Some Future Titles of Interest for SPF Members

Eagles of the Luftwaffe: Dfs 230 Paperback – 16 Oct. 2024​

by Neil Page (and Dan Sharp?)
From the description:
"
When it came to daring raids, Germany's airborne troops had a secret weapon during the Second World War: the DFS 230 combat and assault glider. Successful German attacks at Eben Emael, Corinth, Crete and Gran Sasso are synonymous with the type - which could carry nine fully-equipped troops, dive towards its target at an angle of 80 degrees and land within 20m of it.

It was also frequently used for freight and could quietly deliver up to 1,200kg of cargo, even into areas considered too difficult and hazardous for successful supply drops by conventional means. For particularly difficult landing areas, it could optionally be fitted with up to three machine guns.

Designed during the mid-1930s, the DFS 230 entered service in 1939 and was operated throughout the war in every theater where German forces were involved in the fighting. A DFS 230 was probably the last aircraft type to put down in the inferno of Hitler's encircled capital city just days prior to the dictator's suicide on April 30, 1945.

The type could be towed into the air by almost any powered combat aircraft - from an He 111 bomber to a Bf 109 fighter - dropping its wheeled landing gear on take-off and touching down on a skid.
More than 1,600 DFS 230s were built from 1939 to 1943 and up to a dozen are thought to survive today.

In Eagles of the Luftwaffe: DFS 230, Luftwaffe historian Neil Page, author of the two-part Luftwaffe Fighters series from Tempest Books, explores and explains both the type's development and its service history."
 
newsdeskdan said:
HOTOL: Britain’s Spaceplane
by
Dan Sharp

Tempest Books
ISBN: 9781911704294
Format: Hardback
Pages: 300

The start of Space Shuttle operations in 1981 marked a new era in spaceflight – with the five orbiters launching numerous satellites, interplanetary probes and the Hubble Space Telescope. But Shuttle was only partially reusable, its external fuel tank being expendable and its solid rocket boosters having to be recovered from the ocean and refurbished. Putting a satellite into orbit using a rocket was even more wasteful – with boosters such as Ariane being one-shot only. The costs were astronomical.

So when rocket scientist Alan Bond and aerospace engineer Bob Parkinson attended a British Interplanetary Society lecture on the proposed non-reusable Ariane 5 rocket in 1982, they began to discuss possible alternatives and concluded that the best solution was… an aerospaceplane.

The concept was deceptively simple – a vehicle able to take off from a conventional runway using airbreathing engines, switch to pure rocket propulsion at high altitude, fly up into space, complete its mission, then fly back down and land. Bond and Parkinson believed it could be done and HOTOL – HOrizontal Take-Off and Landing – was born.

By 1983 both British Aerospace and Rolls-Royce were backing the project. A broadcast on ITN’s New at Ten in 1984 made HOTOL famous overnight, with the whole nation now aware of its existence. The Government agreed to match-fund the companies’ financial commitment in 1985 and the work ramped up into high gear, with some of Britain’s best engineers engaged in making this remarkable vehicle a reality.

Two years later, Minister of State of Trade and Industry Kenneth Clarke declined to renew the project's funding – signalling the beginning of the end of HOTOL. Attempts to continue the project as an air-launched vehicle using the An-225 as its carrier continued into the early 1990s.

HOTOL: Britain’s Spaceplane by Dan Sharp covers the full story of HOTOL’s development in detail from beginning to end, drawing on the BAE Systems archive, the personal archives of the project’s creators and extensive interviews with those involved. It includes new artwork plus hundreds of contemporary diagrams and illustrations, ranging from full colour brochures and publicity material – both used and unused – to previously unseen diagrams and schematics of HOTOL’s numerous configurations and their associated components and technologies.

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Always love to see a new book published about the legendary Hercules.

www.penguin.co.uk

Hercules

Read the legendary story of the Lockheed C-130 Hercules aircraft, seen through the eyes of former RAF captain Scott Bateman ‘The literary equivalent to injecting pure adrenaline into your brain via your eyeball… it’s a blast from start to finish’ Aviation Historian --- Anytime, Anywhere...
www.penguin.co.uk www.penguin.co.uk

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Some interesting books being published by Harpia is you're into lesser documented air forces:


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The Bear's Claws - Russian Military Aviation in the 21st Century. The book is being laid out at present, and will hopefully be with the printer before month end. Estimated to be 200 pages, containing 375 colour illustrations of the 80 + different aircraft and helicopters to see Russian service since the year 2000. Limited text on each type, along with details of each air base, and known unit a structure. More details, including the price, when available in a few weeks.
The book is being self published, and will be available via mail order from me, or through Simon at the Aviation Bookshop or Paul at Aviation Retail Direct.

Bob Archer
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  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Schiffer Military History (April 28, 2024)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 608 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0764367870
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0764367878
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.6 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.25 x 2.25 x 10 inches
 
SteveO said:
Got my copy. Well presented book with nice 3 views. At a glance a lot of the illustrations look similar to those in the Blue Envoy Press - Project Tech Profiles but it looks like a good read I would recommend it.
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Bought a copy and read it while sitting in jury duty this past Monday. Good read and info I had not seen/read before. UFAs were all new to me. Would have liked 3 views of some of the designs mentioned in the text but overall, quite happy to add it to the reference library.

Enjoy the Day! Mark
 

Main Force to Mosquito Master Bomber - The Story of Wing Commander Eric Benjamin DFC & Bar.​

fighting-high-books.myshopify.com

Main Force to Mosquito Master Bomber

The Story of Wing Commander Eric Benjamin DFC & Bar by Jeannie Benjamin and Sean Feast AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER DUE OUT MID-MAY 2024 Hardback - 192pp - 234 x 156mm. Approx 45 black and white photographs. World Rights - Fighting High Ltd. ISBN - 978-1-8380687-4-5. Wing Commander Eric Benjamin...
fighting-high-books.myshopify.com
 
Will be an interesting read no doubt, there is an awful lot that we do not currently know about the J-20 so this book will answer a lot of questions that I have about it.
 
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By John Greenacre and Major Mike Peters.

Since formation in 1957 the Army Air Corps has played a prominent role in almost every British Army operation in modern times. Ops Normal is an unrivalled and comprehensive operational history of the Army Air Corps experience. It is a unique insight into the aircraft deployed, and the experiences of the men and women involved.

Volume 1 of Ops Normal is exceptional as it draws generously on the testimony of those who were deployed on the early operations. Aircrew and Groundcrew, provided critical aviation support to the full spectrum of flying operations in the most hazardous environments, often under fire. It also captures the pace of change and turbulence as the small embryonic corps of aviators evolved into the fully fledged combat arm of today.

Ops Normal covers operations in Malaya, Borneo, Hong Kong, Cyprus, Kuwait, Aden, British Guiana, Belize and in Northern Ireland. It uses previously unpublished material, thought-provoking first-hand accounts coupled with contemporary unit records, and many unpublished images. The result is a fresh and compelling history of a Corps that though diminutive in numbers, rank as one of the most potent in the British Army's order of battle.

Ops Normal is the only complete and authorised account of British Army aviation operations undertaken by the Army Air Corps. It is a fitting tribute to all who wore the sky blue beret and especially those that made the ultimate sacrifice. It is also a testimony to those that survive with the physical and mental scars of their service.

Ops Normal Volume 1 | Military History Book | Helion & Company

Ops Normal Volume 1 - just one of the military history books available from Helion & Company.
www.helion.co.uk www.helion.co.uk
 
www.pen-and-sword.co.uk

Stalin's Falcons

The Soviet history of the Second World War, written under the conditions of a totalitarian regime, reflected all its features, with the result that it…
www.pen-and-sword.co.uk www.pen-and-sword.co.uk

Considering how relatively few books there are that cover Soviet Air Force operations during WW2 compared to the RAF and USAF, this book is a welcome addition

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Air Force Disappointments could be an interesting book but it's hard to decide to buy from just a short description at Amazon's entry.
Why not showing the index of contents and a few pages to show whether there are illustrations or not. It's somewhat discouraging.
Not a cheap book for a blind purchase (in fact it seems to me that the standard price for a book has registered an increase about 50% in less than five years)
 
www.tamupress.com

Air Force Disappointments, Mistakes, and Failures

While successful developments in aviation receive considerable attention, the projects that failed or otherwise did not live up to expectations receive far l...
www.tamupress.com

According to the publisher it has 69 B&W images but no table of contents is provided. More publishers should include that basic information on their sites. That could make the difference to a potential buyer.
 
I agree, but I suspect there may be analytics that show that people are more likely to buy without a table of contents. Buying on the hope that something is included, rather than passing on a purchase because they know something isn't included.

I know I've done it. It has worked out for me on occasion, but I've also been disappointed enough times that I no longer do it.
 
Not a real table of contents, but better than nothing:

-- Escort Bombers: Boeing XB-40 and Consolidated XB-41 -- The Backup: Consolidated B-32 Dominator
-- Dive Bombers the AAF Didn't Want: Douglas A-24 Dauntless, Curtiss A-25, and Vultee A-31/A-35
-- Carmaker's Airplane: General Motors XP-75 Eagle
-- Pusher-Propelled Aircraft: Vultee XP-54 Swoose Goose, Curtiss- Wright XP-55 Ascender, and Northrop XP-56 Black Bullet
-- Big and Little: McDonnell XP-67 Moonbat and Bell XP-77
-- Prop to Jet: Douglas XB-42 Mixmaster, Douglas XB-42A, and Douglas XB-43
-- Northrop's Flying Wings: Northrop XB-35, Northrop XB-49, Northrop YRB-49A, and Northrop XP-79
-- Prop Conversion to Jet Power: Convair YB-60
-- Unique Propulsion: North American F-86 Sabre, Republic XF91, Convair XF-81, McDonnell XF-88B Voodoo, and Republic XF-84H
-- Nuclear-Powered Aircraft: Convair NB-36H
-- Unique Launch: McDonnell XF-85 Goblin, FICON, and ZELL
-- Supersonic Bomber: Convair B-58 Hustler
-- Controversial Aircraft: General Dynamics F-111
-- Mach-3 Bomber: North American B-70 Valkyrie
-- Dream Bomber: North American Rockwell B-1A
-- Jet Hot Rod: Lockheed F-104 Starfighter
-- Transports: Curtiss-Wright C-76 Caravan, Convair C-99, Fairchild C-120 Pack Plane, and Douglas C-133 Cargomaster
-- World War II Cruise Missiles: General Motors A-1, APHRODITE, German V-1, Republic JB-2, and Northrop JB-1
-- Intercontinental Cruise Missiles: Northrop SM-62 Snark and North American XSM-64 Navaho
-- Standoff Missile: Bell XB-63 Rascal -- International Controversy: Douglas GAM-87 Skybolt
-- Mobile ICBM: Rail Garrison Missile -- US Surface-to-Air Missile: Boeing IM-99 Bomarc
-- Hughes's Failed Air-to-Air Missile: Hughes AIM-4D
-- Electronic Battlefield: Igloo White

Found it here (German library catalogue).
 
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Unit X: How the Pentagon and Silicon Valley Are Transforming the Future of War: Shah, Raj M., Kirchhoff, Christopher: 9781668031384
 
phil gollin said:
.

"Designing the Vulcan.

No cover image yet.


Once that is done, I hope the author does an equivalent book on the Victor, then the Valiant and then the Sperrin ( !!! ) ;)

.
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Unlikely, it’s killing me! Worth noting though, to design the Vulcan, you’d have to understand how to design the Victor as well. Perhaps it is discussed….
 
Can't say more than this yet, but as the company put the page up already keep an eye on it for updates.

Michael Pryce

www.penguin.co.uk www.penguin.co.uk

Years of archives, interviews and navel-gazing and then more for writing.

Some very new project stuff that even I did not believe at first, and a whole new twist on a well-known story.

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Bear's Claws update:

Orders are now being taken for this new book from renowned author Bob Archer which contains 400+ beautiful colour images of current Russian military aircraft shot at operational bases across the huge country. More than 80 different types are depicted and the text provides details of the air force (VKS) and Navy bases, with information on location, aircraft types and units in residence. Additional chapters cover other authorities such as the FS, Emergency Services, National Guard, and DOSAAF.
Current aircraft types are detailed, divided into fighters/fighter bombers, transports, strategic bombers, helicopters and miscellaneous. These chapters explain the quantity in service, the various models, and other relevant information on operations.
The cost of the book is £25 plus £3.99 postage and packaging (UK postal addresses only) and to all worldwide destinations (please ask for a postal quotation). Contact Bob Archer on email carlscroop@aol.com for more information or to place your order! Books are expected to be available from July 1.
 
Antonio said:
Air Force Disappointments could be an interesting book but it's hard to decide to buy from just a short description at Amazon's entry.
Why not showing the index of contents and a few pages to show whether there are illustrations or not. It's somewhat discouraging.
Not a cheap book for a blind purchase (in fact it seems to me that the standard price for a book has registered an increase about 50% in less than five years)
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Agreed. Amazon used to have a "Look Inside" feature for books, which appears to have gone by the wayside. At least looking at the chapters and reading the introduction was helpful in deciding on a purchase.
 
For those interested in the mechanical design work for the anime series Yukikaze. I barely read Japanese, but the book is mostly drawings and art. Part of a series that the publisher released including the anime series Macross.
www.sbcr.jp

戦闘妖精雪風 デザイナーズノート | SBクリエイティブ

OVA戦闘妖精雪風設定資料集 ■戦闘妖精雪風 デザイナーズノート SBクリエイティブより、20年の刻を経てOV
www.sbcr.jp www.sbcr.jp
 

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