Max Immelmann was born in Dresden, the son of a paper board container factory owner. When World War I started, Immelmann was recalled to active service, transferred to the Luftstreitkräfte and was sent for pilot training in November 1914. He was initially stationed in northern France as a reconnaissance aviator. On June 3, 1915 he was shot down by a French pilot but managed to land safely behind German lines. He was decorated with the Iron Cross, Second Class for preserving his aircraft. Later in 1915, he became one of the first German fighter pilots, quickly building an impressive score of air victories. He became known as “The Eagle of Lille” (Der Adler von Lille) due to Lille being one of his favourite scouting areas.Immelmann was the first pilot to be awarded the Pour le Mérite, Germany's highest military honour. The medal became colloquially known as the "Blue Max" in the German Air Service in honor of Immelmann. His medal was presented by Kaiser Wilhelm II in January 1916. Oswald Boelcke received his medal at the same ceremony. Immelmann was credited with 15 victories. His final victory was on 30 March 1916.Immelmann will forever be associated with the Fokker Eindecker, Germany's first fighter aircraft, and the first to be armed with a machine gun synchronised to fire forward, through the propeller arc. Along with Oswald Boelcke and other pilots, Immelmann was one of the main instigators of the Fokker Scourge which inflicted heavy loses upon British and French aircrews during 1915. This new edition has been entirely reoriginated. Not a word has been changed, but the original type and page layout have been reworked, as has been the format in which the book is presented, to give a beautiful new treatment for this classic of aviation literature.

Ira Jones' biography of Britain's top scoring ace of World War I has become the subject of some controversy over the last few years, most notably as it is the source of the claim of 73 "kills" for Mannock, thereby making him the number one scoring Allied Ace of the war. Later research has thrown serious doubt on this claim and indeed Mannock himself only claimed 51 kills. Jones' biography is nevertheless an important account, especially when seen in the context of the time in which it was first written. In particular, the biography really gets into the mind of Mannock, the author having been a flying comrade, and portrays the singular nature of his character and the incredible stresses that these pioneer airfighters were under in the last few months of the war by a man who flew in the thick of it.Originally published in 1934 by Ivor Nicholson and Watson in London, this aviation classic has been reprinted many times, yet each time has been reproduced from the original 1930s version of the book. This new edition has been entirely reoriginated. Not a word has been changed, but the original type and page layout have been reworked, as has been the format in which the book is presented, to give a beautiful new treatment for this classic of aviation literature.About the AuthorIra Jones enlisted in 1913. When the war began, he transferred to the Royal Flying Corps and joined 10 Squadron as an air mechanic. In July 1915 he was sent to France and by January 1916 he was flying combat missions as an observer. He was then posted to 74 Squadron in early 1918, where he developed a close bond with his flight commander, Mick Mannock. In just three months he scored 37 victories flying the S.E.5a.

During the preparation of the Normandy Invasion, the American high command realized soon enough that the 8th Air Force, which was wholly committed to strategic bombing, could not undertake the close support of ground units in this major offensive. The keystone of operation “Overlord” would indeed be mastery of the skies: tactical aviation had to be able to intervene quickly and precisely, and to operate from bases on the Continent. The heavy bombers, as they were dependent on large and permanent airfields, could not be called upon for such tasks. The concept of on-call tactical air support was therefore paramount in the Overlord plans and the 9th Air Force was transferred to England for this purpose. The hundreds of hitherto unpublished photos copied out from the pilots and crews’ albums, and the full-color reconstruction of their flying gear are a unique testimony to the day to day life of 9th Air Force personnel and the missions of combat crews. Let us look at these men’s faces, they belong to the Past but we owe them our Freedom. This book is dedicated to the memory of the airmen and soldiers of the Ninth Air Force who gave their all for the Liberation of Europe.

After a first volume devoted to the Focke Wulf FW 190, the new release in the collection “Planes and Model Kits” is dedicated to the Curtiss P-40. Despite its limits, the Warhawk is an aircraft which played a major part in the whole war and on all the front lines, displaying the most colorful insignia and “nose arts” of WW2. This book has no historical claim and makes us discover the B, E, F, N versions of this mythical fighter through the most beautiful models currently available. Each of the four versions are organized around one main technical part, which presents in a clear and dynamic way some of the well-tried knacks used by the most experienced modelers.

This book provides a comprehensive look at the air war over Europe during the climactic year of World War II, combining firsthand experience with expert analysis. The centerpiece of the work is a mission-by-mission diary of 1st Lieutenant Richard R. Ayesh, bombadier on a B-17 Flying Fortress, who flew with the 100th Bombardment Group, 13th Combat Wing of the 8th Air Force—the legendary “Bloody 100th. ” He was a recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross, Croix de Guerre, Air Medal with Four Oak Leaf Clusters, and numerous other medals. This book follows Ayeth’s progress from his youth during the Great Depression in Wichita, Kansas, a city which at the time was rapidly becoming the air capital of the nation, to his arrival in England as a Lieutenant in a bomber crew assigned to assault the Third Reich. Once in Europe, the author provides a comprehensive look at the principles of American daylight strategic bombing, while relaying to the reader the overall military situation on the ground and in the air over Europe just after D-Day. This work is uniquely self-contained and covers all aspects of the Air War in a clear, concise, yet non-technical manner. Topics include photo-reconnaisance, munitions and bomb types, combatant aircraft characteristics, fighter tactics, bomber tactics, bomber formations, strategic target selection, combatant and defensive radars, counter-measures (and counter-counter measures), logistics, ground crews, and air scouts. The author, interweaving his analysis with the urgent firsthand diary of a participant in the Bloody 100th, describes the air war in full fashion, in the process revealing a number of insights. Throughout 35 combat missions, the unaltered combat diary of Lt. Ayesh is presented mission-by-mission, punctuated by tragedy and unbelievable heroism, with explanations and commentary on the significance of the events and actions described en route. The result is one of the most frank and exciting works on the air war over Europe to date.There is no varnishing of words in this book, either through the diary or the analysis that accompanies it. Instead, after the gallant Lt. Ayesh is followed on his perilous return home in U-boat infested waters, the book assesses the effectiveness of US strategic daylight bombing in crippling and ultimately paralyzing the Nazi war machine. Finally, the complex moral issues raised by area bombing, city bombing and the controversies surrounding them are explored, all with 21st century implications.EDWARD M. SION, Ph.D., a native of Kansas, is currently Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics at Villanova University. He has held visiting positions at Arizona State, the University of Toulouse and the Hubble Space Telescope Science Institute. A recipient of numerous grants from the National Science Foundation and NASA, he has authored or co-authored 185 peer-reviewed publications, primarily on the end stages of stellar evolution. He currently resides with his wife and two children in Radnor, PA.

Diving vertically at the target, in the same direction the bombs will take, was an incredible bombing technique developed by the British and put into action in World War II. Bombers would dive and release the bombs very close to the target at high speed, with high risk, to accurately bomb relatively small and/or moving targets with ease.This riveting and highly detailed account of high speed aerial combat is the result of 40 years of intensive research and provides a complete history of the formidable dive bombers from World War 2. Containing an unparalled collection of data on infamous aircraft like the German Stuka, the American Dauntless, the Japanese Aichi D3A1 “Val,” the Soviet PE-2, and numerous others, Dive Bomber is the ultimate guide to this daring machine, enhanced by numerous maps, photographs, tables and diagrams, providing he most accurate and comprehensive guide ever written on this subject.

This book, composed of three parts, first of all recalls the design and the manufacture of the gliders, the creation of the flying schools as well as the setting-up of the program of pilot training. The second part is interested in the use of the American gliders on June 6, 1944 in Cotentin by detailing all the missions in which they took part. The last part, as for it, is focused on the ignored role held by these same apparatuses at the time of the landing of Provence. This book does not forget to mention the parachutists combined at the sides of which the gliders took share with the engagements. You will find many photographs and new documents as well as testimonies of German, French and American veterans.

‘In a fascinating way, Chuck Alling recalls his days as a pilot flying B-17’s over Germany. He is truly a member of ‘The Greatest Generation’ and from his book, written from the heart, people can learn a lot about the laughs and the tears of World War II.’ – Former President George H. W. Bush• A unique insight into the lives of a lead-bomber crew in WWII• An extraordinary tale of everyday braveryA Mighty Fortress is the personal account of the captain and crew of a lead bomber in the enormous formation raids made by the 8th Airforce during the last few months of the Second World War.It is an extraordinary tale of heroism and bravery on the part of the entire crew of just one B17 amongst hundreds – but the one B17 that meant most to them.Flying a total of 27 missions before the war came to an end in May 1945, Alling tells, with great restraint, the story of what it was like to be there, over the skies of enemy territory, constantly on the look out for German fighters; of the enormity of some of the raids they were part of and the consequences for those on the ground; of the planes around them that fell out of the sky under enemy attack, the horror and the determination to succeed. The book gives a unique insight into the lives of one crew of one plane as the War neared its end.About the AuthorCharles B. Alling received the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal with four Oak Leaf Clusters during the Second World War. He graduated from Yale University in 1947. In 1988, he retired and studied Ethics at Oxford University Graduate School in England. He lives in Kennebunk, Maine.

The Soviet aircraft industry of the 1940-1950 period has been incredibly productive, while Russian manufacturers, stimulated by the huge needs stressed by World War Two, competed with each other in design and creativeness. This book offers an exhaustive coverage, by chronological order which is one of its original features every single Soviet fighter of the period, from obscure projects which did no go off the drawing table, to the best known mass-produced models.