Author: Ian Proctor
Publisher: Pen and Sword
ISBN: 1783831898
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 193

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Book Description
Soon after the Second world War, wartime allies became Cold War adversaries, and by 1950 the perceived threat of a Soviet strike on Western Europe or Britain dominated military planning. For the next forty years, the Royal Air Force was in the front-line of the Cold War. In Britain and Germany, light bomber crews exercised in preparation for a future conflict, while interceptor pilots stood by ready to counter incursions by Soviet aircraft. Between 1956 and 1969, the elite crews of the iconic V-Force of nuclear bombers trained to perform the ultimate mission, striking targets deep in the heart of Russia. Protecting British interests overseas, personnel at stations across the Middle East and Far East were regularly engaged in supporting operations during the many colonial conflicts which occurred throughout the 1950s and 1960s.??Undertaking these duties were new British-designed aircraft introduced to squadrons from the early-1950s. The names of these extraordinary aircraft, which included the Hunter, Lightning, Vulcan and Canberra, became synonymous with the Cold War.??In this book, Ian Proctor uses over 150 highly evocative colour images from a single remarkable Air Ministry collection to portray the RAF and its personnel between 1950 and 1970. He provides a selected insight into service life, the aircraft, recruitment and training, and the operations and exercises undertaken by the RAF during a twenty year period of the Cold War.

Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Aerial reconnaissance
Languages : en
Pages : 696

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Author: Tony Paxton
Publisher: Key Publishing
ISBN: 1802820574
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 128

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Book Description
The Cold War saw the once-allies of the Second World War pitted against each other in a power play that was to last more than three decades. With Russia and her Warsaw Pact allies in the East and the UK with the US and their NATO allies in the West, both sides were in constant readiness to fend off an attack from opposing forces. Though the feared attacks never came, the decades saw tension and posturing on both sides until the war finally ended in 1991 after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the dissolution of the Soviet Union. This striking photographic collection looks at the large variety of RAF aircraft involved in the Cold War. These included air defenders such as Lightnings and Phantoms, which were often held ready to fly within ten minutes of an alert; strike/attack aircraft such as Buccaneers, Jaguars and Harriers, based in Germany; Victors, Tristars and VC10s for refueling; and Nimrods for maritime surveillance and antisubmarine action. As the war progressed, some types of aircraft would be replaced by other, more advanced machines. The iconic Vulcan was eventually replaced by the Tornado GR1 in the UK, the Tornado F3 took over the UK air defense role from the Lightning and TWU Hawks were introduced as part of the Mixed Fighter Force. This book brings these classic aircraft to life with stunning photography, displaying them in all their glory, flying through the skies of a world divided by an iron curtain.

Author: Michael E. Haas
Publisher: DIANE Publishing
ISBN: 9780788149832
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 388

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Book Description
Presenting a fascinating insider's view of U.S.A.F. special operations, this volume brings to life the critical contributions these forces have made to the exercise of air & space power. Focusing in particular on the period between the Korean War & the Indochina wars of 1950-1979, the accounts of numerous missions are profusely illustrated with photos & maps. Includes a discussion of AF operations in Europe during WWII, as well as profiles of Air Commandos who performed above & beyond the call of duty. Reflects on the need for financial & political support for restoration of the forces. Bibliography. Extensive photos & maps. Charts & tables.

Author: Michael Napier
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 147282539X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 342

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Book Description
A fully illustrated history of the Royal Air Force while on operations, publishing to mark the centenary of its foundation in World War I. The world's first independent air force, the Royal Air Force celebrates its centenary in 2018. In the 100 years since the end of World War I, the service has been involved in almost continuous operations around the globe, giving the RAF the longest and most wide-ranging history of any air force in the world. But over the years this history has also become entangled with myths. The Royal Air Force: A Centenary of Operations sets the record straight, dispelling these as it uncovers – in both words and photographs – the true exploits and accomplishments of RAF personnel over the last 100 years. From its formation as an independent service in the dying days of World War I, its desperate fight against the Axis air forces in World War II, to its commitments during both the Cold War and modern times, this is the complete story of how the RAF has defended Britain for a century.

Author: U. S. Military
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781980813125
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 189

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Book Description
This U.S. Air Force (USAF) publication examines the subject of Anglo-American air power cooperation during the cold war, presenting material from a major symposium, sponsored by the Air Force Historical Foundation and the Royal Air Force Historical Society, working in close association with the U.S. Air Force History and Museums Program and the RAF Air Historical Branch. The challenge for the symposium's organizers was to strike a balance between scholarly monographs and first-person remembrances, and to include as many of the significant episodes of the Cold War that time allowed. As a result, the panelists addressed an impressive number of important topics and major developments during this critical period in the history of both nations. Perhaps nowhere was the special relationship more visible or significant than in the activities of the airmen and air forces of the two nations. The symposium was a meeting of old friends, some of whose associations dated from World War II. Many of the attendees, as well as participants, experienced some of the most important and dangerous episodes of the Cold War in close association with their opposite numbers in the Royal Air Force or U.S. Air Force. The symposium vividly demonstrated the enduring nature of the singular, close relationship that the USAF and RAF share. Introduction and Welcome * General Bryce Poe II; Air Marshal Sir Frederick Sowrey * Opening Address * General Merrill A. McPeak * Session One: Policy Decisions * Chair: General Bryce Poe II * Introduction * An Initial Response to the Cold War: The Buildup of the U.S. Air Force in the United Kingdom, 1948-1956 * Patrick E. Murray * The Role of Missiles in British Concepts of Defence: The Influence of Duncan Sandys * Cecil James * Cooperation at the Top: A View from a Former Vice Chief of the Air Staff and CINCUKAIR Air Chief Marshal Sir Denis Smallwood * The Deployment of Ground-Launched Cruise Missiles to RAF Greenham Common * Lieutenant Colonel Michael A. Kirtland * Questions and Answers * Luncheon Address * Air Vice Marshal Ron Dick * Session Two: Acquisition * Chair: General Robert T. Marsh * Introduction * RAF Aircraft Procurement, 1950-1965: The American Involvement * Robert Jackson * The Transfer of B-29s to the Royal Air Force Under the Military Defense Assistance Program * William W. Suit * The Origins of the Skybolt Controversy in the Eisenhower Administration * Ronald D. Landa * Questions and Answers * Banquet Address * General Charles A. Horner * Pictorial * Notable Anglo-American Aircraft of the Cold War * Session Three: Crisis Response * Chair: Air Marshal Sir Frederick Sowrey * Introduction * Operation Firedog: Air Support in the Malayan Emergency * Malcolm Postgate * The Anglo-American Origins of Overflying the Soviet Union: The Case of the "Invisible Aircraft" * Donald E. Welzenbach * Anglo-American Air Force Collaboration and the Cuban Missile Crisis: A British Perspective * Stephen Twigge * Further Comments on Command and Control of British Nuclear Forces During the Cuban Missile Crisis * Group Captain Ian Madelin * El Dorado Canyon: The Political and Public Affairs Aftermath * Chief Master Sergeant Jerome E. Schroeder * Some Additional Comments on Crisis Response During the Falklands War * Air Marshal Sir John Curtiss * Questions and Answers * Closing Comments * Air Marshal Sir Frederick Sowrey; General Bryce Poe II

Author: Stephen Lee McFarland
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 96

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Book Description
Except in a few instances, since World War II no American soldier or sailor has been attacked by enemy air power. Conversely, no enemy soldier orsailor has acted in combat without being attacked or at least threatened by American air power. Aviators have brought the air weapon to bear against enemies while denying them the same prerogative. This is the legacy of the U.S. AirForce, purchased at great cost in both human and material resources.More often than not, aerial pioneers had to fight technological ignorance, bureaucratic opposition, public apathy, and disagreement over purpose.Every step in the evolution of air power led into new and untrodden territory, driven by humanitarian impulses; by the search for higher, faster, and farther flight; or by the conviction that the air way was the best way. Warriors have always coveted the high ground. If technology permitted them to reach it, men, women andan air force held and exploited it-from Thomas Selfridge, first among so many who gave that "last full measure of devotion"; to Women's Airforce Service Pilot Ann Baumgartner, who broke social barriers to become the first Americanwoman to pilot a jet; to Benjamin Davis, who broke racial barriers to become the first African American to command a flying group; to Chuck Yeager, a one-time non-commissioned flight officer who was the first to exceed the speed of sound; to John Levitow, who earned the Medal of Honor by throwing himself over a live flare to save his gunship crew; to John Warden, who began a revolution in air power thought and strategy that was put to spectacular use in the Gulf War.Industrialization has brought total war and air power has brought the means to overfly an enemy's defenses and attack its sources of power directly. Americans have perceived air power from the start as a more efficient means of waging war and as a symbol of the nation's commitment to technology to master challenges, minimize casualties, and defeat adversaries.

Author: Michael Napier
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472836898
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 322

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Book Description
Throughout the second half of the 20th century, international relations across the globe were dominated by the Cold War. From 1949 until the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, US and Soviet strategic forces were deployed across the Arctic Ocean in North America and Northern Russia, while the best-equipped armed forces that the world had ever seen faced each other directly across the 'Iron Curtain' in Europe. In Cold War Skies examines the air power of the major powers both at a strategic and at a tactical level throughout the 40 years of the Cold War. In this fascinating book, acclaimed historian Michael Napier looks at each decade of the war in turn, examining the deployment of strategic offensive and defensive forces in North America and Northern Russia as well as the situation in Europe. He details the strategic forces and land-based tactical aircraft used by the air forces of the USA, USSR, NATO, Warsaw Pact countries and the European non-aligned nations. He also describes the aircraft types in the context of the units that operated them and the roles in which they were used. The text is supported by a wide range of first-hand accounts of operational flying during the Cold War, as well as numerous high-quality images.

Author: Spencer C. Tucker
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 4179

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Book Description
This sweeping reference work covers every aspect of the Cold War, from its ignition in the ashes of World War II, through the Berlin Wall and the Cuban Missile Crisis, to the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. The Cold War superpower face-off between the Soviet Union and the United States dominated international affairs in the second half of the 20th century and still reverberates around the world today. This comprehensive and insightful multivolume set provides authoritative entries on all aspects of this world-changing event, including wars, new military technologies, diplomatic initiatives, espionage activities, important individuals and organizations, economic developments, societal and cultural events, and more. This expansive coverage provides readers with the necessary context to understand the many facets of this complex conflict. The work begins with a preface and introduction and then offers illuminating introductory essays on the origins and course of the Cold War, which are followed by some 1,500 entries on key individuals, wars, battles, weapons systems, diplomacy, politics, economics, and art and culture. Each entry has cross-references and a list of books for further reading. The text includes more than 100 key primary source documents, a detailed chronology, a glossary, and a selective bibliography. Numerous illustrations and maps are inset throughout to provide additional context to the material.

Author: Kenneth Schaffel
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 384

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Book Description