Working on this series has become a trip down memory lane, reviewing my own work from five, ten and even as far back as twenty years ago or more. It has also been necessary at times to revamp such work as new and more detailed information has become available since it was created. This gives added value to what is presented here as it is definitely not a cut-and paste job, even though that is what it originally was intended to be. This second volume follows closely the pattern laid out in the first: subjects from World War One, Inter-Wars, World War Two and the post war jet era. The choice fell on popular subjects, and some not as well known. A case in point is the Morane N monoplane which however offers some unusual markings. More flamboyant are the Nieuports of the American Expeditionary Corps, 1st Pursuit Group, made legendary by that top American ace, 1st Lt Edward V. Rickenbacker of 94th Aero Squadron. Two unusual features included in this issue cover the DeHavilland DH.88s and their participation in the MacRobertson Centenary Air Race from Mildenhall to Melbourne of 1934. The Hart is another inter-war subject, an aircraft that sired Hawker’s ‘silver wings’ family of the 1930s. ‘Anti-Camouflage’ is dedicated to Switzerland’s use of the Messerschmitt Bf.109D-Es as guardians of its neutrality. The Kawasaki Ki-61 Hien is our World War Two feature followed by a close look at the early versions of the Hawker Siddeley Harrier. The diminutive AMX is illustrated in its several styles of colours and markings, in both Italian and Brazilian air forces’ service.

Pacific Profiles Volume 13 presents the most accurate wartime profiles and histories to date of Imperial Japanese Navy bombers;transports;flying boats and miscellaneous types which served in the South Pacific.This volume depicts the markings of two dozen mainstream and rare air groups (kokutai);many of which have never been illustrated before. Aircraft types include Betty and Nell bombers (and transports);Val and Judy dive-bombers;Emily and Mavis flying boats;Irving night fighters;Claude fighters;and Babs reconnaissance aircraft. Note this volume excludes floatplanes and Zeros;which are covered separately in Volumes Five and Eight of this series.Past markings errors are corrected;and many profiles are presented for the first time;alongside explanations of markings derivations;including the provenance of unit codes. Until now there has been a paucity of markings material about these units;especially the more esoteric ones such Nos. 31;151;501 and 552 Ku;and the night fighters of No. 251 Ku. Profiles are supported by photos and/or documentation;along with brief histories of each aircraft where known. Primary reference material is exclusively cited including assignment data;unit operational records;photography;diaries;factory markings;Allied intelligence wreck reports;POW interrogation reports;and Combined Fleet markings orders. A brief history of each unit and its leadership structure accompanies the text.The author is world-renown for his expertise on the Pacific air war. Never before have IJN land-based units been illustrated with such breadth;accuracy and detail.

The Pacific Profiles series presents the most accurate WWII profiles of Allied and Japanese aircraft which served throughout Australia;New Guinea the South Pacific. This Volume 14 covers those B-25;PBJ & F-10 Mitchell models which served in these theatres from March 1942 until the end of the war. Mitchells served a total of 21 USAAF bomber and reconnaissance squadrons;plus others were operated by the USMC;RAAF and NEIAF. Most profiles are presented for the first time;alongside markings derivations;including squadron heraldry and codes. Until now there has been a paucity of markings material about many of these units. Each profile is supported by photos and/or documentation;along with a brief history of each aircraft. Wide-ranging primary reference material is cited including assignment data;wreck reports;squadron records;colour photography;maintenance logs;diaries and factory markings specifications. A brief summary history of each unit and associated markings rationale accompanies the text.The author is world-renowned for his expertise on the Pacific air war. Never before have Pacific Mitchells and their colourful markings been illustrated with such breadth;accuracy and detail.

When Second World War Spitfire pilot John Gillespie Magee penned his poem High Flight', little did he know that his words would inspire legions of aspiring aviators who had a similar wish to fly their eager craft through footless halls of air'. Founded on years of detailed research, Roger Cole's book High Flight tells John Magee's extraordinary story, describing hitherto-unknown details of his short life, and providing insight into the inspiration for the poems that have found a unique place in history. Born of an English mother and American father in Nanking in China, Magee grew up and was educated in different parts of the world, proving to be a highly accomplished student. Through his experiences, he developed principles that made him determined to defend the rights of those he loved and respected. Exhilarated by flight and finding unique language in poetry, John was able to use words to express the emotions and sentiments of all who fly in a manner that is acknowledged and applauded throughout the world. The outbreak of war in Europe violated his beliefs, and, determined to fight for freedom, John left America and joined the Royal Canadian Air Force, qualifying as a pilot and travelling to England to fight Nazism. Tragically, John would lose his life, aged 19 years, in an accident, so never know how his words would serve posterity. Roger Cole's High Flight traces the path of John Magee's achievement, revealing an incredible story of human endeavor, vision, determination and self-sacrifice.

Mitsubishi Babs Vol. II – The world’s first high-speed strategic reconnaissance aircraft completes the history of Japan’s revolutionary high-speed strategic reconnaissance aircraft design. This second volume describes the Imperial Japanese Navy’s flawed attempts to develop its own high-speed strategic reconnaissance aircraft and their decision to ultimately adopt the Army’s magnificent Ki-15 design into Navy service as the C5M/Type-98 Reconnaissance Plane (Allied codename Babs). Across eight chapters

During World War II, the US Army Air Forces (USAAF) projected American military might across distances and with destructive force unimaginable just a decade previously. The B-17s and B-24s of the US Eighth Air Force turned much of Germany’s infrastructure to twisted steel and burnt rubble between 1943 and 1945. B-29 Superfortresses unleashed conventional raids on Japan of even greater area destruction than that created by the atomic bomb attacks (also delivered by USAAF crews). Beyond heavy strategic bombing, US bombers performed a multitude of other tactical roles, including hunting Axis submarines, bombing enemy shipping, low-level runs against precision targets, and providing heavy air support to advancing infantry and armour. While the US bombers dealt out violence, they were also prey to a terrifying spectrum of antiaircraft threats, and by the end of the war 88,119 US airmen had died in service. Bomber crews were a world unto themselves, composed of pilots, co-pilots, engineers, navigators, wireless operators, gunners, and bombardiers. And each aircraft type had its own unique characteristics and capabilities, from twin-engine B-25 Mitchells designed for strafing and skip-bombing to the four-engine workhorses of the strategic bombing campaign: the B-17 Flying Fortress, B-24 Liberator, and B-29 Superfortress. Fighting from the Heavens presents an invaluable collection of material from US wartime manuals, including doctrinal, training, technical, aircraft-specific, and position-specific publications. Through these manuals, the reader gains an insider’s insight into the demands of US bomber warfare, including long-distance navigation, gun-turret operation, formation flying, bomber start-up procedures, and bomb aiming.

The renowned Soviet attack aircraft Il-2 and its various models within the Polish Air Force have been extensively documented with unmatched detail. This publication comprises numerous unpublished photographs obtained from private collections, along with a series of specially commissioned color profiles that illustrate and describe the color schemes and markings used. The book is composed of 96 pages and contains a total of 52 color profiles.

Scale plans in 1/32, 1/48, 1/72 scale of the Polish PZL P.24 A/C aircraft12 pages of A3 size scale plans of PZL P.24 A/C versions.

In August 1943, a highly classified US Army Air Force unit, code-named the 'Wright Project', departed Langley Field for Guadalcanal in the South Pacific to join the fight against the Empire of Japan. Operating independently, under sealed orders drafted at the highest levels of Army Air Force, the Wright Project was unique, both in terms of the war-fighting capabilities provided by classified systems the ten B-24 Liberators of this small group of airmen brought to the war, and in the success these 'crash-built' technologies allowed. The Wright airmen would fly only at night, usually as lone hunters of enemy ships. In so doing they would pave the way for the United States to enter and dominate a new dimension of war in the air for generations to come. This is their story, from humble beginnings at MIT’s Radiation Lab and hunting U-boats off America’s eastern shore, through to the campaigns of the war in the Pacific in their two-year march toward Tokyo. The Wright Project would prove itself to be a combat leader many times over and an outstanding technology innovator, evolving to become the 868th Bomb Squadron. Along the way the unit would be embraced by unique personalities and the dynamic leadership, from Army Air Force General Hap Arnold through combat commanders who flew the missions. In this account, the reader will meet radar warfare pioneers and squadron leaders who were never satisfied that they had pushed the men, the aircraft, and the technologies to the full limit of their possibilities. Comprehensive and highly personal, this story can now be revealed for the very first time, based on official sources, and interviews with the young men who flew into the night.

This book is compilations of the 4-view colour profile, scale plans and photo details of the single variant of the Republic P-47C-5. Scale plans in 1/72& 1/48 scale plus drawings from wartime technical manuals. Also photos of the details in B&W and colour. 4-view colour profiles of the P-47C-5-RA.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the Allied landing at Dieppe, France, on 19 August 1942, one of the most controversial battles of the Second World War, which also involved extensive air operations to provide direct support for the amphibious assault and to defend the troops and the fleet against the Luftwaffe. This book is a tribute to the 1st Polish Wing, Fighter Command’s most successful wing during the operation. The wing provided 10% of the Spitfire squadrons engaged in the battle, suffered 3. 5% of losses and was credited by Fighter Command with 17% of all enemy aircraft destroyed. Nos. 303 and 317 Polish Squadrons were the top-scoring units that day. Notably, they achieved this while still flying the Spitfire V variant, while some Fighter Command squadrons already had the much improved Mk IX. Several hundred of carefully selected and extensively captioned images depict Spitfires of the five Polish squadrons, as well as the men who maintained and flew them in support of the Dieppe landings.

In late 1939, the Air Ministry were looking to replace the Blenheim as a medium bomber. Bristol Aircraft Company (BAC) initially came up with a bomber development of the Beaufighter, the Type 161. Due to specification changes and redesigns, the end result was the Type 163 Buckingham, a twin engined, twin tailed medium bomber. At the time of the Buckinghams conception inquiries were made about a torpedo bomber version. A redesign of the Buckingham brought about the Type 164 Brigand. The torpedo requirement was eventually dropped and the aircraft re-configures as a bomber. With no suitable trainers to train the Buckingham and Brigand pilots BAC came up with the Buckmaster, which was basically a Buckingham with a new nose section containing dual controls.By the time the Buckingham and Brigand entered service their roles had been superseded with newer and better aircraft. Most Buckinghams went straight into storage to await their fate, but some were converted in high speed courier aircraft with four seats. But it was too little too late. The Mosquito could do a better job at almost half the cost. The Brigand with its long range was earmarked for the Far East and the battle against Japan, but the war ended before they could be sent over. It was the Malaya Emergency that saved the Brigand. Carrying out a role for which it was never designed, that of a dive bomber, two Squadrons carried out over 3,500 against the Communist Terrorist.Had it not been for the constant delays and construction changes the aircraft may have lived up to their expectations. As it was they were plagued by mechanical and hydraulic issues as well as structural defects. After a number of catastrophic airframe failures the Brigands were retired from operational service in early 1953.

This book contains 8, A3 size scale plans in 1/48 and 1/72 scale of the British WW2 torpedo aircraft Fairey Barracuda.

This new photo album is number 30 in the MMPBooks/Stratus "Camera On" series and is the first to cover in such photographic detail the usage of the Henschel Hs 126 aircraft.This book contains 140+ photographs mostly taken by the average German soldier and is an invaluable reference for military historians and modellers alike. A4 size, 80 pages.

This book is the latest in a new reference series for aircraft modelers called "Spotlight On" and is a showcase for the superb aviation artwork created for the publisher by the remarkable Polish aviation artist Tomasz Kaca. The book contains 20 color plates showing 20 famous P-51 Mustang fighters depicted in the air. Aircraft of the famous fighter aces are shown based on the latest research.

The development of the famous Italian WWII fighters of the Reggiane factory, with radial engines, is described and illustrated. It served with the Regia Aeronautica and other forces, including the Hungarian and Swedish air arms. This book describes the design, development, and operations of this elegant and effective fighter. This book contains: scale plans, photos and drawings from Technical Manuals, superb color illustrations of camouflage and markings, and rare b&w archive photographs. Color photos of the preserved aircraft illustrate all aspects of the airframe.This is essential reading for aviation enthusiasts & scale aeromodelers.