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Wingate's Lost Brigade: The First Chindit Operations, 1943
by Philip D. ChinneryWith the Japanese seemingly unbeatable after their conquest of Malaya, Singapore, Thailand and much of Burma, Orde Wingates plans to conduct long range deep penetration operations behind Japanese lines in Burma were audacious to say the least. His Chindit operations (so called after Chindwin River) were hugely demanding on those taking part who suffered terrible deprivation in the harsh climatic and jungle conditions. While costly in terms of lives lost, the operations inflicted damage to the Japanese and raised Allied morale. The author has compiled a fascinating account of Wingates 77 Brigade using the personal accounts of survivors, as well as Wingates own report and post-war interrogation of Japanese generals. A remarkable story emerges of survival, courage and extreme hardship. The author evaluates the successes and failures of the mission.
Winged Chariot: A Complete Account of the RAF's Support Role During the Audacious Command Raid on St Nazaire, March 1942
by Peter LushAn impeccably researched examination of the role the RAF played during this epic World War II raid in German-occupied France. In what has been described as &“the greatest raid of them all,&” Operation Chariot saw heavy destruction of the enemy-occupied port of St. Nazaire by British forces. With focus on the planning and actions of the operation, Peter Lush explores the three functions carried out by the RAF: the sweeping of the Bay of Biscay, the diversionary raid, and protecting the withdrawing survivors. He also outlines the importance of the photographic Reconnaissance Unit to the raid and the development of the Bomber and Coastal Commands particularly though the sorties flown by Coastal Command two days before the attack started. The book also highlights the tragedy that occurred for the RAF, when diversionary raids were carried out in impossible conditions; resulting in the loss of aircraft across Yorkshire and in the Channel. Lush examines whether this could have been prevented if the RAF had not been marginalized during the planning process of Operation Chariot. This timely and ultimate account, written by an expert who has collated over forty years worth of research, is an essential work for all those interested in military aviation, particularly during the Second World War.&“Highly recommended for anyone interested in learning more about the history of World War II, and the unsung heroes.&” —IPMS/USA
Winged Crusaders: The Exploits of 14 Squadron RFC & RAF, 1915–45
by Michael NapierFormed in 1915, and still operational today, 14 Squadron is one of the RAF's longest serving and most senior Squadrons. Spending the first thirty years of its operational life in the Middle East, the history of this Squadron is a rich one, but one which, until now, has gone largely unrecorded. Napier effectively brings together all the historical scraps and shreds of stories which make up the collective history of this unit, from 1915 –1945, a period of great military and social upheaval. The author himself attests to the fact that the work is not merely about the aeroplanes operational history during this period, or the stark military facts (although enthusiasts of both these areas will find much here); rather, the work concerns itself to a large extent with the people who flew such aircraft. Recording the dramatic trials and tribulations of the people who were 14 Squadron, Napier provides a sympathetic and engaging account of this period of Military History.
Winged Pegasus and the Rangers: Winged Pegasus And The Rangers (Air War D-Day)
by Martin W. BowmanThis is the third volume of a comprehensive five part work, detailing every aspect of air and paratroop operations on the night of 5/6 June 1944. The 6th Airborne Division was to support British Second Army and First Canadian Army; its task was to seize and hold the left flank of the bridgehead. The 5th Parachute Brigade was to seize the ground each side of the bridges over the Canal du Caen and the Orne River, whilst on the same day seize and hold positions on the long wooded ridge beyond the waterways, running from Troarn in the south to the sea. This ridge with the bridges behind would eventually form the critical left flank of the army and the bridges had to be intact to permit Allied troops and supplies to pass easily back and forth. The 3rd Parachute Brigade, which included the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion (1,800 men) was to prevent enemy reinforcements moving towards the British beachhead. Another Battalion and the 1st Canadian Brigade had to destroy five bridges in the flooded valley of the Dives. The 9th Battalion had to silence a battery of four concrete gun emplacements on high ground near the village of Merville, 3 miles east of Ouistreham. For these tasks 38 and 46 Groups RAF dispatched 264 aircraft and 98 glider combinations, the glider tugs being Albemarles, Dakotas, Halifaxes and Stirlings, the gliders mainly Horsas with a few Hamilcars (carrying light tanks and 17-pounder anti-tank guns). Meanwhile, Brigadier Lord Lovats 1st Special Service Brigade, composed of four Army and one Royal Marines Commando, reached Pegasus Bridge en route to help other units of the Airborne Division.Allied intelligence had pinpointed 73 fixed coastal gun batteries that could menace the invasion. At Pointe-du-Hoc, a cliff rising 100 feet high from a very rocky beach, a six-gun battery which potentially could engage ships at sea and fire directly onto Utah and Omaha was taken by three companies (225 men) of the US 2nd Ranger Battalion using rocket propelled grapple hooks attached to climbing ropes and portable extension ladders to scale the cliffs within ten minutes after landing and capture the position.This dynamic episode in the history of D-Day is expertly researched and relayed with both style and reverence for the aircrew who participated in proceedings. A plate section of rare black and white images supplement the text, working further to create a real sense of the times at hand at this most pivotal point in the history of D-Day.
Winged Sabres: One of the RFC's Most Decorated Squadrons (The\national Archives Ser.)
by Robert A. SellwoodWinged Sabres is the story of a RFC & RAF squadron flying the cumbersome FE2 from February 1916 to September 1917, and then the superlative Bristol Fighter: a two-seater fighter-reconnaissance squadron with an astonishingly high success rate.20 Squadron was possibly the highest scoring squadron of the war and one of the most highly decorated, claiming over 600 combat victories with well over 400 confirmed in RFC & RAF Communiqus. Its members won seventy gallantry decorations including a posthumous Victoria Cross, and included fliers from the U.K. and around the world. Over 40 became aces, including the American Iaccaci brothers and some Canadians and others. But with a casualty rate of around 50% including killed, wounded and POW they paid a high price.Over 15 years research has gone into this book, covering a seldom-explored aspect of WW1 in the air: the two-seater fighter-reconnaissance squadrons. 20 Squadrons motto was Facta Non Verba Deeds Not Words!
Winged Victory (Echoes Of War Military History Ser.)
by V.M. YeatesExperience the chilling combat of World War I from inside an early biplane in this classic novel, by a pilot who lived through the war himself. France, 1914. The war on the land is taking to the skies . . . Pilot Tom Cundall is ready to take on the enemy in his trusty Camel fighter plane. But as he sees more and more planes shot down in flames, he begins to question the war, and what, or who, he is fighting for. There is no bitter snarl nor self-pity in this classic novel about the air war of 1914-1918, based very largely on the author&’s experiences. Combat, loneliness, fatigue, fear, comradeship, women, excitement—they all are part of a brilliantly told story of war and courage by one of the most valiant pilots of the then Royal Flying Corps.Praise for Winged Victory&“The greatest novel of war in the air.&” —The Daily Mail (UK)&‘Beautifully written with a poet&’s eye as well as a pilot&’s eye.&” —Evening Echo (UK)&“Not only one of the best war books . . . but as a transcription of reality, faithful and sustained in its author&’s purpose of re-creating the past life he knew, it is unique.&” —Henry Williamson, author of Tarka the Otter
Winged Victory [Illustrated Edition]
by V. M. YeatesIncludes Aerial Warfare During World War I Illustrations Pack with 115 maps, plans, and photos."There is no bitter snarl nor self-pity in this classic novel about the air war of 1914-1918, based very largely on the author's experiences. Combat, loneliness, fatigue, fear, comradeship, women, excitement -- all are built into a vigorous and authentic structure by one of the most valiant pilots of the then Royal Flying Corps.REVIEWS'The greatest novel of war in the air.'--Daily Mail'Beautifully written with a poet's eye as well as a pilot's eye.'-- Southern Evening Echo'The only book about flying that isn't flannel.'--Anonymous Fighter Pilot'Not only one of the best war books...but as a transcription of reality, faithful and sustained in its author's purpose of re-creating the past life he knew, it is unique.'--Henry Williamson, author of Tarka the Otter."-Print ed.
Winged Warfare - Hunting The Huns In The Air [Illustrated Edition]
by Major Billy Bishop V.C. D.S.O. M.C.[Illustrated with 17 additional photos of the author and the machines he flew and fought against]As a young Billy Bishop looking up into the sky above his Canadian trench in July 1915, a passing Royal Flying Corps aircraft was returning home from patrol. He was envious and said to whoever was listening "...it's clean up there! I'll bet you don't get any mud or horse **** on you up there. If you die, at least it would be a clean death.". Struck by his sudden epiphany he requested a transfer to the Royal Flying Corps, it was a momentous decision, for within the next three years Bishop would claim 72 victories over his German opponents, making him the highest scoring British Empire air ace of the First World War.A National Hero in his native Canada, he was awarded a V.C. for conspicuous services - the citation read:"For most conspicuous bravery, determination, and skill. Captain Bishop,...[On his own] flew first of all to an enemy aerodrome; finding no machines about, he flew on to another aerodrome...which was at least 12 miles the other side of the line. Seven machines....were on the ground. He attacked these from about fifty feet...One of the machines got off the ground, but at a height of 60 feet, Captain Bishop fired 15 rounds into it at very close range, and it crashed to the ground. A second machine got off the ground, into which he fired 30 rounds at 150 yards range, and it fell into a tree. Two more machines then rose from the aerodrome. One of these he engaged at a height of 1,000 feet, emptying the rest of his drum of ammunition. This machine crashed 300 yards from the aerodrome, after which Captain Bishop emptied a whole drum into the fourth hostile machine, and then flew back to his station. Four hostile scouts were about 1,250 feet above him for about a mile of his return journey, but they would not attack. His machine was very badly shot about by machine gun fire from the ground."A fine memoir from an Air Ace legend.
Winged Warriors: The Cold War from the Cockpit
by Thomas McDonaldPaul McDonald is a former RAF fast-jet pilot whose flying career spanned 34 years. He is not a typical senior RAF officer having been brought up on a council estate in a bleak northern industrial town. He became a pilot by accident and struggled to gain his wings. He spent 14 years on operational tours overseas including 2 tours at the height of the Cold War on a Tornado tactical nuclear squadron in Germany, only 15 minutes from responding to an anticipated Soviet onslaught. Earlier he served on a low-level photo reconnaissance squadron on NATO's vulnerable southern flank. He was decorated for gallantry in 1980 and later served in Kuwait as the Senior RAF Adviser, including Operation Desert Fox, the air war against Iraq in 1998.
The Winged Watchman (Young America Book Club)
by Hilda Van StockumThis acclaimed story of World War II is rich in suspense, characterization, plot and spiritual truth. Every element of occupied Holland is united in a story of courage and hope: a hidden Jewish child, an "underdiver," a downed RAF pilot, an imaginative, daring underground hero, and the small things of family life which surprisingly carry on in the midst of oppression. The Verhagen family, who live in the old windmill called the Winged Watchman, are a memorable set of individuals whose lives powerfully demonstrate the resilience of those who suffer but do not lose faith.
Wingless Eagle
by Herbert A. JohnsonAt the start of the twentieth century the United States led the world in advances in aviation, with the first successful engine-powered flights at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, and Dayton, Ohio, beginning in 1903. Fifteen years later, however, American airmen flew European-designed aircraft because American planes were woefully inadequate for service on the Western Front. Why was the United States so poorly prepared to engage in aerial combat in World War I? To answer this question, Herbert Johnson takes a hard look at the early years of U.S. military aviation, exploring the cultural, technical, political, and organizational factors that stunted its evolution. Among the recurring themes of Johnson's narrative are the damaging effects of a chronic lack of governmental funding for military aeronautics and the disruptive influence of a civilian "aeronaut constituency" both on military discipline and on public and Congressional attitudes toward army aviation. In addition, the Wright brothers' patent litigation hindered the technical development of American aircraft and crippled the domestic aviation industry's manufacturing capacity. Wartime experience helped correct some of these problems, but the persistence of others left the postwar Air Service with an uncertain and stormy future.
Wingless Victory: The Story of Sir Basil Embry’s Escape from Occupied France in the Summer of 1940
by Anthony RichardsonWINGLESS VICTORY is the story of an audacious and desperate man on the run, the record of one of the first wartime escapes through Occupied France. It reads like a first-class thriller and, as one critic puts it, "leaves fiction gasping far behind." On May 27, 1940, Wing-Commander Basil Embry (later Air Chief Marshal Sir Basil Embry, and Commander, Allied Air Forces in Central Europe 1953-56), although appointed to a higher command, decided to lead his old squadron into battle for the last time. Within the hour he was shot down in France and found himself alone, unarmed, and in uniform. Capture was inevitable. He was, in fact, captured three times, but refused to submit. Once he broke from a column of prisoners under the muzzle of a German machine-gun. Another time he fought his way out, killing three Germans with a stolen rifle and then hiding in a manure heap for nearly six hours. But perhaps the most amazing of all his exploits was the occasion on which, in the role of a fanatical member of the Irish Republican Army, he shook his fist under the nose of a German inquisitor, yelling hatred and abuse of Britain until his captors finally turned him loose to find his own way home. At this period there was little of escape technique to guide him and he had no opportunity to lay plans or prepare equipment. Yet, by sheer courage and wit, he found his way back to Britain to fight and fly again. He won the D.S.O. and three bars, and the D.F.C."The author succeeds in communicating vividly, yet unpretentiously, the sensations of a man on the run....About ten times as exciting as a fictional thriller."--Sunday Times"A thrilling and authentic escape story--will prove a classic."--Daily Herald"The records of World War II have no wilder or stranger story to tell."--Tatler"It is an extremely exciting story, but well spiced with humour as well."--Illustrated London News
Wingman (Elite Ops #2)
by Emmy CurtisSizzling hot and full of action, the Elite Ops military romance series is perfect for fans of Suzanne Brockmann, Julie Ann Walker, and Lynne Ray Harris.The higher the risk, the harder the fall.Maj. Missy Malden loves her job, her plane, and its pilot-not that she could ever let him know. He's way too cocky, way too sexy, and in their job, any distraction is way too dangerous. But when a training exercise spirals out of control, Missy's in the hot seat, and Conrad's the only one who can bail her out . . . Lt. Col. Francis Conrad has always valued Missy too much as his weapons specialist to ever tell her how he really feels. But now that she's been accused of treason, he can't sit back and let her fly solo. To keep her safe, he'll put everything on the line-his career, his heart, and even his life.
Wingman: The Tomorrow War (Wingman #1)
by Mack MaloneyThe first book in the bestselling, action-packed Wingman Series: With America in ashes, and lawlessness threatening to rule land, air, and sea, one pilot stands poised to pull his nation back from the brink of all-out anarchy The Big War started in Western Europe with a Soviet nerve gas attack that laid waste to France, Germany, and Spain. The world's democracies fought back, and pilots like Hawk Hunter led the charge--tearing across the flaming wreckage of the continent at supersonic speeds. They pushed the Russians back and just when victory was in sight, a traitor at the highest level of government turned off America's missile defense system, and Soviet nukes rained from the sky. Two years after the nuclear holocaust, Hunter gets a message to report to his old commander. America is in pieces: Pirates rule the skies, and an airborne armada is plotting to attack Football City (formerly known as St. Louis). The armada is made up of criminals flying state-of-the-art jets, and even though the government can only offer Hunter his old F-16, he will do whatever it takes to reclaim his ravaged homeland. Wingman is the first book of the Wingman series, which also includes The Circle War and The Lucifer Crusade.
The Wingman Adventures Volume One: Wingman, The Circle War, and The Lucifer Crusade (Wingman)
by Mack MaloneyThe first three books in the bestselling military adventure series by “the best high-action thriller writer out there today, bar none” (Jon Land). With nearly a quarter of a million copies sold, this high-octane series features Hawk Hunter, a fearless fighter pilot who saves the not-so-distant future United States from the brink of all-out anarchy. Wingman: World War III started in Western Europe with a Soviet nerve gas attack that laid waste to France, Germany, and Spain. The world’s democracies fought back against the Russians but could not save America from a devastating nuclear strike. Two years after Soviet nukes rained from the sky, US Air Force pilot Hawk Hunter gets a message to report to his old commander. America is in pieces: Pirates rule the skies and an airborne armada is plotting to attack Football City (formerly St. Louis). The armada is made up of criminals flying state-of-the-art jets, and Hunter will do whatever it takes to reclaim his ravaged homeland. The Circle War: One of the most decorated pilots of the old US Air Force, Hawk Hunter now flies for the Pacific American Air Corps, a group of sky jockeys who are ready to fight to save what’s left of America after a nuclear sneak attack shattered the nation into a collection of warring states dominated by criminals, fascists, and pirates. Flying his U-2 over the frozen tundra late one night, Hunter detects a full-scale Soviet invasion force of fifty jet fighters. World War IV is about to begin. The Lucifer Crusade: After expelling a Russian invasion force, Hawk Hunter sets out in pursuit of Viktor Robotov, the sinister terrorist behind the attack. In a world where it’s a crime to wave stars and stripes, Hunter paints his F-16 red, white, and blue, and tears up the sky in search of revenge. There are hundreds of killers on his tail, but Hunter has only one target—and he never misses.
The Wingman Adventures Volume Three: Skyfire, Return from the Inferno, War of the Sun, and The Ghost War (Wingman)
by Mack MaloneyHawk Hunter is back—in the bestselling military adventure series by “the best high-action thriller writer out there today, bar none” (Jon Land). With nearly a quarter of million copies sold, this high-octane series features Hawk Hunter, a fearless fighter pilot who saves the not-so-distant-future United States from the brink of all-out anarchy. Skyfire: In the chaos that followed the end of World War III, Maj. Hawk Hunter took refuge in the arms of a woman named Dominique. But Hunter’s campaign soon tore them apart, and he was forced to send her to Canada, where his enemies claimed Dominique as their own. Drugged, tortured, and imprisoned, she waits helplessly—praying for his return. But while Hunter embarks on a daring raid to rescue his beloved, another threat is coming—in the sleek black nuclear submarines now steaming toward the eastern seaboard, whose warheads threaten everything Hunter is fighting to rebuild. Return from the Inferno: Just as America is beginning to recover from nuclear war, her enemies attack again. As ace pilot Hawk Hunter battles the horde of Nordic mercenaries who have ravaged the East Coast, another army lands in California: the combined forces of the dictatorships of East Asia. The Second Axis is here. Hunter leads the charge, flying his famous red, white, and blue F-16 into the invasion’s maw. But this is the first time the Wingman does not come out the other side. Their champion gone, America’s soldiers carry on, engaging in guerilla warfare to protect the country’s interior, keeping hope alive that Hunter is out there somewhere, planning a counterattack. War of the Sun: An army of cultish mercenaries from East Asia has seized the West Coast, conquering territory as far east as the Rocky Mountains—all in the name of Hashi Pushi, a Japanese despot revered as a god. With the support of two submarines patrolling the Pacific, each armed with a nuclear warhead, the invaders have promised that any counterattack will result in the annihilation of two American cities—a price the battle-scarred populace is not prepared to pay. Onboard the carrier Enterprise, Hunter prepares to strike. His target is not the submarines, but Tokyo itself, where his fellow pilots will attack this warrior cult from the top down. The Ghost War: A pilot patrolling the South Pacific discovers Xmas Island is nothing more than a blackened hole in the ground. The carnage was wreaked by a battleship armed with an array of sixteen-inch cannons that, in a matter of minutes, could obliterate any city on earth. As far as Maj. Hawk Hunter is concerned, that constitutes a direct threat to the West Coast—a threat he must neutralize personally.
The Wingman Adventures Volume Two: Thunder in the East, The Twisted Cross, The Final Storm, and Freedom Express (Wingman)
by Mack MaloneyHawk Hunter is America’s best hope—in the bestselling military adventure series by “the best high-action thriller writer out there today, bar none” (Jon Land). With nearly a quarter million copies sold, this high-octane series features Hawk Hunter, a fearless fighter pilot who saves the not-so-distant-future United States from the brink of all-out anarchy. Thunder in the East: The Soviet sneak attack crippled America, breaking the US into warring factions ruled by dictators, thugs, and thieves. In the western territories, democracy has survived—thanks to Maj. Hawk Hunter, the greatest fighter pilot of his time, and the Pacific American Air Corps. After narrowly stopping a Soviet ground invasion, Hunter vows to restore his beloved country—and he will begin by reclaiming Football City, formerly known as St. Louis, until it was captured by a criminal army from New Chicago. Only Hunter can break through its walls and lead his army onward to reclaim Washington, DC. The Twisted Cross: A new threat has emerged from the south. An army of neo-Nazis has seized control of the Panama Canal, and they’re armed to the teeth. Their hateful ideology may be decades out of date, but these jackbooted killers have firepower that is state-of-the-art. They’re going to need it . . . because the Wingman is coming. The Final Storm: The Soviet Union had nearly been defeated when the vice president of the United States revealed himself as a traitor. He deactivated the defense grid just long enough for the Russians to strike, reducing America to a battle-scarred wasteland. Fighter pilot Hawk Hunter rebuilt the country one dogfight at a time. Now he’s headed for the vice president’s compound in Bermuda, backed by a team of commandos, to bring America’s greatest traitor to justice, dead or alive. Freedom Express: After fighting off the Red Army invasion, Maj. Hawk Hunter and what remained of the country’s armed forces spent years rebuilding their nation. Only one territory was left deserted: the Southwest, now known as the Badlands. To reestablish the overland route between the eastern and western regions, a train of modern pioneers is sent across the desert. The train makes it safely, but when it arrives in Los Angeles, every passenger on board has vanished. To bring the fight to the bandits, Hunter trades in his F-16 for his own specially designed locomotive: a super-fortress on rails. The new Wild West is about to be tamed—Wingman-style.
Wings: One Hundred Years of British Aerial Warfare
by Patrick BishopThe Royal Air Force is synonymous with its heroic achievements in the summer of 1940, when Winston Churchill's "famous few"—the Hurricane and Spitfire pilots of RAF Fighter Command—held Göering's Luftwaffe at bay in the Battle of Britain, thereby changing the course of the war. For much of the 20th century, warplanes were fixed in the world's imagination, a symbol of the perils and excitements of the modern era. But within the space of 100 years, military aviation has morphed from the exotic to the mundane. An activity which was charged with danger—the domain of the daring—is now carried out by computers and pilotless drones. Aviators have always seemed different to soldiers and sailors—more adventurous, questing and imaginative. Their stories gripped the public and in both wars and air aces dominated each side's propaganda, capturing hearts and dreams. Writing with the verve, passion and the sheer narrative aplomb familiar to many thousands of readers from his bestselling World War II aerial histories, Fighter Boys and Bomber Boys, Patrick Bishop's Wings is a rich and compelling account of military flying from its heroic early days to the present.
Wings Around the World: The Exhilarating Story of One Woman's Epic Flight From the North Pole to Antarctica
by Polly VacherOn May 6, 2003, Polly Vacher took off from Birmingham airport seeking to become the first pilot to complete a solo flight around the world via both Poles in a single-engine aircraft. Despite having only a few years of flying experience, Polly, a 59-year-old mother of three, had already completed a lateral solo circumnavigation of the world in 2001 for the charity Flying Scholarships for the Disabled; this second challenge, for the same charity, would make that achievement look like a casual jaunt. There would be no margin for error. Her voyage to the ice was a 35,000-mile adventure in her Piper Dakota that would take her to at least 30 different countries on every single continent. She had prepared meticulously for two years, was fully insured and had all the requisite permits and visas. With her kinetic enthusiasm, charm and persistence, she had already garnered multifarious sponsors ranging from multinationals such as Shell to private individuals. However, as she took off on that blustery spring day, flanked by a Hurricane and a Spitfire from the RAF Battle of Britain Flight, and waved off by her family and the Prince of Wales, she suddenly felt so alone. She had begun a remarkable expedition that would gain her three world records, but would also see her encounter extremes of weather and emotion, much kindness and obstruction and also a little political intrigue.
Wings of Glory: An amazing wartime action-adventure story for readers aged 8+ from the author of Toto the Ninja Cat (Wartime Tails)
by Dermot O’LearyCan one tiny bird help to win a world war? Wings of Glory is a funny action-adventure story with a feathery twist, from the bestselling children's author of Toto the Ninja Cat, Dermot O'Leary, with glorious illustrations throughout by Claire Powell.It's 1940, and the world is at war. Linus, a swift, has always dreamed of flying with the Royal Bird Force and making a name for himself as a squadron leader. So when he and his sister, Ava, have the opportunity to volunteer, he jumps at the chance.But it's a dangerous journey, and Ava goes missing before they manage to reach the airfield for training. Now, Linus has two missions: help the war effort and find his sister.Linus will face bomber planes, arrogant falcons, and a spy who's determined to take him down...He is brave and fast and kind - but can Linus prove that helping win the war is more about the size of your heart than the size of your wings?Featuring courageous loop-the-loops, top secret plans and more than a smattering of bird poo, this wartime tail will make you laugh and cry - and maybe teach you a thing or two as well.
Wings of Gold: The U.S. Naval Air Campaign in World War II
by Gerald AstorFrom critically acclaimed military historian Gerald Astor comes Wings of Gold, the first account of how the airplane transformed the U. S. Navy and paved the way to victory in the Pacific in World War II. Astor tracks that fateful journey from its humble beginnings in 1910 when Eugene Ely flew the very first plane off the deck of a U. S. Navy ship to the unprecedented air combat missions that helped defeat the Japanese. Few naval aviators in World War II realized that when they earned their wings of gold they were about to become test pilots for a whole new kind of combat. In their own words, these courageous fliers describe the life-and-death air battles that defined the revolution in naval strategy that rose from the ashes of Pearl Harbor, when fighter pilots watched in horror as Japanese carrier-launched aircraft bombed their planes and airfields into smoking rubble. While following the pilots' firsthand reports of air strikes and blazing dogfights across the islands and atolls of the Pacific, Astor explores the ways the U. S. Navy began its momentous transformation before the war. Later, the critical role of aircraft carriers in the stunning U. S. victory at Midway sounded the death knell for conventional naval warfare, yet the public, the press, the Army, and even the president's advisors refused to recognize the new reality. In fact, only a few in the Navy understood that a new era had begun that would change the face of war forever. The young Americans who fought the deadly duels against Imperial Japanese forces high over the Pacific gave everything they had to the war effort, and many made the supreme sacrifice. Wings of Gold pays tribute to their courage, daring, and selfless dedication. Vividly told, thoroughly researched, and filled with stirring accounts of the Pacific War's greatest air battles, Wings of Gold is an important addition to the annals of World War II aerial combat.
Wings of Honor (Black Sabre #3)
by Tom WillardIn World War Two, for the first time in American military history, black men were trained as combat pilots and sent into the air war over Europe. The training took place at The Tuskegee Institute in Alabama and those who were awarded their wings there were ever after known as the Tuskegee Airmen. In Wings of Honor, veteran novelist Tom Willard (The Buffalo Soldiers, The Sable Doughboys) tells the story of Augustus Sharps, Jr., a young black man born to the military life who takes down the battered sabre his father and grandfather carried to battle in other wars and against incredible odds, becomes a member of the all-Negro 99th Pursuit Squadron -- the "Red-Tail Angels" -- flying P-40 Warhawks and P-51 Mustangs over North Africa, Sicily, and France. This is the story, both poignant and exciting, of a third-generation fighting man who fights the war against bigotry at home in order to fight his country's enemies abroad.
Wings Of Morning: The Story Of The Last American Bomber Shot Down Over Germany In World War II
by Thomas ChildersOn April 21, 1945, the twelve-member crew of the Black Cat set off on one of the last air missions in the European theater of World War II. Ten never came back. This is the story of that crew—where they came from, how they trained, what it was like to fly a B-24 through enemy flak, and who was waiting for them to come home. <P><P>Historian Thomas Childers, nephew of the Black Cat's radio operator, has reconstructed the lives and tragic deaths of these men through their letters home and through in-depth interviews, both with their families and with German villagers who lived near the crash site. In so doing he unearths confusion about the exact number of crash survivors and ugly rumors of their fate at the hands of the German villagers. His search to determine what really happened leads him to the crash site outside of Regensburg to lay the mystery to rest.In the tradition of Young Men and Fire, Wings of Morning is history as commemoration-an evocation of people and events that brings to life a story of love, loss, and a family's quest for truth.
Wings of Omen: Storm Season, The Face Of Chaos, And Wings Of Omen (Thieves' World® #6)
by John Brunner Joe Haldeman Philip José FarmerSixth in the magical, action-packed shared-world series: &“Thieves&’ World® has grown into a real presence in the fantasy genre&” (Fantasy-Faction). Under the rule of a humanoid race, the city of Sanctuary finds itself divided. Rebels and assassins stalk the shadows, bringing chaos to the streets—which is nothing new to the lawless locals. But even they will have to put aside their differences to unite against their common enemy. An accomplishment easier said than done in a city where everyone is out for themselves . . . Stories by Chris and Janet Morris, Robin W. Bailey, Diana L. Paxson, Diane Duane, C. J. Cherryh, Andrew J. Offutt, Lynn Abbey, and Robert Lynn Asprin add to the legend and lore of this &“surprisingly rich and deep world&” (Book Riot). &“In the sixth book of the collection, the friction between the residents of Sanctuary and the invading Beysib heats up and makes for some exciting reading . . . Offutt&’s character Shadowspawn gets some good coverage, and a few fresh new characters also get some play . . .&” —Fantasy-Faction &“&‘The Hand That Feeds You&’ [by Diane Duane] is one of the best stories in the entire collection to date.&” —brianbookreviews.blogspot.com