The Battle Of the Bulge, in December 1944, was Hitler and the Wehrmacht's last great battle of World War II in the West. After losing the war for the beaches and hedgerows of Normandy, and barely escaping with huge losses from the Falaise pocket, the German Army fell back to just West of the Rhine and the German border. Hitler and his Generals planned a massive counter stroke and marshaled the forces to make it work. Striking in surprise on December 16, 1944 in the weakly defended Ardennes, German thrusts moved quickly to put Allied forces on the defensive. The Battle of the Bulge was that...

Compiled from official source documents this book covers the entire period of the USAAF, pre-war and post-war, and throughout World War II, up to the fomation of the independent U.S. Air Force in 1947. Described are many hitherto unknown facts about the USAAF involvement in the worldwide war theaters. This includes information about converting the Eighth Air Force in England to night bombing, because of the horrendous losses being suffered over Germany, and how the timely development of the Merlin-engined P-51 helped to prevent this. Full details are given of the conversion of B-17s to the...

The writing of this book, the first in-depth and fully detailed research about the early years of the Chel Ha'avir - from the light-plane days to the supersonic fighters received roughly ten years later - is the culmination of a long research period by the author. Research that was made harder by the tight - but understandable and respected - security measures involving Israel's Forces. An exceptional source of information has been the help provided by many Chel Ha'Avir veterans who fought in the early days during 1948/1949, and those who helped establish a viable air force in 1949-1956 in...

The Horten Brothers and Their All-Wing Aircraft is the heretofore untold true story of Reimar, Wolfram, and Walter Horten's remarkable aeronautical achievements with the all-wing planform between 1933 and 1945 as told to aviation biographer David Myhra. Talking daily with Reimar Horten at his ranch at the foothills of the Andes Mountains in Argentina for two months, and also with Walter in Baden Baden, Germany, the two brothers described in detail their struggles in Nazi controlled Germany to perfect the all-wing planform. Astounding as their real-life story is of itself, the Horten brothers...

The 1st Air Commandos were sired by General of the Army Henry H. "Hap" Arnold and brought to life by the imagination of two men, Lieutenant Colonel Philip G. Cochran and Lieutenant Colonel John R. Alison. In gathering men of character and tenacity, these two visionaries molded a unit which had to overcome orthodox military minds, paralyzing fear, and Burma's impregnable terrain before taking the fight to the Japanese. With a focus on the might and flexibility of air power, Cochran and Alison constructed an experimental unit which cut across the structured lines of conventional organizations....

Convair B-36: A Comprehensive History of America's "Big Stick" is a collaborative effort edited and co-authored by Meyers Jacobsen exploring the history of one of SAC's air giants, the six-engine Convair B-36. From the origins of the use of six engines on bombers from around the world, along with the history and development of SAC and the use of its numbers of B-36s, this book will give the reader a greater amount of information than has ever before been published on the Convair B-36. Included with the technical and historical aspects of the B-36's use in SAC, are first hand anecdotes and...

This autobiography was originally written in 1946 by eight-victory WWII Fighter Ace, Jack Ilfrey. This new edition has been expanded with many new photographs (many never before published), a special color photo section, and three detailed aircraft profile paintings. The reader will fly through the skies with Ilfrey in his P-38 as he and his unit, the famed 94th Fighter Squadron, befome the first group of American aircraft to fly from the USA to England. Thrill to the stories of aerial combat over North Africa as Ilfrey becomes one of America's first WWII air aces. Marvel at the flying...

This new book tells the complete story of the famous 82nd Airborne Division from its formation in 1917, through its legendary World War II campaigns (Sicily, Normandy and Holland), Vietnam, Grenada, Nicaragua, Operation Desert Storm to the present, and examines the many changes from a World War I infantry division to the rapid deployment organization it is today. The 82nd helped develop the concepts of airborne warfare during World War II. After the war the 82nd continued to develop airborne techniques and trained to provide the United States with a strategic deployment force. Since World War...

This is true story of the second raid on Schweinfurt, Germany by the Eighth Air Force 1st and 3rd Bombardment Divisions on 14 October 1943. On this day, the Eighth Air Force lost air superiority to the German Luftwaffe in a continuous air battle that lasted over three hours. Many refer to it as the greatest one-day air battle of World War II. Wrong Place, Wrong Time is a study of the 1st Bombardment Division and specifically the 305th Bomb Group on that fateful day. Record numbers of German fighters swarmed over the unescorted B-17s and their crews. Compelling new evidence never before...

With the 50th Anniversary of the battle of Stalingrad approaching, we present Paul Carell's first eastern front work in over twenty-five years on this legendary battle, considered by many to be the turning point of the Second World War. His previous works Hitler Moves East and Scorched Earth are considered the definitive works on the war in Russia. In this brand new book, Carell sets his talents to discussing the operations of the 6th Army from the 1942 German summer offensive, through the fighting in the streets of Stalingrad, to the final defeat in January 1943. Paul Carell is also the...