Malta Spitfire Aces

Author : Steve Nichols
Publisher : Osprey Publishing
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 50,6 Mb
Release : 2008-09-23
Category : History
ISBN : 1846033055

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Malta Spitfire Aces by Steve Nichols Pdf

The siege of Malta during World War 2 is one of the great epics of aerial warfare. In 1942, it was described alternately as both a 'fighter pilot's paradise' and 'the most bombed place on earth'. During the peak of the Axis efforts against Malta, it suffered 154 consecutive days and nights of bombing, 100 nights more that London suffered during the Blitz. The destruction of Axis convoys by Malta-based aircraft proved to be one of the decisive factors in the defeat of Rommel's forces in North Africa. This vital position would have been lost if it had not been for the successful defence of the island by a handful of greatly outnumbered Royal Air Force fighter squadrons. In the brutal and unforgiving air war over Malta only the very best fighter pilots succeeded, and all too often that was no guarantee of living another day. This book details the heroic story of the Spitfire Aces based on Malta. Drawn from an international team of Australians, British, Canadians, New Zealanders, Rhodesians and South Africans these pilots fought against extreme deprivation, physical hardships and overwhelming odds in one of the most crucial and decisive air battles of World War II.

Author : George Beurling,Leslie Roberts
Publisher : Grub Street Publishers
Page : 147 pages
File Size : 50,8 Mb
Release : 2011-07-14
Category : History
ISBN : 9781909166295

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Malta Spitfire by George Beurling,Leslie Roberts Pdf

An aviator’s true story of WWII air combat, including two dramatic weeks in the skies above the besieged island of Malta. Twenty-five thousand feet above Malta—that is where the Spitfires intercepted the Messerschmitts, Macchis, and Reggianes as they swept eastward in their droves, screening the big Junkers with their bomb loads as they pummeled the island beneath: the most bombed patch of ground in the world. One of those Spitfire pilots was George Beurling, nicknamed “Screwball,” who in fourteen flying days destroyed twenty-seven German and Italian aircraft and damaged many more. Hailing from Canada, Beurling finally made it to Malta in the summer of 1942 after hard training and combat across the Channel. Malta Spitfire tells his story and that of the gallant Spitfire squadron, 249, which day after day ascended to the “top of the hill” to meet the enemy against overwhelming odds. With this memoir, readers experience the sensation of being in the cockpit with him, climbing to meet the planes driving in from Sicily, diving down through the fighter screen at the bombers, dodging the bullets coming out of the sun, or whipping up under the belly of an Me for a deflection shot at the engine. This is war without sentiment or romance, told in terms of human courage, skill, and heroism—a classic of WWII military aviation.

Author : Denis Barnham
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 128 pages
File Size : 41,6 Mb
Release : 2010
Category : World War, 1939-1945
ISBN : 1848325606

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Malta Spitfire Ace by Denis Barnham Pdf

Author : Denis Barnham
Publisher : Grub Street Publishers
Page : 345 pages
File Size : 55,9 Mb
Release : 2013-07-19
Category : History
ISBN : 9781909808683

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Malta Spitfire Pilot by Denis Barnham Pdf

An RAF fighter pilot’s “intensely vivid” account of the siege of Malta in World War II (The Times Literary Supplement). In the summer of 1942, Malta was vulnerable to air attack from the Germans and Italians, and defended by a handful of Spitfires and a few anti-aircraft guns. Denis Barnham, a young and inexperienced flight lieutenant, spent ten hectic weeks on this indomitable island; he left a well-ordered English aerodrome for the chaos and disillusionment of Luqa. His task was to engage the overwhelming number of enemy bombers, usually protected by fighter escorts, and shoot down as many as possible. The Spitfires were bomb-scarred and battered. Oftentimes they could only get two or three in the air together, and the airfields were riddled with bomb craters, but they managed to keep going and make their mark on enemy operations. Barnham has written a powerful account of his experiences in Malta, starting with his trip in an American aircraft carrier through the ceaseless battle and turmoil during the desperate defense of the island, through his departure by air back to England, having seen the reinforcements safely landed and the tide of battle turning. With thrilling and terrifying descriptions and illustrations of the air action, this account, told with humor and compassion, is one of the best firsthand accounts of aerial combat ever written.

Author : George F. Beurling,Leslie Roberts
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 235 pages
File Size : 51,9 Mb
Release : 1943
Category : World War, 1939-1945
ISBN : OCLC:427404419

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Malta Spitfire by George F. Beurling,Leslie Roberts Pdf

Author : Andrew Thomas
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
Page : 148 pages
File Size : 55,8 Mb
Release : 2013-02-20
Category : History
ISBN : 9781472801876

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Griffon Spitfire Aces by Andrew Thomas Pdf

Modified for low-level operations to counter Luftwaffe attacks on the south coast, the Griffon-powered Spitfire XIV became the best low-level fighter of World War II. Squadrons moved to south-eastern England to counter the V1 flying bomb offensive, where daring pilots pioneered the technique of tipping the V1 over with the aircraft's wingtip to disorientate the bomb. Andrew Thomas also investigates the role played by the modified Spitfire squadrons after the V1 offensive, both in the attack on Germany and after the war in Malaya and Palestine. First-hand stories, photographs and colour profiles complete this account of the aces who flew the most powerful Spitfire variant ever built.

Author : DENIS. BARNHAM
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 128 pages
File Size : 50,9 Mb
Release : 2019
Category : Electronic
ISBN : 1526766744

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MALTA SPITFIRE PILOT by DENIS. BARNHAM Pdf

Author : Andrew Thomas
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
Page : 160 pages
File Size : 41,9 Mb
Release : 2013-02-20
Category : History
ISBN : 9781472801913

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Spitfire Aces of North Africa and Italy by Andrew Thomas Pdf

Although most famous for their role in the Battle of Britain, many Spitfire squadrons also served in the Mediterranean theatre, aiding the Allied victories in North Africa and later in the invasion of Italy. Numerous pilots, both Royal Air Force and South African Spitfire squadrons, made ace during these engagements. This book tells their story.

Author : James Douglas-Hamilton,P.B. "Laddie" Lucas
Publisher : Casemate Publishers
Page : 237 pages
File Size : 55,6 Mb
Release : 2007-01-31
Category : History
ISBN : 9781781597880

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The Air Battle for Malta by James Douglas-Hamilton,P.B. "Laddie" Lucas Pdf

This book provides an intriguing and realistic account of the struggle for the possession of Malta during World War II. The air battle raged for two and a half years during which time 14,000 tons of bombs were dropped on a defiant population.The history is based on the diaries of Lord David Douglas-Hamilton, the author's uncle, who was the leader of a Spitfire squadron that defended the island during the worst of the crisis.

Author : Brian Cull,Frederick Galea
Publisher : Fonthill Media
Page : 256 pages
File Size : 53,8 Mb
Release : 2017-06-25
Category : History
ISBN : 8210379456XXX

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249 at Malta by Brian Cull,Frederick Galea Pdf

Author : Andrew Thomas
Publisher : Osprey Publishing
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 51,5 Mb
Release : 2007-10-23
Category : History
ISBN : 1846032024

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American Spitfire Aces of World War 2 by Andrew Thomas Pdf

The first few American volunteers flew Spitfires with the RAF during the Battle of Britain. Many more joined their ranks, often posing as "Canadians", eventually forming three Eagle squadrons who earned a fierce fighting reputation. When the United States entered the war the Eagle fighter sections were issued with Spitfires and eventually transferred to the Eighth Air Force. In just two years of service with the USAAF, 22 pilots claimed five or more victories flying the Spitfire, whilst a further two dozen aces claimed part of their total flying them, a testament to their skill and success at the controls of this legendary warbird. Discover the experiences of a variety of American aces in their own words through first-hand accounts, interviews and combat reports, in a thrilling read that transports the reader from the Battle of Britain to the deserts of North Africa to Fortress Europe itself.

Author : Andrew Thomas
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
Page : 161 pages
File Size : 41,8 Mb
Release : 2013-02-20
Category : History
ISBN : 9781472801739

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Spitfire Aces of Burma and the Pacific by Andrew Thomas Pdf

The arrival of the Spitfire in Burma came at a crucial time as the RAF struggled against the Japanese to support the Chindit operation on the ground. Proving a huge boost to morale, the Spitfire played a large part in defeating the enemy, and covering the subsequent Allied advance through Burma, protecting the ground troops and providing vital supplies. Covering this little documented aerial war, this book tells the stories of the 54 aces who flew against the Japanese, and also those who fought in India and Australia. Full-colour artwork reveals the markings and paint schemes of this most-famous of British planes, whilst first-hand accounts and archive photographs bring the aerial battles of Burma, India and Australia to life.

Author : Brian Cull,Frederick R. Galea
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 53,5 Mb
Release : 2005
Category : Spitfire (Fighter plane)
ISBN : 1904943306

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Spitfires Over Malta by Brian Cull,Frederick R. Galea Pdf

Brian Cull's book tells the story of the RAF's gallant stand in 1942 to hold Malta against all odds in the face of the combined might of the German Luftwaffe and Italy's Regia Aeronautica.

Author : Brian Cull,Frederick Galea
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 272 pages
File Size : 48,9 Mb
Release : 2017-06-19
Category : Malta
ISBN : 1781555540

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249 at Malta by Brian Cull,Frederick Galea Pdf

Many otherwise average fighter pilots came of age in the skies of Malta--an area dubbed 'a fighter pilot's paradise'. There was seldom a shortage of targets as the Luftwaffe endeavoured to flatten the defences and destroy the small air force, in which task it failed, but only narrowly. 249 Squadron was at the forefront of the fighting for two years.

Author : George F. Beurling,Leslie Roberts
Publisher : Penguin
Page : 247 pages
File Size : 48,7 Mb
Release : 2002
Category : Fighter pilots
ISBN : 0143012371

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Malta Spitfire by George F. Beurling,Leslie Roberts Pdf