The first aerial warfare took place in 1911, but since then the weapons, techniques and outcome of warfighting in the air have changed immensely. Air Combat is a comprehensive history of airborne warfare, from the first pre-WWI skirmishes in converted reconnaissance aircraft to present-day operations in the Middle East and Asia.The very first fighters and bombers were simple flying machines from which the pilot or navigator would aim a gun or ‘dumb’ bomb visually, leaning o...

The man who turned the dream of human flight into a reality, in terms of creating a fully realized airship capable of carrying a worthwhile payload in safety, was a retired German army officer, Ferdinand von Zeppelin, whose name remains synonymous with airship travel. Overcoming financial failure, his ambition and resourcefulness secured the necessary public support, and ultimately led to the realisation of his dreams.The Zeppelin details the unique story of an invention th...

The war fought between the United Kingdom and Argentina in 1982, for the possession of the Falkland Islands, was probably the last 'colonial' war that will ever be undertaken by the British.This book shows how the key to British success was the speed with which the British gained and then maintained air superiority over the islands and the waters around then with their small force of Sea Harrier STOVL warplanes, which operated from two aircraft carriers. Though sub...

The war fought between the United Kingdom and Argentina in 1982, for the possession of the Falkland Islands, was probably the last 'colonial' war that will ever be undertaken by the British.This book shows how the key to British success was the speed with which the British gained and then maintained air superiority over the islands and the waters around then with their small force of Sea Harrier STOVL warplanes, which operated from two aircraft carriers. Though sub...

Featuring illustrations throughout, a detailed exploration of the unlikely aces among the Austro-Hungarians.Starting the war with only 35 aircraft, Austro-Hungarian industry went on to produce only moderate numbers of poor quality aircraft. The fliers of the Austro-Hungarian Empire operating on the Serbian and Russian fronts were fortunate at first, finding themselves faced by small numbers of aircraft yet more obsolescent than their own. Serbia fell in 1915, but w...

HMS Glamorgan was in the thick of the fighting throughout the war. Her role for most of the time was that of an expendable escort and she became the only ship to survive an Exocet hit. Incorporating vivid firsthand accounts and illustrated with photographs, the book also portrays the daily life of an escort under wartime conditions and describes only too clearly the tension, fear, storm, cold, disaster and sorrow which were so close at hand.New light is shed on the Belgrano affair ...

An "interesting and highly informative personal memoir . . . a much-needed addition to the body of work covering the air war over the Falklands."— IPMS/USADuring the Falklands War, Jerry Pook, a pilot in No. 1(F) Squadron RAF, flew air interdiction, armed reccon, close-air-support and airfield attack as well as pure photo-reccon missions. Most weapons were delivered from extreme low-level attacks because of the lack of navigation aids and in the absence of...

‘Boldly planned, bravely executed and brilliantly accomplished’ was Margaret Thatcher’s assessment of the Falklands campaign. But what did the war mean to the men in the trenches and below decks?This gripping first-hand account of the Falklands War, written by bestselling military historian Patrick Bishop and Sunday Times Editor John Witherow, reveals the true experiences of the British soldiers and seamen on the front line. The authors, then rookie reporters, lived alongside the f...

THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING MEMOIR OF 21ST-CENTURY AIR COMBAT, BY "ONE OF THE MOST DECORATED PILOTS IN AIR FORCE HISTORY" (NEW YORK POST)151 combat missions21 hard kills on surface -to -air missile sites4 Distinguished Flying Crosses with Valor1 Purple HeartFirst into a war zone, flying behind enemy lines to purposely draw fire, the wild weasels are elite fighter squadrons with the most dangerous job in the A...

The SBS was first into battle a month before the SAS in the Falklands War and again in the Gulf War, yet hitherto it is the SAS that has had by far the higher profile. The SBS draws its manpower solely from the Marine Commando Units, and the Royal Marines are the oldest and most battle-honoured regiment in the world. FIRST INTO ACTION is the first Special Boat Services memoir written from the inside. It tells how Duncan Falconer trained with the Royal Marines in Deal before being recruited...

An in-depth look at some of the 20th century's notoriously terrible aircraft.Many aircraft, some famous and some rare, gained a reputation for being difficult to fly and sometimes downright dangerous. This book looks at some of the worst culprits over a period spanning World War I to the age of supersonic flight. The following aircraft are included . . .B.E.2: The Royal Flying Corps went to war in it in 1914. The B.E. was easy to fly and very stable—but it wa...

Winner of the 2012 Colby Award and the first Afghanistan memoir ever to be written by a Marine Harrier pilot, A Nightmare’s Prayer portrays the realities of war in the twenty-first century, taking a unique and powerful perspective on combat in Afghanistan as told by a former enlisted man turned officer. Lt. Col. Michael “Zak” Franzak was an AV-8B Marine Corps Harrier pilot who served as executive officer of VMA-513, “The Flying Nightmares,” while deployed in Afgha...