Brian Rivas Libri

The mighty Short Stirling was the first four-engine heavy bomber to enter RAF service in the Second World War.

Of the RAF's trio of four-engined heavy bombers in World War 2, the mighty Short Stirling was the first to enter service in August 1940. From its first raid in February 1941, the Stirling was at the forefront of the British night bombing offensive against Germany before unacceptably high losses forced its relegation to second-line duties later in the war. In its modified form as the Mark IV, the Stirling fulfilled vital roles with the RAF as a paratroop transport and glider tug on D-Day, at Arnhem and on the Rhine crossing as well as flying countless Special Duties operations over Occupied Europe and Norway. Its last gasp was in 1948-49 when a handful of Mk Vs were acquired by the Royal Egyptian Air Force to bomb Israel in the First Arab–Israeli War. Containing numerous first-hand combat accounts from the crews that flew the bomber and detailed profile artwork, Short Stirling Units of World War 2 uncovers the history of one of the RAF's greatest World War 2 bombers.

RAF Bomber Command and its crews were probably unique in the history of warfare. This title lets you discover what it was like to fly with an RAF heavy bomber crew on a typical night raid over Germany. It also helps you learn about the different kinds of specialist flying kit.

What was life like as an RAF Battle of Britain pilot? What was it like to fly a fighter? Who were the men that flew Spitfires and Hurricanes? How did they spend a typical day? Which was the better machine - Spitfire or Messerschmitt? What unique challenges did a lone RAF pilot face at 30,000 feet? Read this book and then ask yourself: would I have been up to the job?

This book gives complete coverage of all the RAF airfields in World War 2 in Britain, including all the RAF Fighter, Bomber, Coastal, and Transport Command airfields and bases of the period. Each airfield is described with a short history, first-person accounts, and information on airfield buildings, illustrated with photographs and maps, making this book a complete and unique single-volume illustrated reference book covering all of the RAF's frontline airfields in the UK during World War 2. General chapters also cover airfield construction and organization, orders of battle for each command at notable points of the war, and a significant part of the book is its tabular listings of RAF frontline airfields, including full details of location and user squadrons/units. Present-day usage of the airfields and the buildings is also covered. Firsthand accounts by veterans of the four wartime commands add a layer of compelling personal testimony to the book.

'In the Footsteps of I.K. Brunel' presents the life and career of Brunel, with chapters on the whole range of his construction projects, together with contemporary and present day illustrations of his lasting legacies. An extensive gazetteer of places lists where his work can still be seen today. Recent developments in the story of Brunel's legacy are included such as the recently discovered Bishop's Bridge at Paddington, the proposal to make the Great Western Railway a UNESCO World Heritage site and the government listing of structures along the route. The book will be illustrated with a range of memorable photographs, many in colour together with historical illustrations.

The RAF's four-engine Halifax bomber flew on most of the main raids over Germany in the Second World War, as well as in operations from Italy, in North Africa and the Far East, and after the war on the Berlin Air Lift.

NEW IN PAPERBACK. Land Rovers have been used by the military since they were introduced, in Series I form, in 1948.

On 1 April 2018 the RAF celebrates its centenary, marking 100 years since its creation in 1918 out of the merger of the Royal Flying Corps and Royal Naval Air Service

Night after night for six years of war, RAF Bomber Commands squadrons pounded away at the cities of Nazi Germany in a determined effort to bring the Third Reich to its knees. Pitted against Bomber Harriss aircrews and aircraft were some of the most effective and deadly defenses the world had seen up until then. For Bomber Command to launch a maximum effort raid on the Ruhr by night, or a low-level strike on a target in enemy occupied Europe by day, it involved a huge amount of planning. Who decided what to bomb? Why, when and where were bomber airfields built? How was the overall command structure organized, from the Air Council down to individual squadron level? Who were the commanders and who were the men that made up the rank and file of the Command? How did the RAF train its bomber crews? What aircraft did they fly and what weapons did they use? How was a raid planned and once it was launched what happened? How was the effectiveness of a raid and bomber tactics analyzed afterwards? How did the RAF go about tracing the missing (47,000 men failed to return from operations)? How were damaged bombers repaired and made good again for operations? Useful appendices include a Bomber Command War Diary listing key events 1939-1945, squadrons and their commanders, an a-to-z of bomber airfields, and sample orders of battle from 1939, 1943 and 1945. Fully illustrated with some 300 photographs, the Bomber Command Operations Manual gives a compelling insight into the workings of one of the most powerful instruments of 20th century warfare