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European Theatre of OperationsBishop, P. (2003) Fighter Boys: The Battle of Britain, 1940. New York: Viking. An account of the desperate days in September, 1940 when the British, Commonwealth and Eastern European pilots of the RAF fought the Luftwaffe for air supremacy in the skies over Britain, based on diaries, interviews and extensive research. Gibson, G. (1946) Enemy Coast Ahead. Manchester: Crecy Publishing Ltd. Autobiographical account of Guy Gibson's flying experiences during the Second World War. The leader of the famous Dambuster's mission, he insisted on returning to active duty and was killed on a Mosquito bombing mission in 1944. Wellum, G. (2003) First Light. Penguin Books. A World War II fighter pilot's memoirs covering the years between 1939 and 1942. Geoffrey Wellum was 17 when he joined the RAF at the beginning of the war and went on to fly two tours in Spitfires in the Battle of Britain and nearly 100 escorts and fighter sweeps over occupied France before taking part in the relief of Malta in 1942, when he was finally invalided out of operational service. Highly evocative and powerful. Lots of information on this web site devoted to 617 Squadron, the bomber squadron that conducted the Dambuster's raid between 16th & 17th May, 1943. RAF History: The Dambusters Raid Official Royal Air Force site celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Avro Lancaster. Brief report on the raid and results of individual aircraft. Of the 19 Lancasters that were detailed to attack the Moehne, Eder, Sorpe & Schwelm Dams, 8 were reported missing. Comprehensive web site covering the history and technical data of the Battleship Bismarck, including its complete war diary from its commissioning on 24 August, 1940 to the final sinking on 27 May, 1941. Masses of information! Pacific Theatre of OperationsGamble, B.D. (2003), The Black Sheep: The Definitive Account of Marine Fighting Squadron 214 in World War II, Presidio Press A carefully researched history of the Black Sheep (VMF 215 - the 'V' indicates 'heavier than air'), from their inception to the end of the Second World War. In a highly detailed account, Gamble also paints a vivid, warts-and-all picture of the Black Sheep's skipper, Greg Boyington, and goes some of the way to de-mythologise the man behind the legend. Vernon, J.W. (2002), The Hostile Sky: A Hellcat Flier in World War II, Navy Institute Press. An account of the training and eventual combat experience of a young mining engineer turned carrier-based Hellcat pilot at the end of the Pacific campaign in World War II. This is in many ways a highly personal account that quite apart from anything else demonstrates just how dangerous it was to train in and fly combat aircraft such as the Hellcat and Corsair, whether under fire or not... VietnamMason, R. (1984) Chickenhawk. Corgi Adult. Autobiographical account of a Huey helicopter pilot during the Vietnam War. Robert Mason flew more than 1000 missions in increasingly dangerous situations and returned home after the war unable to adapt to life in peace time. Unable to settle, he eventually ended up in prison on drugs-related charges. It appears that this book was Mason's way of making sense of his experiences and finally getting his life back on track. He has since written further books and worked as a producer on a documentary on the Army Helicopter Pilots of Vietnam in 2000. See his web site for further details and a gallery of his Vietnam photographs. Flight TrainingShaw, R.L. (1985) Fighter Combat: Tactics & Maneuvering. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. The art and science of air-to-air combat, written by a veteran Naval pilot and aeronautical engineer. Very technical, but a fascinating read. Many resources relating to the technical specifications, flight characteristics, etc., of the full range of US military aircraft during the Second World War. Includes online versions of original training videos for: the p-47 Thunderbolt, the p-51 Mustang, the Vought F4U Corsair, the |
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