The striking appearance of Luftwaffe's bizarre 'Mistel' Composite attack aircraft might seem ridiculous to modern eyes, but employed correctly, these original 'fire and forget' weapons were devastatingly effective, as Allied sources testify. This book draws on a wealth of first-hand reports and revealing contemporary photographs to tell the full, strange story of the Mistel units. They were the product of a remarkable mix of desperation and innovation, and were actually grounded in a pre-war, non-military practise. Indeed - the mounting of one aircraft atop another was initially conceived to...
The striking appearance of Luftwaffe's bizarre 'Mistel' Composite attack aircraft might seem ridiculous to modern eyes, but employed correctly, these ...
By the time the Korean War erupted, the F-51 Mustang was seen as obsolete, but that view quickly changed when the USAF rushed 145 of them to the theatre in late 1950. They had the endurance to attack targets in Korea from bases in Japan, where the modern F-86 fighters and other jets did not. Rather than the interceptor and escort fighter roles the Mustang had performed during World War 2, in the Korean War they were assigned to ground attack missions - striking at communist troop columns advancing south. This is the chronicle of the Mustang units that fought in the Korean War, detailing the...
By the time the Korean War erupted, the F-51 Mustang was seen as obsolete, but that view quickly changed when the USAF rushed 145 of them to the theat...
The Douglas AD Skyraider is considered the most effective naval aircraft of the Korean War, overshadowed in fame by the new jet fighters that captured the public imagination. Too late for combat in World War II, the AD had replaced Dauntless, Helldiver, and Avenger dive- and torpedo-bombers from that conflict on carrier decks during the late 1940s and was on hand to react to the surprise North Korean invasion of South Korea in June 1950.
This book tells the story of the carrier-based U.S. Navy squadrons and the three land-based U.S. Marine Corps AD units that flew combat missions...
The Douglas AD Skyraider is considered the most effective naval aircraft of the Korean War, overshadowed in fame by the new jet fighters that captu...
The F-4 Phantom II is perhaps the most famous postwar fighter. Primarily used as a land-based fighter-bomber and reconnaissance platform, its legend is owed to its naval origins and the immense contribution its original carrier-based versions made to the U.S. war effort in Vietnam.
This title examines the unique aspects of the Phantom that made it so crucial to U.S. Navy pilots during the Vietnam War: its massive engine power, long range, speed, the most powerful airborne search and fire-control radar installed in a fighter at the time, and, of course, its versatility as a ground...
The F-4 Phantom II is perhaps the most famous postwar fighter. Primarily used as a land-based fighter-bomber and reconnaissance platform, its legen...
The Fw 200 Condor first made an appearance over Norway in April 1940, flying with the unit that eventually become synonymous with it: Kampfgeschwader 40. As the war in the west progressed and German forces advanced, French airfields opened up, allowing the Condor to fly around the United Kingdom and out into the Atlantic, where it rapidly established itself as one of the key menaces to Allied shipping. Able to attack shipping directly or to guide U-boats to their prey, the Condor scored its first major success when it crippled the liner Empress of Great Britain.
But the...
The Fw 200 Condor first made an appearance over Norway in April 1940, flying with the unit that eventually become synonymous with it: Kampfgeschwad...
Hawker's charismatic Tempest V entered RAF service just in time to be the most successful counter to the V1 flying bomb assault on southern England in the summer of 1944. With more than 800 of the robot missiles to its credit, Tempest V units then crossed the Channel to lock horns with the best the Luftwaffe had to offer--Fw 190D-9s, Ta 152s, Me 262s, and Bf 109G/Ks--achieving an impressive kill/loss ratio in aerial combat.
With incredibly detailed aircraft profiles and exciting combat reports this title covers the full history of Tempest squadrons, from their initial design and...
Hawker's charismatic Tempest V entered RAF service just in time to be the most successful counter to the V1 flying bomb assault on southern England...
With the Third Reich on the brink of defeat, Hitler's instructions to his designers were clear. He wanted a Volksjager--a People's Fighter that was quick to produce and used minimal quantities of strategic materials. Heinkel rose to the challenge with the He 162, a fighter constructed of wood and metal that was designed, built, and flown in the staggeringly short time of ten weeks. Professional pilots were in short supply, and so the Luftwaffe was ordered to man the He 162 with hastily trained members of the Hitler Youth--a flawed plan that fortunately never came to...
With the Third Reich on the brink of defeat, Hitler's instructions to his designers were clear. He wanted a Volksjager--a People's Fighter that was...
In the three decades following Vietnam, the veteran A-6 Intruder remained the most powerful strike aircraft available to the US Navy and Marine Corps. Engaged in operations over Cambodia, Lebanon and Libya during the 1970s and 80s, the A-6 maintained its reputation as the 'Main Battery' of carrier aviation, remaining in service through the First Gulf War up until 1996 when its duties were taken over by the F-14 Tomcat.
Following on from his study of the A-6 Intruder's exploits during the Vietnam War, Rick Morgan details the technological developments that were introduced to the...
In the three decades following Vietnam, the veteran A-6 Intruder remained the most powerful strike aircraft available to the US Navy and Marine Cor...
The all-metal Junkers Ju 52/3m enjoyed a solid--indeed, revered--reputation amongst its crews and the troops and paratroopers who used and depended on it. For more than ten years, it saw service as a successful military transport, with its distinctive, three-engined design and corrugated metal construction becoming instantly recognizable. It was a mainstay in the Luftwaffe's inventory, first seeing service in the 1930s in bombing and transport operations in the Spanish Civil War, and subsequently during the German invasion of Poland. It then served on every front on which the Luftwaffe was...
The all-metal Junkers Ju 52/3m enjoyed a solid--indeed, revered--reputation amongst its crews and the troops and paratroopers who used and depended...
Italy's most successful wartime bomber, the S.79 was also the most produced, with around 1370 built between 1936 and early 1944. The Sparviero (Sparrowhawk) saw combat with the Regia Aeronautica in France, Yugoslavia, Greece, North Africa, East Africa and in the Mediterranean. Initially developed by Savoia-Marchetti as a transport, the aircraft had evolved into a dedicated medium bomber by the time the S.79-I made its combat debut with the Aviazione Legionaria in the Spanish Civil War in 1936. A robust bomber, the S.79 provided the striking power for most of Italy's...
Italy's most successful wartime bomber, the S.79 was also the most produced, with around 1370 built between 1936 and early 1944. The Sparviero ...
