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Author: Robin Holmes
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
ISBN: 1909166863
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 153
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Book Description
This illustrated history chronicles the first British bombing raid of WWII and the early lessons learned about strategic bombing. On the 4th of September 1939, Squadron Leader Paul Harris led 149 Squadron to Brunsbüttel, Wilhelmshaven in a Vickers Wellington Mk. 1 medium bomber. On the way he ordered that the guns of his airplane be tested, only to make the horrifying discovery that not one of them worked. Though he was flying completely defenseless, he chose to press on. On the 18th of December, Harris flew to Wilhelmshaven once again and took part in the Battle of Heligoland Bight, the first major encounter between the Royal Air Force and the Luftwaffe. This time he flew a Wellington Mk.1A—codenamed “R” for Robert—and his guns were red hot and ready. Of all the Wellington bombers that fought the Luftwaffe, Paul Harris’ old Wimpy is the only one left, preserved at the Brooklands Museum in Weybridge, England.
Author: Robin Holmes
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
ISBN: 1909166863
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 153
Get Book
Book Description
This illustrated history chronicles the first British bombing raid of WWII and the early lessons learned about strategic bombing. On the 4th of September 1939, Squadron Leader Paul Harris led 149 Squadron to Brunsbüttel, Wilhelmshaven in a Vickers Wellington Mk. 1 medium bomber. On the way he ordered that the guns of his airplane be tested, only to make the horrifying discovery that not one of them worked. Though he was flying completely defenseless, he chose to press on. On the 18th of December, Harris flew to Wilhelmshaven once again and took part in the Battle of Heligoland Bight, the first major encounter between the Royal Air Force and the Luftwaffe. This time he flew a Wellington Mk.1A—codenamed “R” for Robert—and his guns were red hot and ready. Of all the Wellington bombers that fought the Luftwaffe, Paul Harris’ old Wimpy is the only one left, preserved at the Brooklands Museum in Weybridge, England.
Author:
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781433708435
Category : Electronic books
Languages : en
Pages : 141
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Book Description
"The battle of Heligoland Bight was the first major action between the British and German fleets during World War I. The British orchestrated the battle as a warning to the German high command that any attempt to operate their naval forces in the North Sea would be met by strong British resistance. Heligoland Island guarded the entrance to the main German naval anchorage at Kiel. Fought on August 28, 1914, the engagement was complicated by dense fog, the piecemeal engagement of German forces, and the unexpected appearance in the area of additional British ships, which were hard to distinguish from foe. Initial British damage was significant; however, fearing that the protracted battle would allow the bulk of the German fleet to join the battle, the British brought in their battle cruiser reinforcements and won the day, inflicting heavy losses on the Germans."--Publisher's summary.
Author: Ruth Mansergh
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
ISBN: 1473894565
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 332
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Book Description
More than 350 bombs fell on Wimbledon during the Second World War, killing 150 residents and injuring a further 1,071. Around 12,000 houses were damaged and 810 destroyed.Notable people discussed in this fascinating book include Ernest Leonard Harvey, who was onboard HMS Suffolk on the night Bismarck was spotted; Peter Walley, who died when he steered his crashing aircraft away from housing in the area; Pat Reid, Colditz Castle escapee; PoW Ernest Colman's "Wimbledon Variation"; casualties of the Burma-Thailand railway; and the members of the Mitcham Home Guard who were killed when a German parachute mine hit the Tower Creameries site on Wednesday, 16 April 1941 (after a relatively quiet couple of weeks).This well-researched book also includes a list of the lost hospitals of Wimbledon, as well as war memorials in the London Borough of Merton findings which have since been added to the Imperial War Museum's website, www.iwm.org.uk. It also provides an insight into factory worker jobs that have long-since bitten the dust. Tri-ang in South Wimbledon was a national by-word for toys until it started making munitions for real. And, with the outbreak of war, Vortexion of The Broadway, Wimbledon - a manufacturer of public address amplifiers - found itself under the direction of the Government for war work.Overall, this is a poignant testimony to the momentous efforts, bravery, self-sacrifice and determination of the people of Wimbledon during the Second World War, who sought to find normality in a reality so far removed from anything they had ever known.
Author: David Hobbs
Publisher: Seaforth Publishing
ISBN: 1526799820
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 354
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Book Description
A comprehensive history of the Royal Navy’s naval aviation component’s campaigns during World War II. For the first time, this book tells the story of how naval air operations evolved into a vital element of the Royal Navy’s ability to fight a three-dimensional war against both the Kriegsmarine and Luftwaffe. An integral part of RN, the Fleet Air Arm was not a large organization, with only 406 pilots and 232 front-line aircraft available for operations in September 1939. Nevertheless, its impact far outweighed its numbers—it was an RN fighter that shot down the first enemy aircraft of the war, and an RN pilot was the first British fighter “ace” with 5 or more kills. The Fleet Air Arm’s rollcall of achievements in northern waters went on to include the Norwegian Campaign, the crippling of Bismarck, the gallant sortie against Scharnhorst and Gneisenau as they passed through the Channel, air attacks on enemy E-boats in the narrow seas, air cover for the Russian convoys, air attacks that disabled Tirpitz, and strikes and minelaying operations against German shipping in the Norwegian littoral that continued until May 1945. By the end of the war in Europe the FAA had grown to 3243 pilots and 1336 aircraft. This book sets all these varied actions within their proper naval context and both technical and tactical aspects are explained with “thumbnail” descriptions of aircraft, their weapons and avionics. Cross reference with the Fleet Air Arm Roll of Honour has been made for the first time to put names to those aircrew killed in action wherever possible as a mark of respect for their determination against enemy forces on, above and below the sea surface which more often than not outnumbered them. The Fleet Air Arm and the War in Europe completes David Hobbs’s much-praised six-volume series chronicling the operational history of British naval aviation from the earliest days to the present. Praise for The Fleet Air Arm and the War in Europe “In this masterly addition to his series on the Fleet Air Arm at war, David Hobbs addresses naval air operations in the Atlantic, the North Sea, the Arctic, and the English Channel.” —Professor Andrew Lambert, Warship 2023 “With lots of action it rattles along and is a very good read.” —The Armourer Magazine, May 2022
Author: Steve Bond
Publisher: Grub Street Publishing
ISBN: 1910690996
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 257
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Book Description
To date there has been a paucity of books on this remarkable aircraft. Among its claims to fame are the following: the only RAF bomber to serve in its original role from first day of war to last, and in every theater; the first type to bomb Germany; the first type to bomb Berlin; the first type to drop the 4,000lb ‘Cookie’ bomb; and so on. A serious study is well overdue, drawing not just on official documentation but relying greatly on personal accounts and anecdotes from the veterans who were there, both air and ground crew. And here it is. Through his diligent research over many years, author Steve Bond has produced an outstanding work. His coverage of operations will include, inter alia, the early bombing campaigns, the switch to main force activity, the use of OTU aircraft and crews on operations, the protection of Atlantic and Mediterranean convoys, service with the FAA and the French and the Wellington’s continued use as bomber and transport aircraft. A worthy tribute, then, replete with original photographs throughout.
Author: David Hobbs
Publisher: Seaforth Publishing
ISBN: 1526793849
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 426
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Book Description
“If you only read one book on the development of the Fleet Air Arm and Naval air warfare in the Mediterranean during World War 2 then this should be it.” —Military Historical Society After the Italian declaration of war in June 1940, the Royal Navy found itself facing a larger and better-equipped Italian surface fleet, large Italian and German air forces equipped with modern aircraft and both Italian and German submarines. Its own aircraft were a critical element of an unprecedented fight on, over and under the sea surface. The best-known action was the crippling of the Italian fleet at Taranto, which demonstrated how aircraft carriers and their aircraft had replaced the dominance of battleships, but every subsequent operation is covered from the perspective of naval aviation. Some of these, like Matapan or the defense of the “Pedestal” convoy to Malta, are famous but others in support of land campaigns and in the Aegean after the Italian surrender are less well recorded. In all these, the ingenuity and innovation of the Fleet Air Arm shines through—Taranto pointed the way to what the Japanese would achieve at Pearl Harbor, while air cover for the Salerno landings demonstrated the effectiveness of carrier-borne fighters in amphibious operations, a tactic adopted by the US Navy. The author’s years of archival research together with his experience as a carrier pilot allow him to describe and analyze the operations of naval aircraft in the Mediterranean with unprecedented authority. This provides the book with novel insights into many familiar facets of the Mediterranean war while for the first time doing full justice to the Fleet Air Arm’s lesser known achievements. “A full and fascinating story.” —Clash of Steel
Author: Richard Hough
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780688079536
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 420
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Book Description
Written by a highly qualified naval historian, this is a succinct and lively one-volume history of the strategies and actions in which the navies of the Allied and Axis powers were involved in World War II. 24 black-and-white photos.
Author: Chris Sams
Publisher: Fonthill Media
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 256
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Book Description
Author: Eric W. Osborne
Publisher: Indiana University Press
ISBN: 0253111862
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 161
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Book Description
The battle of Heligoland Bight was the first major action between the British and German fleets during World War I. The British orchestrated the battle as a warning to the German high command that any attempt to operate their naval forces in the North Sea would be met by strong British resistance. Heligoland Island guarded the entrance to the main German naval anchorage at Kiel. Fought on August 28, 1914, the engagement was complicated by dense fog, the piecemeal engagement of German forces, and the unexpected appearance in the area of additional British ships, which were hard to distinguish from foe. Initial British damage was significant; however, fearing that the protracted battle would allow the bulk of the German fleet to join the battle, the British brought in their battle cruiser reinforcements and won the day, inflicting heavy losses on the Germans. The battle was significant for its political and strategic ramifications for the two sides. The Germans became reluctant to engage large forces in an attempt to gain a decisive maritime victory. After this defeat, any plans for large-scale fleet operations had to be approved by the Kaiser, which hampered the German fleet's effectiveness. This left the North Sea to Great Britain for much of the war.
Author: Robert Forczyk
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1780963173
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 82
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Book Description
The RAF introduced the Avro Lancaster in 1942 and used it to spearhead this aerial offensive. In response, the Luftwaffe created an elite nightfighter force based primarily upon the Bf 110. The Luftwaffe was quick to equip it with airborne radar that allowed it to intercept and destroy Lancasters over Germany. In turn, the RAF adopted countermeasures such as the Monica rearward-looking radar to alert Lancaster crews to the approach of nightfighters. In May 1943 the Luftwaffe suddenly developed a novel technical and tactical approach to attacking RAF bombers. The new tactic proved amazingly successful, and British bombers could be attacked from below with no warning. For its part, the RAF failed to detect the new German tactic for six crucial months, during which time its Lancaster bombers were almost defenceless against this new threat. In time, however, the German advantage of surprise was lost and the RAF developed countermeasures to deal with the new threat. The duel between upgraded Bf 110s and Lancasters in the night skies over Germany became increasingly dominated by cutting-edge technology, which would determine the efficacy of strategic bombing.
