Intended to be the first of a series of books which will illustrate, in color, every U.S. Eighth Air Force fighter aircraft of World War II for which photographic evidence can be found. Not just the machines of the well-known aces, but all the other aircraft used by pilots who did their duty but did not get the glory.Aimed primarily at modelers, this first volume has over 500 highly accurate color profiles of the aircraft of the 4th, 20th and 55th Fighter Groups, arranged by squadron and cross-indexed to pilot and type. Black and white photos support the artwork, to show something of the reality of the times, and, in a small way, act as a tribute to those men who fought largely unrecognized.

The Warlords Volume 1: US Eighth Air Force Fighter Colours of World War II - The 4th, 20th & 55th Fighter Groups (Warlords (Specialty Press))

History

Money, Ann

Money, Barry

Military

Flight Recorder

Written by Don Evans, who joined the RAF in 1942 and served as a Flight Mechanic working on Hurricanes and Defiants. Posted to Weston Zoyland in 1944 to service Martinet, Henley and Defiant target tugs, he was persuaded by the princely sum of ninepence a day flying pay to complete 90 hours as a target winch operator. He transferred to the Fleet Air Arm in 1945 until demobilisation in 1947, whereupon he began working at the A&AEE at Boscombe Down until his retirement in 1989. For 12 years he was supervisor of the Towed Target Development Section, where he was when awarded the British Empire Medal for the design of the Trident Target and the Rapid Target Exchanger. He is still involved with Boscombe Down where he looks after over 1,000 scale model aircraft. When compared to combat operations, target towing to most aviation enthusiasts is a non-event. Most of the time, however, air forces are at peace, but they need to prepare for war. In the absence of actual hostilities therefore, the only way for pilots, gunners and aircrew to learn how to fire their weaponry and hit their mark is with the aid of dummy targets. Consequently, providing the targets for the combatants to practice against is a vital, yet almost totally ignored role. In this concise yet fascinating history, possibly for the first time the ways and means by which the necessary aerial targetry and the associated equipment was provided for the British Services is described and explained in some 31,000 words, aided by photographs, technical details, diagrams and specifications. The human side of the target towing task, now almost a lost art, is not forgotten either, for as the author notes, 'the men who tow tails have tales to tell.'

The Long Drag: A Short History of British Target Towing

Evans, Don

Europe

Taken over by the United States Air Force in 1950 as a direct result of the developing chill of the Cold War, the ex-RAF station at Manston in Kent served as a forward air base from which American aircraft could be rapidly deployed to meet the threat of incoming Soviet bombers, with an intercept area well away from the UK mainland. Manston also served as a base from which USAF forces in Europe could be speedily reinforced and also hosted some of the earliest helicopter-equipped dedicated SAR squadrons around the British coast. Despite never firing a shot in anger, the Manston-based units played a major role in the development of operational use and tactics of jet aircraft such as the F-84 Thunderjet, the nuclear-armed Thunderstreak, and the F-86 Sabre in their numerous variants.The difficulties and tribulations attached to these sometimes led to situations of extreme danger for crews, but also occasionally of farce. In the end, Manston was closed as a USAF base, not for military reasons, but in the interests of noise abatement. The author tells it as it was and the result is a fascinating record of men, machines, and operations out of Manston.

Rise and Defend: The USAF at Manston 1950-1958

Curtis, Duncan

Even before the outbreak of World War I, aviation had made its presence felt in the East Riding of Yorkshire, with is its from many of the leading aviation pioneers including Gustav Hamel and Harry Hawker. However, it was the outbreak of the war in 1914 and the arrival of the German Zeppelins that led to the establishment of the first official air bases in the area. In fact the first ever enemy attacks upon Yorkshire from the German navy was when they bombarded Scarborough and Whitby on December 16, 1914. On June 6, 1915, threat became reality when a Zeppelin bombed Hull, killing 24 people and injuring 40. For the next four years the landing grounds and marine stations in the East Riding served as bases for British aircraft and airships which were defending the East Riding towns and coastal shipping from air and sea attack. Geoffrey Simmons tells the story of the bravery and expertise of the men who flew the primitive machines of the time, often in appalling weather at night, from these little known bases.

East Riding Airfields 1915-1920

Simmons, G

Once the flying machine was a practical proposition, its military use became evident and governments needed to develop a way of marking their property. Flying a flag was an obvious but ineffective and dangerous solution so painting the representation of the flag was the natural alternative. 
The first known markings to identify nationality were used in the 1910 Bombing Competition in Vienna where each competing machine carried its national colors. Formalized in 1912, precise shapes and colors of military markings were initially introduced by France closely followed by Romania. 
Organized by country in 2 volumes, Military Aircraft Insignia of the World brings together global markings from such countries as Abkhazia, Afghanistan, Chad and Iran through to Kenya and Kuwait. Over 500 insignia combine with contemporary photographs and a brief history of the military air activity of that country to provide a wealth of information for the aviation historian and modeller alike.

Military Aircraft Insignia of the World

Cochrane, John

Elliott, Stuart