The Junkers 87 Stuka was an iconic weapon of World War Two and an aircraft name that was, and still is, instantly recognised worldwide. Its roles in Poland and the Battles of France and the Low Countries are almost legendary, but in the UK its import during the Battle of Britain is one that has never been covered in any specific detail. Here, Andy Saunders takes a critical look at every operation by Ju87s against British targets in 1940 – including those on land and at sea. Each raid is charted, covering all aspects of the attacks including participants, defending RAF fighters and those on the receiving end. Myth and reality and truth and legend are all examined and analysed in this highly illustrated new book, which adds to our knowledge of one of the most significant periods in the whole of British history.

Bind: paperback

Pages: 224

Dimensions: 170 x 240 mm

Publication Date: 07-10-2019

Letters from WWII New Zealand Expeditionary Force 1940-1943 R.G. (Dick) Harris These letters are from Egypt, Greece, Syria, Libya, Tunisia, Italy: Dick Harris travelled huge distances in North Africa, the Middle East and Southern Europe. For more than three years he lived with bombing from the air and shelling fro the ground. He manoeuvred guns and ammunition, lived in slit trenches and tents, talked with people from other cultures, and learned the skills of radio operation. He was a quiet gentle person who liked his own company, read widely, enjoyed writing and painting. World War II brought adventure, exploration, companionship, challenges, hardship and loss. It changed his life forever. This is his story, told in his own words, and the story of many New Zealanders who set out to defeat tyranny and make the world a better place.

Bind: paperback

Pages: 151

Dimensions: 160 x 222 mm

Publication Date: 31-10-2017

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. 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: paperback

Pages: 224

Dimensions: 153 x 234 mm

Publication Date: 30-06-2018

The sequel to the bestselling The Lightning Boys, Lightning Boys 2, now available in paperback for the first time, is a must-have companion and continues the theme of tales from pilots and other crew connected with this iconic aircraft, giving a rare insight into post-war fighter operations. In twenty separate stories to intrigue, amaze and amuse, the book has also been compiled and written by Richard Pike. The reader is taken to situations as diverse as intercepting sixty plus enemy aircraft, a desperate struggle in a cockpit flooded by tropical downpours, the difficulties of being affected by sudden and painful toothache at high altitude, and the curious encounter with an unidentified flying object. Yet another chapter paints a dramatic reconstruction of a scene in Germany when a Lightning, having entered an inadvertent, out-of-control spin, began an earthwards plunge towards a town centre.

Bind: paperback

Pages: 186

Dimensions: 153 x 234 mm

Publication Date: 20-06-2018

Safe Haven traces the life of Featherston Military Camp and, through letters, diaries and reminiscences, the men who lived there. The camp left a legacy in buildings, photographs and the site itself, now quiet land alongside State Highway Two, east of Featherston. The building of Featherston Military Camp in late 1915 transformed a stony paddock east of Featherston township in south Wairarapa into a ready-made barrack town which could house up to 8,000 raw soldiers at a time. Volunteers and conscripts from all parts of the country came to Featherston, spending two to four months in training, our largest military base their temporary home before they left the safety of New Zealand to endure the heaviest wartime casualties this country has suffered. They lived in barracks and tents, enduring the good and bad of camp life and Featherston's lively climate. The infantry then marched over the Rimutaka Range to Trentham Camp before taking ship for the Western Front. In total about 55,000 men trained at the Featherston Military Camp between 1916-19.

Bind: paperback

Pages: 175

Tornado Boys is the latest in the ever-popular ‘Boys’ series, and differs from earlier titles. With the introduction of female pilots to the RAF in 1994, the Tornado was among the first aircraft to be flown by both men and women. This is acknowledged in the book with a chapter written by one female pilot. Another aspect that makes this book different from the rest of the series is that it covers an aircraft which is still in active service, currently as a key player in Middle East operations. With focus on the GR1/GR4 versions of the Tornado (and not the F3 interceptor), readers will enjoy fascinating insights on what it is like to operate this multi-role bomber/reconnaissance aircraft against the backdrop of modern-day scenarios.

Bind: hardback

Pages: 208

Dimensions: 156 x 234 mm

Publication Date: 16-05-2016

Like a human tsunami, World War II brought two million American servicemen to the South Pacific where they left a human legacy of some thousands of children. Mothers’ Darlings of the South Pacific traces the intimate relationships that existed in the wartime Pacific between US servicemen and Indigenous women, and considers the fate of the resulting children. The American military command carefully managed such intimate relationships, applying US immigration law based on race to prevent marriage ‘across the colour line’. For Indigenous women and their American servicemen sweethearts, legal marriage was impossible, giving rise to a generation of children known as ‘GI babies’. Among these Pacific war children, one thing common to almost all is the longing to know more about their American father. Mothers’ Darlings of the South Pacific traces these children’s stories of loss, emotion, longing and identity, and of lives lived in the shadow of global war. It considers the way these relationships developed in the major US bases of the South Pacific Command from Bora Bora in the east across to Solomon Islands in the west, and from the Gilbert Islands in the north to New Zealand. The writers interviewed many of the children of the Americans and some of the few surviving mothers, as well as others who recalled the wartime presence in their islands. Oral histories reveal what the records of colonial governments and the military largely have ignored, providing a perspective on the effects of the US occupation that until now has been disregarded by historians of the Pacific war.

Bind: paperback

Pages: 424

Dimensions: 152 x 228 mm

Publication Date: 13-06-2016

Fifteen years since it was originally published, Grub Street is proud to present the re-issue of Poles in Defence of Britain. To the Polish volunteers who were to fly and fight so brilliantly and tenaciously throughout the Battle of Britain, the United Kingdom was known as ‘Last Hope Island’. Many lost their lives, such as Antoni Ostowicz, many achieved glory and became aces – such as Glowacki, Skalski and Witorzenc. The RAF came to depend on these men, with over 100 Polish pilots supporting almost thirty fighter squadrons, most especially 302, 303 and 307 (night fighter). ‘An exhaustive record of the heroic actions of the Polish pilots who escaped to Britain and helped ensure its survival.’ Pennant ‘The result of many years of research, sharp and comprehensive, the text is supported by an excellent selection of rare photos.’ Air Mail

Bind: hardback

Pages: 304

Dimensions: 150 x 234 mm

Publication Date: 21-04-2016

208 Squadron based at RAF Valley in Anglesey will be celebrating its 100th anniversary in October 2016, making it one of the few RAF squadrons to achieve this unique distinction whilst still part of the RAF’s current order of battle. To celebrate this achievement, Air Commodore Pitchfork has compiled a chronological history of the squadron’s main activities and personnel with the aim of illustrating the spirit, comradeship, and professionalism of the squadron.

Bind: hardback

Pages: 224

Dimensions: 170 x 240 mm

Publication Date: 20-04-2016

The Middle East is a region steeped in history that has seen the rise and fall of great civilisations and empires over thousands of years. For certain periods of time it has known peace, but today it is engulfed in conflict - a blood-soaked battleground where nations and armed groups fight for control of land, people, and natural resources. But what are the root causes of the seemingly intractable problems and disputes fuelling wars that have cost hundreds of thousands of lives and produced millions of displaced citizens and homeless refugees? Who is really to blame for the region's descent into a nightmare scenario of killing and destruction? Is there any solution, and what are the implications for the countries beyond in Europe and North Africa? A Dangerous World addresses these questions by examining each of the countries playing a significant role in the geopolitical chess game that today's Middle East has become, and reveals in fascinating detail their present and likely future contribution to the events unfolding in this increasingly unstable meeting point between east and west.

Bind: paperback

Pages: 860

Dimensions: 153 x 235 mm

Publication Date: 30-10-2015