Aviation books including naval aviation. Wide range of aviation historical reference books for all ages by leading book publishers available from the military bookshop a subsidiary of Cranston Fine Arts.

TO SEE FULL RANGE OF AVIATION ART PRINTS GO TO www.aviationartprints.com 

Order number BK8022. Book Price £19.95.

Bomber Barons by Chaz Bowyer

By the end of the Second World War, a grim total of 55,000 air crew of Bomber Command had lost their lives.  This figure comprised no less than seventy percent of RAF fatalities.  Yet, unlike their more glamorous fighter pilot colleagues, very few bomber pilots or crewmen were familiar household names to the general public.  However, within the ranks of the RAF itself, some individuals stood out gaining high reputations for their courage and leadership, a respect achieved regardless of the decorations they had won or the number of sorties flown.  These were the Bomber Barons.   In this authoritative book , aviation historian Chaz Bowyer chooses a selection of these men.  Some like Leonard Cheshire, Guy Gibson and Hughie Edwards, are today well known but others such as Nick Knilans, Syd Clayton and Jo Lancaster, are familiar only to those known 'in the know'.  For each, the author details their careers and relates episodes that reflect the qualities that made them outstanding.  At the same time, the reader learns of the unfolding dramatic development of Bomber Command from the comparatively uncoordinated, non-cohesive raids of the early part of the war to the highly trained and deadly offensive weapon it became under Sir Arthur Harris, from 1942 AOC-in-C of Bomber Command, and the greatest Baron of them all.

Post: UK- £4.00 (max post for multiple books £6.00).

For Europe £6.00 (each plus one charge of £3.00 recorded fee per total shipment)

Order number BK2438. Book Price £11.95.

Brassey's Air Combat Reader : Historic Feats and Aviation Legends.  Edited by Walter J Boyne and Philip Handleman

Brassey's Air Combat Reader is an exciting anthology of some of the twentieth century's best writing on the topic of air combat, collected by noted aviation writers Walter J Boyne and Philip Handleman.  The chapters span the history of military aviation, from World War I through the Persian Gulf War, and examine the evolution of air combat strategy and tactics.  This fascinating collection contains first-person memoirs by aviation legends such as Antoine de Sain-Exupery, hair raising third-person accounts of heroic feats by great pilots such as Douglas Bader and heroic leaders such as Pete Mitscher, and one compelling work of fiction by best-selling novelist Boyne.  Classic chapters on the art and science of air warfare, written by visionaries Billy Mitchell, Giulio Douhet, and others trace the evolution of military aviation.  Philip Handleman concludes the book with an insightful chapter about the future of air warfare in the twenty-first century.  It is, in effect, the complete history of combat aviation distilled into one thrilling volume.

Post: UK- £4.00 (max post for multiple books £6.00).

For Europe £6.00 (each plus one charge of £3.00 recorded fee per total shipment)

Order number BK5039. Book Price £28

SOLD OUT

Royal Flying Corps.  Communiques 1915 - 1916.  Edited by Christopher Cole

Packed with valuable information, Royal Flying Corps Communiques 1915 - 1916 is an important cornerstone work on the air war over the Western Front in the First World War.  It comprises the entire texts of the weekly Communiques (which were produced for internal consumption in the air arm) from June 1915 until the end of 1916.  Each Communique is provided with explanatory notes and the text is supported with illustrations of the types of aircraft employed.  The comprehensive coverage includes observation and bombing sorties, damage inflicted and incurred in clashes with enemy machines, intelligence gathered etc.  Aircrew are frequently mentioned by name, and the book will be indispensable for researching individuals or squadrons' history.  There is no comparable source of such day-to-day operational detail and no aviation enthusiast or student of the First World War can afford to be without it.

Post: UK- £4.00 (max post for multiple books £6.00).

For Europe £6.00 (each plus one charge of £3.00 recorded fee per total shipment)

Order number BN1763. Book Price £35.

Air Combat Legends Volume II by Nicolas Trudgian

Hardback book fully illustrated with 95 pages and over 40 full page colour aviation pictures. These copies are also signed by the artist and there are only a few hundred copies signed by the artist.  Comes in a presentation display box.  These are sold at the price of the unsigned book.

Post: UK- £6.00 (max post for multiple books £6.00).

For Europe £9.00 (each plus one charge of £3.00 recorded fee per total shipment)

Order number BN4786. Book Price £19.99.

Buccaneer by Tim Laming

The Blackburn Buccaneer was developed specifically for operation from the Royal Navy's aircraft carriers to deliver nuclear weapons to Soviet navy targets. the later S2 variant with Rolls-Royce Spey engines was highly regarded as a capable and potent strike aircraft and served with the Fleet Air Arm until a change in defence policy saw the demise of large aircraft carriers.

Post: UK- £4.00 (max post for multiple books £5.00).

For Europe £6.00 (each plus one charge of £3.00 recorded fee per total shipment)

Order number BK8587. Book Price £16.99.

Flying Fury - Five Years in the Royal Flying Corps by James McCudden VC

James McCudden was an outstanding British fighter ace of World War I, whose daring exploits earned him a tremendous reputation and a vast amount of respect from friend and foe alike.  Here, in this unique and gripping first hand account, he brings to life some of aviation history's most dramatic episodes in a memoir completed at the age of twenty three, just days before his tragic death.

During his time in France with the Royal Flying Corps from 1914 to 1918, McCudden rose from mechanic to pilot and flight commander.  Following his first kill in September 1916, McCudden excelled at shooting down enemy planes.  A dashing patrol leader, he combined courage, loyalty and judgement, studying the habits and psychology of enemy reconnaissance pilots and stalking them with patience and outstanding success.

Post: UK- £4.00 (max post for multiple books £5.00).

For Europe £6.00 (each plus one charge of £3.00 recorded fee per total shipment)

Order number BN0393. Book Price £20.99.

In the Teeth of the Wind by Sqn Ldr CPO Bartlett DSC

Philip Bartlett's account is a unique and fascinating record of a pilot's life in the dawn of aerial warfare and, as history, of the first use of the bomber in war, strangely by the Navy's aircraft. Flying by day and night alone, without navigational aids, the author moves from attacks on the U-boat bases to bombing the German Gothas as they prepared to raid London.

Post: UK- £5.00 (max post for multiple books £6.00).

For Europe £6.00 (each plus one charge of £3.00 recorded fee per total shipment)

Post: UK- £5.00 (max post for multiple books £6.00).

For Europe £6.00 (each plus one charge of £3.00 recorded fee per total shipment)

Sky Warriors, Classic Air War Battles by Alfred Price

Sky Warriors is a superb collection of thrilling air war stories, expertly told by the accomplished historian Alfred Price. He offers selected examples of air actions fought during the past eight decades and uses detailed descriptions of these to illustrate the multi-faceted nature of air warfare.

Taken together these accounts portray the nature of aerial warfare and the huge advances that have occurred in the eight decades since military aviation took its first hesitating steps. Throughout that period some factors have remained almost constant, however: the daring, tenacity and ingenuity of those who take to the air to do battle.

Book serial number AA91921.  Price £16.99. 

Fully illustrated hard back with 176 pages.

Post: UK- £5.00 (max post for multiple books £6.00).

For Europe £6.00 (each plus one charge of £3.00 recorded fee per total shipment)

America's First Air War by Terry C Treadwell

The early part of the book explains the reasons why the United States entered the war and the violations by Germany that exacerbated the situation.

The final part of the book contains a number of escape reports from USAS pilots and observers, that give a detailed insight into the conditions under which these and other Allied soldiers were kept imprisoned.

This book is about the part played by United States aviators and aircraft in the First World War. It includes over 200 photographs, many of which have never been published before.

Book serial number A71137. Price £22.95. 

Fully illustrated hard back with 176 pages.

Post: UK- £5.00 (max post for multiple books £6.00).

For Europe £6.00 (each plus one charge of £3.00 recorded fee per total shipment)

Rest of World £8.00 (each plus one charge of £3.00 recorded fee per total shipment)

The RAF in Camera 1946-1995 by Roy Conyers Nesbit

For many decades a fascinating and sizeable archive of photographs, depicting the operational and ground activities of the RAF, has remained unrecorded and largely unseen in thousands of documents held at the Public Record Office at Kew. Other equally important images can be found in the official archives of the Ministry of Defence in London. Together these two important collections cover a period from 1903, when the RAF's predecessors became interested in the possibilities of military aviation, through to the high-technology application of air power in the Gulf War of 1991.

This is the third volume in a series which has brought a representative selection of these two collections to the attention of a wider audience. Many of the photographs are published here for the first time and offer to the reader a fascinating kaleidoscope of images depicting the vast range of operations in which the RAF has been involved from  the end of the Second World War right up to the Gulf War.

This third volume covers the Berlin Airlift, the 'bush' wars in Kenya, Malaysia and Indonesia, atom-bomb tests in Australia and the Pacific, the Korean, Falklands and Gulf Wars, and the Suez and Cyprus crises.

Book serial number BSPL2. Price £9.99. Fully illustrated paperback with 182 pages.

Book serial number BK63. Price £15. Paperback with 571 pages.

To order your copy: secure order form

Air War Europa. America's Air War Against Germany in Europe and North Africa Chronology 1942-1945 by Eric Hammel

The great aerial crusade of World War II: There was never a military campaign like it, and there never will be another. Here is an opportunity to follow the great crusade as it unfolded in the air over the Nazi empire in North Africa and Europe. This comprehensive chronology sheds a fascinating light on the course of America's air war against Germany and her allies.

Post: UK- £5 (max post for multiple books £6.00).

For Europe £6.00 (each plus one charge of £3.00 recorded fee per total shipment)

Post: UK- £5 (max post for multiple books £6.00).

For Europe £6.00 (each plus one charge of £3.00 recorded fee per total shipment)

The Day of the Typhoon, Flying with the RAF Tankbusters in Normandy by John Golley

Reading more like fiction than fact, and a fast moving action packed novel of war at that, this account of rocket Typhoon operations over Normandy in the weeks immediately following the D-Day Invasion of Europe is all the more enthralling for its authenticity. Written by a fomrer ground attack pilot who flew 73 missions with 245 Squadron over Northern France in 1944-45, the book has all the immediacy of a first-hand account of the action, excitement, terror and the camaraderie experienced by a close ground support squadron 'moving up the line'. In those few dramatic weeks when the fate of Europe hung in the balance, when Allied forces struggled to establish the crucial foothold on the bloody beaches and fields of Normandy, it was the daring and courage of the pilots who fought the vital air-to-ground battles which guaranteed the success of the invasion.

Book serial number BK64.  Price £16.95  Hard back with 215 pages.

 SOLD OUT

Post: UK- £5 (max post for multiple books £6.00).

For Europe £6.00 (each plus one charge of £3.00 recorded fee per total shipment)

Air Battle of the Ruhr by Alan Cooper

This is the first full account of this major offensvie by the Royal Air Force's Bomber Command against the German industry in the Ruhr during World War II. The author begins by describing the role of Bomber Command and goes on to define the Ruhr area and its great importance in terms of industrial output to the Germans. The first real assault on the Ruhr took place in March 1942 but the results were disappointing. It was not until the following year that the RAF was to have more success and Alan Cooper describes in detail individual raids, their targets, the aircraft used and the German defences. Throughout, the author has used personal accounts and anecdotes and he gives vivid descriptions of the fearful effect of German searchlight skilld and the strain of flying on raids of up to six hours duration, three hours of which was over enemy territory.

Book serial number BK65.  Price £16.95  Hard back with 228 pages.

Book serial number bk62. Price £20. Fully illustrated hard back with 171 pages.

Post: UK- £5 (max post for multiple books £5.00).

For Europe £6.00 (each plus one charge of £3.00 recorded fee per total shipment)

Rest of World £8.00 (each plus one charge of £3.00 recorded fee per total shipment)

Classic RAF Battles from World War One to the Present by Michael Armitage

Forty superb full colour paintings, accompanied by detailed background narratives, show the RAF in action, from the dogfights of the First World War to missions in the Gulf. The Royal Air Force has earned its celebrated reputation for excellence and courage over seven decades of service to Britain, through two world wars and many small incidents, events and flashpoints the world over. In compiling this superb visual testament to the RAF, the general aim has been to capture the very reason for the RAF's existence - the combat actions which have given it such an historic tradition of defence to the nation. Some scenes are of general campaigns or aspects of the RAF's history; most, however, are of specific raids, operations or incidents; but they all demonstrate the variety of locations, tasks and aircraft types that feature in the RAF's reputation.

Air force history is well documented through archive contemporary photography, but the aviation art collected within these pages offers a further viewpoint on war in the air. For the artist chooses to capture just one moment in an often confused and high-speed action, and creates a virtual snapshot of air warfare. Landscape, cloudscape and aircraft are all accurately recreated with attention to the smallest detail, and the result is often a unique glimpse of the true nature of war in the air.

Book serial number bk49. Price £20. Fully illustrated paperback with 287 pages.

Post: UK- £5 (max post for multiple books £5.00).

For Europe £5.00 (each plus one charge of £3.00 recorded fee per total shipment)

Rest of World £8.00 (each plus one charge of £3.00 recorded fee per total shipment)

RAF Fighter Squadrons in the Battle of Britain by Anthony Robinson

The Battle of Britain - the first great battle between nations to be decided entirely in the air - was a struggle between very unequal opponents. The RAF's trained fighter pilots were inexperienced and in short supply; its fighter tactics were outmoded; and its most numerous fighter was inferior in both performance and number to that of the Luftwaffe. To overcome such handicaps in the heat of battle, the burden of responsibility fell upon the pilots and their squadron commander.

Many books have been written about the battle of Britain; few have examined the course of the conflict from the point of view of the fighter squadrons themselves. Squadrons were the basic combat units in RAF Fighter Command; their combat effectiveness was a factor of crucial importance - transcending even the abilities of the brilliant individual pilots within the squadrons and the tactical and strategic skills of the senior commanders who deployed them.

That the Battle of Britain was not won by courage alone emerges from the pages of this book, which examines the problems of tactics and leadership encountered by the RAF's fighter force when thrown into a battle for which it was less than adequately prepared. In an opening, wide-ranging chapter, the author, Anthony Robinson, considers the general course of the battle and the organisation, tactics and equipment with which the RAF went to war. Thereafter he concentrates on the operations and experiences of eight squadrons heavily engaged in the battle, describing and analysing events, decisions and circumstances of the daily encounters with German intruders. Meticulously researched from official documents and by consultation with many of the survivors of 'the few', RAF Fighter Squadron in the Battle of Britain provides an illuminating new perspective on the greatest air battle of the Second World War.

Post: UK- £5 (max post for multiple books £5.00).

For Europe £6.00 (each plus one charge of £3.00 recorded fee per total shipment)

Rest of World £8.00 (each plus one charge of £3.00 recorded fee per total shipment)

The Bader Wing by John Frayn Turner

Douglas Bader, the indomitable legless air ace, became a legend in his own lifetime, and is today remembered as one of the greatest air combatants to emerge during World War II. But less is known about the Bader Wing and its crucial contribution to the Battle of Britain. For the first time this book reveals the fascinating story of the charismatic Wing Commander and the five squadrons which he led: the Bader Wing, consisting of some sixty pilots in all.

The book highlights the dramatic aerial actions of the Canadian aces in Bader's own 242 Squadron - Stan Turner, Willis McKnight and G E Ball. It describes in absorbing detail their many successes, and also the inevitable moments of disaster and death. Moreover, the story is set against the broader canvas and controversy of the Big Wing. The tactics and strategy favouring the Wing are forcibly argued by the author, who comes down heavily on the side of Douglas Bader, the man whose outspoken views and forceful personality made the Wing possible. In The Bader Wing, some of the greatest names of World War II testify to Bader's leadership qualities, including Johnnie Johnson, Laddie Lucas, Sholto Douglas, Hugh Dundas and Alan Deere. Their opinions lend great weight to a book which blends the best of aviation action with a cool reappraisal of the Battle of Britain.

Book serial number BK39. Price £35.99. Hard back with 192 pages. sold out

Post: UK- £5 (max post for multiple books £5.00).

For Europe £6.00 (each plus one charge of £3.00 recorded fee per total shipment)

Above All Unseen by Edward

Visual reconnaissance has always been an important aspect of military intelligence, particularly so for the RAF during the Second World War. Using a variety of specially modified unarmed aircraft, the RAF consistently provided an accurate and timely flow of strategic information in the form of aerial photographs of unsurpassed quality.

This is the story of the RAF's PRU from their birth , amidst inter-departmental wrangling, as the Soviet Intelligence Service Flight in November 1938, right up to 1945. During this period more than 15,000 sorties in all operational theatres of war were undertaken, with the RAF having no less than nine squadrons spread across Europe, the Mediterranean and the Far East.

As well as describing the aircraft and the cameras used by the PRU's, details of daring operations are include, such as the hunt for the Bismarck and the planning for the Dambusters raid. Using personal recollections of those actually involved, combined with extensive research, the book also covers some of the highly secret operations flown in support of the Secret Intelligence Service, the Special Operations Executive, the Special Air Service and the RAF's Special Duty Squadrons. It is illustrated with contemporary photographs, many of them aerial views of enemy territory.

Edward Leaf served as a photographic interpreter during the 1980's and here, provides a unique insight into the role and organisation of one of the RAF's most successful units in the Second World War.

Book serial number BK37. Price £22.50. Hard Back with 224 pages.

Post: UK- £5 (max post for multiple books £5.00).

For Europe £6.00 (each plus one charge of £3.00 recorded fee per total shipment)

Rest of World £8.00 (each plus one charge of £3.00 recorded fee per total shipment)

This superbly researched book gives a complete overview of all aspects of naval aviation in the First World War; its significant influence on operations and strategy, which has never before been properly explained, is detailed by R D Layman in this far-reaching survey. Furthermore, Britain's Royal Naval Air Service, sponsored by the pro-aviation First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill, pioneered many aspects of aerial warfare, including strategic bombing, anti-submarine warfare and the development of long-range aircraft, and the development of ships to carry aircraft, from the seaplane carriers of 1914 to HMS Argus, the first flat-top aircraft carrier.

And finally this book lays to rest the myth of the 'Battleship Admirals', whose conservatism and dislike of aircraft were said to have prevented naval aviation achieving its full potential. On the contrary, the naval high commands on all sides were very keen to exploit the possibilities offered by aviation, and indeed made demands of their fledgling naval air arms that were beyond the capabilities of the available technology.

New light is shed on little-known aspects of the naval war in the air, including the operations of the Imperial Russian Navy's seaplane carrier squadron in the Black Sea, the world's first 'carrier strike force', the Royal Navy's use of observation balloons tethered to ships, and the vital role played by aviation in the ill-fated Gallipoli campaign.

This unparalleled history details the origins of the forces that were later to dominate naval warfare, and shows that in spite of the state of aeronautical technology at the time, they were able to exert real influence on the war at sea.

Post: UK- £5 (max post for multiple books £5.00).

For Europe £6.00 (each plus one charge of £3.00 recorded fee per total shipment)

Rest of World £8.00 (each plus one charge of £3.00 recorded fee per total shipment)

The Air VCs by Peter G Cooksley

Of more than 600 Victoria Crosses awarded to British and Empire servicemen during the First World War, nineteen were awarded to airmen of the newly formed Royal Flying Corps and Royal Naval Air Service. Of these, four were posthumous awards and all but one of the total were officers.

Some of these valourous airmen were from humble backgrounds and with limited education, others were collegiate men from wealthy families, but in the words of one senior officer they all had in common 'the guts of a lion'. The aircraft they flew were as varied as their individual character and social backgrounds, ranging from the BE2 and Morane 'L', to the SE5 and Nieuport Scout.

The first and the last VC's of the First World War were awarded posthumously: Second Lieutenant William Rhodes-Moorhouse RFC won the first air VC of the war in April 1915 flying a BE2c; Major Edward Mannock RFC died in action in July 1918 flying an SE5a before he could be invested with the prestigious award. But not all the air VCs were awarded for actions over the Western Front and several recipients, like Lieutenant Richard Bell-Davies RNAS and Major W A 'Bill' Bishop RFC survived the war to rise to high office in their chosen services.

Post: UK- £5 (max post for multiple books £5.00).

For Europe £6.00 (each plus one charge of £3.00 recorded fee per total shipment)

Rest of World £8.00 (each plus one charge of £3.00 recorded fee per total shipment)

Coastal Command in Action 1939-1945 by Roy Conyers Nesbit

During the second world war the aircraft and crews of RAF Coastal Command played the vital role of patrolling and defending the waters around Great Britain against enemy air and naval forces. These included everything from long-range fighters and patrol aircraft, like the Junker Ju88 and Focke Wulf Fw200 Kondor, to marauding U-boats, E-boats and warships.

The aircraft of the Command ranged far and wide, attacking coastal targets in Scandinavia, Germany and enemy-occupied Europe. Many of these strikes were captured on film, providing vivid evidence of the devastating firepower brought to bear against enemy targets by the Command's Mosquito's, Beaufighter's and Sunderland's.

Using extensive archives held at the Public Record Office, author Roy Nesbit has brought to light a series of remarkable photographs taken by RAF Coastal Command crews in action during the Second World War, illustrating in vivid detail the aircraft and actions fought by the Command over six years of war. Illustrated with more than 180 photographs, each accompanied by an exhaustively researched caption, this fascinating book brings to the attention of a wider audience the wartime exploits of RAF Coastal Command.

Book serial number BK29. Price £19.99. Hardback with 182 pages. Special price £17.99.

Post: UK- £3.00 (max post for multiple books £5.00).

For Europe £5.00 (each plus one charge of £3.00 recorded fee per total shipment)

Spitfire Mark I/II Aces 1939-41 by Dr Alfred Price

Spitfire Mk I's and II's served only briefly in the frontline with the RAF, but their pilots were responsible for achieving impressive scores against the Luftwaffe during 1940/41. This volume details the RAF's first aces of World War 2 who helped stem the German tide during Britain's struggle for survival in the bitter years between 1939 and 1941. Early mark Spitfires were notorious for their light armament, overheating engines and short range, but during the dogfights over Dunkirk and south-east England, then the first tentative sweeps across France, many pilots achieved scores of note. The exploits of names like Malan, Tuck and Bader are covered, as are some of the perhaps less celebrated aces like Australian Des Sheen and leading Spitfire NCO ace George Unwin.

Book serial number ACE12. Book price £12.99. Paperback with 94 pages. Fully illustrated.

Post: UK- £3.00 (max post for multiple books £5.00).

For Europe £5.00 (each plus one charge of £3.00 recorded fee per total shipment)

Rest of World £6.00 (each plus one charge of £3.00 recorded fee per total shipment)

Typhoon and Tempest Aces of World War 2 by Chris Thomas

Hawker Typhoon and Tempest - two aircraft types with widely differing reputations. The former was a technical nightmare redeemed as a ground attack machine, whilst the latter proved to be the most superlative low and medium level fighter to see service with the RAF, and arguably any air force, during the latter stages of World War 2. Yet what of their air combat successes? Strange to relate, both types were credited with almost identical totals of enemy aircraft destroyed in the air - 246 by the Typhoon and 239 by the Tempest. The success of both aircraft in the pure fighter role was restricted not so much by their technical limitations, but by the circumstances of the air war during their respective periods of service. By the time the Typhoon was in widespread use, it was largely restricted to a defensive role as the most effective counter to marauding Luftwaffe fighter-bombers that threatened English coastal towns. When the Tempest  entered service, its air combat potential was enormous. However, its entry into this field was delayed, perversely, by the aircraft's own excellence, for soon after its first air-to-air successes, it was withdrawn from Normandy air war to spearhead defences against the V1. Nevertheless, over 40 aces flew one or both types in combat, and men like 'Foob' Fairbanks and Johnny Baldwin attained double-figure scores with the Hawker fighters.