Covers all of the medium half-tracked prime movers used by German forces during WWII.

Don Logan's latest book "his tenth with Schiffer Publishing, and the first in a planned multi-volume set on F-4 Phantoms chronicles the service of the McDonnell-Douglas F-4 and RF-4 Phantom II in the U.S. Air Force Reserve and the Air National Guard. The book is organized by AFRES and ANG units and illustrates the F-4's service, colors, and markings with over 700 color photographs and 100 unit patches.

Designed as the benchmark against which competitors in the 1912 Military Aeroplane Competition were judged, the B.E.2 outperformed them all and was put into production becoming the most numerous single type in Royal Flying Corps service. The B.E.2c, a later variant, was designed to be inherently stable and was nicknamed the 'Quirk' by its pilots. Intended mainly for reconnaissance, it was hopelessly outclassed by the Fokker Eindecker fighter and its defenceless crews quickly became known as 'Fokker Fodder'. The Eindecker, piloted by top scoring German aces such as Max Immelmann and Oswald Boelcke, made short work of the B.E.2c in the aerial bloodbath coined as the 'Fokker scourge'. Its vulnerability to fighter attack became plain back home and to the enemy who nicknamed the B.E.2c as kaltes fleisch or cold meat. British ace Albert Ball said that it was a 'bloody terrible aeroplane'. B.E.2c crews were butchered in increasing numbers. The B.E.2c slogged on throughout the war, and its poor performance against German fighters, and the failure to improve or replace it, caused great controversy in Britain. One MP attacked the B.E.2c and the Royal Aircraft Factory in the House of Commons stating that RFC pilots were being 'murdered than killed. ' This resulted in a judicial enquiry that cleared the factory and partly instrumental in bringing about the creation of the Royal Air Force.

The patch is a customized emblem designed specifically for a particular organization. An emblem is often displayed on patches, decals, plaques, and other memorabilia. Pride and comraderie in the crew is a direct result of the patch as a daily reminder that a specific unit is the best in the Navy. This volume covers over 1,900 patches of US Navy rotary wing aircraft in full color, covering the patches of individual helicopters, schools, organizations, air wings and detachments for all the squadron types HAL, HC, HCS, HCT, HM, HS, HSC, HSL, HSM, HT, HU, HUQ and HX.

This book is a lavishly illustrated story of Curtiss Wright Corporation's 1950s and 1960s efforts in developing a vertical takeoff (VTOL) aircraft. The author, an insider who headed preliminary design work, gives a brief history of Curtiss Wright, and of the Curtiss Propeller Division that spawned the program, then follows with the development details of the X-100 concept demonstrator and the follow-on X-19 military aircraft. Photos and detailed design descriptions are provided, as well as test flights and test pilot's reports, and finally, never before seen advanced military and civil VTOL aircraft concepts studies.

Between 1940 and 1945, the Diamond T Motor Car Company supplied just over 50,000 vehicles to the US military, and also to the Allies. Of these, just over 30,000 were heavy 4-ton 6x6 trucks of varying types: cargo, tow truck, pontoon carrier, engineer, and cartographic. The 'Diamond' would serve in all theatres of operations, wherever its robustness and reliability were necessary to complete the mission. Due to its expertise, Diamond T also produced the famous half-track, with more than 10,000 manufactured. All of these models are described in this book by Didier Andres, an expert in the subject. It is illustrated throughout using archival and period photographs and diagrams.

In 1938, the Yokosuka Naval Air Technical Arsenal, acting under the requirements issued by the Kaigun Koku Hombu for a Navy Experimental 13-Shi Carrier Borne specification for a dive-bomber to replace the venerable 'Val' aboard carriers. The resulting D4Y Suisei ('Comet'), codenamed 'Judy' by the Allies, was initially powered by a licence-built German Daimler-Benz DB 601 inline engine as used in the Bf 109E. Despite making an inauspicious combat debut during the Battle of Midway in June 1942, the 'Judy' eventually proved to be an important asset for the IJNAF during battles in the latter years of the Pacific War. Its great successes resulted in the sinking of the escort carrier USS Princeton in an early kamikaze attack of the Philippines and the near sinking of the fleet carrier USS Franklin in a dive-bombing attack off Japan. While the Judy had an impressive top-speed, like its predecessor, and many other Japanese military aircraft, it possessed design shortcomings including inadequate armour protection for its aircrew and no self-sealing fuel tanks. As a result, when pitted against new, advanced US Navy fighters suffered horrendous losses. During the final months of World War 2 it became apparent that there would be no Japanese victory. Acting out of desperation, the IJNAF employed the 'Judy' in the dreaded kamikaze role, in which it excelled due to its high-speed characteristics. Most notably, the D4Y mounted one of the last combat actions of World War 2 when a flight of 11 Judies, personally led by the instigator of the suicide attacks, Vice Admiral Matome Ugaki, took off on a 'search mission' on August 15, 1945. This volume chronicles the action-packed wartime exploits of Japan's finest dive-bomber of World War 2.

This book provides a history of the South China Sea conflict and lays out the stakes for each of the bordering states and China's interaction with them - namely, Vietnam, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Indonesia; it also examines the U.S. government's role in the region. China's Naval Operations in the South China Sea is highly topical; it examines the evolving perception of the People's Republic of China's (PRC) of the South China Sea (SCS), and Beijing's accompanying maritime strategy to claim the islands and waters, particularly in the context of the strategies of the neighbouring stake-holding nations. In addition to long-standing territorial disputes over the islands and waters of the SCS, China and the other littoral states - Vietnam, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Indonesia - have growing and often mutually exclusive interests in the offshore energy reserves and fishing grounds. Many other countries outside of the region worry about the protection of sea lines of communication for military and commercial traffic, oil tankers in particular. These differences have been expressed in the increasing frequency and intensity of maritime incidents, involving both naval and civilian vessels, sometimes working in coordination against naval or civilian targets. Each chapter on the littoral states closely examines that state's territorial claims to the islands and waters of the SCS, its primary economic and military interests in these areas, its views on the sovereignty disputes over the entire SCS, its strategy to achieve its objectives, and its views on the U.S. involvement in any and all of these issues.

This new addition to the best-selling Conway pocket-book range features Admiral Nelson’s fully preserved flagship HMS Victory, the most tangible symbol of the Royal Navy’s greatest battle off Cape Trafalgar on October 21st 1805. In the HMS Victory Pocket Manual, Peter Goodwin adopts a fresh approach to explain the workings of the only surviving ‘line of battle’ ship of the Napoleonic Wars. And, as Victory was engaged in battle during only two per cent of her active service, the book also provides a glimpse into life and work at sea during the other ninety-eight per cent of the time. This volume presents answers to questions such as: ‘What types of wood were used in building Victory?’; ‘What was Victory’s longest voyage?’; ‘How many shots were fired from her guns at Trafalgar?’; ‘How many boats did Victory carry?’; ‘What was prize money?’; ‘What was grog?’; ‘When did her career as a fighting ship end?’, and ‘How many people visit Victory each year?’. It gives a full history of the world's most famous warship through a highly accessible pocket-book format. The book includes a pertinent and varied selection of contemporary documents and records to explain the day-to-day running of a three-decker Georgian warship. The leading historian of the sailing man of war, Peter Goodwin was technical and historical advisor to HMS Victory in Portsmouth for more than 20 years, and is in a unique position to investigate and interpret not only the ship’s structure but also the essential aspects of shipboard life: victualling, organisation, discipline, domestic arrangements and medical care.

'Time Flies: Reflections of a Fighter Pilot' retells the exploits of David Hamilton's thirty years of service in the Royal Air Force. He had a wide and varied career; flying Lightnings to defend UK airspace, operating from HMS Ark Royal in F-4 Phantoms, and defending the Inner German Border from RAF Wildenwrath. In the UK MoD he was a staff officer responsible for the Eurofighter project. He served in the First Gulf War, as the commander of a Tornado F3 Squadron deployed in Saudi Arabia, and worked as General Sir Peter de la Billiere's air advisor afterwards. He flew with and was supervisor of the Red Arrows. In NATO's Brussels Headquarters, he served as a Group Captain, formulating the Rules of Engagement for the Bosnian air campaign, and then became the deputy station commander at RAF Leuchars. Hamilton also led the Tornado F3 four-ship flypast over Edinburgh Castle as the Stone of Destiny returned to Scotland on 30 November 1996, before taking early retirement from the RAF to work in the defence industry on the Eurofighter project.

Developed in 1938 from a Schneider trophy-winning design by the aeronautical engineer and designer R.J Mitchell, the Supermarine Spitfire went on to become the definitive Allied fighter of the Second World War, and ranks amongst the most famous aircraft of all time. This pocket manual presents an accessible collection of fascinating historical documents to help readers explore the technical and tactical developments relating to the design and use of this famous aircraft. Sources include the Air Ministry's original specification for a single-seater day and night fighter, handling trials of the Spitfire prototype K-5054, squadron fighting tactics, pilot's log books and pilot's notes for the Mark V, air group reports and tactical papers. Collectively these give a unique insight into the Spitfire, illustrating its durability and adaptability in performing many war-winning roles. With illustrations and an introduction by historian Martin Robson, The Spitfire Pocket Manual is an essential volume for any Spitfire enthusiast.

Covers the development and usage of the Siebel Fh 104/Si 204 and all of its variants.

An illustrated account of the first jet-powered combat aircraft, the Messerschmitt Me 262, and its short but action-packed career during World War 2.

Powered by the Jumo 004 jet engine, the Me 262 outclassed anything the Allies had in terms of speed and firepower, offering, as an interceptor, a formidable punch with four 30 mm MK 108 nose-mounted cannon. Such a blend of armament and speed allowed the Me 262A-1a not just to inflict carnage on the Allied heavy bomber formations, but also to evade their fighter escorts – even the later marks of Spitfire and the formidable American P-51 Mustang.

In this new study, Luftwaffe historian Robert Forsyth utilises first-hand accounts from Me 262 pilots to chronicle actions against Allied bombers and their escorts, as well as detailing hit-and-run bomber attacks on road junctions, Allied airfields, vehicle columns, troop assemblies and supply dumps. All of these aspects of the Me 262 are enhanced by vivid illustrations, including archival photographs and specially commissioned profile artworks.

The famed B-29 Superfortress is presented in this all new collection of World War II and Korean War era photographs. Many of the 850+ photographs appear here for the first time and are identified as to unit and location. John Campbell is also the author of Consolidated B-24 Liberator, and Talisman: A Collection of Nose Art (available from Schiffer Publishing Ltd.).

Covers the design and multiple uses of the Heinkel He 115.

The armoured reconnaissance units were the spearheads of Hitler's Panzer divisions, moving stealthily ahead of the tanks to locate the enemy. Otto Henning's armoured car unit of the elite Panzer-Lehr-Division fought throughout the campaigns in the West in 1944 and 1945, arriving in Normandy a few weeks before D-Day and finally surrendering in the Ruhr pocket in mid-April 1945. Henning describes the difficulties that reconnaissance forces such as his faced in the close terrain of the Normandy bocage and the threat posed by the Allies complete control of the air. He experienced first-hand the devastation wrought by the Panzer Ace Michael Wittmann's lone Tiger tank against the British 7th Armoured Division at Villers Bocage, as well as ensured the chaos and demoralisation of the Germans retreat across France. After the Battle of the Bulge and the final fighting in western Germany, Henning surrendered and endured terrible conditions in a prisoner-of-war camp until he escaped in 1947. This is a fascinating and often harrowing account of the final campaigns in Western Europe.