Halifax Squadrons of World War 2

Halifax Squadrons of World War 2
Author: Jon Lake
Publisher: Osprey Publishing
Total Pages: 0
Release: 1999-07-15
Genre: History
ISBN: 9781855328921

The second of Britain's four-engined bombers to enter frontline service during World War II (1939-1945), Handley Page's Halifax has forever lived in the shadow of Avro's superb Lancaster. However, it was a Halifax which became the first RAF 'heavy' to drop bombs on Germany when No 35 Sqn raided Hamburg on the night of 12/13 March 1941. Between 1941-45, the Halifax completed some 75,532 sorties [compared with the Lancaster's 156,000] with Bomber Command alone, not to mention its sterling work as both a glider tug and paratroop carrier with the Airborne Forces, maritime patrol mount with Coastal Command and covert intruder with the SOE.

Lancaster Squadrons 1942–43

Lancaster Squadrons 1942–43
Author: Jon Lake
Publisher: Osprey Publishing
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2002-05-25
Genre: History
ISBN: 9781841763132

Osprey's study of the RAF's most successful heavy bomber of World War II (1939-1945). The Avro Lancaster formed the backbone of Bomber Command during the large-scale night bombing campaign against occupied Europe. In this, the first of two volumes on the British bomber icon of World War 2, noted English aviation historian Jon Lake recounts the early daylight raids, the first 'thousand bomber' raids on Germany and the epic 'Dambusters' mission of 16/17 May 1943 by No 617 Sqn, as well as myriad other sorties to numerous German targets in 1942-43. This volume contains more than 100 photographs, 30 all-new colour profiles by leading aviation artist Chris Davey and specially commissioned scale drawings of the Lancaster B I/II by Mark Styling.

The Crucible of War, 1939-1945

The Crucible of War, 1939-1945
Author: Brereton Greenhous
Publisher: University of Toronto Press
Total Pages: 1148
Release: 1994-01-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780802005748

The RCAF, with a total strength of 4061 officers and men on 1 September 1939, grew by the end of the war to a strength of more than 263,000 men and women. This important and well-illustrated new history shows how they contributed to the resolution of the most significant conflict of our time.

Halifax and Wellington

Halifax and Wellington
Author: Brian J. Rapier
Publisher: Book Sales
Total Pages: 256
Release: 1997-10-01
Genre: Halifax (Bomber)
ISBN: 9781856481731

Genoptryk af tidligere separate udgaver om henholdsvis Halifax og Wellington at War.

Bomber Offensive

Bomber Offensive
Author: Arthur Harris
Publisher: Pen and Sword
Total Pages: 288
Release: 2005-03-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 1844152103

Sir Arthur Harris - Bomber Harris - remains the target of criticism and vilification by many, while others believe the contribution he and his men made to victory is grossly undervalued. He led the men of Bomber Command in the face of appalling casualties, had fierce disagreements with higher authority and enjoyed a complicated relationship with Winston Churchill. Written soon after the close of World War 2, this collection of Sir Arthur Harris's memoirs reveals the man behind the Allied bombing offensive that culminated in the destruction of the Nazi war machine but also many beautiful cities, including Dresden.

Short Stirling Units of World War 2

Short Stirling Units of World War 2
Author: Jonathan Falconer
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 97
Release: 2018-04-19
Genre: History
ISBN: 1472820436

Of the RAF's trio of four-engined heavy bombers in World War 2, the mighty Short Stirling was the first to enter service in August 1940. From its first raid in February 1941, the Stirling was at the forefront of the British night bombing offensive against Germany before unacceptably high losses forced its relegation to second-line duties later in the war. In its modified form as the Mark IV the Stirling fulfilled vital roles with the RAF as a paratroop transport and glider tug on D-Day, at Arnhem and on the Rhine crossing as well as flying countless Special Duties operations over Occupied Europe and Norway. Its last gasp was in 1948-49 when a handful of Mk Vs were acquired by the Royal Egyptian Air Force to bomb Israel in the First Arab–Israeli War. Containing numerous first-hand combat accounts from the crews that flew the bomber and detailed profile artwork, Short Stirling Units of World War 2 uncovers the history of one of the RAF's greatest World War 2 bombers.

6 Group Bomber Command

6 Group Bomber Command
Author: Chris Ward
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
Total Pages: 212
Release: 2010-06-15
Genre: History
ISBN: 1844687325

6 Group was born out of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP), which, among other things called for the formation of 25 Canadian Squadrons in Britain. This figure was later downsized. The Canadian vision was of a Canadian force operating independently alongside Bomber Command in the manner of the American 8th, but skillfull negotiating by the British resulted in Canadian Bomber squadrons operating within the RAF under RAF control but funded by Canada. On the 1st of January 1943 most of the existing RCAF squadrons were brought together on stations in North Yorkshire and County Durham to form 6 Group. By the end of the war 14 Squadrons were operational and one other had been posted to the Pathfinders. After an uncertain beginning the Group became an efficient and valuable contributor to Bomber Command's campaigns. Beginning predominantly with Wellingtons the Group was re-equipped with a mixture of Halifaxes and Lancasters, including the Hercules powered MkII and the Canadian built MKX.

Echoes of War

Echoes of War
Author: Bernard Lovell
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 310
Release: 1991-01-01
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1000065057

August 1939 was a time of great flux. The fear of impending war fueled by the aggression of Nazi Germany forced many changes. Young people pursuing academic research were plunged into an entirely different kind of research and development. For Bernard Lovell, the war meant involvement in one of the most vital research projects of the war-radar.

RAF and USAAF Airfields in the UK During the Second World War

RAF and USAAF Airfields in the UK During the Second World War
Author: Geoff Mills
Publisher: Fonthill Media
Total Pages: 1069
Release: 2022-03-31
Genre: History
ISBN:

Shortly after the end of the Second World War, the United Kingdom was described as one vast aircraft carrier anchored off the coast of Europe. During a seven year period 500 airfields were constructed to serve the needs first of the RAF and later the USAAF as they carried the war to German-occupied Europe. The airfields that were constructed took many different forms from training airfields and Advanced Landing Grounds to grass fighter airstrips and vast complexes used to accommodate heavy bombers. This book charts the history of each Second World War airfield in and around the UK providing a unique insight in to the construction, operational life and post-war history of each airfield. Alongside detailing the history of each airfield, this work comprehensively records the details of each unit that operated from airfields around the UK. The information provided in this meticulously researched book is supported by a wealth of 690 photographs providing an illustration into the life of each wartime station.