15 accurate, authentic renderings of weapon used during Operation Dynamo in 1940. You can color them.Also captions with technical data and plans. • Universal Carrier• Souma 35• Sdkfz 251• Panzer I• Panzer II• Panzer III• Briths truck• Hawker Hurricane Mk I• Messerschmitt Bf 109 E• Supermarine Spitfire Mk I• Junkers Ju 87 B• Char B1 Bis• Light Tank Mark I• Cruiser Mk I• Evacuating soldiers

‘For you the war is over’. ‘Last of the Kriegies’ tells the extraordinary stories of five of the last remaining Second World War RAF Bomber Command Prisoners-of-War: pilot Reg Barker, bomb aimer Charles Clarke, air gunner David Fraser, air gunner Albert Gunn and navigator Henry Wagner. Each veteran shares the journey they went through joining up with the Royal Air Force, their training and crewing up, and operational duties with RAF Bomber Command. We accompany them on raids over enemy territory as they fight to survive against the relentless flak, searchlights, and deadly enemy nightfighters. Eventually each airmen’s next of kin receives a knock on the door and the dreaded ‘regret to inform’ you telegram. Reg, Charles, David, Albert and Henry describe the circumstances in which they are shot from the sky, descending by parachute in to hostile territory, and their subsequent failed attempt to avoid capture. Interrogation follows and we hear how the downed airmen negotiate the aggressive and devious tactics employed by their captors as they try and extract secret information. Our ‘Kriegsgefangener’ soon find themselves behind the barb wire of a German prison camp facing the trials and tribulations of daily life as a ‘kriegie’; the battle with hunger and frustration, the baiting and harassing of prison guards, friendships made, and attempts to break out and escape their captivity. In the final months of the war some of our POWs endure the gruelling and harsh conditions of the forced ‘Long March’. Despite frustrating delays, as the Nazi regime enters its final death throes, our airmen eventually taste the sweetness of liberation and journey home to loved ones and family. Fighting High Publishing and Bomber Command historian Steve Darlow present the extraordinary testimony of five veterans who endured and survived being shot down, captivity, degradation, and suffering. Illustrated with previously unpublished photographs and with a foreword from former Gulf War POW Squadron Leader Bob Ankerson RAF (Ret’d) ‘Last of the Kriegie’s' reveals the extraordinary strength and resilience of the human spirit struggling with incarceration and the loss of freedom.

Scale plans in 1/72, 1/48 and 1/32 scale of famous Japanese fighter10 A3 size pages in A4 pb. All subversions are shown.

The intervention of the German Air Force, called Luftwaffe, during World War II is well known by those interested in this conflict, due to the large number of works dealing about it. Much less well-known are the air forces of Germany's allied countries, although in the last years excellent works appear about these ones. Among them, perhaps the least known and treated is Bulgarian Air Force (although its more exact name would be Royal Bulgarian Air Force) because of its lesser degree of participation in the war unlike other countries like Hungary, Romania or Finland. That is the reason why Bulgarian Air Force is Germany's forgotten ally…

The book shows the major role of aviation in the armed conflicts of the 20th century using the example of the Israeli-Arab Wars. It presents the primacy of the effectiveness of modern Israeli aviation, which is generally equipped with state of the art equipment and well-trained personnel, on Arab aviation which was based primarily on numbers rather than quality. In these activities, Israel has shown the perfect example of “Blitzkrieg” strategy which within a few hours enabled it to annihilate the more numerous Arab forces with its modern and well-trained aviation. It also describes the history of the rise of Israeli aviation, including its many Polish-related topics.

Eighty years after its creation, the Luftwaffe is still one of the most fascinating forces in the history of aviation. A companion to Luftwaffe in Colour Volume 1, which covered the victory years from 1939 up to Spring 1942, this volume with nearly 400 images contains even more fascinating material on the machines of the Luftwaffe and the men who flew them, as their fate took an increasingly grim path. Initially the Luftwaffe ruled the skies but thereafter fought an increasingly futile war of attrition which when combined with vital strategic mistakes in aircraft production, was its death knell. Despite this the Luftwaffe produced the most successful air aces of all time who feature in this volume. Among many remarkable images we see one of the last Junkers 87 B-2 operational on the front line on the Eastern Front during the winter of 1942-1943, the huge BV 222 V-5 of Lufttransportstaffel in the port of Heraklion in late 1942, pilots in Tunisia in 1943, the aces Hans Philipp, Wolfgang Spate and Heinz Schnaufer and a vivid demonstration of the reversal in fortunes in 1944 as Allied bombers destroy 106 places, engulfing them in fire at Schwabisch-Hall on German soil. In this painstakingly pieced together collection, originally published in France, the full detail behind the propaganda is once more revealed, in rare colour photographs.

‘Tonight you are going to the Big City. You will have the opportunity to light a fire in the belly of the enemy that will burn his black heart out.’ The message from Commander-in-Chief of RAF Bomber Command Sir Arthur Harris was clear. As the Second World War continued into a fifth year, the airmen of Bomber Command were to fly deep into hostile airspace and bring the war direct to the German Nazi capital Berlin. From the autumn of 1943 to the last days of winter in early 1944, during the hours of extended darkness, the bomber crews braved the flak, the searchlights, enemy night fighters and extremes of weather, to bombard the ‘black heart’. Prior to the all-out campaign against the ‘Big City’ Sir Arthur Harris firmly believed his bomber force could break the German will to wage war, but he also prophesied that ‘It will cost us between 400 and 500 aircraft’. Fighting High Publishing brings together acclaimed Bomber Command historians to tell the story of some of the thousands of airmen who failed to return from operations as part of the 1943 and 1944 Bomber Command Battle of Berlin. The authors, utilising family archives, personal testimony and records, wartime memoirs, diaries and letters, witness recollections, logbooks, and official documents, piece together the remarkable, yet ultimately tragic events surrounding the losses described. Illustrated throughout with previously unpublished black and white and colour photographs Bomber Command Battle of Berlin Failed to Return ensures the memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice is kept alive. ‘We Will Remember Them’.

The Grumman F6F Hellcat was constructed in the early 1940s at Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corp. in Bethpage. Unlike its predecessor, the Grumman F4F Wildcat, the Hellcat received a low gear, with widely spaced wheels on the main chassis. Significantly increased both wings and fuselage to accommodate the required fuel and ammunition supply and to provide adequate structural strength. Fixed weapons consisted of six 12.7 mm machine guns. A contract for the construction of two prototypes of the new BuAer fighter was made with Grumman on June 30, 1941. During the entire production period only minor changes were made to the construction to the Hellcat.

The distinctive black and yellow chequered markings of the 353rd Fighter Group, the ‘Slybirds’, made them one of the USAAF ‘Mighty’ 8th Air Force’s most colourful fighter groups. Flying P-47D Thunderbolts and later P-51D Mustangs the 353rd’s appearance in the skies over occupied Europe witnessed growing American air power and helped to change the course of the air war. From mid-1943 until the end of hostilities in Europe, the 353rd participated in all major aerial battles from the 1943 Regensburg and Schweinfurt raids to ‘Big Week’, the attacks on Berlin, and the support of the D-Day landings and Normandy campaign in 1944. They went on to win the Distinguished Unit Citation during the Arnhem operation of September 1944 and after converting to P-51 Mustangs they continued to play a full and prominent role in the final smashing of the Third Reich from the air.Fighting High Publishing has come together with respected 8th Air Force historian Graham Cross to tell the story of the ‘Slybirds’. With access to an unparalleled photographic archive built up over nearly thirty years of close association and friendship with the group, the author provides a detailed representation of all aspects of the group’s key activities. Focussing not just on the aircraft and pilots but also the vital work of the ground crews and service personnel, this is a stunning tribute that fills a major gap in the history of 8th Fighter Command. A full honour roll to those who made the ultimate sacrifice is included along with details of all POWs and all confirmed claims by the Group’s air-to-air aces.Packed with nearly 450 photos, the majority of which are previously unpublished, unseen wartime colour photos and detailed captions, this book is a visual and information feast. This latest volume in Fighting High Publishing’s ‘Odyssey’ series is the most in-depth photographic record of the 353rd to date and provides a unique window on a fighter group at war.

In this book the authors have endeavored to remedy the notable lack of comprehensive coverage. The development of all the many engines produced by Japanese aero-engine manufacturing companies from 1912 to 1945 is explored in detail, including a full explanation of the different systems used to identify them. Furthermore, the developments are related to the aircraft in which the various engines were used, including prototypes, flying test-beds, and changes in the make or type of engine during an aircraft’s operational service. In other words aircraft evolution in Japan is viewed in snapshots as it happened from the aero-engine aspect and not from the complete aircraft aspect as is featured in most publications. Unfortunately this approach necessitates numerous cross-references in the text where several different engines are associated with a particular aircraft, for which the authors can only apologize. Lastly, to illustrate the industrial background, the origin and development of each of the aero-engine manufacturing companies is also outlined briefly

Scale plans in 1/72, 1/48 scale of Supermarine Walrus12 A3 size pages in A4 pb. All subversions are shown.

The classic, revised story of how an elite group of US Air Force pilots fought a secret air war over Vietnam in Cessna 0-2 and OV-10 Bronco prop planes―flying as low as they could get. The eyes and ears of the fast-moving jets who rained death and destruction down on enemy positions, the Forward Air Controller made an art form out of an air strike―knowing the targets, knowing where friendly troops were, and reacting with split-second, life and death decisions as a battle unfolded. The expertise of the low, slow FACs, as well as the hazards attendant to their role, made for a unique bird’s-eye perspective on how the entire war in Vietnam unfolded. For Tom Yarborough, who logged 1,500 hours of combat flying time, the risk was constant, intense and electrifying. A member of the super-secret “Prairie Fire” unit, Yarborough became one of the most frequently shot-up pilots flying out of Da Nang―engaging in a series of dangerous secret missions in Laos. In this work, the reader flies in the cockpit alongside Yarborough in his adrenaline-pumping chronicle of heroism, danger and wartime brotherhood. From the rescuing of downed pilots to taking out enemy positions, to the most harrowing extended missions directly overhead of the NVA, here is the dedication, courage and skill of the fliers who took the war into the enemy's backyard.

The remarkable memoir of a U.S. fighter pilot, who after his escapades of shooting down German aircraft in France began an even greater adventure after being shot down himself. Ted Fahrenwald was a 22-year-old daredevil pilot in the famed 352nd Fighter Group when he bailed out of his burning P-51 Mustang two days after D-Day on his 100th mission. Parachuting into the farmlands of Normandy, he was immediately picked up by the local maquis, the guerrilla branch of the French Resistance. His rudimentary French, wily and gregarious personality, and backwoods skills allowed him to quickly make fast friends of these unruly outlaws, and he spent the next several months carousing and raiding with their band. But, determined to rejoin his squadron, Ted left his new comrades to hike through the fields and forests of the most heavily occupied areas of northern France toward the Channel coast, and the advancing Allied liberation armies. Captured by the Wehrmacht, however, interrogated as a spy, and interned in a POW camp, the author made a daring escape just before his deportation to Germany. Nothing diminished Ted's talent for spotting the ironic humor in even the most aggravating or dangerous situations, nor his penchant for extracting his own improvised and sometimes hilarious version of justice. The author recorded his swashbuckling adventures at age 24, after his discharge and return to the States. Afterward he went into business and never again put pen to paper. But his immediate reminiscence of his wartime experience reveal a literary talent that is rare. At once a suspenseful page-turner and an outrageously witty tale of daring and friendship, this book brings to life the daily intrigues of the combatants of World War II.

Douglas SBD Dauntless is one of the most popular American naval bomber of World War II era. The name Dauntless fits well to the aircraft’s “personality”. SBD was build with the aim of dive bombing which quickly were nicknamed as “helldiving”. Interestingly one of the successors of Dauntless – Curtiss SB2C – was officially named “Helldiver”. SBD was a two-seated light bomber and scout aircraft developed in year 1940 and based on Northrop BT-1 airframe. During the next year many improvements were added, such as: self-sealing fuel tanks, stronger armament and better electric installation. The most characteristic element were the airbrakes. They were mounted through almost full length of the bottom wing and halves of upper part of wings. Therefore the braking system was very effective stabilizing the dive, easing the aiming and getting plane from the steep dive. The plane became fully capable war machine. The most popular version was SBD-5 with 1200 HP Wright R-1820-60 radial engine. Almost 3000 SBD-5 were produced. The plane took part in many important battles over the Pacific but definitely the most significant were Battle for Midway and over the Guadalcanal. Dauntless’ were solid and reliable planes and crews really liked them. They quickly gave it a special nickname made from letters SBD – “Slow but Deadly”. Today there are four airworthy SBD’s (all in the USA). 11 more are museum exhibits or undergoing restoration.

The Focke-Wulf Ta 152 was designed as a high altitude fighter, which could engage American heavy bombers and their escorts on equal terms. Work on this aircraft began in 1943 and the design was referred to as Spezial Höhenjäger (special high altitude fighter). The RLM soon gave it the official designation Ta 152. Professor Kurt Tank procured three basic design variants: Normaljäger (conventional fighter), Höhenjäger (high altitude fighter) and Schlachtflugzeug (attack aircraft). The conventional fighter was developed as Ta 152 C version, the high altitude fighter as Ta 152 H and the attack aircraft as Ta 152 B. The conventional fighter was tested with the use of four prototypes, powered by Daimler-Benz DB 603 E and EC engines, rated at 1,800 hp. Production aircraft were to be powered by DB 603 L engines rated at 2,000 hp. The prototypes were completed during 3 November 1944 – 15 January 1945. The high altitude version was given the highest priority, the first production version was the Ta 152 H-0 powered by Junkers Jumo 213 E engine rated at 1,750 hp on take-off, armed with one 30 mm MK 108 cannon and two 20 mm MG 151/20 cannons. The Ta 152 H-1 version had the fuel capacity enlarged by 400 liters and provision for GM 1 or MW 50 installations, temporarily boosting engine power at high altitudes. Production totaled 67 Focke-Wulf Ta 152 aircraft of all versions (mostly Ta 152 H) by the end of the war. Those few pilots, who had the opportunity to fly the Ta 152 H in combat emphasized its high speed, outstanding performance at high altitude and very short turn radius in horizontal maneuvers. Ofw. Josef Keil of JG 301 shot down five Allied aircraft flying a Ta 152 H, thus becoming the only Ta 152 ace.