Synopsis - B-29 Combat Missions takes the reader through every Superfortress crew position, bringing to life what it was like to fly and fight in the advanced bomber that was credited with bringing World War II to a conclusion earlier than predicted. First-hand accounts from crewmembers are coupled with archive and commissioned photos of items of memorabilia, illustrating the dramatic stories of B-29 combat crews in truly vivid detail. Around 75 first-person accounts from Superfortress crewmembers. Each crew position has its own section, the aircraft commander and copilot, the bombardier, the navigator, the flight engineer, the radio operator, the Central Fire Control top, left, and right gunners, the radar operator and the tail gunner. Some 160 archive images, around 45 crew-position photos specially commissioned for this book, and more than 100 artifacts illustrate the remarkable life of this unique aircraft.

B-29 Combat Missions

Donald Nijboer

Steve Pace

Metro_Books

Cockpit : An Illustrated History of Wwii Aircraft Interiors

History

Military

Crowood Press

Products of vastly different design philosophies, the Seafire F III and the A6M Zero were never intended to meet in combat, and never should have. Yet the harsh necessities of war intervened and these two planes were pitted against each other in the last dogfight of World War II, high above the Japanese home lands. The Zero, with its clean design, low weight and high lift, was extremely nimble at low speeds and ideally suited to the job it was intended to do. In contrast, the Spitfire was not designed as a shipboard fighter; it was a short-range interceptor, intended for operations from established airfields and supported by a well stocked infrastructure of spares and qualified maintenance personal. With a different twist on the Duel concept, this book examines these two iconic fighters and their two very different histories; one was 'adapted' for a role it was never intended to carry out, the other was purpose built and proved to be one of the finest fighters of World War II. Using fantastic artwork and intimate first-hand accounts, the author discusses the decline of the Japanese Naval Air Force and its principal fighter, the Zero, in contrast to the British Seafire, as it overcame its critics to become the best pure carrier interceptor of the war and emerge victorious in the last aerial duel of World War II.

Seafire vs A6M Zero: Pacific Theatre (Duel, 16)

Osprey_Publishing

The success of No 126 Wing began before the D-Day landings, but its phenomenal performance after the Normandy invasion has no simple explanation. True, it profited from being in all the right places at all the right moments during the war - D-Day and the breakout, Falaise Gap, Operation Market Garden, the winter offensive in the Ardennes, and crossing the Rhine into Germany. But other wings with 2nd TAF participated in the same operations, without achieving nearly the same success as No 126. 
As a self-contained unit, the five squadrons of Spitfires of No 126 Wing were self-sufficient in everything they did. When the order came to move - men, fuel, ammunition and everything vital for its operation picked up and drove to the next farmer's field or suitable meadow. Often traveling in the dark on bombed out roads, these ground units did an amazing job of not only finding their new bases of operation, but preparing the field for the fighters ready for the next day's flights. Every landing strip was temporary and just miles from the frontline. Home was a tent, a slit trench a place of safety. Dysentery was a common companion, making some pilots too weak to fly. Often they were shelled by German artillery and mortars, and many times they found themselves behind enemy lines. 
This is a truly unique look at one of the most effective air force units ever devised. Before D-Day 1944, a mobile fighter wing had never been tried before, but after the Normandy landings the ground forces could not move without their valuable support. This book examines the wing's operations chapter by chapter as defined by the major ground operations. It also highlights the effectiveness of the Spitfire in the fighter-bomber role, as well as in its more familiar air-superiority mission - the Spitfire clearly dominated the skies over the advancing armies and proved itself once again to be the most effective fighter of World War 2. But as successful as the wing was, it was only as strong as the young men who gave so much of their physical strength, intelligence and courage to make it happen. Squadron biographies, therefore, are also included, as well as biographies of the top aces and a close examination of the day-to-day operations of a mobile fighter wing.

No 126 Wing RCAF (Aviation Elite Units, 35)

Americas

The air war in the South Pacific was unique and very different from other major air operations undertaken during World War II. In no theater was air power more central to success than in the South Pacific. The objective of every major strategic move was to seize an air base. The air power employed was the most complex technology available, and, ironically, it was employed over some of the most brutal, primitive and largely unknown terrain in the world. Much has been written about the major battles such as Pearl Harbor, Midway, Iwo Jima and Okinawa, but very little focus has been paid to the vital battles that took place in New Guinea and the Solomons. 
When hostilities in New Guinea began, Japan possessed an advantage in air strength, but as American and Australian strength grew, the Japanese air arm suffered complete and utter defeat from which it would never recover. Two of the aircraft that would see frequent combat in the New Guinea campaign were the Ki-61 Tony and P-38 Lightning. The Ki-61 represented the rare occasion when Germany and Japan cooperated in a technical field. Using the license built German DB 601A engine, which powered the Bf 109E, production of the Ki-61 began in August 1942, and the plane first flew a few weeks after Pearl Harbor. On the other hand, the P-38 was already in service (albeit in small numbers). Its speed, firepower and range made it a formidable opponent, and one for which the Japanese never had an answer; the P-38 was ultimately credited with destroying more Japanese aircraft than any other USAAF fighter. 
While the Ki-61 was well armed with two heavy machine guns and two German 20mm cannons, it was not quite a match for the P-38, but the differences were slight and in a dogfight it often came down to the skill and even luck of the pilot at the controls. This title explores the design and development, technical specifications, strategies, combatants, and statistics of each of these two aircraft, complete with extensive photographs and specially commissioned artwork.

P-38 Lightning vs Ki-61 Tony: New Guinea 1943–44 (Duel, 26)

Asia

British jet fighters initiated jet vs. jet warfare when they fought Hitler's Nazi German V-1 attacks on London in World War II.
The V1 attack on London began on the night of 13/14 June 1944 from bases in Normandy. On 29 March 1945 the last one to fall on Britain was shot down by gunners in Suffolk. A total of 10,500 missiles were launched, of which 3957 were destroyed by the defences - 3531 reached England, 2420 falling in the London area. No fewer than 6184 people were killed and 17,981 seriously injured. Indeed, it could have been much worse, for by the end of the war the Germans had manufactured close to 32,000 flying bombs. The defences put forward to guard against the V1 were formidable - 23,000 men and women with their guns, radar and communications networks were installed on coastal sites. Squadrons of Britain's newest Spitfires, the F XIVs, and Hawker Tempest Vs were kept at home to battle the new menace. While the Spitfire F XIV and Tempest V had excellent low-level speed and were able to catch the V1, there was one aircraft that was much faster. Rushed into action on 22 July 1944 to help counter the V1 threat, Britain's Gloster Meteor I was the first jet fighter to enter RAF service. At low and medium altitudes the Meteor was faster than its piston-engined contemporaries, which in turn made it perfectly suited to 'anti-Diver' V1 operations. On 4 August the Meteor scored its first V1 victory. Having just closed in on a flying bomb, Flg Off Dean of No 616 Sqn squeezed the trigger but his guns jammed. Using the Meteor's superior speed, he was able overtake the missile and, using his wing tip, he tipped the craft over and sent it crashing into the ground. This was the first time a jet-powered enemy aircraft had been destroyed by a jet fighter without a shot being fired! It was also the world's first jet versus jet encounter. As the only jet fighter squadron in Allied service in Europe, No 616 Sqn would go on to shoot down 13 V1s. A small number perhaps, but the interceptions between the V1 and Britain's Gloster Meteor were historic, and ushered in a new era of aerial combat.

Meteor I vs V1 Flying Bomb: 1944 (Duel, 45)

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