Flying Pantechnicons is the fascinating story of a dedicated group of aviation enthusiasts ambition to restore a collection of aircraft associated with airborne forces including the manufacture of the only complete example of an Airspeed Horsa in the world. In the summer of 2000 the Midlands Branch of the Glider Pilot Regiment identified a ......

How the American airship came within a hairs breadth of replacing planes, trains, and ocean liners as dominant long-distance transport. Nearly everything people know about airships is wrong. Few realise that prior to the Hindenburg disaster airships transported passengers without a single casualty for more than 20 years, a record unmatched by ......

The Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor was conceived for peace but turned to a warlike purpose savaging convoys bringing vital supplies to Britain. The aircraft Churchill called "the scourge of the Atlantic" became synonymous with the struggle to supply the Allies by sea. As a truly long-range reconnaissance bomber, the Condor acted as the eyes and ears ......

The Battle of Tsushima, the epic battle between the Japanese and Russian navies on May 27-28 1905, is examined in far greater detail than ever before. Making extensive use of official records, personal accounts and a wealth of untouched information on the Russian Navys activities, this battle, little known about by a general readership, is ......

Few aircraft encompass as many contradictions as the Fairey Swordfish - the legendary Stringbag naval torpedo bomber was approaching antiquation at the start of the war yet struck mortal blows against some of the most powerful battleships in the Axis fleets. Naval Aviation historian Matthew Willis explores how modern technology such as radar ......

A unique compilation of translated reports written by panzer commanders shortly after action, offering detailed descriptions of panzers in battle throughout World War II. Hitlers totalitarian government established an all-controlling bureaucracy which affected all aspects of civilian life in Germany and also that of the countrys military. Unit ......

In 1859 the French navy was at a high point, having fought alongside the British in the Crimean War and developed a formidable fleet of fast wooden-hulled steam ships of the line. But in that very year the worlds navies had to start over again when French naval architect Dupuy de Lome introduced the ironclad battleship. The French navy then ......

The history of air combat has seen one recurring theme - new tactics are learned in battle, forgotten or discarded when battle concludes, and relearned at great cost during the next war. This cycle continued into the 1960s, when America was drawn into the Vietnam War. Despite having a skill and equipment advantage, US Navy aircrews were faring ......

Grumman TBF Avenger - American three-seater torpedo-bomber, single-engine, metal structure, designed for the US Navy to replace the TBD Devastator. The Avengers became the standard US torpedo plane during the Pacific War. From then on, they participated in this role in all air-sea battles and landing operations in the Pacific, until the sinking ......

History forgets. Files are lost and mislaid. But this book seeks to shine a light, offering a collection of cutting edge pieces of historical research detailing some of the most fascinating arms and armament projects from the 1920s to the end of the 1940s, nearly all of which had previously been lost to history. Included here are records from ......

Nakajima K-43 Hayabusa, code-named Oscar by the Allies, was the Imperial Japanese Armys equivalent of the Zero fighter in service with the Imperial Navy. In combat units the machine replaced the aging Ki-27. Manufactured in large numbers, the fighter remained in frontline service until the end of the war. By the time its final version entered ......

This new book in the popular Polish Wings series describes and illustrates the Avro Lancaster I/III bombers used by Polish pilots in Britain from 1941 to 1945. On 1 July 1940, the No. 300 Polish Bomber Squadron was created as the first Polish unit at RAF Bramcote, as a part of the Polish Air Forces in Great Britain. As there were a large number ......

After the end of World War Two, Europes air forces were keen to rebuild their air forces with jet aircraft. With little to choose from, the Gloster Meteor was the prime candidate and hundreds were sold over many years. Further afield in the Middle East, Meteors were sold to Egypt, Israel and Syria. In far off South America, Argentina, Brazil ......

Internationally renowned aviation artist and historian Richard J. Caruana provides a tribute to an often under-appreciated aviation legend, the Saab 37 Viggen, an aircraft that was ahead of its time on many fronts. Richards book provides a brief history of the aircraft combined with an exceptional collection of over 56 colour profiles showing ......

The SS Red Oak Victory is now a museum ship in Richmond, California. It is a cargo ship of the type Victory. It was put into service at the end of 1944 and remained in service until 1968. The ship was built in three months at the large Permanente Metals Company shipyard in Richmond. On January 10, 1945, it began its maiden voyage to Pearl ......

Over the past eight decades, developments in vertical lift aircraft--both helicopters and vertical/short takeoff and landing (V/STOL) planes--have given the American military unparalleled capabilities on the modern battlefield. The U.S. has led the world in vertical lift technologies with the help of some of the brightest minds in this ......

Building upon the expertise of the authors and historians of the Naval Institute Press, the Naval History Special Editions are designed to offer studies of the key vessels, battles, and events of armed conflict. Using an image-heavy, magazine-style format, these Special Editions should appeal to scholars, enthusiasts, and general readers ......