Category: History / Research

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New Book Compiles Air Combat Recollections From Pilots in Every Theater of WW2

Coming soon from Air World and author Martin Bowman is Voices in Flight: Squadrons Scramble!: RAF and Commonwealth Fighter Pilots of the Second World War, which offers air combat stories and follows fighter pilots scrambling under alarms, from southern England and Malta to the Blitz.

Feel your pulse race and your heart pound as you follow the pilots of The Few running for their aircraft as the alarms sound and the enemy attack for a second time on a day of glory and death over the sunny skies of southern England. Then, beyond the Spitfire Summer of 1940, how the RAF’s pilots scrambled to defy the enemy over the battered ruins of Malta, the George Cross Island, or to defend Britain at night during the blacked out months of the Blitz.

The prelude to D-Day, the disastrous raid on Dieppe was the scene of the RAF’s biggest air battle up to that point in the war, and Operation Overlord was shielded by the overwhelming aerial might of the 2nd Tactical Air Force. All these momentous events are told through the words of those pilots who fought in the unforgiving arena of the dogfight where a single moment can turn victory into defeat, life into certain death. Continue reading New Book Compiles Air Combat Recollections From Pilots in Every Theater of WW2

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New Book Studies How Pubs and Clubs Sustained WW2 Pilots During Britain’s Darkest Hour

Coming soon from Air World and author Justin Omps is Pubs, Pilots, and the Battle of Britain: Churchill’s ‘Few’ Living Life to the Full in Britain’s Darkest Hour. As the title suggests, the book deals with fighter pilots’ reliance on pubs and clubs as lifelines, from blackout boards to night revelry.

In August 1940, Spitfire pilot Tim Vigors was shot down by a Messerschmitt Bf 109 over Kent. After crash-landing in a field, he realized he would have to pass through London to get back to his squadron’s airfield. He decided there was no rush, called his girlfriend Jill, and hours after nearly dying, he was dancing the night away at London’s fashionable 400 Club.

This juxtaposition of mortal combat and carefree revelry was not unusual – it was daily life for the young men of Fighter Command. Pubs, Pilots, and The Battle of Britain reveals how Britain’s pubs and clubs became crucial lifelines during the Battle of Britain. These weren’t just places to drink – they were unofficial messes, refuges where fear and grief could be drowned in camaraderie, becoming even the centres of squadron identity. At the White Hart in Brasted, Biggin Hill, pilots signed the now-famous blackout board that became a roll call of Britain’s aerial defenders. At the Cat & Custard Pot near RAF Hawkinge, pilots who flew cover during the Dunkirk evacuation found momentary peace in its ancient rooms. Continue reading New Book Studies How Pubs and Clubs Sustained WW2 Pilots During Britain’s Darkest Hour

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New Volume Expands Definitive Red Baron and Jagdstaffel 11 History

Aeronaut Books has released Volume 2 of Bruno Schmäling’s study of Manfred von Richthofen’s Royal Prussian Jagdstaffel 11.

Volume 2 focuses on the Easter Battle of Arras in 1917, which went down in the history of the Royal Air Force as “Bloody April.” In a short period of just over four weeks, Jagdstaffel 11, under the command of Manfred von Richthofen, achieved the greatest successes in its history. Drawing on numerous previously unpublished documents from German archives, as well as accounts from eyewitnesses, this book presents the most comprehensive account of these events. A special section is devoted to the aerial battle between Albert Ball and Lothar von Richthofen. Previously unknown and unpublished German reports shed light on this often-controversial event. 200 photos, 48 maps, and 39 documents round out the most comprehensive documentation ever written about the Red Baron and his Jagdstaffel 11.

The 306 page book is currently available in hardcover and paperback editions. It follows Volume 1, which was released in 2025 and focuses on the period from October 1916 to March 1917.

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Storm from the Sky 1941: The German Aerial Invasion of Crete and its Impact on WW2 Aerial Tactics

Coming soon from Pen and Sword and authors Jeffrey Plowman and Mark M J Wilson is The Battle of Crete: Storm from the Sky 1941: Then and Now, and analysis of the German airborne invasion of Crete, detailing the battle’s chaos, defenders’ resolve, and the operation’s lasting impact on WWII airborne tactics.

Operation Merkur, the German airborne invasion of Crete, is an iconic operation in military history. It pitched an elite airborne division against Creforce, a rag-tag force of British and Commonwealth escapees from Greece. The outcome to the Germans seemed assured. Yet, not only had the Germans underestimated the size of the defending force, they lacked an appreciation of the willingness to fight of the defenders, and had wrongly understood the reception they would receive from the Cretan civilians. To add to their woes their uniforms were ill-suited to the climate and other conditions they were to encounter on the island, and the dropping of their primary weapons in separate containers proved to be a grave doctrinal error.

For many of the fallschirmjäger, the events of the first day ensured that this turned into a struggle for their own personal survival as the need for water and ammunition became paramount, while being hunted by Allied troops and civilians alike. It was a disaster and could have been fatal to the invader, except for the intransigence in the higher levels of command of their foes. Continue reading Storm from the Sky 1941: The German Aerial Invasion of Crete and its Impact on WW2 Aerial Tactics

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Coming Soon: Four-Volume History of Lend-Lease and Soviet Aviation in WW2

Coming soon from Helion and Company and author Vladimir Kotelnikov’s new series Lend-Lease and Soviet Aviation 1941–1945 which examines how Allied Lend-Lease aircraft supported Soviet aviation during the Second World War and influenced its postwar development.

Volume 1 traces the programme’s diplomatic origins, delivery routes, and early operational use in 1941–42, highlighting the challenges of introducing Hurricanes, Kittyhawks, and other Western aircraft into Soviet service. Volume 2 focuses on British and American fighters—including the Hurricane, Spitfire, P-40, Airacobra, and Kingcobra—examining their delivery, deployment, technical characteristics, and influence on Soviet tactics. Volume 3 covers bombers, transports, and maritime aircraft, including the A-20 Boston, B-25 Mitchell, C-47, and PBY Catalina, assessing their contributions to combat operations, frontline supply, and naval warfare. Volume 4 evaluates the programme’s overall impact from 1941 to 1945, weighing operational successes and shortcomings, examining maintenance and supply challenges, and exploring how Allied deliveries relieved pressure on Soviet industry and shaped postwar aircraft development and doctrine. Drawing on Soviet and Western archives, operational records, and first-hand accounts, the series combines rare photographs, colour profiles, maps, and technical and statistical tables to document Lend-Lease aviation’s contribution to Soviet victory and its lasting legacy.

The books will be available in paperback format. Vol 1 has 72 pages, while vol 2 has 104 pages. Both will be available on January 15, 2027. Vol 3 has 104 pages and will be released on November 30, 2026. Vol 4 has 104 pages and will be released on December 31. All four volumes are currently available for pre-order.

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Allison-Powered P-51 Mustang Development, Design, Service and Tech Details Detailed in New Book

Coming soon from MMP Books and author Robert Pęczkowski is NAA P-51 Mustang with Allison engine (Yellow Series), which traces the development, wartime service, design evolution, and technical features of the Early Allison-engined P-51 Mustang through detailed illustrations.

This book presents the history, development and operational service of the early Allison-engined versions of the North American P-51 Mustang. It covers the aircraft’s design evolution, wartime use and technical features. Illustrated with wartime and detailed photographs, colour profiles, scale plans and technical drawings, it is a valuable reference for aviation historians and modellers.

The paperback book is currently available for pre-order with release set for January 15. The date will also see the release of the second edition publication on the NAA A-36A Mustang dive-bomber variant.

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Study of Mustang Dive Bomber Variant Gets Updated Second Edition

Coming soon from MMPBooks and author Przemyslaw Skulski is NAA A-36A 2nd edition (Yellow Series), which documents the history, development, and combat service of the rare A-36 dive-bomber variant.

This second edition presents the history, development and combat service of the North American A-36, the rare dive-bomber variant of the Mustang. It covers operations in the Mediterranean and Far East, as well as the aircraft’s technical features. Illustrated with wartime and detailed photographs, colour profiles, and newly added scale plans and technical drawings, it is a valuable reference for aviation historians and modellers.

The 120 page book is currently available for pre-order with release set for January 15.

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Spitfire V vs Fw 190: An Illustrated Account

Coming soon from Osprey Publishing and author Andy Saunders is Spitfire V vs Fw 190: Northwest Europe 1941–42 (Duel, 153), an illustrated account of the challenge posed to RAF Fighter Command by the Luftwaffe’s Fw 190, and the ways in which Spitfire crews adapted to the deadly new threat.

The introduction of Focke-Wulf’s Fw 190 to Luftwaffe service presented RAF Spitfire VB and VA pilots with a formidable new foe that could quite literally run rings around them. First encountered over France in September 1941, the Fw 190 – or ‘Butcher Bird’ – soon demonstrated its startling capabilities, wrong-footing RAF Fighter Command and forcing the swift development of new tactics and methods. The actions that ensued were some of the most fiercely contested of the air war in northwest Europe and would lead to the production and eventual fielding of the Spitfire IX.

In this new study, air war expert Andy Saunders details how the RAF – having perhaps become complacent about the superiority of the Spitfire – found itself left behind with an inferior fighter. Covering the introduction to service of both the Spitfire V and the Fw 190, the fighters’ first encounters and the battles that shaped subsequent tactics and design, it combines combat reports and first-hand accounts with archive photographs and newly commissioned artwork and formation diagrams to convey what it was like to be a fighter pilot in both aircraft from 1941 to 1943.

The 80 page paperback book is currently available for pre-order with release set for January 19.

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“Enemy Engaged” Explores the RAF’s Aerial Offensive from the Blitz to Dieppe

Coming soon from Air World and author Dilip Amin is Enemy Engaged’: The Story of the Battle of Britain Bunker as The RAF Goes on the Offensive from the Blitz to the Dieppe Raid, which details Fighter Command’s transition from defense to offense as an integrated air defense system as well as nocturnal battles, high-stakes raids, and coordinated operations over occupied Europe and Dieppe.

‘Enemy Engaged’ follows the men and women of the RAF’s Fighter Command, fresh from victory in the Battle of Britain, as it begins to adapt from a defensive stance to one of a more offensive nature. Central to the story is the world’s first integrated air defence and control system, as well as Fighter Command’s Operations Rooms and Sector Stations, particularly that of No.11 Group at Uxbridge. In doing so, Dilip Amin weaves a tapestry of individual accounts and official documents to cover a backcloth of military and political upheaval.

Following on from the author’s ‘Enemy Sighted’ (Product Page), the journey continues beyond ‘Battle of Britain Day’ as the RAF duelled for air supremacy over Southern England to prevent Britain from being invaded. Then, as the bombers turn on London, Dilip transports the reader to the period known as the Blitz, as Fighter Command rises to meet the nocturnal assault. Read accounts from those at Uxbridge who witnessed the bombing and the night fighter pilots hunting the raiders in the night sky. Then, using source material, the author sets out Fighter Command’s policy of ‘Leaning towards France’ as it takes the fight to the enemy over Occupied Europe. Continue reading “Enemy Engaged” Explores the RAF’s Aerial Offensive from the Blitz to Dieppe

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Mosquitos Over Scandinavia: Daring Operations to Norway, Sweden and Beyond in WW2

Coming soon from Air World and author Daniel M Rankin is Mosquitos Over Scandinavia: Daring Operations to Norway, Sweden and beyond in WW2, which details the daring WWII air operations that saw Mosquito crews skim North Sea routes to strike northern targets and support civilian missions, revealing perilous missions, international crews, and wartime sacrifices.

As part of some of the most daring aerial missions of the Second World War, de Havilland Mosquito crews skimmed low and fast over the North Sea to strike targets in Norway, Scandinavia, and the Baltic. Perfectly located on Scotland’s east coast, RAF Leuchars gave Allied aircrews the range and flexibility to exploit the Mosquito’s speed and precision against the Third Reich’s northern outposts.

Of the five Mosquito units based at Leuchars during the war, three belonged to the RAF, one was Norwegian, and another was a civilian flight operated by the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC). Among them, 544 Squadron RAF was temporarily stationed at Leuchars to search for the pride of Hitler’s Kriegsmarine, the battleship Tirpitz. Another, No. 105 Squadron, operated briefly from the base in 1942. Its first mission – a daring raid on Victoria Terrasse, the Gestapo headquarters in Oslo – marked the Mosquito’s first official mission that was publicly revealed.

Flown and maintained entirely by Norwegian personnel, the Mosquitos of 333 (Norwegian) Squadron struck back at the occupiers of their homeland. Their determination drew royal recognition when King Haakon VII of Norway visited the squadron during its time at Leuchars.

Meanwhile, BOAC operated “civilianised” Mosquitos from Leuchars on near-regular flights to neutral Sweden. Crewed by civilian pilots and marked with BOAC logos and civil registration codes, these aircraft carried both passengers and precious cargo. Among the most vital consignments were shipments of Swedish ball bearings which were critical to sustaining the Allied war effort.

Mosquitos Over Scandinavia explores the extraordinary achievements of these units, their perilous missions across icy seas and enemy territory, and the high price paid by those who flew them, much of it told in the airmen’s own words.

The 256 page hardcover book is currently available for pre-order with release set for December 30.

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