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The Vickers Wellington was a British twin-engine, long range medium bomber, used as a night bomber in the early years of the Second World War, and the only British bomber to be produced throughout the whole of the war. Martin Bowman combines narrative description and condensed history of construction, combat career and post war service in this colourful history, to tell the complete, concise story of one of the world's most famous aircraft and one of the finest bombers of the Second World War. There is a superlative section of photos of the 'Wimpy', with detailed and expert captions and other material, and many accounts of the aircraft in service and in combat by the men who were there in all theatres around the world - Coastal Command, Bomber Command and 2nd TAF, in Europe, the Mediterranean and the Far East.
The Mosquito was for many the perfect synthesis of power and beauty and arguably the most versatile of all Allied aircraft built during the Second World War. No one in authority would believe that a small, unarmed aircraft built almost entirely of wood and with a crew of just two could survive against the Luftwaffe by day and the Nachtjagd by night, but it was soon clear that de Havilland's faith in their idea was well founded. The prototype easily out-ran a Spitfire in tests and the Mosquito was ordered into mass production. Three times the Mosquito project was deleted from Britain's future military plans, only to fight its way into the air and turn in performance figures that left fellow aircraft behind and its critics dumbfounded. The rest, as they say, is history. Altogether, 7,781 examples of the 'Wooden Wonder' would be built in no less than 43 versions in Britain, Australia and Canada. Bomber, day fighter, night fighter, pathfinder, attack aircraft, trainer, reconnaissance aircraft - the Mosquito did it all.
C-130 Hercules first flew in 1954, an easily maintained aircraft which entered service with the USAF Tactical Air Command. Ten years later the 'Charlie 130' was providing the essential logistical support in Vietnam where a new landing technique, the Keh Sanh approach, added to the Hercules folklore. Paradrops, airlift and evacuation operations were completed around the clock, often at low level, usually under fire and nearly always in bad weather. AC-130 gunships blasted the Ho Chi Minh Trail at night, Lamplighters and Blind Bats dropped flares, and others scattered defoliant, 'pancake bombs' and 15,000 'Big Blue' block-busters. But more than anything else it was in the role of 'Trash and Ass hauler' that the C-130 earned unstinting admiration from ground troops and aircrews alike. The 'Herky Bird' or 'Fat Albert', as the C-130 is fondly known, went on to serve with similar panache in the Gulf War and in humanitarian relief operations around the world. Today, the modern C-130J version continues to provide the effective support for which the Hercules name is renowned.
One of the world's greatest aircraft, for three decades pilots enthused about the Hunter and its smooth lines, Rolls-Royce Avon engine, outstanding handling characteristics and lively performance. Designed by Sir Sydney Camm, the genius behind the Hurricane, work on the Hunter commenced late in 1948, but the post-war economic situation in Britain delayed its first flight until 20 July 1951. In September 1953 Neville Duke piloted a Hunter to shatter the world speed record. This book traces the history of the Hunter across RAF and worldwide service, from design and development to the glory days and the unforgettable aerobatic displays with the Black Knights, Black Arrows and Blue Diamonds. A real pilot's aeroplane, the Hunter regined supreme for fifty years, with the last example retired in July 2001.