Luftwaffe Test Pilot (132 results)

Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. While above him a British night raid is torn to shreds by some of the Luftwaffe's 'wunderwaffen', Max is airdropped into Poland and taken in by local resistance. His mission: infiltrate the nearby German base posing as a replacement pilot, locate Hanna Reitsch . and kill her! Hanna, his childhood friend, who wears the same bear tooth pendant he does. Hanna, who's a legendary figure of the 3rd Reich and an exceptional test pilot. Max is airdropped into Poland and taken in by local resistance. His mission: locate his childhood friend and legendary figure of the 3rd Reich Hanna Reitsch . and kill her. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. X PLANES OF THE THIRD REICH SERIES An Illustrated Series on Germany's Experimental Aircraft of World War II Three Horten Ho 9s were constructed prior to war's end: the V1 sailplane, the twin 004B powered prototype V2, and the serial production prototype V3 by Gotha-Friedrichsroda. The V1 was destroyed at the U.S. Luftwaffe Aircraft Collection Center-Merseburg. The V2 crashed at Oranienburg killing its test pilot Erwin Ziller. The V3 was captured and taken by General George McDonald's Army Air Force Intelligence unit to the U.S. Luftwaffe Aircraft Collection Center. The Ho 229 V3 was eventually shipped to Freeman Field, Ohio about September 1945, and is now in storage at the National Air and Space Museum, Silver Hill, Maryland awaiting restoration. Myhra has taken 150 photos of the Ho 9 from his collection, along with several dozen digital images, and has put together a unique Ho 9 photo collection. 150 b/w photographs Three Horten Ho 9s were constructed prior to wars end: the V1 sailplane, the twin 004B powered prototype V2, and the serial production prototype V3 by Gotha-Friedrichsroda. Myhra has taken 150 photos of these Ho 9 versions from his collection, along with several dozen digital images, and has put together a unique Ho 9 photo collection. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Hardcover. Condition: New. Dust Jacket Condition: New. A clean crisp well preserved 2016 Casemate Publishing hardcover in a fine tight binding. Little to no shelf wear. Text is bright and free of marks or underlining. Fast shipping in a secure book box mailer with tracking. In this engaging book we see how an 18-year-old miner shoveling ore from deep in the ground in Utah suddenly found himself, only two years later, 30,000 feet in the air over Nazi Germany, piloting a Flying Fortress in the first wave of America's air counteroffensive in Europe. Like thousands of other young Americans, Ray Brim was plucked by the U.S. Army to be a combat flyer, and was quickly pitted against the hardened veterans of the Luftwaffe. Brim turned out to have a natural knack for flying, however, and was assigned to the select squadron developing lead Pathfinder techniques, while experimenting with radar. He was among the first to test the teeth of the Luftwaffe's defenses, and once those techniques had been honed, thousands of other bomber crews would follow into the maelstrom, from which 80,000 never returned. This work gives us vivid insights into the genesis of the American air campaign, told with the humor, attention to detail and humility that captures the heart and soul of our "Greatest Generation." Brim was one of the first Pathfinder pilots to fly both day and night missions leading bomb groups of 600-plus bombers to their targets. At the onset of his missions in the spring of 1943, B-17 crews were given a 50-50 chance of returning. Each of his raids were nerve-wracking forays into the unknown; with struggles to survive the damage to his plane due to flak and German fighter attacks, in order to bring his 10-man crew home, often wounded but still alive.

Soft cover. Condition: Near Fine. Wraps (PB) in near fine condition. The Sky My Kingdom is the fascinating autobiography of the famous World War II test pilot Hanna Reitsch. As the war progressed, Reitsch was invited to fly many of Germany?s latest?and increasingly desperate?designs, including the rocket-propelled Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet and several larger bombers, on which she tested various mechanisms for cutting barrage balloon cables. After crashing on her fifth Me 163 flight, she was badly injured but insisted on writing her report before falling unconscious and spending five months in the hospital. Eventually, she became Adolf Hitler?s favorite pilot. Reitsch was one of only two women awarded the Iron Cross First Class during World War II, and the only woman awarded the Luftwaffe Combined Pilot and Observer Badge with Diamonds. She survived many accidents and was badly injured several times. 226 pages with index.

Softcover. Condition: Fine. Ballantine Books Illustrated History of the Violent Century (Ballantine Books) Condor Legion (EX)Manufacturer: Ballantine BooksProduct Line: Illustrated History of the Violent Century (Ballantine Books)Type: SoftcoverCode: BAL23572-XCopyright Date: 1973Author: Peter ElstobPage Count: 160Please review the condition and any condition notes for the exact condition of this item. All pictures are stock photos. The condition of the item you will receive is EX. Our grading system is explained in the terms of sale section of our bookseller page. Please feel free to contact us with any questions. Product Description:Goring saw the chance to test his fledgling Luftwaffe, and 700 carefully chosen pilots flew for France in the Spanish Civil War. In Spain the rehearsed the bombing of towns, proved the dive bomber, developed the tactic of close support for ground troops. Their experience was vital to Germany's early successes in the Second World War.

Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. The story of Hanna Reitsch, ardent Nazi, Hitler fanatic and extreme test pilot. Hanna Reitsch longed to fly. Having broken records and earned the respect of the Nazi regime, she became the first female Luftwaffe test pilot, and eventually became Hitler's personal heroine. An ardent Nazi, Reitsch was prepared to die for the cause, first as a test pilot for the dangerous V1 flying bombs and later by volunteering for a suggested Nazi 'kamikaze' squadron. After her capture she complained bitterly of not being able to die with her leader, but went on to have a celebrated flying career post-war. She died at the age of 67, creating a new mystery did Reitsch kill herself using the cyanide pill Hitler had given her over thirty years earlier? This book reveals new facts about the mysterious Reitsch and cuts through the many myths that have surrounded her life and death, bringing this fascinating woman back to life for the twenty-first century. AUTHOR: Sophie Jackson has worked as a freelance writer specialising in historical subjects. She is widely published in magazines across the UK and US, including the Daily Mirror, Antiques Info Magazine, Your Family Tree, Your Family History and Family History Monthly. She is the author of Churchill's Unexpected Guests, Churchill's White Rabbit and SOE's Balls of Steel, among many others. 32 b/w illustrations The story of Hanna Reitsch, ardent Nazi, Hitler fanatic and extreme test pilot Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. 1st Edition. xiv + 149 pp., map, b/w photos, appendices, notes, bib., index. The Fantastic Flights of Hanna Reitsch. Biography of this famous woman aviator, test pilot for the Luftwaffe and winner of the Iron Cross. Hard cover book & d/w both in v.g. cond. Not price-clipped.

Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. BERLIN ABLAZE, '45 takes the reader on a unique journey into the past, revealing long-buried facts about World War II events and persons in Northern Italy and Berlin, Germany, long cloaked in noir mystery. Most ignored or unknown, the historical war fiction of author Don DeNevi brings the truths together in 21 suspenseful stunning chapters clearly and comprehensively written. Vivid details and absorbing minutiae of personality miens and milieu settings allow the reader-participant to vicariously experience Peter's hopes for ultimate survival in the topography of terror, dreams of his Aliandra, dangers of being guillotined, and personal demands on himself for triumphant duty. Although integral and intrinsic for the storyline, fiction is subsequent to facts in time, order, or place, i.e., the pure perfidy of Himmler's Gestapo, Heydrich's SS; the super secret Wehrmacht-Luftwaffe Underground Communications Center at Dozzano, Italy; meeting test pilot Hanna Reitsch, Generaloberst Hans Guderian; SS extermination camp experimenter, Doctor Joseph Mengele; arrest by Secret Police Ernst Kaltenbrunner; visiting Hitler's secret Wolf's Lair in Poland, the Wolfsschanze; traveling to Berlin in Hitler's private train and coach, the Fuhrerwagen; racing through Berlin while bombed and ablaze.Don DeNevi is the author of more than 60 nonfiction books before pivoting to historical fiction due to his much appreciated research status at the Huntington Library in San Marino-Pasadena, California. Currently, he has three fictional sagas in play, 10 volumes of "Shep, the Story Of A Hero Dog and the Nine Texas Rangers Who Saved Him"; 5 volumes of the Lieutenant Peter Toscanini, USN, Medical, Special Assignments, Nocturne Series, and, Volume 1, "Shelter Cove", and 4 future volume on "The San Quentin Prison Tennis Team Reaches the US Open".Book 6, due this Fall or early Spring, 2023, is entitled, "Rome, Open City, Nocturne '45-46", focusing upon tracking Nazi war criminals, Mussolini Fascists, corrupt Italian city officials, while simultaneously at war with the New York and Palermo, Sicily, mafias in Rome. This item is printed on demand. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. The North American P-51 Mustang was one of the most successful and effective fighter aircraft of all time. It was initially produced in response to a 1940 RAF requirement for a fast, heavily-armed fighter able to operate effectively at altitudes in excess of 20,000ft. North America built the prototype in 117 days, and the aircraft, designated NA-73X, flew on 26 October 1940. The first of 320 production Mustang Is for the RAF flew on 1 May 1941, powered by a 1,100hp Allison V-1710-39 engine. RAF test pilots soon found that with this powerplant the aircraft did not perform well at high altitude, but that its low-level performance was excellent. It was when the Mustang airframe was married to a Packard-built Rolls-Royce Merlin engine that the aircraft's true excellence became apparent. Possessing a greater combat radius than any other Allied single-engine fighter, it became synonymous with the Allied victory in the air. During the last eighteen months of the war in Europe, escorting bomber formations, it hounded the Luftwaffe to destruction in the very heart of Germany. In the Pacific, operating from advance bases, it ranged over the Japanese Home Islands, joining carrier-borne fighters such as the Grumman Hellcat to bring the Allies massive air superiority. Yet the Mustang came about almost by accident, a product of the Royal Air Force's urgent need for new combat aircraft in the dark days of 1940, when Britain, fighting for survival, turned to the United States for help in the island nation's darkest hour. AUTHOR: Robert Jackson is the author of over eighty books on military, aviation, naval and scientific subjects. He was defence and science correspondent for a major British newspaper publishing group. Among the other books he has compiled for Pen & Sword are Bf-109 in the FlightCraft series and for TankCraft he has written extensively on the T-34, the Panzer I and II, the Centurion and Chieftain Main Battle Tanks as well as the Russian T54/55. 200 colour and b/w illustrations The North American P-51 Mustang was one of the most successful and effective fighter aircraft of all time. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Soft cover. Condition: Very Good -. B/W Photographs (illustrator). SUBTITLED : ` The Fabulous Fighting Planes of WW II '. 176 pages including Afterword. LEARN more about : General Adolf Galland, Heinkel design, Bethpage, Colt MG-40, Connie Converse, XF6F-3, Macchi 202, P-51 Mustang, Kiska and Attu. Cond ; paper wrapper is white with black lettering. Front cover (colour) photograph is of two planes on a low-level flight over the North Sea. Front cover toned or soiled. Edge wear. P/O name verso front cover. Tight in binding. Excellent reading copy. Quote (p. 83) : " These planes, known as Mustang X's, were all successfully flown in their variants, some achieving 450 mph and thousands of feet greater ceiling. The specified changes were sent in to ._._._. ." Size: 8vo.

Hardcover. Condition: Good. No Jacket. Missing dust jacket; Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 1.1.

Paperback. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. In 1941 the Germans developed a new fighter plane capable of taking control of the skies over England. an Audacious plan is approved by Churchill to snatch it right from the jaws of the Luftwaffe. The operation is to be undertaken by two men, a commando and the Spitfire's chief test pilot, united in a mission that could change the tide of the war. The author has dedicated and signed on the title page. Sellers Ref: O 6374. Signed by Author(s).

Hardcover. Condition: new. Hardcover. The incredible, untold story behind the rise of the P-51 Mustang, the World War II fighter plane that destroyed the Luftwaffe and made D-Day possible"Aviation buffs will cheer this high-flying saga."-Publishers Weekly . " A fascinating book about passion and innovation."-Walter Isaacson. "An essential book for those who appreciate tales of military bravery, and also for all seeking understanding of decision-making under pressure.A major contribution."-E. J. Dionne, Jr.When the P-51 Mustang began tearing across European skies in early 1944, the Allies had been losing the air war for years. Staggering numbers of bomber crews, both British and American, had been shot down and killed thanks to the Luftwaffe's superior fighter force. Not only did the air war appear grim, but any landing of troops in France was impossible while German fighters hunted overhead. But behind the scenes, a team of visionaries had begun to design a bold new type of airplane, one that could outrun and outmaneuver Germany's best.Wings of War is the incredible true story of the P-51 Mustang fighter and the unlikely crew of designers, engineers, test pilots, and army officers who brought it from the drafting table to the skies over World War II. This is hardly a straightforward tale of building an airplane-for years, the team was stymied by corruption within the defense industry and stonewalled by the Army Air Forces, who failed to understand the Mustang's potential. But when squadrons of Mustangs were finally unleashed over Hitler's empire, the Luftwaffe was decimated within months, clearing the skies for D-Day. A compelling, character-focused narrative replete with innovation, determination, and bravery, Wings of War is the never-before-told story of the airplane that truly changed the course of World War II. "The incredible, untold story behind the rise of the P-51 Mustang, the World War II fighter plane that destroyed the Luftwaffe and made D-Day possible"-- Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Hardcover. Condition: new. Hardcover. This is the true story of Tommy Hitchcock, a war hero, the worlds greatest polo player, businessman, husband of a Mellon, and F. Scott Fitzgeralds idol after whom he fashioned two of his most famous fictional characters.Born in 1900 to a wealthy Long Island family of fox hunters and polo players, he joined the French Lafayette Flying Corps at age 17 when the U.S. Air Force said he was too young for combat flying in World War I. He shot down two German planes before being shot down himself. At age 18, he was captured and was put on a German prisoner train from which he leapt to freedom and then snuck across enemy lines for 50 miles to safety in Switzerland. He returned home a hero, played polo at Harvard, and began his legendary career as a 10 goal player for almost 15 years, a feat never equaled in the U.S. He led American teams in international tournaments all over the world and played with some of the greatest players in the game, including his friends Winston Guest, Averill Harriman, and John Hay Whitney. He married Margaret Mellon, the beautiful daughter of William Larimer Mellon who was Chairman of Gulf Oil and a member of the Pittsburgh banking family, with whom he had four children.F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald knew the Hitchcocks from living across the water from one another at Great Neck and Sands Point. Fitzgerald biographers have noted that he was in awe of Hitchcock, the wealthy WASP sportsman with the charmed life, and he modeled Tom Buchanan in The Great Gatsby after Tommy as well as the Tommy Barban character in Tender is the Night.Hitchcock became a partner in the Lehman Brothers brokerage firm on Wall Street and commuted to work from Sands Point in a seaplane. When World War II broke out, he lobbied to become a fighter pilot, but the Pentagon told him he was too old. He finagled his way into a role teaching pilots how to fly in England and he championed the B-51 Mustang airplane when the allies were losing the air war to Germanys Luftwaffe. Tragically, he died in a test flight in 1944 aboard a newly revamped Mustang while flying a nose dive over a field in rural England. His death was front page news all over the world. Jazz Age Hero intertwines the private lives of Tommy Hitchcock, an enormously wealthy socialite, and such notables as Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, Averell Harriman, Ambassador to England Gil Winant, FDR, and General Hap Arnold, commander of the U.S. Army Air Forces during WWII. Tommy also flew for the Lafayette Escadrille during the Great War, getti Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Fine. The autobiography of an outstanding female pilot who flight tested almost every type of German military aircraft in the Second World War including the rocket powered ones. She was also one of the very last to see Hitler in the Bunker just before he killed himself. The only woman to have been awarded the Iron Cross during the war. Not one to seek political power, all she wanted to do was fly. A remarkable aviatrix. Translated from German by Lawrence Wilson. Sturdy light blue boards with gilt wording on spine. A few minor dust spots to upper page edges. Dust jacket unmarked. First flyleaf stamp embossed. Book size: 145mm x 225mm 226 pages. 16 pages of monochrome plates.

Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. First published in 1994, this is an incisive analysis of a woman caught up in evil, a viscerally realistic novel about a Nazi test pilot loosely based on the life of Third Reich heroine Hanna Reitsch (1912-1979).Obsessed with flying since childhood, blonde, blue-eyed Frederika Kurtz defies her disapproving physician father and becomes a glider pilot, rising to chief test pilot for Hitler's air force.Boldly making her way in a man's world, Frederika, because of her gender, as well as her exceptional abilities, becomes something of a celebrity, and meets many of the leading figures in the Nazi party, including Hitler and Himmler. He is repelled by the Nazis' brutality, yet captivated by what she perceives as their idealistic commitment to Germany's regeneration. She tests a piloted version of the V-1 rocket and consorts with top Nazi officials, including a general who commits suicide after his tendered resignation is refused.Visiting the Russian front, Frederika witnesses civilian women stripped naked and gassed to death in an SS van. Realizing she has made a pact with the devil, she takes sick leave and becomes an ambulance worker in Germany. Her live-in lesbian love affair with a divorced neighbor ends when the woman, whose Communist father was killed in a Nazi prison camp, walks out, fearful of endangering Frederika.As the novel closes, Frederika, whisked away to Hitler's bunker, watches the Fuhrer and Eva Braun during their final, madness-filled days, then narrowly escapes. Frederika is accomplished, privileged, and committed to becoming a pilot, even if it means breaking the gender barrier of the Luftwaffe, but love forces her to face the fact that she has put her talents at the service of evil. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

First Edition. Very faint foxing on page edges; blue cloth slightly faded at lower edge of front board; otherwise a clean, tidy copy in tight binding. Dust jacket a bit shelf worn. Used - Very Good. VG hardback in VG dust jacket.

Hardcover. Condition: new. Hardcover. Polish fighter pilots received their baptism of fire over their own country in September 1939, when they were overwhelmed by the aerial might of Germany and the Soviet Union. Despite this, they claimed over 120 enemy aircraft destroyed. When the Polish Air Force was reborn in France, the same men fought against the same enemy, yet with more experience and with better understanding of their opponents' tactics though, as the author reveals, the aircraft they flew were, in most cases, quite different. Polish airmen also proved themselves during the Battle of Britain, when 145 men from Poland, the biggest non-British contingent in Fighter Command, fought for the survival one of the last bastions of democracy. With an impressive tally of 126 enemy aircraft destroyed over Poland, and a further fifty-one in France, these men, including combat pilots, flying instructors and test pilots, had to be trained to serve under the command of the RAF. They had to learn a new language that was crucial for them to be part of the Fighter Command organisation, and when they finally did, for every 100 men involved in fighting Goering's Luftwaffe in the air, up to twenty of them were Polish. During the Battle of Britain fighter pilots from Poland destroyed over 202 enemy aircraft with 303 Squadron becoming the most successful unit in the whole of Fighter Command. Ten Polish fighter squadrons were eventually formed and went on to fight alongside their British, Canadian, Australian, Belgian, or Dutch brothers in arms in the RAF's offensive over northern Europe that began in earnest in 1941. In so doing, the Polish fighter pilots achieved many successes against the enemy in the sky as well as on the ground, though, inevitably, at a cost. Polish Air Force Fighter Aircraft, 1940-1942 tells the story that the men and machines of the Polish squadrons underwent from the Battle of France to the Dieppe Raid. The latter was almost as disastrous in the air as it was on the ground though, from the Polish perspective, it confirmed the long-developed skills of their pilots. This book, however, is not just about the aircraft the Polish aircrew flew, it also reveals how these men lived and fought in the early years of the Second World War. AUTHOR: Peter Sikora is an aviation researcher, historian and writer who specialises in the history of the Polish Air Force between 1918 and 1946, with a particular interest in the achievements of the Polish airmen during Second World War. Peter has already had a number of books published in Poland, including Aces of the Polish Air Force, Battles of the Polish Air Force 1918-1945 and Polish Wings Over Ireland. He also writes historical articles for the leading Polish aviation magazines. 250 b/w illustrations An amazing collection of 250+ photographs which explore the aircraft flown by Polish fighter pilots between 1940 and 1942, some of which have not been published before. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. In this engaging book we see how an 18-year-old miner shoveling ore from deep in the ground in Utah suddenly found himself, only two years later, 30,000 feet in the air over Nazi Germany, piloting a Flying Fortress in the first wave of America's air counteroffensive in Europe. Like thousands of other young Americans, Ray Brim was plucked by the U.S. Army to be a combat flyer, and was quickly pitted against the hardened veterans of the Luftwaffe. Brim turned out to have a natural knack for flying, however, and was assigned to the select squadron developing lead Pathfinder techniques, while experimenting with radar. He was among the first to test the teeth of the Luftwaffe's defenses, and once those techniques had been honed, thousands of other bomber crews would follow into the maelstrom, from which 80,000 never returned. This work gives us vivid insights into the genesis of the American air campaign, told with the humor, attention to detail and humility that captures the heart and soul of our Greatest Generation. Brim was one of the first Pathfinder pilots to fly both day and night missions leading bomb groups of 600-plus bombers to their targets. At the onset of his missions in the spring of 1943, B-17 crews were given a 50-50 chance of returning. Each of his raids were nerve-wracking forays into the unknown; with struggles to survive the damage to his plane due to flak and German fighter attacks, in order to bring his 10-man crew home, often wounded but still alive. AUTHOR: Raymond E. Brim was born in 1922 in the mining town of Dividend, Utah where he grew up the son of the bookkeeper and the town's only nurse. He studied political science at the University of Utah but dropped out to enlist in the Army Air Corps. He trained as a fighter pilot; however was assigned to a B-17 bomber, 482nd Squadron, where he flew missions over Germany during 1943 and 1944. As a Pathfinder pilot Ray pioneered radar technology leading both day and night raids as far as Berlin. Currently retired and living in Salt Lake City, Ray, at age 93, still enjoys recalling his days as a WWII pilot and later Air Force career, from which he retired as a Colonel. A revealing look at how ordinary citizens were plucked from the hardscrabble 1930s and hurriedly turned into flyers--young men then pitted against each other in deadly machines miles above the ground in Europe. Ray Brim led the way for thousands of his compatriots in the type of "total war" in the skies that we will never see again . . . Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Hardcover. Condition: new. Hardcover. It was Tuesday, 17 October 1939. Britain had been at war with Germany for more than a month and for only the second time the Luftwaffe had dared to enter British airspace - and at last James 'Jim' Bazin's chance had come. After joining the RAF in 1935, Jim was an experienced pilot when war broke out and he was eager to test his skills against the enemy. This first combat was the start of a career which saw Wing Commander Bazin, as he was to become, being posted to France with 607 (County of Durham) Squadron. He fought there until the last days of the Battle of France. In the course of the campaign, Bazin had battled his way to becoming an ace. He was also shot down behind enemy lines, but successfully evaded capture to return to his squadron and resume the fight. There was no respite for Bazin as he was once again in the air defending Britain's skies in his trusty Hurricane as the Luftwaffe sort to destroy Fighter Command in the summer of 1940. With ten 'kills' to his name, Jim Bazin was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in October that year. But merely driving off the Luftwaffe was not enough for him. He was posted to Inverness where he served as a Controller in 14 Group's Operations Room, which gave him a taste for offensive operations. In time, Bazin volunteered to move to Bomber Command. He duly undertook a conversion course in 1943, eventually joining 49 Squadron as a Lancaster pilot to take the war to the very heart of the enemy. After commanding 49 Squadron, including taking part in Bomber Command's support of the D-Day landings, Bazin was promoted to Wing Commander, leading 9 Squadron on many attacks on special targets such as U-boat pens, viaducts, refineries and, most notably, operating with the famous Dambusters against Hitler's great battleship Tirpitz. Unrelenting in his efforts against the enemy, Jim Bazin was involved in operations against targets in Poland and Germany right up until the end of the war. This culminated in the last major RAF operation of the Second World War when, on 25 April 1945, Bomber Command attacked the Berghof, Hitler's Alpine retreat, and other targets in Berchtesgaden. Jim Bazin was awarded the DSO in September 1945 - rightful recognition for a man who had done so much to bring about the defeat of the enemy. AUTHOR: Michael and Fenella Bazin live in the north of the Isle of Man, close to where Fenella was born and raised. They met in England and married in Birmingham where they were living and working. Michael was born in 1941 in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. He spent many childhood weekends and holidays with his brother and cousins walking in the Border country with shepherds and rabbit-catchers. His love of classical music gradually focused on the early music movement, an interest also close to Fenella's heart. The artists of North-east England, aspects of military history, and participation in archaeological excavations are among his many interests. A graduate of the Royal Academy of Music, Fenella continues to perform as pianist and singer, is an author, broadcaster and a historian with a particular interest in the history of the Isle of Man and the Viking Age. Her doctorate on the island's music resulted in several books, as well as articles in journals and reference books published in Britain and North America. On retirement as Acting Director of the Centre for Manx Studies, the University of Liverpool, she continues her research and enjoys lecturing on cruise ships. 36 b/w illustrations The biography of an RAF pilot who flew both fighters and heavy bombers from the very first, to the very last days of the Second World War. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Hardcover. Condition: New. Illustrated. The Sky My Kingdom is the fascinating autobiography of the famous World War test pilot - Hanna Reitsch (March 29, 1912 - August 24, 1979).As the war progressed, Reitsch was invited to fly many of Germany's latest (and increasingly desperate) designs, including the rocket-propelled Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet, and several larger bombers on which she tested various mechanisms for cutting barrage balloon cables. After crashing on her fifth Me 163 flight, she was badly injured but insisted on writing her report before falling unconscious and spending five months in hospital. Eventually she became Adolf Hitler's favorite pilot. Reitsch was one of only two women awarded the Iron Cross First Class during World War II, and the only woman awarded the Luftwaffe Combined Pilot and Observer Badge with Diamonds. She survived many accidents and was badly injured several times.In the last days of the war Reitsch was asked to fly her companion, Colonel-General Robert Ritter von Greim, into Berlin to meet with Hitler. The city was already surrounded by Red Army troops who had made significant progress into the downtown area when they arrived on the 27th April, landing on a city street, and traveled to the Fhrerbunker. The aircraft she used was the justly famous Fieseler Storch already well known for the exploit that rescued Mussolini, only adding to the legend of both Reitsch and that aircraft. She is said to have overheard Hitler laying out plans for Nazi commanders to join together in mass suicide when it was obvious that the war was over. She also hoped to fly out propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels' six children, who had been staying in the bunker since April 22 with their parents, but neither Joseph nor Magda Goebbels would allow it. She escaped Berlin on 29th April by flying out through heavy Russian anti-aircraft fire.She was a devoted and idealistic Nazi, who adored Adolf Hitler and refused to believe the reports of concentration camps and torture. Not until much later would she say that she had been "disgusted" by what she witnessed in the Third Reich. She was held for 18 months by the American military after the war, she was interrogated and subsequently released.After the war German citizens were forbidden from flying, except, after a few years, in gliders. In 1952 Reitsch won third place in the world gliding championship in Spain (and was the only woman who competed). She continued to break records including the women's altitude record (6848 meters) and became German champion in 1955.Table of Contents1 The Child that Watched the Sky2 I Take to the Air3 From Gliding to Powered Flight4 Medical Student at Kiel University5 My First Flight in a Storm Cloud6 I Become a Gliding Instructor7 The Rhn Soaring Contests8 Stunt Flying for the Films9 Soaring in Brazil and the Argentine10 The German Institute for Glider Research11 Training Glider Pilots in Finland12 Pupil at a Civil Airways Training School13 Flying at Night14 Across Europe to Lisbon15 Test Gliding16 A Bird Soars over the Alps17 First Flights for the Luftwaffe18 Flying Indoors19 A Visit to the USA20 Adventures in Africa21 My Home22 Test Pilot in Wartime20 The Iron Cross20 I Crash in a Rocket Plane20 Conversations with Himmler20 With the Troops on the Russian Front20 I Fly the V120 The Last Journey to Berlin20 I Live to Fly AgainPostscript.

Hardcover. Condition: VG+. Dust Jacket Condition: VG+. Photos, Maps (illustrator). 1st. Military aviation historian Alfred Price asseses here the last year of combat operations for the Luftwaffe, beginning just before D-Day, in June 1944, to the surrender of Germany in May 1945. The all-conquering Luftwaffe of 1939 and the early '40s was by then operating almost entirely on the defensive, trying to halt Allied ground forces while also attempting to stem the destruction of towns and cities, infrastructure and industrial capacity from massed raids by RAF and US bombers. At the same time the Luftwaffe was introducing radical and innovative technology, including jet and rocket aircraft, effective night fighting radar and missile armament with even more sophisticated equipment under test or study. However, this was all too little, too late, but the Luftwaffe fought on till the end, hampered by shrinking territory, shortage of fuel, the loss of its skilled hard-core pilots and faced with overwhelming odds. An impressive account of the demise of what had been the world's most feared air force. First edition, published by Arms and Armour in 1991, 191 pages including three appendices. bibliography and index, 85 b/w photos centrally located, four maps, many tables. Blue hard covers with gilt spine titles VG+, internally NF, no inscriptions. Colour art DJ, front illustration by Jim Mitchell, two photos to rear, is VG+ and unclipped.

Hardcover. Condition: F/F/AS NEW. y 1st. Edn. 1st. Imp. HARDBACK SHIPPED FROM THE UK* Edition: 1st.* Imp: 1st.* Date of Publication: 2006* Publisher: Pen & Sword Books Ltd.* Binding and cover condition: Black cloth, gilt title to spine. No bumps or rubs, no visible faults. As new. FINE* Jacket condition: Colour photo-illustrated dust wrapper showing Harvey and Jim Heyworth. Now in protected jacket. NOT PRICE CLIPPED showing shelf price of £19.99. No visible faults, as new. FINE* Contents condition: PRIVATE COPY NOT EX-LIBRARY. Clean, crisp, tight and bright with no reading wear, no marks to text, no tanning or other visible faults. FINE.* Illustrations: Numerous b/w photos within text throughout.* Pages: 176 pp. text. xxvi pp. Appendices, biographies & index at rear.* Description: The story begins in 1940 when Harvey Heyworth was leading No. 79 Squadron RAF defending north-eastern England from Luftwaffe raids made by bombers based in Norway and Denmark and then later in the Battle of Britain when the unit moved south. During late 1940 and up to June 1941 Heyworth led his squadron in defence of Bristol and Swansea operating by night and day. By 1942 he had amassed 4,000 flying hours. Harvey then joined Rolls-Royce test flying early British jet aircraft including the famous Gloster-Whittle and test-bed Wellington bombers powered by the new jet engines. In 1944 Harvey's brother Jim also joined Rolls, having flown with No. 12 Squadron in Bomber Command. The story then unfolds into the development of the Trent turboprop and the Avon jet engines. Jim succeeded his brother as chief test pilot in 1958 and flew 82 different aircraft types. He recounts his experiences of piloting the Vulcan bomber, Lightning and the 'Flying Bedstead' VTOL test rig.* A FINE, AS NEW copy of the 1st./1st. with no visible faults. Now in protected dust jacket.* 2006-10-19. n.

Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine. 1st Edition.

First Edition. First Edition. large oblong quarto, purple boards in dust jacket. 200pp. Osprey, Britain was an island under siege. The march of the Nazi war machine had been unrelenting. France and Belgium had quickly fallen and now she stood alone to counter this gravest ever threat to her sovereignty in almost a thousand years of history. However, her fate would not be decided by armies of millions but by a unique band of fighter pilots. It was on their shoulders that Britain's only chances of survival rested. Today it seems almost unimaginable. Yet in the summer of 1940 it was all too real. Above the villages and cities, playing fields and market towns, the skies of southern England were the scene of countless dogfights as the fledgling Fighter Command duelled daily against the might of the Luftwaffe. It was an unforgiving test of combat, that measured men and machine ruthlessly. Lavishly illustrated with photographs, contemporary art and posters, and accompanied by numerous first-hand accounts, this is a volume that captures the reality and the romance of a defining chapter in British history. New. large oblong quarto, purple boards in dust jacket.

Soft cover. Condition: Fine. 3rd Printing. Signed by Rudi Optiz, Me-163 test pilot, on front cover. U.S. Air Force Museum program laid in.

Magazine. Condition: Good. Dennis Punnert and John Weal (illustrator). 28 cm, 80 pages. Illustrations (some color). Diagrams. Index. Cover has some wear and soiling. Air Enthusiast was a British, bi-monthly, aviation magazine, published by the Key Publishing group. Initially begun in 1974 as Air Enthusiast Quarterly, the magazine was conceived as a historical adjunct to Air International magazine. Air International was (and still is) involved with current aviation topics and the Quarterly concerned itself with historical matters. Each issue contained 80 pages; as a result certain articles were divided and each part appeared over a number of issues. Air Enthusiast was illustrated with colour and black-and-white photos, diagrams, profiles and three-view drawings. Earlier issues featured cutaway drawings, but these were dropped. The articles provided detail for varieties of aircraft and events. The magazine was published by three publishing companies and changed editors once, with William Green and Gordon Swanborough as joint editors for 16 years and Ken Ellis as the current sole editor of 16 years also. The magazine ceased publishing with issue #131, September/October 2007. Wing Commander N.J. Capper had a long career in aviation. He first flew solo in 1929 with the RAF and served with the service until 1934. He flew as an airline pilot with Hillman's and Imperial Airways before joining Scottish Aviation,returning to them after 5 years war service as a CFI at various EFTS's. He became Flight Manager and Chief Test Pilot of Scottish Aviation and in 1947, he flew the maiden flight of the Scottish Aviation Pioneer Mk1. This was the first wholly designed and built aircraft in Scotland to be accepted into RAF service. Christopher Shores lives in Dorset and is a prolific and much acclaimed writer on military aviation history, now working at the head of a formidable team of dedicated researchers, each an expert in their own right. Gordon Howson was a photographer, historian and hispanophile. The Howsons' home was destroyed in the blitz, which triggered a lifelong interest in military aircraft in the then 14-year- old Gerald, culminating in one of his later books, Aircraft of the Spanish Civil War (1990). He did his military service in Palestine during the tumultuous period at the end of the British mandate, leading to the creation of the state of Israel and the subsequent Arab-Israeli war. Gerald Howson had a lifelong interest in military aircraft. Gerald bought himself a camera and decided to try to carve out a career as a photojournalist. He devoted increasing amounts of time to researching conflict situations and crime, and writing history books, including Thief-Taker General: The Rise and Fall of Jonathan Wild (1970) and Arms for Spain: The Untold Story of the Spanish Civil War (1998). The latter argued a thesis, contested by some leftwing scholars, that the republicans had been cynically exploited by Soviet Russia, which made them pay for second-rate weapons with gold. This issue has articles on the de Havilland D.H. 108 and the D.H. Comet, the Boeing 307 Stratoliners, The Stirling, the RAF's first four-engined bomber, the Seversky single-seat fighters, the Prestwick Pioneer a STOL, the use of British warplanes during the Spanish Civil War, and a comprehensive account of the fighting in and over Iraq between the RAF and the Luftwaffe in 1941. Presumed First Edition, First printing of this issue.

Leatherette. Condition: Very good. Dust Jacket Condition: No dust jacket issued. First Printing [Stated]. 176 pages. Color front endpaper. Illustrations (some with color). Map. Bibliography. Index. Decorative front cover. This is one of The Epic of Flight series. Russell Miller (born c. 1938) is a British journalist and author of fifteen books, including biographies of Hugh Hefner, J. Paul Getty and L. Ron Hubbard. While under contract to The Sunday Times Magazine he won four press awards and was voted Writer of the Year by the Society of British Magazine Editors. His book Magnum: Fifty Years at the Front Line of History: The Story of the Legendary Photo Agency (1999) on Magnum Photos, was described by John Simpson as "the best book on photo-journalism I have ever read". His oral histories of D-Day, Nothing Less Than Victory (1993), and the SOE, Behind The Lines (2002) were widely acclaimed, both in Britain and in the United States. Consultant Von Hardesty is a curator at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. He has written widely on aerospace history. Consultant John Greenwood holds a Ph.D. from Kansas State University and has been a military historian with the U.S. Army and Air Force since 1970. Consultant Alexander Boyd was a former director of Defense Studies at the Royal Air Force Staff Collete and a lecturer in Russian History. He authored The Soviet Air Force since 1918. The editors of Time-Life Books have produced another exciting series: The Epic of Flight. The Soviet Air Forces were one of the air forces of the Soviet Union. The other was the Soviet Air Defence Forces. The Air Forces were formed from components of the Imperial Russian Air Service in 1917, and faced their greatest test during World War II. At the outbreak of World War II, the Soviet military was not yet at a level of readiness suitable for winning a war: Joseph Stalin had said in 1931 Soviet industry was "50 to 100 years behind" the Western powers. By the end of the war, Soviet annual aircraft production had risen sharply, reaching 40,241 in 1944. Some 157,261 machines were produced during the Great Patriotic War, 125,655 being of combat types. The principal VVS aircraft during World War II were the Ilyushin Il-2 Shturmovik armored ground attack monoplane and the series of AS Yakovlev OKB-115 designed single-engined fighters, beginning with the Yak-1 and its successors. The Il-2 became (at 36,183 built) the most produced military aircraft of all time, with the four main versions of Yak fighters (the Yak-1, 3, 7 and 9) being slightly more numerous, at a total of 36,716 among them. These two main types together accounted for about half the strength of the VVS for most of the Great Patriotic War. The Yak-1 was a modern 1940 design and had room for development, unlike the mature 1935-origin Messerschmitt Bf 109. The Yak-9 brought the VVS to parity with the Luftwaffe and eventually allowed it to gain the upper hand, until in 1944, many Luftwaffe pilots deliberately avoided combat with the last and best variant, the out-of-sequence numbered Yak-3. The other main VVS types were Lavochkin fighters (mainly the La-5), the Petlyakov Pe-2 twin engined attack-bombers, and a basic but functional and versatile medium bomber, the Ilyushin Il-4. The 31st Bomber Aviation Regiment, equipped with Pe-2s and commanded by Colonel Fyodor Ivanovich Dobysh, was one of the first Guards bomber units in the Air Forces - the 4th Guards Bomber Aviation Regiment. The title was conferred on the regiment for its actions on the Leningrad Front in November-December 1941 during defensive operations and the Soviet counterattack near Tikhvin. Lend-Lease aircraft from the U.S. and UK accounted for nearly 12% of total Soviet air power.

Postkart. Postkarte mit Aufdruck "Admit One" von Richard Truly mit schwarzem Stift signiert /// Richard Harrison ?Dick? Truly (* 12. November 1937 in Fayette, Mississippi, Vereinigte Staaten) ist ein ehemaliger US-amerikanischer Astronaut. Von 1989 bis 1992 war Truly der achte Leiter (Administrator) der US-Weltraumbehörde NASA. Nachdem Truly Schulen in Fayette und Meridian besuchte, erhielt er 1959 vom Georgia Institute of Technology einen Bachelor in Luftfahrttechnik. NASA-Tätigkeit 1965 war Truly als einer der ersten militärischen Astronauten der US-Luftwaffe für das MOL-Programm ausgewählt worden. Im August 1969, nach der Einstellung des MOL-Programms, wurde er Astronaut der NASA. Vorbereitung der Space-Shuttle-Flüge Truly war in den 1970er Jahren im Shuttle-Programm tätig. Er war Pilot (unter Kommandant Joe Engle) einer der beiden Mannschaften, die im Rahmen des ALT-Programms (Approach and Landing Tests) zwischen Februar und November 1977 das Verhalten der Raumfähren beim Landeanflug untersuchten. STS-1 Truly war Ersatzpilot für die erste Shuttle-Mission STS-1. Ersatz-Kommandant war Joe Engle. STS-2 Am 12. November 1981 startete Richard Truly als Pilot mit der Raumfähre Columbia (OV-102) zu seinem ersten Flug ins All. STS-2 war der erste Raumflug, bei dem ein bemanntes Raumfahrzeug wiederbenutzt wurde: die Raumfähre Columbia war bereits bei der Mission STS-1 zum Einsatz gekommen. Kommandant war erneut Joe Engle. STS-8 Am 30. August 1983 flog Truly als Kommandant des Space Shuttle Challenger (OV-99) seine zweite Mission ins All. Das war der erste Nachtstart und die erste Nachtlandung im Space- Shuttle-Programm. Administrative Aufgaben Truly hatte im Herbst 1983 die Raumfahrtbehörde verlassen und war Kommandant des Naval Space Command in Dahlgren (Virginia). Drei Wochen nach dem Challenger-Unglück kehrte er am 20. Februar 1986 zur NASA als ?Associate Administrator for Space Flight? zurück. Sein vorrangiges Ziel war die Überwachung der Rückkehr des Space Shuttle zum Flugbetrieb. Darüber hinaus war er auch für längerfristige Fragen zuständig, wie z. B. ob man die verlorene Challenger durch ein neues Space Shuttle ersetzen sollte oder die Rolle des Shuttles in der Zukunft. Obwohl die Ursache für das Challenger-Unglück innerhalb einiger Tage gefunden wurde, dauerte dessen Behebung um einiges länger. Das nächste Shuttle, die Discovery, konnte erst nach 31 Monaten am 29. September 1988 starten. Im Mai 1989 wurde Truly zum achten Leiter (Administrator) der NASA ernannt. Kurz vor Antritt dieses Amtes, das er bis Mai 1992 innehatte, schied er als Vize-Admiral aus der U.S. Navy aus. Nach der NASA Nach seiner Zeit bei der NASA wurde Truly zum Vizepräsidenten und Direktor des Georgia Tech Research Institute (ein Teil des Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta). Ab 1997 bis November 2004 war Truly Chef des National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado. /// Autogramm Autograph signiert signed signee /// Standort Wimregal PKis-Box4-U037 Sprache: Englisch Gewicht in Gramm: 10.

Octavo hardcover (VG+) in d/w (VG+); all our specials have minimal description to keep listing them viable. They are at least reading copies, complete and in reasonable condition, but usually secondhand; frequently they are superior examples. Ordering more than one book may reduce your overall postage costs.