Pages: 320

Dimensions: 170 x 240 mm

Publication Date: 01-06-2009

Jimmy Sheddan was one of the many New Zealanders who joined the RNZAF, then left his native land to come to England to fight the enemies of Great Britain and her Empire during World War Two. During the war, Jim Sheddan rose from the rank of sergeant pilot to squadron leader with 486 Squadron, a considerable achievement. This title tells his story.

Pages: 224

Dimensions: 128 x 196 mm

Publication Date: 01-04-2011

Towards the end of a long and distinguished career, Sir Fred Rosier was persuaded by his son David to write his autobiography. He did so and the result is an extremely engaging and enlightening account of his life to the end of the Second World War. This title starts with his humble beginnings to his time as a pre-war fighter pilot on 43 Squadron at Tangmere; seeing action in France with 229 Squadron where he was shot down and burnt; his return as CO of that squadron during the Battle of Britain; taking 229 to the Western Desert, becoming one of two Fighter Wing commanders there; and, then being appointed Group Captain Ops in 84 Fighter Group for the invasion, on through Europe, to the demise of Germany. David Rosier and his mother then completed the story up to Sir Fred's final appointments in the RAF as the last C-in-C of Fighter Command in 1968 and Deputy C-in-C Allied Forces Central Europe in 1973. Sir Fred was an inveterate letter writer, extracts from many of which appear in the book, and with a superb collection of photographs, this long-overdue account will be welcomed by anyone interested in one of the RAF's major personalities. This title features Foreword by Sir Michael Graydon.

Pages: 256

Dimensions: 148 x 210 x 30 mm

Publication Date: 01-05-2011

A fascinating look into the extraordinary history of the Sowrey family; an RAF dynasty whose service spans the first sixty-five years of the RAF’s existence. Members fought in both world wars and five of the Sowreys were awarded the Air Force Cross, amongst their other numerous decorations. Three brothers, John, Fred and William, all served in World War I with distinction before service in Iraq and the Middle East. The next generation of Sowreys started at Cranwell in 1938; one was killed in action in the Western Desert but John jnr and Freddie served throughout, on fighter operations in the desert and north-west Europe, whilst a sister served in the WAAF. Also during World War II Air Cdre William Sowrey served as an AOC in the often-forgotten campaign in East Africa. John Sowrey went on to become a test pilot in the halcyon days of 1950-fighters and Freddie served in fighters before taking up more senior policy and diplomatic appointments during the Cold War. Their diverse individual careers and experiences worldwide provide great scope for study into the history and development of the RAF from World War I to the later stages of the Cold War. The author, Graham Pitchfork, spent thirty-six years in the RAF, as a navigator, and commanded a Buccaneer squadron, Director of Air Warfare and, before retiring in 1995, was a Director of Military Intelligence at the Ministry of Defence. He has collaborated with Air Marshal Sir Freddie Sowrey, founder of the RAF Historical Society, gaining access to valuable records and a superb collection of photographs in order to bring to life an extremely engaging and enlightening tale of this most brave and unique of families.

Pages: 224

Twenty-four aircrew who flew the iconic aircraft with the Fleet Air Arm, the Royal Air Force and the South African Air Force (SAAF) relate their experiences and affection for the Blackburn Buccaneer. Arranged in chronological order, the book traces the history of the aircraft and the tasks it fulfilled. In addition to describing events and activities, it provides an insight into the lifestyle of a Buccaneer squadron and the fun and enjoyment of being a 'Buccaneer Boy' in addition to being part of a highly professional and dedicated force. The introduction into service is fully described before further chapters cover the development of the air force's maritime tactics and the deployment of two squadrons to Germany in the overland strike role. Two chapters cover the aircraft's stunning successes at the Red Flag and Maple Flag exercises flown in North America which took the USAF hierarchy by storm. A further chapter is devoted to the intensive but little known Bush War operations by 24 SAAF Squadron on the borders of Angola. Two USAF exchange officers who flew Buccaneers relate their experiences and the aircraft's deployment for the Lebanon crisis and the reinforcement exercise to the Falkland Islands is examined. The introduction of new air-to-surface anti-ship missiles is covered before the Buccaneer left to go to war in the Gulf where it distinguished itself providing precision laser marking for the Tornado force in addition to carrying out its own precision bombing attacks. This lavishly-illustrated book concludes with accounts of the aircraft's final days in RAF service and some reflections on its impact on maritime and overland air power.

Bind: hardback

Pages: 224

Dimensions: 156 x 234 mm

Publication Date: 06-09-2013

Pages: 224

Dimensions: 156 x 234 mm

Publication Date: 01-04-2009

Pages: 224

Dimensions: 170 x 246 mm

Publication Date: 28-05-2010

Blenheims In Action From The Phoney War Through The Battle Of Britain
In 1940, the defense of Great Britain rested with a handful of volunteer aircrew, Churchill's 'few'. Overshadowed in later folklore by the more famous Spitfire and Hurricane pilots, there were other pilots, observers and air gunners - just as courageous - flying the Bristol Blenheim MKIV-F. The future of the country and arguably that of the free world depended also on their skill, morale and sacrifice.Remarkably little has been chronicled of these men and their aircraft - the 'Trade Protection' squadrons formed by Hugh Dowding - allotted to 11 Group in October 1939. The aircraft's range and endurance made it suitable for defense of coastal shipping against attack on the southern and eastern shores of Britain, and for operations further afield. Indeed during bitter fighting casualties among Numbers 235, 236, 248 and 254 Squadron Blenheims were high on operations over Norway, Holland, France, Dunkirk and then the Battle of Britain where the Blenheims were completely outclassed by Messerschmitt 109 and 110 fighters and fell easy victims, scythed from the sky.
But the record of the aircraft and their crew was an immensely proud one. Drawing on contemporary diaries, periodicals, letters, logbooks, memoirs and interviews with survivors, lauded historian Andy Bird reassesses the vital role they played and repositions it in history. In doing so, he justifiably embraces the heroes we have left behind.

Pages: 224

Publication Date: 15-09-2012

This is the first full history of the Royal Air Force fighter station at Tangmere, West Sussex, from its beginnings in the First World War until its untimely closure in 1970. In its day it was one of the best known and strategically most important fighter stations in the British Isles. Tangmere first became prominent in the 1920s and 1930s for the highly polished air displays given at the RAF Pageants at Hendon by the pilots and aircraft of its resident squadrons, 1 and 43. On the outbreak of the Second World War, 1 Squadron was the first RAF squadron to be sent to France. With the fall of France in May 1940, Tangmere's squadrons found themselves right on the front line and during the Battle of Britain Tangmere was one of the main fighter stations constantly engaging with the deadly Luftwaffe. Tangmere's Hurricane and Spitfire pilots continued heroically to defend southern England for the next three years and turned increasingly to an offensive role, led by Wing Commander Douglas Bader. Squadrons at Tangmere were heavily involved in Operation Jubilee, the combined raid on Dieppe, and continued over the years to harass the enemy across the Channel with increasing accuracy, ferocity and persistence, culminating in a pivotal role in Operation Overlord, the D-Day landings. After the war Tangmere settled into a peacetime routine, became home to the High Speed Flight and the World Air Speed Record was broken there in 1946 and again in 1953 by Neville Duke. As the cold war set in Tangmere was no longer well positioned as an interceptor station and by the end of 1958 Fighter Command had withdrawn its last squadron. The aerodrome was used by Signals Command for six years or so then served as a home to various non-flying units until its decommissioning in 1970. It is now a highly prized museum with many valuable artefacts and aircraft. Expertly told with use of official diaries and operations record books this is a long-awaited, comprehensive and conclusive account of a fascinating fighter station.

Bind: hardback

Pages: 352

Dimensions: 170 x 240 mm

Publication Date: 03-10-2013

From the young airmen who took their frail machines high above the trenches of World War I and fought their foes in single combat there emerged a renowned company of brilliant aces - among them Ball, Bishop, McCuddon, Collishaw and Mannock - whose legendary feats have echoed down half a century. But behind the elite there were, in the Royal Flying Corps, many hundreds of other airmen who flew their hazardous daily sorties in outdated planes without ever achieving fame. Here is the story of one of these unknown flyers - a story based on letters written on the day, hot on the event, which tells of a young pilot's progress from fledgling to seasoned fighter. His descriptions of air fighting, sometimes against the Richtofen Circus, of breathless dog-fights between Sopwith Pup and Albatros, are among the most vivid and immediate to come out of World War I. Gould Lee brilliantly conveys the immediacy of air war, the thrills and the terror, in this honest and timeless acount. Rising to the rank of air vice-marshal, Gould Lee never forgot the RFC's needless sacrifices - and in a trio of trenchant appendices he examines, with the mature judgement of a senior officer of the RAF and a graduate of the Staff and Imperial Defence Colleges, the failure of the Army High Command to provide both efficient aeroplanes until mid-1917 and parachutes throughout the war, and General Trenchard's persistence in a costly and largely ineffective conception of the air offensive.

Bind: hardback

Pages: 256

Dimensions: 135 x 210 mm

Publication Date: 20-05-2013