Spitfire Down

Author : Dilip Sarkar
Publisher : Air World
Page : 282 pages
File Size : 53,9 Mb
Release : 2022-09-15
Category : History
ISBN : 9781399089500

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Spitfire Down by Dilip Sarkar Pdf

Profoundly moved by the stories of wartime casualties as a child, Dilip Sarkar has since spent a lifetime reconstructing the lives of many of the fallen and is passionate about recording and sharing this very personal hidden history. In Spitfire Down he explores the stories of thirteen pilots who failed to return, all killed, either in action or flying accidents, while a fourteenth, Flying Officer Buck Casson, was brought down by a German ace over France and captured. There is, for example, the virtually unknown story of ‘The Baby of the RAF’, Sergeant Geoffrey Painting. Posted to fly Spitfires with 118 Squadron at RAF Ibsley in Hampshire, Painting was hit by flak during an attack on enemy shipping off Cherbourg on 30 September 1941. Still listed as missing, at just 17, he is believed to have been the youngest RAF pilot killed during the Second World War. The author has reconstructed Painting’s short life with help from his family, and forensically deconstructed that last flight with the help of the now late Wing Commander Peter Howard-Williams DFC, who was flying with the teenage pilot that day. The author also explores the heart-rending story of an American trainee fighter pilot, Pilot Officer ‘Jim Bob’ Lee, whose Spitfire collided with a Wellington bomber over Gloucestershire – resulting in the loss of all airmen involved. Two Canadian pilots perished on Pen-y-Fan, the highest peak in South Wales. The multi-national effort that defeated Hitler is further emphasised, in fact, through the stories of both Wing Commander Piotr Laguna and Flying Officer Franek Surma. But perhaps most tragic of all is how lightning struck Joan Welch twice: her first fiancée, Flight Lieutenant Lester Sanders DFC, was killed test-flying Spitfires in 1942, and her second, Pilot Officer Ian Smith, was killed flying in Palestine in 1945. Using correspondence, diaries and other personal papers of the pilots concerned, the author has reconstructed their all-too brief lives and provided a lasting and profusely illustrated record of these sacrifices.

Author : Brian G. Hodgkinson
Publisher : [Manotick, Ont.] : Penumbra Press
Page : 250 pages
File Size : 41,5 Mb
Release : 2000
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : UOM:39015054258093

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Spitfire Down by Brian G. Hodgkinson Pdf

It was a shocking introduction to the reality of war for the tall, handsome twenty-six-year-old Canadian radio personality whose deep bass voice had since 1935 become familiar to millions of listeners to programs of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. What happened to him in the sky above France on that fateful day in 1941 was no more than an explosive prologue to the story of one man's fight for survival in the Nazi prisoner-of-war compounds.

Author : Bill Simpson
Publisher : Pen and Sword
Page : 410 pages
File Size : 43,5 Mb
Release : 2007-06-21
Category : History
ISBN : 9781473818484

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Spitfire Dive-Bombers Versus the V2 by Bill Simpson Pdf

This WWII military history vividly recounts the Royal Air Force campaign to counter Germany’s V2 rocket attacks. On September 8th, 1944, the first V2 rockets aimed at southern England exploded in west London. They had been launched from a wooded street corner in Den Haag in the Netherlands. Air Marshal Roderic Hill of Fighter Command ordered a swift response to counter the threat. Six squadrons of Spitfires were sent to find and dive-bomb the mobile V2 launch sites scattered throughout the Dutch countryside. The missiles were well camouflaged and often positioned adjacent to dwellings occupied by civilians. The RAF was under orders to cause minimum damage to Dutch property and life, therefore precision bombing became a necessity. This complete account of the campaign includes discussions of the strategy and tactics employed and the equipment used. It also considers the effects on Dutch civilians. Bill Simpson draws on the experiences of sixteen Allied pilots, ground crew and the Dutch who were at the receiving-end of the attacks.

Author : Leo McKinstry
Publisher : John Murray
Page : 300 pages
File Size : 52,8 Mb
Release : 2010-10-14
Category : History
ISBN : 9781848545038

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Spitfire by Leo McKinstry Pdf

In June 1940, the German Army had brought the rest of Europe to its knees. 'Hitler knows that he will have to break us in this island or lose the war. If we can stand up to him, all Europe may be free and the life of the world will move forward into broad, sunlit uplands,' said Churchill. The future of Europe depended on Britain. A self-confident Herman Goring thought that it would be only a matter of weeks before his planes had forced Britain to surrender. The courage, resourcefulness and brilliant organisation of the RAF were to prove him wrong. By late September 1940, the RAF had proved invincible, thanks to the Vickers Supermarine Spitfire. It exceeded anything that any other air force possessed. RJ Mitchell, a shy and almost painfully modest engineer, was the genius behind the Spitfire. On the 5th March 1936, following its successful maiden flight, a legend was born. Prize-winning historian Leo McKinstry's vivid history of the Spitfire brings together a rich cast of characters and first hand testimonies. It is a tale full of drama and heroism, of glory and tragedy, with the main protagonist the remarkable plane that played a crucial role in saving Britain.

Author : Dilip Sarkar
Publisher : Amberley Publishing Limited
Page : 362 pages
File Size : 42,9 Mb
Release : 2011-07-15
Category : History
ISBN : 9781445609393

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Spitfire Ace of Aces by Dilip Sarkar Pdf

The biography of the RAF's top fighter pilot, Johnnie Johnson, who shot down more enemy aircraft than any other pilot during the Second World War.

Author : S Block
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
Page : 80 pages
File Size : 49,9 Mb
Release : 2018-05-15
Category : Fiction
ISBN : 9781499861600

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Keep the Home Fires Burning by S Block Pdf

In Britain's darkest hour, an extraordinary community of women strives to protect the Home Front. When a plane crashes in the village, every one of their lives will change forever . . . PART ONE in a FOUR-PART ebook serial from the creator of ITV's smash hit series, Home Fires. Perfect for fans of Call the Midwife, Granchester and Foyles War. If you adore the novels of Nadine Dorries, Diney Costello and Daisy Styles then this is an unmissable series for you. 1940, Great Paxford, Cheshire. In Britain's darkest hour, an extraordinary community of women strive to protect the Home Front. When a spitfire crashes in their village, every one of their lives will change forever . . . Frances Barden thought the day her husband died would be her darkest day, but as her factory is shut down and her husband's secret child arrives at her door, she learns her greatest challenge is only just beginning. Pat Simms received a respite when her abusive husband went to war, but now he's home Pat doesn't know who to turn to . . . Newlyweds Teresa and Nick should be happy, but the plane crash on their wedding day may just be the start of their troubles. Meanwhile, the life of the Campbell family will never be the same following a terrible tragedy. Through it all the Women's Institute provides support and camaraderie. But is their combined strength enough to get them through the war? Enjoy one ebook episode a month starting in July or own the complete novel in ebook in October or paperback in January. Don't miss the next instalment in this compelling series. Keep the Home Fires Burning - Part 2: A Woman's Work . . . is out now! Search 978178576357

Author : Dilip Sarkar
Publisher : Amberley Publishing Limited
Page : 290 pages
File Size : 41,7 Mb
Release : 2010-02-15
Category : History
ISBN : 9781445607955

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Spitfire Manual 1940 by Dilip Sarkar Pdf

How to fly the legendary Spitfire fighter plane in combat using the manuals and instructions (pilot notes) supplied by the RAF during the Second World War.

Author : S Block
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
Page : 80 pages
File Size : 48,6 Mb
Release : 2018-05-15
Category : Fiction
ISBN : 9781499861631

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Keep the Home Fires Burning by S Block Pdf

In Britain's darkest hour, an extraordinary community of women strives to protect the Home Front. When a plane crashes in the village, every one of their lives will change forever . . . PART FOUR in a brand new FOUR-PART serial from the creator of ITV's smash hit series, Home Fires. Can they prevail . . . While their men are at war the women of Great Paxford have fought hard to keep the home fires burning, but a new arrival threatens everything . . . Pat Simms has a secret she needs to keep, but the close scrutiny of her husband is near impossible to escape. Frances Barden has overcome every challenge these troubled times have thrown at her, but a new threat, one very close to home, has arisen. Steph Farrow made a vow, she promised to protect her farm and family while her husband was at war, but she never imagined this . . . Meanwhile, Teresa faces a tragedy she's powerless to stop. Even during the hardest times the women of the WI have prevailed, finding new love, happiness and purpose, but can they survive the enemy at their door? Don't miss any part of the story. Keep the Home Fires Burning - Part One: Spitfire Down! is available now. Search 9781785763588. The story's not over. An all-new novel is coming in 2018! To pre-order your copy now search 9781785764295. Perfect for fans of Call the Midwife, Granchester and Foyles War. If you adore the novels of Nadine Dorries, Diney Costello and Daisy Styles then this is an unmissable series for you.

Author : James P. Busha
Publisher : Quarto Publishing Group USA
Page : 259 pages
File Size : 49,5 Mb
Release : 2015-09-25
Category : History
ISBN : 9781627887793

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Wings of War by James P. Busha Pdf

Experience the exciting combat tales of both Allied and Axis pilots around the world during World War II.Wings of War encompasses the World War II air war from late 1939 through 1945 and provides a chronological snapshot not only of famous and significant events from the global air war, but also of other lesser-known events that are equally thrilling and important. Over three dozen different Allied and Axis airplanes are featured, giving you a unique experience at the controls of a variety of World War II’s famed fighters, bombers, liaison, and jet airplanes.Here are just a few of the stories included about World War II aces from author Jim Busha’s vast archival research and interviews: ·A pilot that flew a P-36 against the Japanese at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, while still in his Sunday pajamas. ·A B-25 pilot who launched off the USS Hornet along with his fellow Doolittle Raiders. ·P-40 pilots who flew against Rommel and his Afrika Korps. ·A PBY pilot helped locate and recover a downed Zero over the Aleutians, which was later used as a test bed to learn its deadly tricks. The action is truly global—from the skies over England, Greenland, mainland Europe, the African deserts, the CBI Theater, the entire Pacific Theater (including the Aleutians, Russia, Japan, and China), and many more—this is one book no fan of warbirds will want to miss!

Author : Bruce Robertson
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 226 pages
File Size : 50,7 Mb
Release : 1960
Category : Spitfire (Fighter plane)
ISBN : UOM:39015000461742

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Spitfire--the Story of a Famous Fighter by Bruce Robertson Pdf

Author : Dilip Sarkar
Publisher : Frontline Books
Page : 218 pages
File Size : 54,8 Mb
Release : 2023-12-30
Category : History
ISBN : 9781399062367

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Faces of HMS Royal Oak by Dilip Sarkar Pdf

On 14 October each year, a White Ensign is placed on the stern of an upturned warship by Royal Navy divers. This act commemorates the 835 men of HMS Royal Oak who died in 1939 when the battleship was sunk at anchor in Scapa Flow by the German U-boat U-47. The sinking of the veteran First World War Revenge-class Royal Oak shocked not only the Admiralty, but the whole nation. Though Scapa Flow was far from being impregnable as a base for the Royal Navy’s Home Fleet, it was surrounded by a ring of islands separated by shallow channels subject to fast-racing tides. While it was recognized that it was not impervious to enemy submarines, measures had been put in place to minimize any such threat. Blockships had been sunk at potentially vulnerable points and anti-submarine booms deployed across the wider channels. The outbreak of war in September 1939 saw additional anti-submarine measures put in hand. Despite these increased precautions, German aerial reconnaissance had spotted weaknesses which were exploited on the night of 13/14 October 1939, by Kapitänleutnant Günther Prien in U-47. The German submarine was able to slip into Scapa Flow undetected and fire three torpedoes towards Royal Oak. Only one torpedo found its mark. A second salvo was fired and this time all three hit the battleship, igniting a magazine causing massive damage. Within thirteen minutes, HMS Royal Oak had turned over and sank. In Faces of HMS Royal Oak, Dilip Sarkar not only reveals the tragic and moving stories of many of those who died, but also some of the 399 who survived the sinking of the first Royal Navy battleship lost in the Second World War. Through their photographs, and in some cases words, the horrors of those fateful few minutes as Royal Oak rolled and slid into the cold, dark waters of Scapa Flow, are relived in startling clarity.

Author : Andy Brockman,Tracy Spaight
Publisher : The History Press
Page : 450 pages
File Size : 45,5 Mb
Release : 2020-06-01
Category : History
ISBN : 9780750995375

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The Buried Spitfires of Burma by Andy Brockman,Tracy Spaight Pdf

Rumours of buried Spitfires from the Second World War have spread around the world for seventy-five years. In April 2012, the press reported that the UK had negotiated an agreement with Myanmar for the recovery of twenty crated Spitfires, reportedly buried after WW2. Astonishingly the agreement came about through the single-minded determination of a farmer, David Cundall. Armed with a high-tech survey showing mysterious shapes under the surface of Yangon International Airport, David's expedition is equipped with JCB excavators. But instead of Spitfires, the team unearths a tale of fake history. The Buried Spitfires of Burma explores what happened next as David Cundall's dream unravelled over the course of a historical 'whodunnit' that spans seven decades and three continents. It follows one of the most bizarre stories since the sensational Hitler Diaries hoax.

Author : Dilip Sarkar
Publisher : Air World
Page : 243 pages
File Size : 42,7 Mb
Release : 2024-07-04
Category : History
ISBN : 9781399057936

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Battle of Britain Attack of the Eagles by Dilip Sarkar Pdf

In this unprecedented series exploring the big story of the Battle of Britain, renowned historian Dilip Sarkar investigates the wider context and intimate details of the epic aerial conflict in the summer of 1940 from all sides. In so doing, he gives due acknowledgement to the roles of Bomber and Coastal Commands in addition to the fabled Few of Fighter Command. This unique narrative draws upon a lifetime of research, the author having enjoyed a long relationship with survivors and the relatives of casualties; his innumerable interviews and first-hand accounts collated, in addition to privileged access to personal papers, providing essential human interest to this inspirational story. In this the third volume, Battle of Britain: Attack of the Eagles, Dilip continues to examine the fighting on a day-by-day, combat-by-combat basis between 13 and 18 August 1940. This period began on ‘Eagle Day’ and the start of the Luftwaffe’s ‘Eagle Attack’ on Fighter Command. This period of intense fighting saw the defeat of the much-vaunted Stuka dive-bomber and the great attack on north-east England on 15 August 1940. It was during the aerial combats the following day that Flight Lieutenant James Brindley Nicolson’s Victoria Cross winning action took place over Southampton. All of these actions, and many others, are critically analyzed. Through diligent research, combined with crucial official primary sources and personal papers, Dilip unravels many myths, often challenging the accepted narrative. This is not simply another dull record of combat losses and claims – far from it. Drawing upon unique first-hand accounts from a wide-range of combatants and eyewitnesses, along with Daily Home Intelligence Reports and numerous other primary sources, this book forms part of what is likely to be the first and last such comprehensively woven account of this epic air battle.

Author : Keith M. Costain
Publisher : FriesenPress
Page : 468 pages
File Size : 52,7 Mb
Release : 2014-03-19
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 9781460226841

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The Opera Singer by Keith M. Costain Pdf

The book is a fictional memoir of a child's life on the Isle-of-Man during the Second World War and focuses on the child's relationship with a German/Jewish opera singer interned in Ramsey, the child's home town.

Author : Joseph A. White, II,Joseph Addison White
Publisher : Trafford Publishing
Page : 626 pages
File Size : 45,8 Mb
Release : 2007-09-10
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 9781412016698

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Letters to Libby by Joseph A. White, II,Joseph Addison White Pdf

Letters to Libby/ Part Two is part two of a three part series. The books are comprised of edited letters written by Joseph A. White II to his wife (Elizabeth T. White ["Libby"]) during World War Two. The letters in Part Two chronicle a tale beginning in Goubrine, Tunisia (August 12, 1943), and ending in Caserta, Italy (June 4, 1944). The misery of separation from the woman he loves and the vicissitudes of Army-Air Corps life are themes well explored in Letters to Libby/ Part Two.