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Secret Spitfires

Author: Howman

Publisher: The History Press

Published: 2020-06-15

Total Pages: 292

ISBN-13: 0750995505

September 1940: In the midst of the Second World War, The Luftwaffe unleashed a series of devastating raids on Southampton, all but destroying its Spitfire factories. But production didn't stop. Instead, manufacturing of this iconic fighter moved underground, to secret locations staffed by women, children and non-combatant men. With little engineering experience between them, they built a fleet of one of the greatest war planes that has ever existed. This is their story.

The Spitfire Kids

Author: Alasdair Cross

Publisher: Headline

Published: 2021-05-13

Total Pages: 368

ISBN-13: 1472281977

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THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 'An inspirational read celebrating the incredible young people who gave so much for this iconic British aircraft'. John Nichol, bestselling author of Spitfire: A Very British Love Story Despite the many films and television programmes over the decades since the end of the Second World War that portrays our allied heroes as grown-up men and women, the Battle of Britain was in the main actually fought and won by teenagers. The average age of an RAF fighter pilot was just twenty years old. Many of the men and women who designed and built their planes were even younger. Based on the hit BBC World Service podcast Spitfire: The People's Story, we use contemporary diaries and memoirs, many of them previously unpublished, to tell the story of the Spitfire through the voices of the teenagers who risked everything to design, build and fly her. This isn't a story of stiff-upper lips, stoical moustaches and aerial heroics; it's a story of love and loss, a story of young people tested to the very limits of their endurance. Young people who won a battle that turned a war.

Pauline Gower, Pioneering Leader of the Spitfire Women

Author: Alison Hill

Publisher: The History Press

Published: 2022-09-01

Total Pages: 260

ISBN-13: 1803991488

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Pauline Gower was the leader of the Spitfire women during the Second World War. After gaining her pilot's licence at 20, she set up the first female joyriding business in 1931 with engineer Dorothy Spicer and took 33,000 passengers up for a whirl, clocking up more than 2,000 hours overall. Pauline went on to command the inaugural women's section of the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) and achieved equal pay for her women pilots. She enabled them to fly 'Anything to Anywhere', including Tiger Moths, Hurricanes, Wellingtons and – their firm favourite – the Spitfire. Pauline Gower: Pioneering Leader of the Spitfire Women is a story of bravery, fortitude and political persuasion. Pauline was a clear leader of her time and a true pioneer of flight. She died after giving birth, at only 36; a life cut tragically short, but one of significant achievements. Pauline left a huge legacy for women in aviation.

From Spitfire to Focke Wulf

Author: H. Leonard Thorne

Publisher: The History Press

Published: 2013-09-02

Total Pages: 287

ISBN-13: 0752497286

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'I hold the greatest respect for Len for what he achieved in the RAF'. – Gordon Mitchell, son of Spitfire designer R.J. Mitchell In May 1940, 20-year-old Len Thorne joined the RAF, as did many young men during the Second World War. After two hectic tours of operational duty as a fighter pilot, including some desperately dangerous low-level flying at Dunkirk, he was posted to AFDU (Air Fighting Development Unit) and remained there as a test pilot for the rest of the war. Fortunately for us, Len kept a detailed diary, which, set alongside his log book, tells the unique story of a test pilot tasked with developing operational tactics and testing captured enemy aircraft, such as the feared Fw 190. During Len's career, he worked alongside some of the most famous fighter aces and his records cast light on some of the most famous flyers of the RAF, including Wing Commander Al Deere and Spitfire aces Squadron Leader 'Paddy' Finucane, Ernie Ryder and many others. A unique record of military aviation history, From Spitfire to Focke Wulf offers a window to this era of rapid and high-stakes aircraft development.

Darwin Spitfires

Author: Anthony Cooper

Publisher: Pen and Sword

Published: 2013-10-23

Total Pages: 404

ISBN-13: 1473830079

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The Japanese air raids on Darwin on 19 February 1942 are well-known to most Australians, although not perhaps to the rest of the world. What happened afterwards, however, remains unknown to many. This publication attempts to illuminate this little-known period of war history, charting the exploits, losses and successes of the RAF's No 1 Fighter Wing and the contribution they made to the allied war effort. The stalwart Spitfire is celebrated in a narrative that is sure to appeal widely.For almost two years the airspace over North West Australia was routinely penetrated by Japanese raids, tallying about 70 in total. The 1942-43 air raids on Darwin constituted the only sustained and intensive direct assault on Australian mainland territory in the whole of World War II - and the whole history of post- 1788 Australia - yet, surprisingly, most Australians have no idea that it ever happened. And the rest of the world are yet more so in the dark.Telling the story of the RAF'S No 1 Fighter Wing, composed of both Australian and British Spitfire pilots, Darwin Spitfires explores the little known 1943 season of air combat over the top end, recovering important aspects of Australian history. It brings to the attention of the world the heroic exploits of the skilled pilots who did so much to protect Australia and support the Allied effort. This important publication attempts to celebrate and commemorate the spirit of solidarity that characterized the experiences of No 1 Fighter Wing.As featured in Aeroplane Monthly

From Wax Wings to Flying Drones

Author: Norman Ferguson

Publisher: The History Press

Published: 2022-08-11

Total Pages: 199

ISBN-13: 1803991402

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Was Keith Harris's Orville really named after the first-ever flyer? What exactly is a 'Spitfire'? Why did Richard Branson try to cross the Atlantic in a balloon when he owned an airline? These are the questions that fail to keep proper aeronautical historians awake – but no matter, From Wax Wings to Flying Drones is here to answer them. Chock-full of important stuff like planes, pilots and pioneers such as the Wright brothers, Amelia Earhart and that man off the telly who used to fly on Concorde, this is a book for everyone who's ever watched a plane in the sky and thought, 'I wonder what its registration is?'

Letters from the Blitz

Author: Richard MacAlpine

Publisher: The History Press

Published: 2020-08-03

Total Pages: 212

ISBN-13: 0750995823

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When war was declared in September 1939, everyday life for British citizens changed almost overnight. At the time, Winifred Graville of Sheffield, a gardener, writer and speaker well known in her local area, wrote a series of letters to her American cousin in Penn Yan, New York, describing the hardships and typical daily struggles her city experienced during the Blitz. At a time when American public opinion was strictly isolationist, Winifred's cousin convinced the editor of a local newspaper to publish excerpts from 150 letters in the hope of influencing public opinion in a small way. In Letters from the Blitz, Richard MacAlpine has gathered the published letters into a fascinating collection. At times poignant, often humorous, and always beautifully written and full of detail, Winifred's letters clearly illustrate the 'Keep Calm and Carry On' attitude of the British people during that difficult time and provide an insight into wartime life.

The Female Few

Author: Jacky Hyams

Publisher: The History Press

Published: 2012-01-01

Total Pages: 187

ISBN-13: 0752481223

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Through the darkest days of the Second World War, an elite group of courageous civilian women risked their lives as aerial courier pilots, flying Lancaster bombers, Spitfires and many other powerful war machines in thousands of perilous missions. The dangers these women faced were many: they flew unarmed, without radio and in some cases without instruments, in conditions where even unexpected cloud could mean disaster. In The Female Few, five of these astonishingly brave women tell their awe-inspiring tales of incredible risk, tenacity and sacrifice. Their spirit and fearlessness in the face of death still resonates down the years, and their accounts reveal a forgotten chapter in the history of the Second World War.

Magnificent Women and Flying Machines

Author: Sally Smith

Publisher: The History Press

Published: 2021-11-01

Total Pages: 341

ISBN-13: 0750999195

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'Lively history of British women aviators.' Daily Mail 'Compelling stories of female pioneers whose soaring ambition achieved firsts in the field of aviation.' Britain Magazine 'This lovely book offers a welcome and enjoyable read and provides a timely testament for these unsung pioneers of aviation.' Maggie Appleton MBE, Chief Executive Officer, RAF Museum 'A real celebration of the women who defied tradition and followed their dreams into the sky. Readable and entertaining, this book is a worthy tribute to Britain's woman aviation pioneers.' Sharon Nicholson FRAeS, Chairwoman of the British Women Pilots' Association Just eighteen months after two Frenchmen made the world's first ever flight, a fearless British woman hopped into a flimsy balloon and flew across the London sky for nearly an hour. Since then, many other remarkable British women have decided to defy traditional society and follow their dreams to get into the sky. For the first time, Magnificent Women and Flying Machines tells the stories of the pioneers who achieved real firsts in various forms of aviation: in ballooning, parachuting, gliding, airships and fixed-wing flight – right up to a trip to the International Space Station! Full of entertaining adventure, here at last is a proper record of Britain's wonderful women of the air.

A Thames Moment

Author:

Publisher: Rocky Mountain Books Ltd

Published: 2011-02-15

Total Pages: 240

ISBN-13: 1926855108

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Join Gordon Cope and his wife, Linda, as they discover the enchanting customs, cuisine and inhabitants of Henley-upon-Thames, the most eccentric 12th-century village in the United Kingdom, where the internationally renowned Royal Regatta reigns supreme, a young George Orwell spent his formative years and one-time Beatle George Harrison lived from the 1970s until his death in 2001. Meet Edwina, the village gossip; Teddy, the former Second World War bomber pilot; and Allan, the genius inventor. Travel with Gordon and Linda through the awe-inspiring Cotswolds, home to Iron Age relics and romantic country pubs. Experience the warmth of a rural English community, its pace of life dictated by the stately flow of the storied Thames River. From battling destructive river floods to arresting boat thieves, from pounding back Pimm’s at the exclusive Leander Club to exploring secret Spitfire fighter-plane factories, Gordon Cope takes you on a charming and disarming adventure through the world of John Bull. You’d be mad as a hatter not to enjoy this trip to Jolly Olde England!