Norman Franks
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A who's who of the British airmen honored for their valor and courage-from the RAF's inception to the post-WWII era-arranged alphabetically.
When the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service merged on 1 April 1918, to form the Royal Air Force, the new command needed to have its own gallantry medals to distinguish itself from the Army and the Royal Navy. Thus the new Distinguished Flying Cross came into being.
By the end of WWI,...
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An account of the renowned German fighter unit in World War I, "a wonderful journey through these pilots' lives, in victory and defeat" (Aerodrome).
As August drew to a close in 1916, the German Air Service was reeling almost helplessly towards inevitable defeat on the Somme. The Artillery and Feldflieger Abteilungen, the Kampfstaffeln, had been quickly reduced to relative impotency by the overwhelming quantitative and qualitative superiority...
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When Canadian troops and British Commandos made their now famous 'reconnaissance in force' against the harbor town of Dieppe on 19th August 1942, they were supported and protected by the largest array of Royal Air Force aircraft ever seen in WWII until that time. Air Marshal Trafford Leigh-Mallory, AOC of Fighter Command's No.11 Group, was given command of the air operation and had 46 Spitfire, 8 Hurricane, 3 Typhoon and 4 Mustang Squadrons under...
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'Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few' Seventy-five years on the unforgettable words of Winston Churchill ring as powerfully as they did in August 1940 when the young men of the RAF stood as the last line of defense against Hitler's far more powerful Luftwaffe.
This emotional yet factual book describes the three and a half months (10 July 31 October 1940) battle day-by-day and covers the essential details of...
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Aviation historians will know that the Avro Lancaster bomber is the most famous aircraft to have fought with RAF Bomber Command during World War Two. They will know too that, of the 7,366 that were built, over 3,400 were lost on operations and a further 200 plus were destroyed and written-off in crashes. Operational sorties flown totalled more than 156,000, carrying over 600,000 tons of bombs to targets all over Europe. But this came at a terrible...
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A gripping account of the Royal Air Force's daring exploits during the heroic evacuation of Allied troops from France in World War II.
"Where is the RAF?" was the oft-quoted question asked by soldiers waiting on the beach at Dunkirk, to where they had retreated following the German blitzkrieg through northern France, and where they were now being pounded by the Luftwaffe. The air forces were there, as Norman Franks proves, detailing the outstanding...
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Following the Battle of Britain, the RAF started taking the air war to the Germans. A small number of bombers, escorted by large numbers of fighters tried to force the Luftwaffe into battle. Much air combat ensued with RAF light bombers escorted by scores of fighters, but it was not until Germany invaded Russia in June 1941 that operations were stepped up in an effort to take pressure of Stalins Russian Front. Two major German fighter groups, JG26...
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• Lively tales of aerial combat in the legendary Typhoon fighter • History of the plane and the men who flew it in World War II • Based on interviews with the pilots themselves The Typhoon fighter played a pivotal role in the Allies' success in the air and on the ground in World War II, from the Normandy beachhead to the Battle of the Bulge and the final battle for Germany. Norman Franks describes what it was really like to fly at low level...
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Keen First World War aviation enthusiasts will be familiar with Norman Franks previous books covering the life of Rittmeister Manfred Freiherr von Richthofen, so why this new one? Well Manfred, the iconic Red Baron, has constantly remained at the forefront of First World War studies and, in commemorating the one hundred years that have elapsed since the beginning of hostilities, it seems like a good time to introduce a new arrangement of photographs...
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The author of Another Kind of Courage takes a deep dive into the World War II heroics of the pilots and aircrew of the single-engined amphibian airplanes.
This book covers the adventures of 283, 284, 293 and 294 Walrus Squadrons, operating from North Africa, Sicily, Italy and Sardinia.
The pilots, like their counterparts in England, knew of the dangers of landing on the sea. It was a daunting task attempting to rescue downed airmen as they...
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The history of WWI aviation is a rich and varied story marked by the evolution of aircraft from slow moving, fragile, and unreliable powered kites, into quick, agile, sturdy fighter craft. At the same time there emerged a new kind of 'soldier', the fighter pilots whose individual cunning and bravery became crucial in the fight for control of the air. Dog-fight traces this rapid technological development alongside the strategy and planning of commanders...
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When the Second World War began in 1939 it was thought that it would be fought along the same lines as the First World War, with the Allied air forces operating from both Britain and France. With the fall of Britains Northern European Allies in May 1940, all that changed. From then onwards, RAF aircraft operating over enemy and enemy-held territory necessitated flights across both the North Sea and the English Channel.
This meant that aircrew in...
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The Battle of Britain fought by The Few, as Churchill famously called them, will remain a legendary feat of arms for centuries to come. Sadly there remain only a handful today who can tell their stories so this collection of personal accounts is extremely timely.
The Author has over the years gathered the stories of twenty-five survivors and in Dowding's Aces he brings these stirring stories together. Each account describes the actions and impressions...
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By the close of 1916, the air war over France was progressing amazingly. The Royal Flying Corps, the French Air Force and the opposing German Air Service, were all engaged in fierce aerial conflict and the Allied air forces were following a particularly successful if aggressive policy. They were taking the war to the Germans by constantly crossing the massive trench system that stretched from the North Sea to the Swiss border. With observation and...
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Manfred von Richthofen became a fighter pilot on the Western Front in August 1916. By January 1917, Richthofen had shot down fifteen aircraft had been appointed commander of his own unit. He painted the fuselage of his Albatros D-III a bright red and was nicknamed the Red Baron. In June 1917, Richthofen was appointed commander of the German Flying Circus. Made up of Germany's top fighter pilots, this new unit was highly mobile and could be quickly...
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This book summarizes the story of how RAF Coastal Command overcame the German U-boat danger during the Second World War and how the escalation of the U-boat war promoted the development of anti-submarine warfare, leading to victory over this menace in the Atlantic.
At the start of the war, RAF Coastal Command had virtually no real chance of either finding or sinking Germany's submarines, but within a short period of time, new methods of detecting...
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It is a recognized fact that, had the war gone badly for the Allies on the India/Burma front, and had the Japanese succeeded in invading the Indian Continent, the outcome of the war would have been entirely different. Yet despite this, the campaign on the Burma front is offered surprisingly scant coverage in the majority of photo-history books. This new book, from respected military historian and author Norman Franks, attempts to redress the balance,...
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The memoir of a German fighter ace that gives a much-needed perspective on what it was like to fight for the Central Powers during World War I.
This important work was first published in German in late 1939, no doubt timed to impress the young Luftwaffe fighter pilots who were embarking on the second major air war in history. Buckler initially served with the army when the Great War began, until he was wounded and moved to the air service to...
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• Lively tales of aerial combat in the legendary Typhoon fighter
• History of the plane and the men who flew it in World War II
• Based on interviews with the pilots themselves
The Typhoon fighter played a pivotal role in the Allies' success in the air and on the ground in World War II, from the Normandy beachhead to the Battle of the Bulge and the final battle for Germany. Norman Franks describes what it was really like to fly at low level...
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During the First World War, Italy was on the side of their British Allies and their fight was against the Austro-Hungarian Empire, bordering on Austria. In October 1917, the Austro-Hungarians managed to push the Italians back during the battle of Caporetto. With the danger signs obvious, both Britain and France sent reinforcements.Britains Royal Flying Corps sent three squadrons of Sopwith Camel fighters, plus one RE8 reconnaissance squadron, and...