The full history of the first two marks of the iconic Liberator with the RAF. It was used as transport, bomber and general reconnaissance aircraft, and flew over Europe, the Middle East and the Far East. This book covers the operational usage of Nos 108, 120, 148, 159, 160 and 178 Squadrons. Illustrated with 40 photographs or so and four colour profiles .
ISBN: 978-2494471-36-8
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PDF version is available as 978-2494471-37-6
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The Spitfire Mk V was widely used from 1941 onwards and came at the time the Fighter Command of RAF in Great Britain was expanded with new fighter squadrons being formed that year and the following year. Among those units there were the units formed with Australian nationals, Nos 452 and 457 Squadons, which were replaced by No 453 Squadron when 452 and 457 were sent to Australia to defend the country against Japanese raids in 1942. Later on, in the Middle East, a fourth Australian squadron became a fighter squadron after having been a tactical reconnaissance unit since its formation in 1941. The operational activity of each squadron on the Spitfire Mk V is fully described here in 68 pages, illustrated with close to 80 photos, as well 14 colour profiles illustrating twelve concise biographies.
ISBN: 978-2494471-34-4
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PDF version is available as 978-2494471-35-1
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The Hawker Typhoon was designed to Air Ministry specification F.18/37 which sought to take advantage of the new generation of 2000hp engines and satisfy the latest requirements in armament. This major step up demanded a larger and more advanced airframe than that of the company’s then current Hurricane and by March 1938 work had commenced on the first two prototypes; one with the Napier Sabre, soon called ‘Typhoon’ and the other with a Rolls-Royce Vulture, later to be named the ‘Tornado’; this latter machine was the first to fly, on 6 October 1939. The Vulture did not give too many problems in the Hawker fighter but by the end of 1940 it was experiencing serious trouble with its installation in the Avro Manchester bomber, and as a result the project was abandoned. With the third engine (Bristol Centaurus) of the new generation still some way off, the Air Ministry had little option but to concentrate on the Typhoon, which had made its first flight on 24 February 1940. The new aircraft encountered teething problems and was also delayed by production priorities for other Hawker types during the Battle of Britain. During its early operational life the Typhoon had to overcome problems that threatened to end its service, but these were eventually remedied so that, by the last quarter of 1943, the Typhoon had become a reliable aircraft. Improvements included the introduction of the new single piece ‘blown’ hood, a four-bladed propeller and an enlarged tailplane, but there was no change in designation. When production ceased in November 1945, 3317 Typhoons had been built.At first pure fighters were produced, but, by the spring of 1943, only the fighter-bomber version was coming off the production line and by the end of the year all the Typhoon squadrons were undertaking some form of ground attack role. On the eve of D-Day the Typhoon had become the backbone of the 2 TAF fighter-bomber force with no less than eighteen squadrons active. This book narrates the operational usage of No 609 Squadron, one of the first squadrons to be equiped with the Typhoon from April 1942 onwards, initially under Fighter Command authority, then with the 2 TAF. This squadron was unique as it had a ‘Belgian Flight; over 50 Belgian pilots served with 609 during the war and three Belgians even commanded 609 during the Typhoon era. Made of over 60 photos and 12 colour profiles (paperback version).
ISBN: 978-2494471-32-0
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PDF version is available as 978-2494471-33-7
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The Spitfire XIV was the logical development of the Spitfire Mk XII (see SQUADRONS! 5). The Mk.XIV differed from the Mk.XII in that the longer, two-stage supercharged Griffon 65 was mounted further forward. A new five-bladed Rotol propeller was used and was the most obvious visual difference compared to earlier marks. The first batch of aircraft to fly with the Griffon 60 series engines were six converted Mk.VIIIs . The first one of these was flown on 20 January 1943, with production ordered following a series of trials. The first aircraft left the production line in October 1943 following the amendment of existing Spitfire contracts. The XIV was initially seen as an interim design pending the Spitfire Mk.XVIII’s availability. Delays with the XVIII meant the XIV became one of the major Spitfire fighter variants and a valuable asset for the RAF during the final year of the war. The XIV was built as a fighter, but was also developed for fighter-reconnaissance (FR) to replace the effective, but ageing, Mustang in the Tac/R role. During the war only a limited number of squadrons were equipped with the type and Nos. 2, 41, 91, 130, 268, 610 Sqns, 322 Dutch, 350 Belgian and the Canadian 402, 414 and 430. More squadrons received the type between VE-Day and September 1945. This book covers the operational usage of the Spitfire XIV as a fighter and as a tactical reconnaissance aircraft. A short chapter covers also the arrival of the Spitfire XIV in the Far East. This book is illustrated with about 140 photos and 30 colour profiles (paperback version). 130 pages.
Available as a paperback version with ISBN 978-2494471-30-6
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PDF version is available as 978-2494471-31-3
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During WW2, New Zealand formed two day fighter squadrons in Europe, Nos 485 and 486 Squadrons. Book made of over 100 pages, over 120 photos and 30 colour profiles, the operational activity of each squadron is fully narrated.
Available as a paperback version with ISBN 978-2494471-28-3
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PDF version is available as 978-2494471-29-0
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Called the Warhawk in American service, the Curtiss P-40 was the most numerous fighter type on hand when the United States entered the war in December 1941. A development of the Curtiss P-36, the P-40 was essentially a P-36 equipped with an inline Allison V12 V-1710. The French were the first to express an interest in this model, known as the H-81, having already ordered the export version of the P-36 (the H-75). The H-81 would later be purchased by the USAAC and the RAF (as the Tomahawk). Curtiss continued to improve the breed and a new production model, the H-87, was soon available with a new version of the V-1710 that had a spur-gear reduction mechanism, raising the engine thrust line. This caused the nose profile to be redesigned, hence the new designation.
The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), wanting to reinforce its defensive fighter force. Consequently, an agreement was reached with Britain and 72 Kittyhawk Mk.Is (P-40Es) bought by the British Purchasing Commission were diverted to Canada. Later on, other Kittyhawks were delivered and in all eight fighter squadrons were eventually equipped (Nos 14, 111, 118, 130, 132, 133, 135 and 163) and served until the end of the war, not only in Canada, but also in Alaska where the RCAF deployed a fighter squadron to reinforce the USAAF in the Aleutians and to fight against the Japanese. The book is illustrated with 40 photographs and 6 colour profiles.
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Available as a paperback version with ISBN 978-2494471-26-9
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PDF is available as 978-2494471-27-6
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The Spitfire XVI is one of the Spitfire marks to have been so far little covered in depth. It was actually a Mk. IX powered with an American built Packard engine but otherwise it was very familiar to a Mk IX. Used in the fighter-bomber role, from the UK with the Fighter Command or from the Continent with the 2 TAF, one of the main tasks given to the XVI would be the destruction of the V-2 sites located in Holland. This book gives the details of the operations carried out in 1944 and 1945 by all the combat squadrons and wings – mainly Nos 127 (RCAF), 131 (Polish) and 145 (French) Wings – and highlighting the men who led them. Illustrated with 120 photos and 28 colour profiles.
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Available as a paperback version with ISBN 978-2494471-24-5
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PDF is available as 978-2494471-25-2
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The B-25 Mitchell was one of the major medium bomber of WW2 and fought with three major users, the Americans, the Soviets and the British. The British mainly used the Mitchell in Europe, but a few, coming from Dutch stocks, were used in the Far East. But other countries received the Mitchell during the war, the Dutch and the Australians who both used the type in the South-West Pacific, with two squadrons, No. 18 (NEI) and 2 RAAF. The full operational history is developed in 48 pages and about 50 photos.
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Available as a paperback version with ISBN 978-2494471-22-1
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PDF is available as 978-2494471-23-8
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The Hawker Tempest was derived from the Hawker Typhoon. The new design was tested with various engines and eventually the Mk V was the first to enter service making its operational debut in January 1944 with the ADGB. The Tempest participated actively to the V-1 hunt during the summer of 1944, then the Tempest was sent to the Continent to join the 2TAF.
During the war eight fighter squadrons became operational on Tempest including Nos 33, 80, 222, 274 and 501 Squadrons which were the last to convert. Over 50 photos illustrate the book alongside thirteen colour profiles and one colour plate.
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Available as a paperback version with ISBN 978-2494471-20-7
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Pdf is available as 978-2494471-21-4 (see below)
The North American Mustang is certainly one of the legendary fighters of the Second World War. The aircraft can be split into two ‘families’, the Allison-powered and Merlin-powered. The RAF Marks I and II belong to the first category, while all subsequent marks belong to the second. The change of engine made the aircraft perform far better at higher altitudes. The Merlin 61 (with the two-stage supercharger) provided significantly improved results above 15,000 feet and was without compare above 20,000 feet. All this without sacrificing range. This was a key point as, in 1942, the RAF was looking for a long-range escort fighter, a role the Spitfire, whatever the mark, could not fulfill with complete satisfaction from the British Isles. The British conducted an experimental programme with the new engine on various test-beds (known within the RAF as the Mustang X) while the Americans were doing the same thing on their side. The Americans first discovered the best way to pair the Merlin and the airframe and, after the first flight of the XP-51B on 30 November 1942, the future of the P-51B was guaranteed. The British ordered hundred of Mustang IIIs (denomination given to both P-51B and P-51C) and they served in Western Europe and in Italy. In Italy up to May 1945, six squadrons were totally equipped with the type, No. 3 RAAF, No. 5 SAAF, and RAF 112, 213, and 249 Squadrons, while, just after the war, other units (RAF 250, 260, and the Australian 450) received a mix of Mustang IIIs and IVs. This first part will develop the operational usage of Nos 112, 213 and 260 Squadrons. Close to 30 photos and 5 colour profiles illustrate this part. (Part 1 is developed in SQUADRONS! 40)
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Available as a paperback version with ISBN 978-2494471-18-4
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PDF is available as 978-2494471-19-1
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