In the second volume of Harrier Boys, as with the first, the history of this remarkable aircraft in service with UK armed forces is illustrated through personal reminiscences of the people who worked with it. The book begins with explanations of the mature concept of operations with the Harrier GR3 in the Cold War. It then progresses through the evolution of Harrier II, starting with the GR5, and updates to the Sea Harrier, while the potential battles to be fought necessitated ever-changing tactics and technology.

Bind: hardback

Pages: 192

Dimensions: 156 x 234 mm

Publication Date: 20-07-2016

The third volume in this series returns to November 1942 to explain the background to the first major Anglo-American venture – Operation Torch, the invasion of French North Africa. It deals with the fratricidal combats which followed the initial landings in Morocco and Algeria for several days. It then considers the efforts made – unsuccessfully in the event – to reach northern Tunisia before the Germans and Italians could get there to forestall the possibility of an attack from the west on the rear of the Afrika Korps forces, then beginning their retreat from El Alamein.

Bind: hardback

Pages: 736

Dimensions: 170 x 240 mm

Publication Date: 20-07-2016

Now in paperback! From Richard Pike, author of Grub Street’s bestselling Lightning Boys series, comes Hunter Boys, a fascinating insight into the experiences of those who flew the iconic Hawker Hunter – an aircraft known affectionately to many as ‘Queen of the Skies’. Now in paperback for the first time. In fifteen separate chapters, pilots’ stories of the dramas and demands of this incredible aircraft, which changed the future of fighter development, are related in distinctive style, including experiences of the legendary test pilot Neville Duke. One chapter details the remarkable tale of a pilot who flew an unauthorised sortie under London’s Tower Bridge at the time of the 50th anniversary of the Royal Air Force. In another, the realities of war are recounted in a poignant personal account taken from diaries penned at the time of the 1971 Indo/Pakistan conflict. Further chapters describe individual experiences of flying in places as diverse as Aden, Gibraltar, Jordan and Kenya. The exceptional performance of this aircraft is evident throughout as is its well-renowned lengthy service life with the RAF and internationally. The scope, flair and pace of the writing in this book will appeal to the general reader as well as to the enthusiast.

Bind: paperback

Pages: 186

Dimensions: 153 x 234 mm

Publication Date: 31-05-2018

First published in 2011 to wide acclaim, Lightning Boys is now available in paperback for the first time as part of Grub Street’s fantastic new Jet Age Series. In an international study, the Lightning was voted the fifth most popular military aircraft of all time. It has many thousands of devotees who are a ready market for this entertaining book which relates the highs and lows, the dramas and the demands of those who operated this iconic aircraft from the sharp end. Tales include the recollections of an aerobatic display pilot, an implausible yet true account of telepathic communication, and an extraordinary episode when a Lightning pilot on an exchange programme with the French air force became embroiled in a mid-air collision. An unverified yet probably genuine world record is also revealed in one of the chapters. In addition to the 16-page photo section, the book features a unique sketch from renowned aviation artist Chris Stone – who is a former Lightning pilot. The style, scope and pace of the writing will appeal to the general reader as well as to the enthusiast.

Bind: paperback

Pages: 192

Dimensions: 153 x 234 mm

Publication Date: 31-05-2018

Helicopter Boys is the latest addition to Grub Street’s Boys series from acclaimed author Richard Pike, exploring the role of helicopters in military and civilian situations. With over fourteen contributors, Helicopter Boys contains stories of the diverse nature of helicopter operations. From the dramatic war scenes during the Indo/Pakistani war which saw one pilot’s actions earn him a VrC gallantry award to the experience of Chinook pilots on board the Atlantic Conveyor during the Falklands War. Then there are the civilian tales from rescue missions in the Outer Hebrides to being a pilot across the world in places such as Australia and Nigeria. There is also a focus on the Piper Alpha disaster in 1988 which saw the loss of 167 lives. The book ends with Pike’s experiences in Kosovo, helping to distribute emergency humanitarian aid on behalf of the United Nations World Food Programme shortly after the war ended in 1999. Each story is told with great detail conveying the action and excitement that helicopter pilots experienced with each operation. The scope, flair and pace of the writing in this book will appeal to the general reader as well as to the enthusiast.

Bind: hardback

Pages: 192

Dimensions: 156 x 234 mm

Publication Date: 31-05-2018

From the classrooms and playgrounds of early 1900s New Zealand to the battlefields of Gallipoli, the tragedy of the Marquette, and the trenches of France, this is the story of Private Leslie McAlpine. Many families in New Zealand have an Anzac who served in the First World War. Leslie is the Anzac in our family. He is a fit, healthy young man who never completely loses hope that he will get back home. His story shows how decisions made in the wider world affect our lives and our opportunities. Leslie leaves New Zealand as one of the 2235 men in the 4th Reinforcements and the story follows their lives and deaths. In 1914, as New Zealand goes to war, Leslie is in the navy, on the Torch, and loving it. But he wants to see a bit more action. He reads the accounts in the papers describing what the New Zealand and Australian soldiers are doing as they travel across the world in convoy and he wants to be part of that. So in January 1915 he enlists in the army in the 4th Reinforcements. He is just 18. With an adventure before him that everyone in New Zealand approves of and celebrates, what can possibly go wrong? The Allied forces and politicians plan strategies and make decisions. Leslie and the 4th Reinforcements follow orders and do their very best. Surviving Gallipoli and the Marquette disaster, Leslie is killed in action on the Western Front. He is just 19.

Bind: paperback

Pages: 242

Dimensions: 170 x 239 mm

Publication Date: 30-03-2018

Twelve years since the amazing account of Peter Vacher’s discovery in India was originally published, Grub Street is thrilled to bring readers the updated story of Hurricane R4118. Since the restoration of this magnificent aircraft to flight in 2004, Peter Vacher continued to research its history, and more stories of R4118’s origins are told, including the extraordinary tale of how this aircraft shot down a friendly Whitley bomber before it was assigned to a RAF squadron. With brand new photography and sources, including wartime letters from Bunny Currant, this book is essential reading for all Hurricane enthusiasts.

Bind: hardback

Pages: 192

Dimensions: 170 x 240 mm

Publication Date: 31-08-2017

Wairarapa soldiers, like thousands of New Zealanders in the Great War, enthusiastically added newly-available small cameras to their personal kit. During their service at home and overseas, they took large numbers of photographs to record the years which, for many, would be the most dramatic and dangerous of their lives. A Rifle and a Camera shows, for the first time, 300 photographs from eight private collections held at Wairarapa Archive, giving a new perspective to a world war which shaped the 20th century.

Bind: paperback

Pages: 128

Dimensions: 260 x 210 mm

Publication Date: 09-04-2017

Even those people who know little of WWI's air war will have heard of Bloody April. After more than eighteen months of deadly stalemate on the Western Front, by April 1917 the British and French were again about to launch yet another land offensive, this time on the Arras Front.This would be the first opportunity to launch a major offensive since the winter and would require enormous support from the Royal Flying Corps and French Air Force in, hopefully, improved weather. However, the air offensive was to be countered fiercely by the new German Jagstaffeln - Jastas - that had been the brainchild of Oswald Boelcke in 1916. By the spring of 1917, the first Jasta pilots, with new improved fighters - the nimble Albatros DIIIs - were just itching to get to grips with their opponents over the Western Front. What followed was a near massacre of British and French aircraft and crews, which made April the worst month for flying casualties the war had yet seen. Here is a day-by-day, blow-by-blow account of these losses, profusely illustrated with original photographs and expertly told.

Bind: paperback

Pages: 192

Dimensions: 170 x 240 mm

Publication Date: 01-04-2017

Over a thirty-two-year military flying career which spanned a period when the RAF regularly replaced its fighter/bombers, Ian Hall had seven front-line flying tours on five different types. His story starts in Bahrain in the early 1970s, just before the massive contraction that saw the RAF withdraw from the Middle and Far East. This first, Hunter experience is followed by a home-based tour on a ground-attack Phantom squadron. But as the Phantom is about to be transferred to air defence duties, Ian is posted back to the Hunter on the staff of the tactical weapons unit. This tour, as a qualified weapons instructor, is cut short by a return to the front line on the Jaguar, which he flies in the strike/attack role in Germany. Following an exchange with the Royal Norwegian Air Force during which he enjoys flying the F-5A Freedom Fighter, Ian returns to the Jaguar as a flight commander, then converts to the Tornado and commands a squadron.All these flying tours provide a rich seam of material for incisive, amusing and, sometimes, reflective observations from the cockpit. As do his periods on the ground, from which he recalls impressions of various other types in which he flew as a guest: Lightning; Harrier; F-14 Tomcat; F-16; and so on. He also relates observations of his varied experiences with the army, the navy and foreign air forces, and these are interspersed with musings on the political interface and on friends lost in accidents.Later, Ian surprised himself somewhat by switching to civil aviation, and the book touches upon the twelve-year experience of a fast jet pilot who became a direct-entry turboprop captain. Finally, attired in pipe and slippers, he reflects on a great life of flying, as well as taking a brief look at the things that keep a retired pilot amused. An ideal read for anyone fascinated by tales of exploits in the air.

Bind: hardback

Pages: 192

Dimensions: 156 x 234 mm

Publication Date: 01-08-2017