After the start of the production of the first production version Ju 88 A-1 two subsequent versions, based on the same airframe were developed. The first of them was the Junkers Ju 88 A-2, designated, as its predecessor, as Horizontal- und Sturzbomber (horizontal and dive bomber), powered by new Junkers Jumo G-1 engines, differing from the Junkers Jumo 211 B and D engines in having strengthened block structure. The maximum take-off power of the G-1 version was 1,200 hp at 2,400 RPM. The Ju 88A-2 was the first variant adapted for use of Walter Starthilfe 109-500 A-1 take-off rocket boosters. These boosters were designed in late 1930s to facilitate the take-off of bomber aircraft carrying maximum bomb load. They were liquid-fuel devices rated at maximum thrust of 500 kG and with the burn time of around 30 seconds. The Luftwaffe personnel quickly dubbed it Kraftei (power egg). Indeed the take-off booster resembled an egg, had oval shape flattened in the forward section housing the parachute deploying automatically after the booster’s burnout and jettisoning from underwing mounts. The engine was 1.42 m long and its diameter in the widest place was 0.68 m. The rocketboosters were safe in operation, and assisted more than 3,000 documented take-offs without any serious accidents.

The aim of those who created the International Bomber Command Centre (IBCC) was clear – to provide a world-class facility to serve as a point for recognition, remembrance and reconciliation for Bomber Command. In 2018 that aim was achieved.‘Our Story, Your History – The International Bomber Command Centre’ details the story behind the IBCC, the people who came up with the initial idea and the extraordinary dedication and creativity that made the project a reality. The IBCC’s Mark Dodds tells the remarkable story of how the concept arose, the various design and construction phases, the remarkable efforts to raise the necessary funds, and the cutting-edge development of the comprehensive losses database and digital archive. Dr Robert Owen provides a military history of Bomber Command from the first operational flight, less than an hour after war was declared against Germany in September 1939, to the end of hostilities five years and eight months later in May 1945. Historian and author Steve Darlow tells the human story of the aircrews who flew and fought in the skies above Germany and the Nazi occupied territories, drawing on numerous first-hand accounts from veterans. Dr Dan Ellin provides an insight in to the experiences of the male and female ground personnel who served with the Command, and author Sean Feast details the tragic stories behind the loss of specific crews, all of whom are remembered on the IBCC’s Wall of Names.Illustrated throughout with images showing the development of the project and wartime pictures of those whose memory is central to the project, ‘Our Story, Your History’ is a fitting reminder to current and future generations of the commitment and sacrifice associated with the men and women, from 62 different nations, who came together in Bomber Command during the Second World War.

Aviation was still in its infancy when World War I broke out. The first men to take to the skies above the battlefield undertook reconnaissance. Pilots and observers soon branched out into primitive bombing attempts, and attacking enemy aircraft when they came into contact. Nascent air forces produced manuals to help these pioneers as they took warfare into a new dimension.Pulling together information from British manuals such as A Few Hints for the Flying Officer and Practical Flying, as well as American, German and French training guides, this pocket manual shows what type of information the pilots were given. From the basics of how to care for, start, and fly an aircraft, through tactics and strategy in the air, identifying whether vehicles below were friend or foe, interacting with mechanics, and coordinating with army or naval forces, this fascinating time capsule opens up the world of the Great War aviator. With introductions to the manuals by Chris McNab, setting them in context and providing background.

The emergence of the Ki-84 was spurred by the availability of a new 18-cylinder Ha-45 twin radial engine manufactured by Nakajima. The first prototype of the new fighter was ready on March 20, 1943, with the first flight taking place in April. In June 1943, as the flight test program continued, two more prototypes were completed. The second series of 42 “additional prototypes” was built between March and June 1944. The full-scale production of the Ki-84’s first and basic version Ki-84 Ko was launched in Ota in April 1944 when the production and flight testing of prototype machines was still ongoing. All Ki-84 Ko fighters featured offensive armament consisting of two fuselage-mounted Ho-103 12.7 mm guns and two Ho-5 20 mm cannons installed in the wings. Early-production examples were still powered by the Ha-45-11 engines, but those were soon replaced by the Ha-45-12 engines developing 1825 hp. Later a more advanced version of the engine was introduced – Ha-45-21 – which featured a more efficient supercharger and developed 1990 hp.

Alexander Graham Bell and his team of innovative young engineers created groundbreaking new technologies during three years of furious activity in Baddeck, Nova Scotia, in the early 1900s. The knowledge and skills of this group allowed them to innovate flight technologies which have continued to be fundamental to aircraft design. In this book, aviation author Terrance MacDonald puts together, for the first time, the full story of their achievements. Bell's unique group of engineers, a mechanical specialist and a military officer, built over twenty airplanes, which incorporated many new sophisticated technological developments. Bell's well-known Silver Dart was only one of a long line of his team's experimental airplanes.This book describes the aircraft, the people, and the communities who participated with Bell in his mission to construct a reliable and secure flying machine. Over the years the group started to lose members, and when the Canadian government refused to purchase aircraft based on Bell's experiments the reconfigured group folded. Meanwhile, one group member left to found a major aircraft manufacturing operation in the US.Bell's team carefully documented all their work, and as a consequence there are hundreds of compelling photos from this era. The book includes 60+ of these images, and offers links to early movies documenting these aircraft and their flights.

Marcel Migeo is a big name in the heroic epoch of French aviation, even though he is not as famous as Mermoz, Guillaumet or Saint-Exupéry – he knew all three of them. Refusing a path all mapped-out as a civil servant in the Ministry of Finance, he chose aviation because of his taste for travel and adventure. In January 1923, he left for Syria, sent there as a fighter pilot in the 53rd Escadrille of the Levant, based at Deir-ez-zor. On a Breguet XIV he took part in peace keeping operations in Syria, earning himself the Croix de Guerre and the Médaille du Levant and bar. Each day he wrote down the important events of his daily life in his moleskin notebook: his flying missions, his relations with the local population, his discovery of Syrian towns and countryside. These notes gave rise to a manuscript, unpublished until today. He became an insurance broker in his native city, Reims. Marcel Migeo wrote ten or so books most of which were devoted to flying. We owe him accounts of the war, like Batailles dans le ciel (Grand Prix Littéraire de l’Aéro-Club de France) and biographies of Saint-Exupéry, Henri Guillaumet, Maryse Bastié and Dider Daurat. Almost a hundred years later, his writings on Syria have a pertinent and astonishingly contemporary flavour since the country is being torn apart by a six-year-old civil war which has taken on an international dimension. The journalist and writer, Patrick Poivre d’Arvor, himself from Reims, has written the preface to this book as a tribute to the memory of Marcel Migeo whom he knew and whose tales of youth in turn have something to do with developing his own interest in that heroic period of aviation.

L’un des As du Normandie-Niémen avec seize victoires homologuées, Roger Sauvage a publié peu après son retour en France le récit de son expérience au sein de cette unité de chasse franco-russe devenue mythique dans l’histoire de l’aviation. Racontant la vie du « Neu-Neu » au plus près des combats et du quotidien des pilotes comme des mécaniciens, Un du Normandie-Niémen a rencontré un grand succès dès sa sortie et a été plusieurs fois réédité par la suite. Désormais introuvable, ce livre aussi vivant qu’instructif est très recherché par les passionnés d’aéronautique. Heimdal répond aujourd’hui à leur attente en proposant un ouvrage grand format comprenant l’intégralité du texte original, enrichi d’éclairages historiques permettant d’en mieux comprendre les différentes parties. Mais aussi, grâce à la famille de Roger Sauvage, un très grand nombre de photos dont une bonne partie prises par l’aviateur lui-même sur le front russe. Sans oublier les caricatures de Pierre Déchanet, dessinateur du groupe et ami de Roger Sauvage. C’est la première fois que ces dessins, relatant la vie quotidienne du « Neu-Neu » avec détails et humour, vont être présentés dans leur intégralité.

The Frantic operations were conceived in late 1943 as Soviet advances made Soviet airfields accessible to Allied long-range aircraft. American aircraft could hit targets in central Europe, refuel and rearm at Soviet bases, then fly back to bomb additional targets. In addition to hitting Nazi war industries, the political objectives of Frantic were to build closer cooperation with the Red Army as the end of the war drew nearer. For the first two weeks of the Warsaw Uprising, Soviet forces stood outside the city, and Stalin refused to let the RAF land at Soviet bases after dropping supplies to the Polish freedom fighters. But eventually the United States persuaded him to let them use Frantic to supply the Poles. On 18 September 1944, American B-17 Flying Fortresses dropped arms, ammunition, medical supplies, and food over the city of Warsaw. The assistance came too late for the Polish freedom fighters. For many, Frantic 7 remains a mere gesture to placate Western public opinion, but the events of that day, and the courage of 1,220 airmen who risked their lives to bring them aid, are still remembered by the Poles of Warsaw. This book gives a full narrative of Frantic 7, using the first-hand accounts of those on the ground in Warsaw to tell the stories of the young aircrew. It puts Frantic 7 in context, and explains how the diplomatic wrangling set the stage for the breakdown in relations between the Soviet Union and the United States.

The modern aircraft carrier is without doubt one of the most exciting and hazardous operating environments in the field of warfare. The ‘flattop’ is a symbol of global military power without parallel, and it remains a capability beyond reach of all but the most well equipped navies. With the detail, precision and accuracy expected of Harpia Publishing, this latest volume provides a force report of the various air components and associated vessels fielded by those select nations that field fixed-wing-capable aircraft carriers. While the United States maintains a carrier fleet the size of which is almost incomparable to that of its rivals, the coverage of this book also extends to the smaller nations that only possess a single carrier: Brazil, France, Russia and Spain. Meanwhile, full coverage is given over to the navies that are in the process of expanding their burgeoning carrier aviation capabilities, through the introduction of new, indigenously designed carriers and aircraft, namely the Asia-Pacific rivals China and India. Within Europe, chapters are devoted to Italy, currently with two carriers in commission, and the United Kingdom, which will make a historic return to carrier aviation this year. Since the scope of this volume extends to navies operating any carrier that routinely embarks fixed-wing air power, US Navy amphibious assault ships and US Marine Corps aviation assets are also included. Drawing upon a cadre of authors who are experts in their field, Carrier Aviation in the 21st Century continues Harpia’s reputation for providing unprecedented detail and extensive technical specifications, as well as detailing the structure of all the air arms and the individual units that currently embark on board carriers. Illustrations include specially commissioned artworks and diagrams to help illustrate how carrier air power remains an essential element of modern warfare.

Harpia Publishing is proud to announce the launch of a new title for 2017, EMB-312 Tucano: Brazil’s turboprop success story, set to become the definitive English-language reference work on this revolutionary Latin American aerospace product. Written by an expert in the field, this book recounts the story of Embraer’s EMB-312 turboprop trainer, the first aircraft in its class to offer a cockpit and controls equivalent to its fighter contemporaries, as well enough power to match the high-speed manoeuvres of comparable jet trainers. Cheap to fly, capable of operating from unprepared runways and with limited maintenance requirements, the Tucano was Embraer’s first design to be built under license outside Brazil, and more than 660 units were produced for service in 16 countries, seven of which have taken it into combat. Although it is best known as a trainer, this remarkable aircraft has also provided front-line air defence in countries including Paraguay and Honduras. After almost 30 years of service, it remains in widespread use today. This lavishly illustrated story of the first-generation Tucano includes accounts of Embraer’s path to global success, service of the EMB-312 in its native Brazil, including with the air force’s display team, licence production for the Royal Air Force and for export as the Shorts Tucano, and a detailed breakdown of every worldwide operator, past and present. Also included is the story of how the EMB-312 began its evolution towards the EMB-314 Super Tucano, which Harpia will cover in a separate book at a future date. Appendices, in typically thorough Harpia style, include a six-view drawing and a full inventory of EMB-312 units and insignia. With the level of accuracy and insight familiar to Harpia’s regular readers, this unique aircraft profile also includes specifications, and details of training syllabuses, upgrades, avionics and weapons.

"A completely wonderful book! ..

This volume chronicles aerial warfare in the South Pacific from December 1941 until March 1942, durign which air operations by both sides became a daily occurrence. As Imperial Japanese Navy flying boats and land-based bombers penetrated over vast distances, a few under-strength squadrons of the Royal Australian Air Force put up a spirited fight. However it was the supreme power of aircraft carriers that had the biggest impact. Four Japanese fleet carriers facilitated the capture of Rabaul over a devastating four-day period in January 1942. The following month, the USS Lexington’s fighter squadron VF-3 scored one of the most one-sided victories of the entire Pacific War. By March 1942 the Japanese had landed on mainland New Guinea, and the scene was set for a race to control Port Moresby. This is the full story of both sides of an air war that could have been won by either incumbent, but for timing, crucial decisions and luck.

Henschel Hs 126 was a two-seater all-metal hinged monoplane with fixed landing gear. The first prototype – Hs 126 V-1 (D-UBYN) – had its flight-test in August 1936. It was powered by 12-cylinder liquid-cooled JUMO 210 C engine. By the end of year 1937 ten preproduction Hs 126 A-0 were delivered. Aircrafts were produced at Henschel-Werke plant and also at AGO Flugzeugwerke. Hs 126 had exceptional short landing performances, important for the close army cooperation. Armament consisted of two machine guns cal. 7.92 mm: pilot’s fixed MG-17 in front (with 500 rounds) and defense MG-15 in the observer cockpit (with 975 rounds). For the optional close support missions it was capable to carry bombs on two side racks (2×10 kg or 2×50 kg). It also had radio equipment and after gaining combat experience, some machines were equipped with side armor plates of 8 mm steel. The first combat employment of several Hs 126’s took place in Spain, where they were used as tactical reconnaissance within Ausfklarungsgruppe 35, and where they received the code name “Super Pavo”. Loses in Spanish civil war were minor. Some Henschels were also sold to Greece, Bulgaria and Estonia. At the beginning of world war II (invasion on Poland) the Hs 126’s were the backbone of reconnaissance units of the Luftwaffe. From 29 staffelns this machine was deployed in 23 of them (267 Hs 126’s were in combat units, of which 234 were combat-ready). However, Polish campaign showed that Hs 126 is vulnerable airplane. German lost about 41 of them to a AA fire and Polish fighter actions, and another 40 were seriously damaged. Hs 126 participated in missions over all WW2 fronts: from Africa, Soviet Union, West Europe to the Balkans. On the 1st of June 1941 Hs 126’s were still used by operational combat units as well as flying schools. However, raising loses resulted in withdrawing the type from combat units, but it was still presented in big number. For example, in March 1942 from 35 Aufklärer Staffels on East Front 16 operated Hs 126’s. Just in first day of Operation “Barbarosa” Germany lost 13 Hs 126’s and by the December 1941 they lost even 381 of them. Germans tried to accompany Hs 126’s with fighter escort during missions but this did not help much. For this reason from autumn 1941 the obsolete Henschels were replacing by more modern Fw 189. It is worth noting that Hs 126 played their role on rescuing the Benito Mussolini on 12th of September 1943. It made a reconnaissance mission to spot landing positions for gliders. By the March 1944 only 174 Hs 126’s still remained in the Luftwaffe, some of which were in service with the following combat squadrons on the Eastern Front: 13./NSGr-11 with a base in Estonia, 2./NSGr-12 with a base in Estonia/Lithuania and 2./NSGr-7 with a base in the Balkans. At that time title aircraft were used as night light bombers. Behind the front line the Hs 126 were used as daytime light bombers and scouts to fight the partisans, as well as communication planes in which role they served until the end of the war.Today not much parts of the Hs 126 is preserved and most of them was lost over Soviet Union.