John 'Cat's-Eyes' Cunningham PDF Download

Author: John Golley
Publisher: Airlife Publishing
ISBN: 9781840373431
Category : Air pilots
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
John Cunninham's wartime fame as an outstanding night-fighter ace was followed by a long career in test flying during the exciting post-war period when the jet engine was developed to power both military and civil aircraft. As chief test pilot for the de Havilland Aircraft Company he was at the leading edge of the quest for supersonic flight and in the development of the Comet, the world's first jet airliner.

Author: John Keegan
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1134509634
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 190

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Book Description
First Published in 2004. World War II, unlike World War I, was truly a global conflict, fought in every one of the five continents, from the Caribbean to the South China Sea, from New Guinea to the North Cape, and by combatants from every continental region, Latin America, the Balkans, Scandinavia, the Middle East, South Asia and Africa as well as from Europe and North America. It was also, as World War I had not been, a conflict of ideologies. Its dramatis personae was therefore of a peculiar richness, including not only soldiers and statesmen of orthodox background but three dictators of world stature—Hitler, Mussolini and Stalin, demagogues like Goebbels and ideologues like Alfred Rosenberg, politicians of charismatic power, like Franklin Delano Roosevelt, prophets of national renaissance, like Charles de Gaulle, and of national liberation like Mahatma Gandhi, showmen, mountebanks, martyrs, heroes, traitors and quislings—a word we owe to the politics of World War II. This book attempts to assemble the most important among this vast cast of characters, from every country and from every sphere of responsibility— or irresponsibility—and to convey not only the salient facts about the life and career of each but also the flavor of their individuality.

Author: M.S. Morgan
Publisher: Air World
ISBN: 1036119416
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 292

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Book Description
On the night of 19/20 September 1944, a force of 227 Avro Lancasters and ten de Havilland Mosquitoes was dispatched to attack the German towns of Mönchengladbach and Rheydt. The Master Bomber for the raid was none other than Wing Commander Guy Penrose Gibson VC, DSO & Bar, DFC & Bar. Along with his navigator, Squadron Leader James Warwick DFC, Gibson was flying Mosquito KB627 of 627 Squadron from RAF Coningsby, where he was serving as the Base Operations Officer. By this stage of the Second World War, Gibson was arguably one of the most famous of all the Allied aviators. Aged just 26, few in the country, if not across the Allied world as a whole, would not have heard his name or seen a picture of his face. It was his leadership of the daring Dambusters Raid, Operation Chastise, in May 1944 that firmly propelled him into the public’s eye – and ultimately led to his award of the Victoria Cross. Gibson need not have been flying that fateful night. Following his involvement in the attack on the Ruhr dams, and a subsequent goodwill lecture tour of the United States, Gibson, a veteran of 170 or more operational sorties, would have been entitled to a less front-line role. Churchill, for example, had hoped that Gibson would stand for election as a Member of Parliament. Gibson, however, was soon agitating a return to flying duties – resulting in his participation in the attack on Mönchengladbach and Rheydt. The raid was a success. Throughout the operation, Gibson’s instructions over the target were easily heard and gave no hint of impending trouble. It was during the return leg that something went wrong. At around 22.30 hours on the 19th, Gibson’s Mosquito slammed into the ground at Steenbergen in the Netherlands; both men on board were killed. Witnesses on the ground reported hearing an aircraft flying low, observing that its cockpit was illuminated, and then, seconds later, the violent sight and sounds of its final moments. The cause of the crash has been the subject of intense speculation ever since. Had Gibson and Warwick fallen to the guns of a German night fighter, or, tragically, ‘friendly fire’ from an Allied bomber? Was it mechanical failure or possibly pilot error that had led to the disaster? Like the disappearance of Glenn Miller or Rudolf Hess’ flight to Britain, the death of Guy Gibson VC, one of Britain’s greatest wartime heroes, is among the Second World War’s most intriguing mysteries. How could one of the RAF’s most experienced pilots have simply fallen from the sky over Occupied Europe without explanation. In The Death of Guy Gibson the author sets out answer that very question.

Author: Martin W. Bowman
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
ISBN: 1783830050
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 481

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Book Description
The Wooden Wonder was probably the most versatile combat aircraft that operated on all fronts in World War Two and was still giving valuable service in first-line service after 1945 when it enjoyed a limited renaissance both at home, in Germany and abroad until the advent of jet aircraft. Martin Bowmans well-tried and respected formula of incorporating background information with scores of RAF, Dominion, and overseas pilots and navigators personal narratives, is employed here once again to great effect. Previously unpublished tales take the reader raid by raid on night-fighter, fighter-bomber, anti-shipping, path finder, photo-reconnaissance and precision bombing operations in the Middle East and jungles of the Far East, where the Mosquito carried out a series of thrilling post-war functions.The book includes a series of evocative black and white images of the Mosquito in action, which supplement the text perfectly and work to illustrate the might of this iconic craft.

Author: Norman Ferguson
Publisher: The History Press
ISBN: 0752492853
Category : Transportation
Languages : en
Pages : 121

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Book Description
The Little Book of Aviation is a collection of facts, figures and interesting stories from the world of flight. Sad, humorous, baffling and astounding stories abound, from the pioneering days of the Wright Brothers to the present day, and covering everything from great milestones, famous names who've served, and the greatest of aircraft icons; phantom pilots and aircraft and a glossary of slang; the origins of plane-spotting and unusual aircraft names; great feats and enduring mysteries; lucky escapes and great aircraft in the movies... the trivia is limitless and will appeal to everyone, whether you want help telling your Spitfire from your Messerschmitt or you know a Spitfire I from a Spitfire II!

Author: David Hayson
Publisher: Pen and Sword
ISBN: 178346268X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 210

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Book Description
Of German stock dating back to 1530 in Saxony, Eric George Ackermann GM was born on the Isle of Wight in 1919 and became a leading figure in the world of signals and electronic intelligence. As a Junior Scientific Officer at the Telecommunication Research Establishment, Boscombe Down, with an honorary commission in the Royal Air Force, he made numerous flights over occupied territory searching for, monitoring and destroying Germany's Wuerzburg, Knickebein and X Band radar systems. Much of his research was passed to the highest levels of wartime government, and was highly prized, ensuring that tactical plans could be executed that took full advantage of known, top secret German intelligence.??A host of secret missions to assess the enemy's radar capabilities were carried out in North Africa, Gibraltar and Italy. This new and engaging biography explores the various highs and lows of his operational deployment at the vanguard of tactical intelligence operations in these exciting theaters of war. Winner of the George Medal for conspicuous gallantry, his efforts weren't confined to the offices of war. He saw conflict up close and personal, and was therefore aware of the urgency of his endeavours, and the extent to which his findings made a difference.??The end of the war was a cause of great celebration, but it did not signal the end of Ackermann's role, far from it. He was to play a major part in the setting up and implementation of a string of listening stations built along the borders of Soviet Bloc countries which were destined to glean a wealth of invaluable post-war intelligence. Further work in aeronautics and satellite construction in the States followed, meaning the reach of Ackermann's influence could be allowed to stretch yet further.rnrnYet despite the might and scale of his achievement, he has never before been the subject of a book-length study. The authors, Peter Jackson and David Haysom, have made every effort to rectify that in this new publication which is sure to appeal to aviation enthusiasts, as well as the more general reader curious to gain new insights into twentieth century intelligence practices and their often far-reaching consequences.

Author: Paul Beaver
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 1405930322
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 370

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Book Description
Discover the daring life story and astonishing adventures of Captain Eric 'Winkle' Brown - Britain's greatest-ever pilot MARITIME MEDIA AWARDS BEST BOOK NOMINEE Small in stature but immense in reputation and talent, there was more to Eric 'Winkle' Brown than met the eye. From shooting down Luftwaffe bombers from the deck of a carrier in the Battle of the Atlantic and narrowly escaping death when his ship was torpedoed, to accumulating a never-to-be repeated litany of world records and firsts as a test pilot, his unparalleled flying career saw him take the controls of over four hundred different kinds of aircraft - more than any other pilot in history. A rival to Chuck Yeager and hero to Neil Armstrong, by the time of his appearance on Desert Island Discs' 1000th episode Winkle had become a legend in his own lifetime, and by his death, a national treasure. But despite his enormous fame, there have always been mysteries at the heart of Winkle's story. Now, drawing on previously unseen documents and unfettered access to Winkle's own personal archive, Paul Beaver uncovers the complex and enigmatic man behind the legend - the real story of Britain's greatest pilot. A story Winkle insisted could only be told after his death . . . ---------- 'Compelling, fascinating and frequently jaw-dropping. A brilliant and revelatory biography' JAMES HOLLAND 'Beaver recounts the story of a man he regarded as a mentor in unshowy but fascinating detail, and restores a British hero to his rightful place' OBSERVER '[A] thumping great biography by Britain's leading aviation historian' DAILY MAIL, 'BOOK OF THE WEEK' 'Winkle Brown's astonishing adventures make for fascinating reading' SUNDAY TIMES 'An excellent biography' PATRICK BISHOP, DAILY TELEGRAPH 'The extraordinary story [of] a fearless pilot and decorated war hero. Epic' THE HERALD 'A thrilling new biography' DAILY EXPRESS 'A thumping great biography of the flying ace who made Top Gun look tame ... enthralling' DAILY MAIL 'Riveting ... one of those must-read books, compelling and full of incidents that leave you gasping with surprise ... an incredible story' FLYER 'An incredible life ... Brown took a secret to the grave that makes his story all the more remarkable' THE SUN

Author: Eric P. Donald
Publisher: Xlibris Corporation
ISBN: 1483620999
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 529

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Book Description
I came across an old photo recently and pondered the people in it. The person in the centre was my late brother, Norman G. Donald of the RAF. The other figures in the photo I do not know, though I suspect they were his flight instructors at North Battleford, Canada. The photo bears my brothers script KING-PINS ALL!N. BATTLEFORD. After qualifying as a pilot, he sailed back to England and was posted to RAF Hunsdon just north of London in 1942. He was soon flying Douglas Havocs and Bristol Beaufighters. Night fighters were a new school of defence, but it was hopeless finding enemy aircraft in the dark. The Turbinlite device was fitted to the Beaufighters and Havocs, and the idea was to find the enemy somehow, guided by ground control using heavy ground radar units (too heavy to carry in aircraft), turn on the Turbinlite searchlight, and illuminate the enemy aircraft. A single-engined Hurricane fighter flying alongside then shot down the enemy aircraft. It did help to see the target as this same sky was full of thousands of Allied aircraft, all trying to avoid each other.

Author: Michael Ashcroft
Publisher: Headline
ISBN: 0755363914
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 349

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Book Description
Since the dawn of aerial combat in the First World War, the heroism of the men who put their lives at risk in the air has known no bounds. There were no more heroic airmen than the fighter pilots and bomber crews of the Second World War - men who sacrificed their own lives in order to save their crew or who, although in extreme pain, managed to get their aircraft home rather than risk becoming PoWs. In telling the stories of more than eighty such men, Heroes of the Skies paints a picture of aerial combat from the First World War right through to Afghanistan, and allows us to celebrate the extraordinary feats of our flying heroes.

Author: Norman Ferguson
Publisher: Summersdale
ISBN: 1786854147
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 159

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Book Description
This miscellany brings together the history of the RAF, the people, the aviation lingo and time-honoured traditions of the force we know today. Whether you have RAF experience or you’re an enthusiastic supporter from the ground, this remarkable volume will be your guide to the oldest independent air force in the world. Chocks away!