Air forces and warfare Books

Using diary entries, interviews and first-hand accounts, this vivid narrative brings to life the struggle in the air over the island of Guadalcanal between August 20 and November 15, 1942.The battle of Guadalcanal was the first offensive operation...

Launching Osprey's 'X-Planes' series is a fascinating examination of Hitler's secret weapon. This title is a must-have for modellers, aviation historians and enthusiasts of Germany's super-hi-tech aircraft programme.

This book is a must read, a real page turner, accompanied by wartime photographs. 95 year old Bomber Command veteran John Henry Meller describes beautifully what it was like to live through the wartime years, waking up on an operational base in 1945. Few...

When the United States reluctantly enters the First World War, American Glenn Langley follows his fascination with flying to become a pilot in Europe. Joining the Army forces him to leave behind his football days at Brown University, but provides an...

Airpower over the Rhine is a critical new perspective on the air battle between the French Air Force (FAF) and the Luftwaffe in the skies over France during May and June 1940. Why were the French overpowered in the air? What factors led to their defeat?...

Featuring biographical chapters on the leaders who served in space roles in the U.S. Air Force, Army, or Marine Corps, including officers who experienced the celestial skies firsthand as astronauts, Space Force Pioneers aims to enhance the reader's...

Airpower Over Gallipoli, 1915-1916, focuses on the men and machines in the skies over the Gallipoli Peninsula, their contributions to the campaign, and the ultimate outcomes of the role of airpower in the early stages of World War I. Based on extensive...

On 4 June 1942, three squadrons of U.S. Navy Dauntless dive bombers destroyed Japan's carrier force sent to neutralize Midway, changing the course of the war in the Pacific. As Thomas Wildenberg convincingly demonstrates in this book, the key ingredient...

Death from the Heavens is a survey of strategic bombardment from its beginnings to date. It covers the theory, hardware, and operations of this specialized type of warfare. It is based on both primary and secondary sources and is aimed at the general...

Written by veteran aerospace journalist Bob Ward, who spent years investigating his subject, this biography presents a revealing but even-handed portrait of the father of modern rocketry. As he chronicles Werner von Braun's life, Ward explodes many myths...

Published to coincide with the centennial celebration of U.S. Navy Aviation, this book chronicles Navy aviation from its earliest days, before the Navy's first aircraft carrier joined the fleet, through the modern jet era marked by the introduction of...

This classic work-part of the Marine Corps reading list-makes full use of declassified U.S. documents to offer the first comprehensive study of fighter combat over North Vietnam. Marshall Michel's balanced, exhaustive coverage describes and analyzes both...

Naval warfare was confined for centuries to surface combat, or undersea clashes. In the twentieth century aerial warfare became the third domain and shortly thereafter, the electromagnetic spectrum also appeared. Until now, little has been written about...

The first ever puzzle book from FlightRadar24 At any one time there are nearly 20,000 flights in the sky, and more than 75 million flights a year – and, since 2006, the website Flightradar24 has kept its beady eye on them all. For the first time ever,...

The thrilling life of Bert Hinkler, Bundaberg boy, who grew up to become a pioneer of aviation, Mussolini's favourite pilot, dubbed 'the most daring man in the world' by adoring crowds who turned out to see him fly. Grantlee Kieza tells the thrilling...

(Previously published as ‘After the Flood’)Former RAF Tornado Navigator and Gulf War veteran John Nichol sets out on a personal journey to discover what happened to 617 Squadron after the flood. RAF 617 Squadron’s destruction of the dams at the heart of...

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • The definitive history of combat aviation and fighter aircraft, from World War I to present INCLUDES 32 PAGES OF PHOTOGRAPHS AND 12 MAPSLords of the Sky is the “dramatic, fast-paced, and definitive" (Michael...

Every Reason to Fail is unlike anything you’ve ever read.It’s not a history book, but it’s full of old history—and new history—from cover to cover, and with historic people and airplanes to boot!It’s not a mystery...