Category: History / Research

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Fw 190 Schlacht Units: An Illustrated History of the “Tank-Buster” and its Operations

Coming soon from Osprey Publishing and author Robert Forsyth is Fw 190 Schlacht Units (Combat Aircraft, 162), an illustrated account of the Fw 190 “tank-buster” and its operations on the Eastern, Western and Mediterranean Fronts from 1942–45.

The Fw 190 offered the Luftwaffe a reliable successor to the Ju 87 Stuka, able to operate from primitive forward airfields in both the freezing winters of the Soviet Union and the desert heat of North Africa. Converted by Focke-Wulf from a radial-engined fighter into a deadly fighter-bomber and ground-attack aircraft, it used its aerial gun platform, wide-tracked undercarriage and powerful BMW engines to devastating effect on the Eastern, Western and Mediterranean Fronts between 1942 and 1945.

In this new study, leading Luftwaffe historian Robert Forsyth examines all aspects of the Fw 190 and its career as a ‘tank-buster’, detailing the considerable damage it wrought upon Allied armour, troop concentrations, bridges and road junctions. First-hand accounts from Schlachtflieger pilots bring to life the operational and tactical histories of the aircraft, and are complemented by archive photos and newly commissioned artwork that vividly demonstrates its technical and ballistic assets.

The 96 page book is currently available for pre-order in paperback and Kindle editions with release set for July 28.

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Spitfire at 90: Iconic Fighter’s History Traced From the Mk.I to the Mk.XIX

In commemoration of the 90th anniversary of the Spitfire, Key Publishing and editor / photographer John Dibbs offer the upcoming release Spitfire at 90, a special 100-page tribute to Britain’s greatest fighter and possibly the best known combat aircraft in the world.

Using extensive archive images, the best of aviation writers and researchers salute the Spitfire’s incredible heritage. This edition has been updated with fresh imagery of present-day Spitfires in their element from renowned air-to-air photographer John Dibbs. It presents a stunning portfolio from the day fighter Mk.I to the high-flying Mk.XIX and the wing-folding Seafires. All of this adds up to a superb souvenir of a world famous fighter.

The publication, which is offered in Mook formation (combination of magazine and book) is currently available for pre-order with release set for May 31.

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Hungary’s Bomber Development Through WW2: A Comprehensive Study

Coming soon from MMPBooks and authors Dénes Bernád and György Punka is Hungarian Bomber Colours 1927-1945 vol. 1, a comprehensive study of the development and operations of Hungary’s bomber aviation from its early beginnings through the end of World War II.

The book covers aircraft types, unit structure, and missions, focusing on both domestic developments and foreign influences shaping the Royal Hungarian Air Force. It includes rare archival photographs, detailed colour profiles, and thoroughly researched historical context that sheds light on this often-overlooked aspect of Central European military aviation. A valuable resource for aviation historians, researchers, and modellers interested in lesser-known air forces of the Second World War.

The 140 page, paperback book is currently available for pre-order with release set for June 30.

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Complete Guide to the Bristol Beaufighter: A Fully Upgraded and Expanded Edition

New from Valiant Wings Publishing and author Richard A. Franks is The Bristol Beaufighter: A Complete Guide To Bristol’s Hard-hitting Twin: 26, a fully updated and expanded edition with 86 more pages plus plans.

The book focuses on the legendary Bristol Beaufighter, a British twin-engine World War II combat aircraft originally developed from the Beaufort bomber and best known as a powerful night fighter. Its heavy cannon armament, radar-equipped versions, and later use in strike and anti-shipping roles made it one of the RAF’s most versatile warplanes.

This twenty-sixth book in our much-acclaimed series contains 264 pages (plus scale plans) packed with vital information that no active modeller and RAF enthusiast should be without.

Contents include: walk-around images and technical diagrams; camouflage and markings; modelling information; historical photographs; colour profiles by Richard J. Caruana; lineart and 3D isometric views by Chris Sandham-Bailey & Wojciech Sankowski; kit builds by Steve A. Evans and Libor Jekl; scale plans.

Click below to check out the product page and sample pages.

Continue reading Complete Guide to the Bristol Beaufighter: A Fully Upgraded and Expanded Edition

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New Book Reveals How Far Gen. B.L. Montgomery Went to Get a B‑17

Coming soon from Pen and Sword and author Zita Ballinger Fletcher is Monty’s Flying Fortress, the full story documenting the lengths General Bernard Law Montgomery was willing to go to win a B-17 Flying Fortress bomber aircraft for his travel security.

In 1943, Monty made a daring wager with American leadership to win a Fortress as a prize in exchange for victories in North Africa. Monty’s quest for the Fortress would see him defy official channels and fight a series of bloody battles across Tunisia with ruthless precision. A motley assortment of young American aviators from diverse walks of life were destined to join Monty in his B-17 as his crew. Most had never traveled outside the United States. All had already distinguished themselves for heroism in combat. None expected to be assigned this unusual duty. An unlikely bond formed between Montgomery and his US crewmen. American aviators who served with Monty would recall their adventures with him as among their most memorable wartime experiences. After the war, the true story of the Fortress and the transatlantic friendship it brought about was forgotten amid political backbiting and jealousy from other Allied commanders.

Now published for the first time in one volume is the full story of Montgomery and the American airmen who protected him during the war, previously lost to history, with details about the furious conquest Montgomery staked on winning the Fortress and biographical details about the intrepid US aviators who accompanied him.

The 224 page, hardcover book is currently available for pre-order with release set for June 30.

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The Real Story of the Iconic Harrier and the Man Who Made It

Coming soon from Penguin Michael Joseph and author Michael Pryce is Jump Jet: The Secret History of the Harrier.

Victory in the Falklands War made the Harrier’s name as a world-beating British icon, as capable of giving the enemy a bloody nose as it was of thrilling the crowds at airshows with displays of aerial ballet. Its failure seemed inconceivable. But that’s not the real story of the Harrier. Though derided as a novelty, the Harrier’s designer, Ralph Hooper, knew that the naysayers were wrong. Hooper’s masterpiece was born of instinct and feel. Yet, in the end, neither Hooper’s genius nor American support were enough to beat the odds. This is the real story of a British flying legend, and of the man who made it.

The 400 page book is currently available for pre-order in hardcover, Kindle and Audiobook formats with release set for June 23.

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Air Battles Over the Baltic 1941: Second in Four Volume Series Coming Soon

Coming soon from Helion and Company and author Mikhail Timin is the second volume in a major four-part study that examines the Soviet Air Forces stationed in the Baltic region in the months before the German invasion of June 1941.

Air Battles over the Baltic 1941 Volume 2: The Eve of War, Early 1941 examines the crucial months leading up to the German invasion of the Soviet Union. Drawing on Soviet and German archival sources, Timin reconstructs the condition of the Soviet Air Forces in the Baltic region during early 1941, and compares them directly with the Luftwaffe units preparing to strike across the border.

The book explores the Red Air Force’s continued efforts to expand and modernise. While some units received new fighters and bombers, many still relied on outdated types, and shortages of fuel, spares and ammunition undermined readiness. Training remained inconsistent, with thousands of inexperienced pilots entering frontline regiments, often with minimal flying hours. Timin demonstrates how Soviet commanders struggled to balance the urgent need for combat preparation with the administrative demands of constant reorganisations… Richly illustrated with colour profiles, photographs, maps and tables, this volume offers a balanced assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of both the Soviet and German alignments in the Baltic. It demonstrates how structural weaknesses, training shortfalls and misplaced assumptions left the Red Air Force dangerously exposed on the eve of war, setting the stage for the catastrophic battles of 22 June 1941.

The 108 page paperback book is currently available for pre-order with release set for May 31. This is also the set release date for Volume 1.

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The Compelling Story of the SPAD Cannon Aircraft of WW1

Coming soon from Aeronaut Books and author Jonathan J Wagstaff is Boum! A History of the SPAD XII Canon: How France’s Greatest Ace & Aerospace Engineers of WWI Created the World’s First Production Canon-Armed Fighter

On 27th July 1917, a secret new weapon took to the skies over the Western Front. It carried a devastatingly large armament derived from naval designs and ingeniously engineered to fire through the propeller shaft of the aircraft. The secrecy of the project was such that even the sound of the weapon was reportedly censored in contemporary accounts.

When it finally entered combat, the impact of the 37mm canon on wood and canvas was overwhelming: “The effect was immediate, the aircraft was cut in two and burned, the wings went to one side, the fuselage to the other…”.

This book charts the remarkable story of the SPAD Canon aircraft of WWI — from early French experiments in canon-armed planes, to the power of one ace’s fame and family connections in steering government decisions, and the emergence of SPAD’s frontline types and their relatively obscure contribution to the conflict. It also explores the legacy they carried into the next great war.

Boum! is the first English-language study of the fascinating SPAD Canon aircraft. It shines a light on their history through newly rediscovered documents, photographs, and films from archives across the globe. This is a compelling story of innovation, ambition, and the people behind the machines, that will appeal to both general readers and aviation enthusiasts alike.

The book is heavily illustrated with 240 photos (28 in color), color profiles of 21 aircraft, four paintings, many drawings, and scale drawings of the Spad 12 and 14 in its 241 pages.

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Avro Vulcan AEO Sets Out to Answer Common Cold War Question in New Book

Coming soon from Air World and author Julian Grenfell is The Vulcan B2 in the Cold War: Could the V-Force Have Helped Defeat the Soviets. Written by an Air Electronics Officer with some 4,500 flying hours in Avro Vulcans, the new title sets out to answer the commonly asked question about Cold War V-force nuclear deterrent: “If the balloon had gone up, would it have got through?”

The Vulcan B2 in the Cold War analyses the state of air power in the early years of the Cold War, examining the hot wars of Korea and Vietnam, as well as the early versions of Soviet and Chinese air defence systems and how effective they might be at countering the RAF’s nuclear bomber fleet. The UK’s deterrent had to be survivable of a Soviet pre-emptive ballistic missile strike, or had to be airborne before such a strike took place. The early warning system provided Bomber Command’s headquarters with some 3½ minutes to 4½ minutes warning to get the V-force airborne. The average time to get these aircraft airborne was an astonishing 1 minute 53 seconds.

The author explains the ‘combat environment’ the Vulcan would have to fly into to be able to release its weapon. It would have to be capable of outpacing enemy fighters and avoid detection from the radars of surface-to-air missiles. Such factors were considered in what was called the ‘Probability of Kill’. The effectiveness of the Vulcan in evading Soviet defences was put to the test during several critical moments of the Cold War. One such instance was the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962.

Another supremely important element of the Vulcan’s role was the nature of the weapon the Vulcan carried and its method of delivery. All of this is discussed in this intriguing investigation into how the Vulcan, and more specifically the B2 variant, would have fared should the Cold War have turned ‘hot’.

The 256 page, hardcover book is currently available for pre-order with release set for May 31.

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Polish Military Aircraft and Pilots 1918-1939 Detailed in New Illustrated History

Coming soon from Air World and author Peter Sikora is Polish Military Aircraft 1918-1939: From Regaining Independence to Hitler’s Blitzkrieg, an illustrated history of Polish military aviation from 1917 to 1939, highlighting innovation, development, and wartime resilience.

The Polish Military Aviation can trace its origins to the second half of 1917, and was officially established when Poland regained her independence on 11 November 1918. The country was then able to build its own air force with men being proud to call themselves Poles again. Despite its difficult rebirth, in the 1930s Poland developed a wide range of its own aircraft. These included the PZL P.6 fighter which gained fame for being the most advanced of its day and the first fighter aircraft made of metal in the world, or PZL P.24 fighter considered by the RAF as a purchase option. Towards the end of the decade, however, foreign aircraft design had overtaken them…

As well as telling the story of the valiant Polish flyers, Polish Military Aircraft 1918-1939 includes a wonderful collection of photographs, the majority of which have never been seen in the West. Together, these take the reader on a journey throughout the early years of Polish military aviation, showing amazing pictures of German, Austro-Hungarian or Russian aeroplanes, in many cases scavenged by the Poles. Also included is selection of British aircraft which were used in Poland, as well as a host of photographs of Polish-designed and built machines, including these that had to face Luftwaffe in September of 1939.

The 272 page hardcover book is currently available for pre-order with release set for May 30.

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