During the first decade of the 20th century, France led the way in aircraft design and achievements. After the outbreak of World War I, France produced trailblazing designs early – the Morane Saulnier monoplanes, Nieuport fighters, and then the Spads – clearly leading the way in terms of trends in aviation. Although the Fokker Eindeckers were the first 'point and shoot' aircraft, the Nieuport 11, while lacking interrupter gear, was the first maneuverable and cleanly designed fighter that featured ailerons and responsive controls on all axes. The Nieuports were so successful that Germany co-opted the sesquiplane with their Albatros line of fighters. The Spad VII was the first Allied fighter to employ an inline engine, and by extension influenced the design path of the S.E.5a and the Dolphin.French construction methodology was eclectic – the Nieuports were straightforward in their construction, as were the British, but the Spad was a labour-intensive yet rugged and finely built aircraft – requiring many different skill sets to produce. Moreover, Spads were built under license by many companies in France as well as in Britain. Finally, French engines were in demand for not only their own aircraft, but for much of the British aviation industry as well. This fully illustrated book complements the author’s titles on the German and French fighter aircraft.

The temperature was 40 degrees below zero when fighter planes screamed out of the clouds, puncturing the fuselage with a spray of machinegun fire and sending the bomber beside them into a death spin. This was followed by intense flak, as a hundred cannons on the ground tried to blow them out of the sky.When they finally made it back to the base, another enemy awaited them: homesickness, crushing boredom, relentless cold, and more mud than they could imagine. Bert Ibelle was a 19-year-old freshman at Dartmouth College when he enlisted in the Army Air Corps to fly dozens of bomber missions over Nazi-occupied Europe and win the Purple Heart. His buddy, Fran Brighenti, served as an infantry marksman on the opposite side of the globe, slogging through the steaming jungles of the Philippine and the fiery hell of Okinawa.Their wars couldn’t have been more different, nor could their approach to life. While the ever-exuberant Fran was a ladies man, Bert only had eyes for “Red,” the girl back home who was in love with another young man.This is their story—one that combines terror, humor, friendship, and a son’s search for his elusive father.

The week-long Allied bombing campaign against Hamburg in late July 1943 was not only hugely destructive but also had a significant impact on the German night fighter arm. From now on, the “boxes” of Kammhuber’s “Raumnachtjagd” would be the starting point from which fighters would be led into the bomber stream as early as possible, a tactic dubbed “Zahme Sau.” The night fighters had to quickly adopt new “freelance” procedures, and also found themselves increasingly engaged in daylight operations. These actions resulted in heavy losses—especially of experienced aces—which the Nachtjagd could ill afford and struggled to replace.The winter of 1943/44 saw a series of huge raids on Berlin. Although hard pressed, the Nachtjagd aces were still able to score some heavy tactical victories. Over a thousand RAF “Viermots” were shot down—more than double the expected losses—before the campaign was cut short. New night fighter aces emerged, often former transport and reconnaissance pilots, and the upward firing armament of the Bf 110s and Ju 88s could cut swathes through the “stream.” However, by mid-1944, as the Allies advanced, the night fighter aces were forced into new roles, including ground-strafing armor and troop concentrations, a role for which they were clearly unsuited. A small number of Me 262 jets were deployed in a new NJG 11, but exclusively committed against the rapid twin-engined Mosquitos of the RAF’s Light Night Striking Force. Heinkel He 219s were never available in significant numbers and prowling Mosquito intruders were an ever-present danger to Nachtjagd crews.While the surviving night fighter aces continued their defensive actions virtually every night, by March 1945 the Nachtjagd was in terminal decline. Of the 1,100 night fighter pilots and crew who claimed at least one victory, some 669 were lost, a casualty rate of around 74 percent.Fully illustrated and featuring newly translated personal accounts, this is a chronological account of the Luftwaffe night fighters in the second part of the war, covering major campaigns, the biographies of individual aces, and the details of their aircraft.

Visual Friendlies, Tally Target: Surges continues the story of the role of forward air controllers (JTACs) and Close Air Support (CAS), picking up in 2006 and continuing through 2013. This volume covers the evolution of Joint Fires through the colloquial "second phase" of the War on Terror—the "surges" of Iraq in 2007 and Afghanistan in 2010–2011. The narrative is supported by the individual accounts of US Air Force, Army, Marine close air support specialists, as well as UK, Canadian, Danish and German coalition forward air controllers. Vol. II recounts the evolution of air power during the rising counterinsurgencies, as well as the psychology and mental makeup of these exclusive tribes. Notable accounts include the recovery mission of EXTORTION17, the first withdrawal from Iraq, previously unreported missions against insurgent strongholds, and multiple instances where the situational awareness and decision-making of forward air controllers prevented civilian casualties and fratricide.The story carries with it a continuation of the strategic lessons learned from America’s longest war: where tactical successes and innovation failed to achieve a strategic outcome amidst ambiguous grand strategy, flawed policy and a failure to understand the new battlefields of the 21st century, as recounted by the men whose air power tribes went into the breach again and again. Volume II concludes as the "War on Terror" nominally ended in 2013, as the final phase of the post-9/11 wars transitioned to the "Train, Advise, and Assist" missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The fascinating and untold story of the 24 Eskadra of the Polish Air Force in September 1939. 24 Eskadra was the only unit during September 1939 which ended the Polish Campaign with the same number of aircraft as it started, despite heavy losses. The operations of the unit, its successes and losses, are described in detail in this book. Also this was the sole unit which used the most modern liaison aircraft in Poland, the LWS-3 Mewa. This new book is full of unpublished photos of the Karas, the major reconnaissance and attack aircraft in Polish service, and of the Mewa.

The “Battlin’ Bastards” of B Company, 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, fought daily against a numerically superior and well-trained enemy during their tours in Vietnam, 1968–71. Before the war, these men were brothers, sons, sweethearts, husbands, and fathers. Some were athletes, some musicians. Some were just out of high school, some in established careers. There is no monolithic “Battlin’ Bastard,” but when they joined the 101st Airborne Division—one of the most highly decorated divisions in the United States Army—in Vietnam, they united, fighting for each other, and fighting to return safely home.It was difficult to put their experiences behind them. As Bravo veteran, Terry Taylor, recalled, “I learned at the age of 18 that you don’t have to die to go to hell. Vietnam was hell on earth”. And yet despite the obstacles, many of these men built successful lives post-war. Decades after returning from the “Nam”, when the men were ready to cautiously revisit their experiences, the Bastards started stateside reunions.From these reunions came the wish to share their stories with the world, to honor, to educate, and to inspire. The result is this book, written from interviews and diligent archival research, in which the surviving “Battlin’ Bastards” tell their stories of combat in their own words, and honor those who “sacrificed for their country and their unit.”

In 1927, when aviator Charles A. Lindbergh flew his famous monoplane in a triumphant tour of the United States, the Spirit of St. Louis touched down in Wheeling, West Virginia, for his visit to the Linsly School. There, Lindbergh laid a wreath at the foot of the Aviator—a statue erected by Sallie Maxwell Bennett bearing the likeness of her son, Louis Bennett Jr., West Virginia's only First World War flying ace. Though largely unknown today, Bennett was an airpower innovator whose tragically short combat career would have an enduring impact on American flight and on war memorials both at home and abroad. In Balloon Ace: The Life of an Early Airpower Visionary, historian Charles Dusch reconstructs Louis Bennett Jr.'s lost legacy. Advocating for a national aviation reserve years before the writings of "Billy" Mitchell, Bennett created a state aerial militia in 1917, complete with supporting airbases and an airplane factory. When the US Army refused to accept his unit, a frustrated Bennett joined the Royal Air Force to fight on the Western Front, destroying nine German balloons and three aircraft in a matter of days before he himself was shot down. In the second act of Bennett's story, Dusch traces Sallie Bennett's quest to clandestinely recover her son's body. Posing as a journalist, Sallie traveled to Europe searching the cemeteries on the Western Front and later commissioned twelve memorials to Bennett, including a chapel in France, the RAF window in Westminster Abbey, and the Aviator at Linsly. Moved by the vast destruction of the continent, she would eventually cross political boundaries to bring much-needed publicity to other mothers' demands for the US government to repatriate their own fallen loved ones.

This new photo album is number 34 in the MMPBooks/Stratus "Camera On" series and vol. 1 features over 160 photographs of captured and destroyed Soviet aircraft from the Eastern Front in World War Two. Most of the photographs were taken in situ, during and after the Operation Barbarossa - the attempted Nazi invasion of Russia.

This new photo album is number 35 in the MMPBooks/Stratus "Camera On" series and vol. 2 features over 160 photographs of captured and destroyed Soviet aircraft from the Eastern Front in World War Two. Most of the photographs were taken in situ, during and after the Operation Barbarossa - the attempted Nazi invasion of Russia.

This book contains 80+ colour profiles of the Polish Air Force aircraft used in September 1939 against German invasion.

The Pacific Profiles series presents the most accurate WWII profiles of Allied and Japanese aircraft which served throughout Australia, the South Pacific and New Guinea theatres. This Volume 16 covers the B-17E and F series which served in these theatres from their first appearance in Australia in the early weeks of the Pacific War until the final commander’s Fortress was scrapped in late 1944. The Fortress served with a total of one provisional and eighteen USAAF bombardment squadrons whilst many, after being stripped down and modified, went on to serve as transports and commander’s aircraft. Most profiles are presented for the first time, alongside markings derivations, including unit heraldry, artwork and serial numbers. This volume corrects past errors and bridges a vast gap in Fortress markings throughout the Pacific including Thirteenth Air Force transports and an early squadron which served with the USN. Each profile is supported by photos and/or documentation, along with the brief history of each bomber. Wide-ranging reference material sources assignment data, wreck reports, squadron records, colour photography, maintenance logs, diaries, air base movement logs and markings specifications. The profiles are accompanied by brief unit histories and associated markings explanations.The author is world-renown for his expertise on the Pacific air war. Never before has the Pacific Fortress been illustrated with such breadth, accuracy and detail.

This volume presents the most detailed history and accurate profiles to date of the Douglas Boston light bomber (DB-7B and A-20 models) in RAAF Pacific service. Unusually just one unit, No. 22 Squadron, operated the type. From late 1942 until mid-1943 it flew daring low-level attack missions in New Guinea, before advancing to the Netherlands East Indies in 1944.This volume illustrates and explains the development of the type in RAAF service, and for the first time closely aligns its Japanese belligerents, in the air and on the ground and sea. It also explains combat and other losses contrasted against the unique operational environment. A wide range of primary source material has been drawn upon including official records, diaries, rare photos, captured documents and operational logs of relevant Japanese units.The author is world-renown for his expertise on the aerial war in the Pacific, while his passion for the Douglas light bomber stems from assisting with the 1984 salvage of an RAAF Boston from New Guinea.

On 10 May 1940, the Wehrmacht launched its assault on the West. One element of the West’s response was the dispatch of RAF Bomber Command ‘heavy’ bombers at night over German industrial centers. These raids had only limited effectiveness, but the inability of the Luftwaffe to chase down RAF bombers at night so annoyed Wolfgang Falck that it swiftly resulted in the creation of a credible night fighter force. Initial trials had been flown with Bf 110s at dusk in Denmark in April, and 1. Nachtjagd.Division was founded in the summer of 1940. Its first few months were chaotic, with constant reorganizations of units, and reassignment of aircraft, but soon enough the night fighter arm was achieving steady victories—and losing crews at a similarly steady rate.Despite the efforts of senior leadership, the Nachtjagd constantly struggled to secure sufficient personnel or aircraft, and would spend most of its life playing catch up—its radar systems regularly outdone by RAF Bomber Command’s jamming capabilities, though the development of Schräge Musik and Wilde Sau did give the Nachtjagd an edge. The first specialist Luftwaffe night fighter—the Heinkel He 219—would be trialled only in 1943.Fully illustrated, this is a full chronological account of the night fighter units for the first part of World War II, covering major campaigns, the biographies of individual aces, and the details of the technology developed for the Nachtjagd.

The inspiring life story of a young boy stricken with polio who, through sheer grit, the drive to achieve, and love of the military, overcomes childhood paralysis, takes up the physical challenges of an infantry career and joins the elite airborne forces. Bill Matz earns his Ranger Tab and Master Parachute Badge, and rises to the highest levels of achievement in the U.S. Army. He serves in the DMZ in Korea, leads troops in combat in Vietnam, is wounded in the Tet Offensive, receives the Distinguished Service Cross for Valor, and leads troops again during the Panama invasion—all while wearing a specially fitted combat boot and a foot orthotic device on his atrophied “polio leg.” Later duties include serving as Executive Secretary to the Secretary of Defense during the Reagan years.Retiring as a Major General in 1995 after numerous overseas deployments and an illustrious 30-year Army career, he works in the administrations of Presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump. Keeping veterans’ causes close to heart, he leads the fight on behalf of the wounded, disabled and their families as a member of the Veterans Disability Benefits Commission and as President of the National Association for Uniformed Services, and becomes the guardian of America’s war dead as Secretary of the American Battle Monuments Commission.A witness to or participant in many of the most defining moments of American history of the last sixty years, Bill Matz retired “for the fifth time” in 2021 and remains active as a recognized public speaker and proponent for veterans and the military. My Toughest Battle portrays the personal challenges and inner resources he relied on to meet the demands of service to his nation as an infantryman and paratrooper in times of peace and war, and candidly reveals how he was able to achieve his goals while battling the debilitating effects of polio.

Raised on a farm in Montana, Vernon Drake enlisted in the Army Air Corp in the spring of 1942. Assigned to the 493rd Bomb Squadron, 7th Bomb Group of the 10th Air Force stationed in India, he piloted B-24 bombers into Burma in a fight to prevent the Japanese from advancing north to China, then flew C-108 gas-hauling tankers across the formidable Himalayas to support the U.S. and Allied armies. This dangerous airlift saw tons of fuel and supplies flown daily over the tallest mountain range in the world, regardless of the weather.He and the other airmen—aged only eighteen to twenty-five—flew dangerous missions over unforgiving territory against a brutal enemy. To provide some personal identity in an impersonal war, aircrews often painted artwork and identifying names onto the nose of their aircraft. As a talented artist, Lt Drake would spend many off-duty hours painting aircraft at the request of their crews, becoming a significant contributor to the nose art of the 10th Air Force.Drake’s story, pieced together from his meticulous records, contrasts the hours spent creating works of art with the moments of sheer terror in combat over enemy targets and navigating through towering mountains engulfed in murderous storms while carrying thousands of gallons of highly explosive fuel.

The CAC Boomerang has a unique place in Australian aviation history, being the nation’s only home designed and produced fighter.The design was born in dark days at the start of the Pacific War when the RAAF possessed not a single modern fighter and the southwards onslaught of Japanese forces seemed unstoppable. The single seat Boomerang owed its origins to the Wirraway two seat general purpose aircraft produced by the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation in Melbourne. Because of existing Wirraway production, a Boomerang prototype flew less than six months after the design was conceived – a remarkable achievement.Lacking the performance of contemporaries such as America’s P-39 and P-40 and Japan’s Zero, the Boomerang’s subsequent history is chequered. It served with three RAAF home defence squadrons in the fighter interceptor role but had only fleeting, unsuccessful, contact with enemy aircraft. However, the Boomerang found its true niche as an army cooperation aircraft, and the type gave very useful service with Nos. 4 and 5 Squadrons in New Guinea and Bougainville.With hindsight the Boomerang provided an insurance policy if other fighters could not be obtained from the US and Britain. In that role it was successful, and its production maintained a skilled wartime workforce at the CAC factory.This is the first stand-alone history of the Boomerang. The author Don Williams examines this unique aircraft and its origins, service and the men that flew it.