The true story of the recovery of a World War II plane shot down in France—and the effort to restore this historic aircraft.Spitfire is the fascinating story of the recovery of a Battle of France Spitfire Mk 1 from the sands of Calais during the early 1980s—and its subsequent return to the United Kingdom for rebuild and restoration to flying condition.The full history of the airframe from the factory to loss, the airplane's operational history with...

An illustrated account of the challenge posed to RAF Fighter Command by the Luftwaffe's Fw 190, and the ways in which Spitfire crews adapted to this deadly new threat.The introduction of Focke-Wulf's Fw 190 to Luftwaffe service presented RAF Spitfire VB and VA pilots with a formidable new foe that could quite literally run rings around them. First encountered over France in September 1941, the Fw 190 – or 'Butcher Bird' – soon demonstrated its startling capabilitie...

Jane was a wartime phenomenon. A sensation. She was also an important feature in the morale of Britain's fighting forces around the world and to those left behind on the "Home Front". So important, in fact, that her fame extended to the House of Commons where one wartime MP referred to our troops as "Jane's fighting men!" Until now there has been no published study of Jane or the woman who inspired her. This book fills the gap with a publication which will have a wide appeal. In a producti...

"A well-documented photographic portrayal, detailing a plethora of aircraft shot down and salvaged in Great Britain during World War Two."—Stand Easy BlogAircraft Salvage in the Battle of Britain and the Blitz is comprised of 140-150 images of the work of RAF and civilian salvage squads during the Battle of Britain, the Blitz and beyond. The images depict losses across Britain, both RAF and German, during this period. Each picture tells its own story and i...

A fascinating look at German planes that wound up in British territory during World War II, with photos.During the Second World War, a great many Luftwaffe aircraft arrived in the United Kingdom or its coastal waters, but, as with the famous flight of Rudolf Hess, not all of them through "conventional" combat circumstances. Some got lost; others were brought by defectors; some were lured through electronic countermeasures by the RAF; and others were brought down in...

Embark on a captivating photographic journey beyond Earth, from the dawn of human space exploration, through the untold story of the Mercury and Gemini missions'Wickedly exciting' Tom Hanks'Experience the same incredible awe as we astronauts did on those very first voyages into space' Jim Lovell, Gemini 7 & 12, Apollo 8 & 13'An unprecedented trip back in time… a vibrant, new, living record' ...

From the bestselling author of Apollo Remastered, a collection of hundreds of newly-restored images and untold stories from the NASA archives that provide a never-before-seen perspective on the critical missions that paved the way for the Moon landing and today's NASA, Boeing, and Space X endeavors.Astronauts working on the earliest space missions, from Project Mercury to the Gemini missions of the mid-1960s, answered fundamental questions about the possib...

Luftwaffe Bombers in the Blitz will comprise of some 140-150 images of German bomber aircraft during the Blitz of 1940-1941. The images will cover the entirety of the Blitz and will also depict losses across Britain during this period. Each picture will tell its own story, and will be fully captioned with historical detail. Each section will have a short introduction and the images will include those of shot down aircraft, including relatively intact machines, badly damaged/destroyed wreck...

An illustrated account of the clashes between RAF Fighter Command's Hurricane and Spitfire and the Luftwaffe's Ju 87 Stuka in the skies over France, the Channel and southern England.The story of the Luftwaffe's Ju 87 Stuka and its use against British targets in 1940 has been clouded by the aircraft's – somewhat unfair – reputation as 'fighter fodder' for the RAF's Hurricanes, Spitfires and turret-armed Defiants. In actuality, it was a formidable weapon when employe...

**AN INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLERDiscover space as you've never seen it before, with these awe-inspiring, breathtakingly restored images of our first missions to the Moon**'The next best thing to being there' Charlie Duke, Apollo 16 astronaut'One of the best records of Apollo history ever produced' David R. Scott, Apollo 15 CommanderIn a frozen vault in Houston sits the original NASA photographic film of the Apol...

On 9 August 1941, one of the greatest icons of the Second World War, Douglas Bader, was shot down, captured and later incarcerated. But by whom, and how? Was it by one of his deadly German opponents, as Douglas Bader himself maintained, or was it by one of his own side? There has been much debate and controversy among historians and in 2003 the author of this book revealed for the first time that Bader may have been victim to friendly fire. That revelation was followed by interest in the n...

In September 1946, the London Gazette published a despatch from Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh C T Dowding that was titled simply: The Battle of Britain. Written and submitted to the Air Ministry in 1941, this document became the very framework for the accepted Battle of Britain narrative which has been established across the following eighty years. Set out by the leader of the 'Few' himself, its authoritative tone could surely be considered a definitive outline of the battle, how it was fough...