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

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

Thanks to a broken leg during flight school, Arthur Stanley Gould Lee gained valuable additional time flying trainers before he was posted to France during World War I. In November 1917 during low level bombing and strafing attacks, he was shot down three times by ground fire. He spent eight months at the front and accumulated 222 hours of flight time in Sopwith Pups and Camels during a staggering 118 patrols; being engaged in combat 56 times. He lived to retire from the RAF as an air vice-marshal in 1946. Author of three books, this is by far his best. Lee puts you in the cockpit in a riveting account of life as a fighter pilot at the front. At turns humorous and dramatic, this thoughtful, enlightening, true account is a classic to be ranked with Winged Victory by W. V. Yeates, also published by Grub Street.

Pages: 224

Dimensions: 135 x 210 mm

Publication Date: 01-05-2012

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. Foreword by Dr Hans Migeod, Ju87 Stuka pilot during Battle of Britain.

Bind: hardback

Pages: 192

Dimensions: 170 x 240 mm

Publication Date: 15-04-2013

It is now more than 40 years since Fighters over the Desert was published, and nearly as long since this was followed by Fighters over Tunisia . Both volumes have long been out of print and collectors’ items, but, despite much prompting, Christopher Shores has resolutely refused to permit their reprinting until he amassed so much more information. He has also long nursed a desire to expand the coverage to encompass the operations of the other types of aircraft involved in this interesting and important theatre of war – the bombers, reconnaissance aircraft and maritime units. Further, it is his intention to extend the period covered to include the later operations over Sicily, Italy, the Aegean area, the Balkans and Southern Europe. \n This then represents the first volume of a seminal series dealing with all these aspects and areas, which will also tie in with the earlier Grub Street volumes which he and his collaborators have produced. Thus a full coverage of all aspects of aerial operations throughout the whole of the Mediterranean area will be the ultimate result. Further, these volumes will link appropriately and directly with his other works of this nature, dealing both with the Far East and the war in Europe. Readers will then be able to follow the wartime careers of units and personnel involved from volume to volume throughout the war. \n Operations directly over the main battlefronts will be dealt with as previously, on a daily basis. However, to allow a clearer view to be obtained of operations elsewhere in the theatre, or of a different nature, separate chapters will deal specifically with the night bombers, the air defence of the base areas, and the naval co-operation activities. \n Wide use of maps will be made throughout this and subsequent volumes together with a considerable number of photographs integrated into the text. Long awaited by many, if any work can be said to be comprehensive and definitive, this is it.

Pages: 416

As one of the most successful German fighter pilots of World War I, Hauptmann Rudolf Berthold was victorious on fortyfour aerial combats. He was also shot down and forced to land after six fights and survived crash landings in every case.
Early in World War I, when only fighter pilots were awarded the Kingdom of Prussia's (and de facto, Imperial Germany's) highest bravery decoration, the Pour le Merite, Rudolf Berthold became the tenth recipient of the honour. Of that early cohort of air heroes, only Berthold and one other pilot survived the war. This book tells his remarkable story.

Bind: hardback

Pages: 224

Dimensions: 170 x 246 mm

Publication Date: 21-09-2012

Written in three parts, and as a sequel to "Seven Seas, Nine Lives", Richard Pike continues the remarkable experiences of Captain AWF 'Alfie' Sutton CBE DSC and bar RN.
During events which come as close to fiction as is imaginable, the first part describes how Alfie, badly injured and close to death during the bombing of HMS Illustrious by the Luftwaffe in January 1941, wakes to find himself laid out amongst the dead, but miraculously still able to help the ship on to Malta.
After full recovery, part two starts with his involvement in the Allied campaign in Greece in the spring of 1941, leading to him eventually evacuating the Greek royal family in a flying boat. After numerous escapades he fights with the defenders during the German invasion of Crete in 1941.
Admiral Cunningham was later to describe Sutton's efforts as "an example of grand personal courage under the worst possible conditions which stands out brightly in the gloom."
It was a struggle doomed to failure, but Alfie survived to continue his war and tell his story to author Richard Pike who relates it here with passion, pace and drama.

Bind: hardback

Pages: 192

Dimensions: 156 x 234 mm

Publication Date: 30-08-2012

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

I was filled with the growing hope that my door to freedom lay through the Ouija. And first and foremost in pursuance of my plan, I aimed at inveigling the Commandant into the spiritualist circle and making him the instrument of my escape. The news that there existed a buried treasure which the Turks were seeking gave me an idea of how to do it…

Captured during the First World War, Lieutenant E.H. Jones (a Welsh officer in the Indian Army) and Lieutenant C.W. Hill (an Australian serving in the R.A.F.) were prisoners of war at the Yozgad prison camp in Turkey.
Duty-bound as officers to attempt escape, Jones sensed that what had previously been the harmless fun of fooling around with a homemade Ouija board could be turned into something much more productive. Playing on the credulous nature of their captors, Hill and Jones weave an incredibly elaborate plot, hatched to plan their escape. Acting as mediums for the Ouija board, they attempted to convince their captors that they were gradually descending into insanity – which, had it been true, would have seen them repatriated.
A true story of bravery, dedication and extreme hardship, this book is a fascinating insight account of a daring escapade, a narrative that deserves to be brought back into the public eye.

Bind: paperback

Pages: 160

Publication Date: 26-04-2013

1940 in the skies over Britain was a time of courage, heroism and extreme danger. Many men gave their lives to keep our island free and some disappeared into the summer sky with no trace of them ever being found.
This remarkable book records the life of a dozen of these pilots shot down and killed but who remained missing for decades until diligent research and searches primarily by the author brought identification to them and closure to their families.
Each case represents a fascinating human story of humour, drama, love and tragedy; and each one represents a startling tale of detective work and remarkable coincidences, oft-times revealing controversy.

Bind: paperback

Pages: 192

Dimensions: 170 x 246 mm

Publication Date: 15-04-2013