Air Force War

First published in 1944, Enemy Coast Ahead quickly became regarded as the classic Bomber Command story, following Gibson's RAF career from flying the Hampden and Manchester at the beginning of World War II to the triumphant return home of the Lancasters from the famous 1943 Dambuster raid, which Gibson led and for which he was awarded the Victoria Cross.

The Battle of Britain rages. London is in flames, and civilization itself totters on the brink. Does Pilot Officer Maurice Mickelwhite care? Not one damn. He may be one of the better fighter pilots in the Royal Air Force, but it's not by choice. Maurice is a mathematical genius, who, if not for Hitler, would be happily teaching algebra and calculus at university. To hell with the war! Maurice just wants his numbers. Trouble is...the numbers also want him.

'It kept me amused, entertained and interested right to the end.' A flight with the Red Arrows sparks in Ron Powell a desire to tell the story of his early life and 32-years in the Royal Air Force, from engineering apprentice to group captain (full colonel) pilot. The result is Shropshire Blue: A Shropshire Lad in the RAF. This first volume opens with Ron growing up in a small town on the English/Welsh border, where his interest in the RAF is sparked by a headstone in a local cemetery. Having failed pilot selection, he joins the RAF as a Halton apprentice, learning to became an airframe and...

Learn about the roles of airmen and their training, as well as the advanced equipment, aircraft, and weapons the Air Force uses.

‘A good story, crisply told’ – New York Times Franz von Werra was the only German prisoner of war to escape and return to Germany after being captured by the Allies. An incredibly charismatic, inventive and self-confident man, he was a Luftwaffe ace shot down in the Battle of Britain. The One that Got Away tells the full and exciting story of his two daring escapes in England and his third and successful escape: a leap from the window of a prisoners' train in Canada. Enduring snow and frostbite, he crossed into the then neutral United States. James Leasor's book is based on von ...

Ever since the Vietnam War, if not World War II, the acquisition process for new goods or services used by the U.S. Armed Forces has been the same. It has involved as much paperwork, and taken as long, to acquire a new software program as it takes to acquire a new aircraft carrier. A service's needs were more likely than not to change between the time the bids were let and the date upon which the product was delivered. This process may not have drastically changed the configuration of the aircraft carrier, but in the realm of software the specifications and need for output can change by the...

Even when you’re flying a desk, Afghanistan is a dangerous place. Medic Paul Adams thought he’d seen the last of Afghanistan after his last tour almost killed him and his colleague, Lizzie Jarman. They’d been there, done that, and got the medal. But he can’t turn down a temporary promotion. Just as he arrives in Kandahar air base, rockets start raining down, dealing death and destruction in equal measure. Unknown to Adams, Lizzie isn’t where he thought she was. Now much more than just a colleague, he thought she was safe and sound back at home. Sent out to replace a fallen medic, ...

Follow my lead, Flyboy… Captain Stephanie ‘Piranha’ Ely had fought for every commendation and honor that she’d received her entire life – and wasn’t about to let anyone take that from her. She volunteered for this assignment, knowing it would guarantee a spot in command and had no clue just how much resolve it was actually going to take – especially when it came to Scarecrow. Copy that – I’m on your tail… Joey ‘Scarecrow’ Charlton didn’t have a care in the world. No commitments, no strings attached back home, and zero drive to do anything else. Eat, sleep, and fly...

“Carefully plotted…an abundance of cunning political themes…invigorating until the last page.” –The BookLife Prize Cold War espionage is raging. A Russian bomber crashes on a frozen Alaska lake. The lone survivor, Anton, has flown the mission to free his wife from a political gulag, even though he knows in his heart that she is already dead. Ellen, the widow of a falsely discredited US Intelligence officer rescues him. Their common story of betrayal sparks a passion that each felt was forever lost. THE OPPOSITE OF TRUST is the perfect title for a cold war thriller that pits east ...

The story of the United States Air Force (USAF) stretches back to aerial operations prior to the First World War and looks forward to a new era of airpower in space. Fighting from Above presents a concise account of this history, offering a new perspective on how the air forces of the United States created an independent way of warfare over time.

In 1972, America was completing its withdrawal from the long and divisive war in Vietnam. Air power covered the departure of ground forces, and search and rescue teams from all services and Air America covered the airmen and soldiers still in the fight. Day and night these military and civilian aircrews stood alert to respond to "Mayday" calls. The rescue forces were the answer to every man's prayer, and those forces brought home airmen, sailors, marines, and soldiers downed or trapped across the breadth and depth of the entire Southeast Asia theater.

This is a story of an air force pilot who was assigned with the job of attacking the enemy territory to destroy their war potential. He did the job well, but while returning the tail of the plane was hit and he was compelled to bail out. From the jungle where he landed, he was caught by the enemies, but his presence of mind made him escape. With continuous struggles, he could cross over the border and had to face numerous problems before joining the family.

Step back in time and hear my parents tell how things used to be back in simpler days before the internet and smartphones. Hear Dad tell about growing up on a farm in Cleburne County, Alabama, when running water meant you had to run and get it. Ride on a troop ship with him to Europe, not knowing what he would face in Nazi Germany. Find out what it was like to be right there in the middle of the sheer joy and mad celebrations when the war in Europe ended. Hear Mom tell about the hurts, fears and joys of raising her two children from the moments they were born until the oldest begins school....

In 1965, war was on simmer, and buddies were getting drafted or going into the safer Air Force, Navy, or Coast Guard rather than the more combatant Army and Marine Corps. I'm 75. Had I had the opportunity to do it again, I'd go as a noncombatant combat photographer or broadcaster for AFN wherever in the world I was sent. That's another story.

On America's newest combat base, U.S. Air Force aerial warfare expert Major General Patrick McLanahan and his crew of daring engineers are devising the air combat unit of the future. Known as Air Battle Force, it can launch concentrated, stealthy, precision-guided firepower to any spot on the globe within hours. And soon McLanahan and his warriors will have their first target.

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. Author James F. Slaughter III examines how each country's leadership created the circumstances that enabled the Luftwaffe's victory over the FAF and Germany's ultimate defeat of France.

An historical novel of romance and hardship set during the Vietnam War. A new Army lieutenant leaves his fiancé to serve at an obscure air force base in Thailand where the love for his sweetheart clashes with his attraction to a dazzling Thai beauty. Serving in the Corps of Engineers, he joins an epic construction project reminiscent of The Bridge on the River Kwai. Their mission is in support of the air war to destroy the supply lines of the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Unsure of his leadership ability, he relies on the experience of seasoned soldiers while struggling against grueling schedules, ...

If the Wright brothers' 1903 flights in Kitty Hawk marked the birth of aviation, World War I can be called its violent adolescence - a brief but bloody era that completely changed the way planes were designed, fabricated, and flown. The war forged an industry that would redefine transportation and warfare for future generations.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a military wife? Did you know that young military families often struggle to survive on military pay? Listen to this book to learn more about the adventures and struggles of an 18-year-old Air Force wife. If being a young military wife wasn't difficult enough, add a baby to the family. The adventures begin at Chanute Air Force Base in Rantoul, Illinois where the family of three lived in their first apartment. An overflowing bathtub, a missing hamster, and some too close neighbors added to the mayhem.

Diana Jean Schemo covered the Air Force Academy's sexual assault scandal in 2003, one of a series of academy embarrassments that have included drug use, rape complaints, and charges of evangelical officers pushing Christianity on cadets of all faiths. Today, the institution is in flux - a fascinating time to look at the changes being made and the experience of today's cadets. Schemo followed a handful of academy cadets through the school year. From the admissions process and basic training to graduation.