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During Britain's desperate struggle for survival that in the summer
of 1940, the Dornier Do 17 played a prominent part in raids
designed at neutralising the RAF's ability to resist and the
British people's will to fight back. Having been built to outrun
contemporary fighters when introduced into the Luftwaffe in 1937,
it had become the Luftwaffe's main light bomber, and for the attack
against Britain, three bomber wings, KG 2, KG3 and KG77, were
equipped with the Do 17\. But by 1940, the Do 17 was nearing
obsolescence and, with its weak defensive armament, it fell prey to
Fighter Command's Hurricanes and Spitfires. Its vulnerability was
starkly revealed on 18 August 1940, when eight Dorniers were shot
down and nine damaged in attacks on RAF Kenley, and on 15 September
- Battle of Britain Day - when twenty were shot down and a further
thirteen damaged. On that day, Sergeant Ray Holmes rammed his
Hurricane into a Do 17 that was reportedly aiming for Buckingham
Palace. Part of the bomber's wreckage fell to earth near Victoria
Station. In this comprehensive pictorial record of the Do 17, the
bomber's role throughout the period of the Battle of Britain is
displayed in the author's unique collection of British and German
photographs. These photographs, coupled with first-hand stories
from those who flew and those who fought against the Do 17, bring
those desperate days and dark nights back to life in the manner
which only contemporary images and accounts can achieve.
The Do 217 had a much larger bomb load capacity and had
considerably greater range than the Do 17, which it replaced in
frontline service from mid to late 1941. Although initially used
simply as a bomber, later variants were developed to allow the Do
217 to undertake the precision maritime strike role. In order to
perform the latter mission, the Do 217 was modified to launch glide
bombs - units employing these pioneering weapons enjoyed some
success in the Mediterranean from the autumn of 1943. During the
course of these operations the Do 217 became the first aircraft in
military aviation history to deploy a precision-guided bomb in
combat in the form of the 'Fritz X' radio-guided, free-fall weapon,
which sank the Italian battleship Roma shortly after Italy
capitulated in September 1943. The Do 217 served on all fronts, and
was often used on anti-shipping strikes during the Battle of the
Atlantic and against the Allied invasion fleet at Normandy. This
versatile aircraft was also converted into a nightfighter, seeing
action in the Defense of the Reich through to war's end. This
highly illustrated study explores the design and development of the
Do 217 and chronicles its use in the frontline as a strategic
bomber, launch platform for first generation precision weapons,
reconnaissance aircraft and nightfighter, among others.
Due to the failure of the day campaign during what has become known
as the Battle of Britain, on 7 September 1940, the Luftwaffe
commenced bombing London and major cities, predominantly by night.
What became known as the Blitz continued until 10 May 1941 with
many towns across the country being attacked and London being
struck 57 nights in succession.
Much has been written about the Blitz from a British
perspective but this book tells the story from the viewpoint of the
German aircrew involved, many of whom were shot down and taken
prisoner. Using over 30 first hand accounts and previously
unpublished photos, the book details the Luftwaffe's assault
against the U.K., covering the major attacks and those that
occurred during the remaining months of that year. Integrated with
accounts from the aircrew of RAF's embryonic night fighter force as
they fought against the Luftwaffe in very difficult and sometimes
primitive circumstances, this book provides a new perspective on
the Blitz.
The most iconic German aircraft of the Second World War, the
Messerschmitt Bf 109 was the Luftwaffe's principal fighter from
1939 until 1942 when the superior Focke-Wulf Fw 190 came into
greater prominence. The Bf 109 served in every theatre of the war,
though in this book the author examines the Tip and Run era, D-Day
and the Eastern Front. In the later years of the war, the Bf 109
fought with some success in the defence of Germany against Allied
bombers. The Bf 109 was the most produced fighter aircraft in
history and more aerial kills were made with this fighter than any
other aircraft. Indeed, A total of 105 Bf 109 pilots were each
credited with the destruction of 100 or more enemy aircraft;
thirteen of these men scored more than 200 kills, while two scored
more than 300\. The Bf 109 was flown by the three top-scoring
fighter aces of the war: Erich Hartmann, the top-scoring fighter
pilot of all time claiming 352 victories, Gerhard Barkhorn with 301
victories, and Gunther Rall, who claimed 275 victories. All of them
flew with JG 52, a unit which exclusively flew the Bf 109 and was
credited with over 10,000 victories, chiefly on the Eastern Front.
The Bf 109 was also supplied to several of Germany's allies,
including Finland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, and
Slovakia. In this selection of unrivalled images collected over
many years, the operations of this famous aircraft in the latter
part of the Second World War are portrayed and brought to life.
The term 'fighter ace' grew in prominence with the introduction and
development of aerial combat in the First World War. The actual
number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an
'ace' has varied but is usually considered to be five or more. For
the Luftwaffe, a number of its fighter pilots, many of whom had
fought with the Legion Condor in Spain, had already gained their
Experte, or ace, status in the Battle of France. However, many more
would achieve that status in the hectic dogfights over southern
England and the Channel during the Battle of Britain in the summer
of 1940. A number would also be either killed or captured. Some of
these men, individuals such as Adolf Galland, Werner Molders, and
Helmut Wick, who between them had claimed 147 aerial victories by
31 October 1940, are well-known, but most are less so. In this
book, the story of each of the Luftwaffe's 204 Messerschmitt Bf 109
'aces' from the summer of 1940 is examined, with all of the
individual biographies, detailing individual fates during the war,
being highly-illustrated throughout. Original German records from
the summer of 1940, have been examined, providing a definitive list
of each pilot's individual claims. It also covers, to a lesser
extent, those forgotten fifty-three Messerschmitt Bf 110 pilots who
also achieved ace status by day and also by night between 10 July
and 31 October 1940.
As the war began to turn against Germany, the Luftwaffe was forced
to defend the Reich against increasingly overwhelming numbers of
Allied fighters and bombers. The Focke-Wulf Fw 190, together with
the Bf 109G, was the mainstay of the Luftwaffe's Reichsverteidigung
(Defence of the Reich) fighter force, both by day and by night. As
the war progressed, the US Eighth Air Force, suffering heavy losses
over Germany, changed tactics. The escorting US fighters had been
expected to fly alongside the bombers to provide close protection.
But this meant that they could not chase after the enemy when in
combat, having to return to the bombers. So, from early 1944, the
decision was made to free the fighters, allowing them to fly ahead
of the bomber stream clearing the skies of German fighters. To
counter this, the Luftwaffe developed the Gefechtsverband, or
battle formation, composed of two units of Bf 109s and one
Sturmgruppe of Fw 190s. In Gefechtsverband operations, the Bf 109s
would engage the Allied fighters, particularly the long-range P-51
Mustangs, leaving the more heavily-armed Fw 190s to attack the
bombers. Though the large Gefechtsverband formations were unweildy
and not always effective, when they did work well, the powerful and
well-armoured Fw 190s wreaked havoc amongst the US bombers.
Meanwhile, on the Eastern Front, the Fw 190 was incresaingly relied
upon for fighter and Jabo missions against a dogged Soviet Air
Force. With the tide well and truly turned against the Luftwaffe,
newer versions of the Fw 190, such as the F and G variants, were
intruduced as well as the superlative D-9 which was powered by the
Jumo 213 A engine, armed with two MG 131s and two MG 151/20 guns
and had a new fuselage and wings. In this second volume detailing
the service of the Fw 190, Chris Goss has assembled photographs,
many of which have come from the archive of the late Dr Alfred
Price, to illustrate the final years of the type's war.
This book explores the reconnaissance aircraft used by the British
armed forces in the 1970s and '80s, namely the Avro Shackleton,
Hawker Siddeley Nimrod, Fairey Gannet and English Electric
Canberra. The maritime patrol and airborne early warning (AEW)
Shackleton was a descendant of the Avro Lancaster and Lincoln and
was in service from 1951 to 1991. The Nimrod, based on the de
Havilland Comet, was also a maritime patrol aircraft and served
between 1969 and 2011. The Gannet first flew in 1949, but, during
the period covered by this book, flew in the AEW role with just one
Royal Navy squadron. Finally, the Canberra, which first flew in
1949, was used as a bomber and then mainly in the reconnaissance
role. It was finally retired from the RAF in 2006. With over 180
black and white and colour photographs, this book, the fourth in a
series covering British combat aircraft of the 1970s and '80s,
looks at the aircraft used in the reconnaissance or AEW roles.
The often unseen and unrecognised element in aerial warfare, is
that of training the pilots and crews, yet it its value is beyond
calculation. In this fundamental role, a wide variety of aircraft
were used by the Luftwaffe, with trainee pilots progressing from
simpler, older machines, such as the Klemm 35, the Focke-Wulf Fw 44
and the Bucker 131, to the more sophisticated Arado Ar 66, the
Gotha Go 145 and the Arado Ar 76, as well as heavier aircraft like
the Junkers W33 and W44. Gradually they would be introduced to
newer and faster models that enabled them to experience, to some
degree, the type of aircraft they would be flying in combat.
Recruits would initially spend six months at a
Fliegerersatzabteilung or training depot, where the main emphasis
was on drill and physical training, with introductory lectures on
the principles of wireless operation and map reading. This would be
followed by two months studying general aeronautical subjects,
before being sent to elementary flying school. The various kinds of
aircraft used for training depended upon the role each individual
trainee would eventually undertake, from single-seat fighters to
multiple-crew bombers or transports. For example, those men
ear-marked to become bomber pilots trained on early versions of He
111, the Ju 52, Ju 86 and the Do 17. In this, the Luftwaffe was
also able to make use of captured enemy aircraft. It also
established training units through the Occupied territories to
enable its trainees to familiarise themselves with different
conditions and terrain. In the less-pressurised environment of the
training schools away from the front line, more care could be taken
over photography, resulting in the author of this extensive study
of the wide range of aircraft used for training by the Luftwaffe,
being able to assemble such a fine collection of excellent images.
The Soci t Europ enne de Production de l'avion cole de Combat et
d'Appui Tactique (SEPECAT) Jaguar and Hawker Siddeley Harrier
played critical ground-attack and tactical reconnaissance roles,
including in the latter stages of the Cold War. The Jaguar came
into service with the RAF in 1974 and flew with eight operational
squadrons and an Operational Conversion Unit before finally being
retired in 2007. The unique Harrier entered service with the RAF in
1969.It flew operationally with four squadrons, as well as being
deployed in Belize and the Falkland Islands and with an Operational
Conversion Unit. The second-generation Harrier was prematurely
retired in 2011. With over 180 photographs, both black and white
and colour, this book, the third in a series on British combat
aircraft of the 1970s and '80s, is an essential addition to the
libraries of those who flew or worked on these aircraft, aviation
historians and enthusiasts, and modellers alike.
Two of the RAF's most memorable aircraft are the English Electric
Lightning and the McDonnell Phantom. The Lightning, which flew with
nine RAF squadrons before being retired in 1988, is fondly
remembered for is astonishing rate of climb, while the Phantom,
which flew with three Royal Navy squadrons and 15 RAF squadrons,
started out in the ground-attack and reconnaissance roles but
became more predominant in the tactical fighter role before being
finally retired in 1992. Illustrated with more than 180
photographs, this book covers in great detail the Lightning and
Phantom fighter aircraft and the part they played in the latter
stages of the Cold War. 180 illustrations
The Heinkel He 111 was the main work-horse of the Luftwaffe's
bomber force throughout much of the Second World War. Consequently,
when Hitler launched Operation Barbarossa in June 1941, three
entire Kampfgeschwader consisted of He 111s. Initially used as
direct support for the German ground forces, as the campaign
progressed the He 111 was switched to attacking the Soviet
infrastructure, particularly trains and marshalling yards, and used
as a transport aircraft taking in supplies and for troop
evacuation. Variants of the He 111 were used in anti-shipping
roles, in both the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, and even for
aerial launching of V-1 flying bombs, continuing the war against
the towns and cities of the United Kingdom. In this selection of
unrivalled images collected over many years, and now part of
Frontline's new War in the Air series, the operations of this
famous aircraft in the latter years of the Second World War are
portrayed and brought to life. A companion title to Heinkel He 111:
The Early Years.
For the first three years of the Second World War, the Dornier Do
17 was the Luftwaffe's principal light bomber. Designed to be fast
enough to outrun contemporary fighter aircraft, the Dornier helped
to spearhead Germany's Blitzkrieg as Hitler's armies raced through
Poland and then France and the Low Countries. Until its withdrawal
to secondary duties in 1941, the Dornier Do 17 served in every
theatre of war involving German forces. This included the invasion
of the Balkans and Greece as well as the battle to capture Crete.
After suffering heavy losses at the hands of Fighter Command in the
Battle of Britain, the Do 17 was employed in Operation Barbarossa,
the invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941. The Do 17 was withdrawn
from frontline service later in 1941 but continued to be used by
the German Air Force in various roles until the end of the war,
including seeing service as a glider tug and in the defence of the
Reich in 1944 as a night fighter. In this compilation of unrivalled
images collected over many years, and now part of Frontline's new
War in the Air series, the widespread deployment of the Dornier Do
17 is portrayed and brought to life.
The unforgiving and deadly combats fought in the skies over the
United Kingdom during the Battle of Britain were, in many respects,
personal affairs - one man against another. These duels, and the
emotions and stress they generated, are revealed in this
day-to-day, blow-by-blow account of the part that two front line
fighter units, one British and one German, played in the events of
the summer of 1940. This is the story of the Battle of Britain as
seen through the eyes of the men of 609 (West Riding) Squadron,
based in southern England, and 1/JG53, a Luftwaffe staffel based in
northern France. The tense action of aerial combat and the relief
felt by individual pilots surviving these encounters, the elation
of a successful kill', or the tragedy of seeing a friend shot down,
highlight the common fears felt by airmen on both sides of the
fight. We learn of exhausting, unremitting action, and days of
frustrating weather-induced inactivity, along with those brief
moments of leisure and pleasure grasped from the daily struggle for
survival. What we also discover is that there was, in many regards,
little difference in the experiences and reactions between the men
defending king and country and those fighting for the F hrer -
creating a form of bond derived from those shared experiences, of
indeed, brothers in arms.
The mainstays of the RAF's bomber force in the 1970s and '80s were
the distinctive Avro Vulcan and the slightly less well-known
Blackburn Buccaneer. The Buccaneer came into service in 1962 and
flew with just five RAF and six RN squadrons before being retired
in 1994. The Vulcan came into service in 1956 and was retired after
the Falklands War in 1982, having flown operationally with nine RAF
squadron. Illustrated with 180 photographs, this book details the
much-loved Buccaneer and Vulcan and the part they played in the
latter stages of the Cold War. AUTHOR: Having retired from the RAF
with the rank of Wing Commander, Chris Goss is a regular and highly
respected contributor to major aviation publications in the UK,
France and Germany. 180 illustrations
Although Adrian Warburton (known to all as Warby) became one of the
most highly decorated pilots of World War II, he began his military
career as a below-average misfit with 22 Squadron of Coastal
Command and was sent to Malta to avoid trouble in the UK. Known at
first as a loner, when given his command, the spectacular results
he achieved enabled his unconventional behavior to be over-looked.
Fearless in the air, the maverick ace shot down nine enemy aircraft
and won fame in Malta for his invaluable photo reconnaissance work
at Taranto, Sicily and North Africa. On April 12th, 1944 Warburton
departed in an aircraft on an unusual mission over Europe. Both
plane and pilot disappeared without trace, giving rise to a host of
rumors that his disappearance was intentional. For almost 60 years
the mystery remained unsolved, until a painstaking international
search unearthed the truth. Based on interviews with nearly 150 of
Warby's colleagues, and updated by historian Chris Goss with
recently unearthed information, Warburton's War paints a picture of
a fascinating man, who with 350 operational missions from Malta
alone became a living legend and an enigma among the aces of WWII.
Drawing on an extremely rare collection of photographs taken by the
camera guns of Bristol Beaufighters deployed on ground-attack and
anti-shipping operations, this book will form a rare indeed unique
view of what it was like to fly dangerous strike missions against
German and Italian forces over North Africa and the Mediterranean
between 1942 and 1945. Despite being reformed in the UK in November
1940 as Coastal Commands first Beaufighter squadron, 252 Squadron,
which also operated Bristol Blenheims until April 1941, was
destined to spend most of its service in North Africa and the
Mediterranean before being disbanded in Greece in December 1946.
One of the squadrons commanding officers, Wing Commander DOB
Butler, DFC, had the foresight to keep perfect examples of the many
thousands of gun camera stills taken by the Beaufighter pilots
under his command. As a result, he has preserved a remarkable
history of the air and sea war in the Mediterranean from October
1942 to May 1945. These dramatic stills show attacks against German
and Italian aircraft, Axis warships and merchantmen, harbours and
other targets on what are now popular holiday destinations such as
Rhodes, Naxos and Kos and across the Greek Islands, the Aegean and
Ionian Seas. This book will be based around these remarkable and
spectacular photographs and will include full details of key
missions and the crews who participated, with information drawn
from Squadron records and combat reports.
The most iconic German aircraft of the Second World War, the
Messerschmitt Bf 109 was the Luftwaffe's principal fighter from
1939 until 1942 when the superior Focke-Wulf Fw 190 came into
greater prominence. The Bf 109 served in every theatre of the war,
particularly in the invasion of France and the Low Countries, the
Battle of Britain and the invasion of the Soviet Union, the
Mediterranean and with Rommel in North Africa. In the later years
of the war, the Bf 109 fought with success in the defence of
Germany against the Allied bombers. The Bf 109 was the most
produced fighter aircraft in history and more aerial kills were
made with this fighter than any other aircraft. In this selection
of unrivalled images collected over many years, and now part of
Frontline's new War in the Air series, the operations of this
famous aircraft in the early part of the Second World War are
portrayed and brought to life.
Initially designed as a high-speed mail aeroplane and airliner, the
Do 17 first made an appearance as a military aircraft in the
Spanish Civil War, both as a bomber and in reconnaissance roles. In
the early stages of World War II, it, together with the Heinkel He
111, formed the backbone of the German bomber arm over Poland,
France, Belgium and the Low Countries, and saw action in almost
every major campaign in this period. However, by the start of the
Battle of Britain, the Do 17's limited range and small bomb load
meant that it was ripe for replacement by the Ju 88. Though it
performed well at lower altitudes, the model suffered heavy losses
during raids, particularly during the Blitz and were increasingly
phased out. This fully illustrated study uses detailed full-colour
artwork and authoritative text from an expert author to tell the
full operation story of one of Nazi Germany's best light bombers
from the early years of World War II.
The Focke-Wulf Fw 190 was widely regarded as the Luftwaffe's finest
fighter. It first saw service in France in August 1941, immediately
proving itself at least the equal of the then latest Spitfire
variant, the Mk.V. There were a number of characteristics which
contributed to the Fw 190's success. The first of these was that it
had been designed from the outset to be a weapons platform, rather
than an aircraft to which weapons were added, as was the case with
previous fighters. This meant that it could carry a wide range of
armament in the form of various combinations of bomb racks, cannon
pods and, later, unguided rockets. It was also built to withstand
heavy punishment, with the extensive use of electrically-powered
equipment instead of the hydraulic systems which, used by most
aircraft manufacturers of the time, were more susceptible to
failure if damaged by gunfire. The relatively small diameters of
electrical wires were much less likely to be hit by gunfire than
larger hydraulic pipes. Another element in the Fw 190's
construction which added to its durability was its wide-tracked,
inwards-retracting landing gear, as opposed to the much narrower,
outwards-retracting landing gear of the Messerschmitt Bf 109\. This
gave the Fw 190 much greater stability on the ground which resulted
in far fewer ground accidents than experienced by the Bf 109. The
Fw 190's BMW 801 D-2 radial engine also produced 1,677 horse power,
giving the early Focke-Wulf 190 A-8 a top speed of more than 400
miles per hour - which was considerably faster than the early
variant Spitfires. It was the Spitfires with which the Fw 190
pilots frequently had to contend when in combat over the English
Channel, and particularly during the Allied raid on Dieppe in
August 1942, when more than 100 Focke-Wulfs (from Jagdgeschwaders
JG 2 and JG 26) engaged Spitfires and Hawker Typhoons, claiming
sixty-one Allied aircraft 'kills' against just twenty-five losses
of their own. The Fw 190's weapons capability also saw it used as a
fighter-bomber. The Fw 190 A-3/U3 Jabo was used with considerable
effect against Allied shipping in the Channel and against the
south-eastern coasts of England in 1942 in tip-and-runs raids.
These fast, low-level attacks proved very difficult for the
defending RAF squadrons to counter and only one Fw 190 was lost on
these operations. In this illuminating study of the early service
of the Fw 190, Chris Goss has assembled a unique collection of
photographs illustrating the wide use of this highly versatile
aircraft.
Designed as a fast bomber that could out-run the fighters of the
era, the twin-engine Junkers Ju 88 became one of the most versatile
aircraft of the Second World War. Such was the success of the
design that its production lines operated constantly from 1936 to
1945, with more than 16,000 examples being built in dozens of
variants - more than any other twin-engine German aircraft of the
period. From an early stage it was intended that it would be used
as a conventional light bomber and as a dive-bomber. As such, it
served in the invasion of Poland, the Norway campaign, the
Blitzkrieg and the invasion of France and the Battle of Britain.
This latest volume in Frontline's Air War Archive examines the Ju
88s use in the latter years of the Second World War. The type's use
as a torpedo bomber or reconnaissance aircraft, as well as its
deployment in Russia, over the Bay of Biscay and in the
Mediterranean theatre are all explored. Even its use in the Mistel
flying-bomb is covered. In this selection of unrivalled images
collected over many years, the operations of this famous aircraft
in its twilight years are portrayed and brought to life.
The Fw 200 Condor first made an appearance over Norway in April
1940, flying with the unit that eventually become synonymous with
it - Kampfgeschwader 40. As the war in the west progressed, and
German forces advanced, French airfields opened up, allowing the
Condor to fly around the UK and out into the Atlantic, where it
rapidly established itself as one of the key menaces to Allied
shipping. Able to attack shipping directly, or able to guide
U-Boats to their prey the Condor scored its first major success
when it crippled the liner Empress of Great Britain. But the tables
were to turn on the 'Scourge of the Atlantic' as mechanical
failures induced by their harsh operating environment and changes
in Allied tactics began to take a toll. Vulnerable to aerial
attack, the deployment of Allied carriers and their associated
fighters combined with the introduction of more loing range
maritime patrol aircraft exposed the Condor's deficiencies. Packed
with rare first-hand accounts, profile artwork and photographs,
this is the history of one of the unsung types to take to the skies
during World War 2.
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