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On the afternoon of 17 September 1944, Lieutenant Joseph Enthammer, a Wehrmacht artillery officer based in Arnhem, gazed up to the clear skies, hardly believing what he saw. White 'snowflakes' appeared to hang in the air. 'That cannot be' he thought. 'It never snows in September! They must be parachutists!'They were. He was witnessing the first wave of the British parachute assault on Arnhem. The war had reached the Reich. The blow moreover had come as a total surprise. The Allies had expected operation Market-Garden to bring the collapse of the Wehrmacht in the West and shorten World War II. But the Germans resolved to fight.This ground-breaking military study uniquely chronicles this period of the war through the eyes of the ordinary German soldier and analyses the reasons for the eventual outcome. A major work of military history, this new paperback edition is certain to stimulate renewed debate about one of the most controversial operations of World War II.

The combat superiority of the jet fighter as demonstrated towards the end of World War II presented the U.S. Navy with a significant problem. Carrier-based aircraft have additional and burdensome design requirements compared to those that do not have to fly on and off carriers. Through experience and innovative design by their aircraft suppliers, the Navy were flying propeller driven fighters that were in no way operationally inferior to their land-based adversaries. Now they had to do it again with a higher degree of difficulty - the innate limitations of jet propulsion could not have been more incompatible with safe and routine carrier-based operation.This is a new and expanded edition of a book which examines the US Navy's internal struggle to adapt the jet engine to its style of warfare, as well as the development and evolution of carrier-borne fighters, their airframes and engines, from the closing days of World War II through to the 1990s. The book profiles the turbulent design and development stage of the Navy's carrier-based jet fighter programme. From the successful designs - such as the Fury, Banshee, Crusader, and Phantom II, to the also-rans, like the Fireball, Demon, Pirate, and Cutlass - the Navy's needs are measured against contractor and political demands and the limits of the evolving engine and aerodynamic technologies of the day. The successful transition to high-performance, carrier-based jet fighters wasn't just accomplished by the airplane and engine manufacturers. Timely and thoughtful innovations in aircraft carrier design, operational procedures, training and equipment were also necessary.The previous edition had taken the story up to 1962. Substantial additions to this edition include new chapters on the F6D/F-111B, F-14A/B/C/D and F-18A/B/C/D. Significant events post 1993 are also covered including the retirement of the F-14 and "legacy" F-18, the introduction of the F-18E/F, F-35C and unmanned aerial refuelling programmes.This book includes many photos and illustrations including engine cut-aways, aircraft comparison diagrams and details of the safety improvements made to aircraft carriers to enable higher speed and high-gross-weight jet operations.

abc Rail Guide has established itself as the single most comprehensive, detailed, accurate and reliable guide to the railway networks of the British Isles. The new 2026 edition of this bestselling annual publication has, as always, been thoroughly revised for its regular March publication date. The book provides the full fleet lists of the Train Operating Companies, open access and freight operators as well as a round-up of new trains, charter operators, rolling stock providers, spot hire and maintenance providers. Stock used by Network Rail and the Channel Tunnel operators is also listed. In addition to the national networks, abc Rail Guide also provides full coverage of London Underground, the DLR and all tram, metro and light rail systems. Main line preservation groups, depots and maintenance works, heritage lines, preserved locos, main line steam, charter promoters and scrapyards are also all included.

Explores techniques and materials for crafting diverse dioramas, emphasizing imagination in bringing model landscapes to life.Dioramas are invariably associated with scale models, providing a setting or background for a completed kit, though arguably the scenery and buildings on a model railway layout is essentially, a very large diorama. The techniques and materials used are much the same whether you wish to create a landscape through which the track of a classic English branch line will run or a smaller base displaying a Hawker Hurricane being readied for take-off, a Panther tank stuck in the mud of a battlefield or a Monte Carlo Mini in the snow.This book shows how you can create interesting dioramas irrespective as to what you are modelling. It looks at the materials required for building dioramas, primarily tools, paints and glues. Similar skills and techniques are required to create everything from simple bases that contain only a few items, to larger structures that need far more work and effort in their creation. It covers the materials that can be used to create earth, vegetation and water - from seas and oceans, to what you may find in a bucket. It also deals with landscaping, creating a miniature world as the setting for your models. The building of specific dioramas as settings for museums exhibits, architectural and educational projects is explored as are forced-perspective dioramas where, though the majority of the elements that make up a scene will be in the same scale, parts of it will not be to create the illusion of distance.Once you have the materials and the knowledge, as the author says in his Introduction, there is really only one rule when it comes to building model dioramas, your imagination.

This is a revised and expanded edition of a book published some years ago which looks at American fighter projects that were proposed during a period extending from around 1950 though to 1980. This time frame is fluid as some early projects included originated in the late 1940s. At the other end of the scale, although the design competitions which led to the F-16, YF-17 and F-18 are the final subjects covered in depth, a few projects that followed these fighters are included which again makes the 1980 closing date only approximate. No coverage is given to projects from that point onwards because much of the background is still secret and will probably remain so for a long time. This was an exciting era in terms of fighter development. It was during these years that the jet finally eclipsed the propeller, wings took on entirely new shapes, the 'sound barrier' was breached and maximum speeds were multiplied. It was an era in which aeronautical engineering became much more complex but before the computer would come to the designer's assistance. This meant much more of a 'try it and see' attitude to new ideas. Therefore, when an air arm required a new fighter, several design teams could prepare proposals that could be very different from one another.The topics discussed in detail in the book's seven chapters include the quest for a long-range interceptor, vertical takeoff aircraft, naval developments and lightweight fighters. Appendices provide listings of all projects that were developed and their specifications. A new separate appendix looks at the Canadian Avro CF-105 Arrow which in many ways matched the work undertaken in the US on long-range interceptors and thus makes an interesting comparison.

This book completes the process of revising Tony Buttler's successful British Secret Projects titles, which have described the design and development of the UK's military aircraft since the mid-1930s. The original single volume has now been split into two separate titles; the already published British Secret Projects 3 Fighters 1935-1950 and this new book examining the design and development of the British bomber from roughly the introduction of monoplane designs through to the start of the jet era. This split has allowed space for the inclusion of much new information and many additional photographs. Concentrating on designs that were never built, the projects and programmes explored here start with designs that were prepared in the knowledge that war was approaching and go right through to the last generation of British piston-engined bombers that appeared after the war had ended. As well as the 'heavies', this book also includes medium and light bombers, torpedo bombers for the Navy and anti-submarine types including flying boats.  The book includes many three-view drawings plus numerous photographs of models or original artist's impressions to show how these unbuilt designs would have appeared, all ideal reference material for modellers in particular. The text includes full data available on the various types while additional appendices summarise the projects and their covering contracts and specifications

In the spring of 1941, having abandoned his plans to invade Great Britain, Hitler turned the might of his military forces on to Stalin's Soviet Russia. The German army quickly advanced far into Russian territory as the Soviet forces suffered defeat after defeat. With brutality and savagery displayed on both sides, the Eastern front was a campaign in which no quarter was given. Although Hitler's decision to launch 'Barbarossa' was one of the crucial turning points of the war, at first the early successes of the German army pointed to the continuing triumph of the Nazi state. As time wore on, however, the Eastern front became a byword for death for the Germans.In War without Garlands, Robert Kershaw examines the campaign largely through the eyes of the German forces who were sent to fight and die for Hitler's grandiose plans. He draws on German war diaries, post-combat reports and secret SS files. This original material, much of which has never before been published in English, sheds new light on operation 'Barbarossa', including the extent to which the German soldiers were genuinely surprised at the decision to attack Russia, given the well-publicised non-aggression pact. 'Barbarossa' was a brutal, ideologically driven campaign which decided the outcome of World War II. This seminal account will be required reading for all historians of World War II and all those interested in the course of the war.

This railway atlas presents a much wider range of railway types and their features than those shown on most existing maps. Its coverage begins with the earliest railways and carries through to the present day. The area covered in this volume extends from Cornwall in the South West to Hampshire in Central Southern England and as far north as Bristol and Swindon. Industrial railways are shown as well as passenger carrying lines. Each map is accompanied by a detailed key to the public and private railway systems shown. This includes dates of operation, gauges and significant topographical features. Information on stations includes the opening and closing dates and any name changes which occurred. A chronology of the public railway routes also accompanies each map, which includes independent public railways and any independent private railways with public rail involvement. Approximately 76 pages of detailed information about the railway system in the areas covered and a chronology preface the railway atlas section providing a wealth of detailed reference material.

The North American F-86 Sabre was the United States' first swept-wing jet fighter. It was involved in some of the earliest jet v jet dogfights in history, engaging with Soviet Migs in the skies over Korea. Although it was developed in the late 1940s and was overtaken by other more modern designs by the end of the 1950s, the Sabre proved versatile and adaptable, and continued as a front-line fighter with numerous air forces. For example, it remained in service with the Peruvian Air Force into the 1990s. Close to 8,000 Sabres were built between 1949 and 1956 in the USA, Japan and Italy. A further 738 carrier-modified versions were purchased by the US Navy, and other variants were produced in Canada and AustraliaThis is a completely new monograph detailing the entire F-86 series from gestation and development, through the many variants that were produced, to its retirement from duty. Its operational career is also given detailed analysis. The book makes use of many primary-sources including documents held by the US Air Force Historical Records Agency, US National Archives, Boeing archives and the UK Public Record Office. Much of this data has only been available in the public domain in recent years and so was not accessible when previous books on the F-86 were compiled.Lavishly illustrated throughout, there are around 500 colour and black and white photos in the book, many previously unpublished. The thoroughly researched text and extensive photographic coverage will make this a close to definitive work on this seminal aircraft. This book will appeal to all who are interested in Cold War aviation history and also to those engaged in modelling the aircraft of this era.

This is a gripping account of the ill-fated RAF raid, on 3 May 1944, on the Panzer tank depot and military barracks at Mailly-le-Camp south of Rheims in northern France, part of the softening up process on German military targets, in preparation for the D-Day landings. Raids like this over occupied France were considered relatively low risk affairs and only counted for one third of a mission for the crews concerned. In total, 362 RAF bombers, Lancasters, Mosquitoes and Halifax, from bases in England took part in a raid and although no-one involved anticipated disaster, forty-two Lancasters never returned home. Almost incredibly, those who planned the attack were apparently unaware that four German night fighter bases were located nearby. Luftwaffe fighters wreaked havoc on the bombers as they circled a marker in bright moonlight awaiting the order to attack their targetThis is the story of that battle, bitterly contested and ever-remembered by those who were engaged, one among hundreds that were fought in the skies over Europe between the RAF's bombers and the Luftwaffe's night-fighters in the course of World War Two. It lasted less than sixty minutes but cost two hundred and fifty-five lives.

In 1912 the unthinkable happened - the supposedly unsinkable Titanic sank after hitting an iceberg, or so it was thought. In this bestselling book author Robin Gardiner claims that it was not in fact the Titanic but the sister ship, the Olympic, which finished its days sinking in the icy waters of the North Atlantic on that fateful night. His contention is that what happened was an insurance scam perpetrated by the White Star line which may have involved the possible collusion by the British government in the cover-up. On 20 September 1911, the Olympic was involved in a collision with the Royal Navy Warship HMS Hawke in Southampton Water. Olympic was found to be to blame in the collision. Because of this finding, White Star's insurers allegedly refused to pay out on the claim. As this would amount to a serious financial loss for the company, it is alleged that, to make sure at least one vessel would be earning money, the badly damaged Olympic was patched up and then converted to become the Titanic. The real Titanic when complete would then quietly enter service as the Olympic. To dispose of the Olympic, which had allegedly been damaged beyond economic repair in a way that would allow White Star to collect the full insured value of a brand new ship, the plan was to open the seacocks at sea to slowly flood the ship. Numerous ships were stationed nearby to take off the passengers, the shortage of lifeboats would not matter as the ship would sink slowly and the boats could make several trips to the rescuers. The controversy which this theory has generated, and some of the evidence used to support it is compelling, has made this book into a bestseller in the years since it was first published. Regardless of whether you choose to believe in this version of the events that took place on that terrible night in 1912, which still resonate so strongly well over a century afterwards, Titanic: The Ship That Never Sank? is a fascinating, well written and absorbing read.

The Horten Ho229 effectively one of the Luftwaffe's legendary secret projects or so-called wonder weapons was one of the most enigmatic aircraft designs to emerge from World War 2. In terms of design it was in some ways a precursor of the 'stealth' concept and when viewed in relation to its contemporaries, it was clearly years ahead of its time. The Ho 229 was planned as the first of the next generation of German jet fighters to follow on from the Messerschmitt Me 262. The intention was to create a high-speed cannon-equipped fighter-bomber and reconnaissance aircraft. The aircraft, which saw figures such as Goering, Galland and Lippisch involved in its development, commenced flight testing in December 1944 and it was planned to re-equip the Me 163 equipped JG 400 with the Ho 229 later in the war.This book charts in detail the development and operational record of the Horten Ho 229. One of the prototypes J3 survives in the USA and the book will included specially commissioned photographs of this survivor. In total, the book will have some 200 photographs, many of which are previously unpublished, alongside highly detailed scale drawings, the latter produced by Arthur Bentley, another leading authority on the Horten design.

The Hawk first flew just over 50 years ago and is one of the most important British aircraft of the post-1945 era. Hawks have been used to train over 20,000 pilots around the world. The Hawk was also the last all-British military aircraft to be developed; over 800 have either been exported or built abroad, becoming one of the most successful products to come out of Britain's aircraft industry. This sales success included its adoption by the United States Navy, a welcome penetration of the American market. Although production ended in 2022, many are likely to remain in service for at least another couple of decades with at least 540 in service around the world currently.This study is an illustrated history of the Hawk's development and operational life, beginning with the initial design studies from 1968 and the ASR.397 contenders, through to the flight test programme and development of the export models - the Mark 50, 60 and 100 families - as well as the Hawk 200 and Goshawk. Drawing on official archival material, as well as dealing with its career with the UK's armed services, the political and technical issues behind the export success of the Hawk is examined, including ambitious schemes like Project Defender in Iraq and several projects for further Hawk developments that never left the drawing board.

Until now the day-to-day working and opinions of the Vietnamese Peoples' Air Force (VPAF) has remained relatively unknown. For the first time the author focuses on the pilots and, using rare first-hand accounts and many new photographs analyses their fighter operations over North Vietnam between 1965-1975.

Frank opinions are voiced on how the North Vietnamese viewed the gradual escalation of the aerial conflict over their country, including details on key operations and VPAF tactics against USAF F-4s, F-105s, F-8s and B-52s.

Details of the Black Friday Massacre, America's heaviest aerial defeat are related in the words of Nguyen Van Coc (the highest scoring pilot of the Vietnam conflict) who tells of his first kill and Dong Van De who recalls how he achieved the first ever double kill over American-flown aircraft, events which have never, until now, been released into the public domain.

Leading VPAF pilots including Major General Pham Ngoc Lan discuss their aerial engagements and tactics and Nguyen Tiem Sam recollects his kills of F-4 Phantoms using only ATOLL air-to-air missiles.

Following exhaustive research, the author reveals much new data, which challenges previous reports. Three kills claimed by Lt. 'Duke' Cunningham, later a US Senator and the success of Operation Bolo, America's response to the Black Friday Massacre are discussed. Also for the first time outside Vietnam, details of the Christmas bombings are released including the controversial first night fighter kill of a B-52 by Vu Xuan Thieu - a fact which the US military have never accepted.

Comprehensive appendices reveal the complete loss list of all VPAF personnel and a victory table with a break down of all known kills and shared kills and types.

This is the story of one the Third Reich's most advanced night fighters - the Ta 154. The driving force behind its gestation was Professor Kurt Tank, designer of the Fw 190. He and a small team of designers and engineers combined state-of-the-art technology with elegant aerodynamics to create an innovative and potent warplane. Inspired by the British de Havilland DH 98, in 1943, the German Air Ministry issued a specification for an all-wood, fast attack-bomber to be powered by Jumo 211 engines. Focke-Wulf was awarded the contract and employed inventive construction methods for the wooden assembly, though ultimately, instead of a Schnellbomber, the resulting Ta 154 would emerge as an experimental night fighter, similar to the de Havilland Mosquito in construction, although it was fitted with a nosewheel. The Ta 154 also incorporated ejection seats, advanced avionics and radar.The aircraft first flew in prototype stage in July 1943 and when pitted against the He 219 and Ju 388 proved faster, reaching around 700 km/h. In addition to 23 prototypes, around 50 production machines were built with some pre-production examples also being converted to production standard. Some were assigned to NJG 3 for operational night fighting trials, while plans were made to develop a Fw 190/Ta 154 composite bomber formation destroyer. This is a significantly revised and expanded version of a book originally published in the German language in 2006, an absorbing account of a little known but remarkably sophisticated German World War II aircraft. With the aid of over 350 photographs and illustrations, the author dispels myths associated with the construction methods of the Ta 154 and reveals new and intriguing facts about this fascinating aircraft.

Speedlink was launched in 1977 as an attempt to arrest the decline in British Rail's wagonload freight business. One of the things that distinguished Speedlink workings from almost all of the freight services that had preceded it, was that all the wagons used were air braked. At its peak in the mid 1980s, it carried over 8 million tonnes annually. However, despite this, Speedlink was never profitable and in the run up to railway privatisation, the service was abandoned in 1991. This is the first of short series of four books, each one complete in itself, which will provide a comprehensive survey of the whole Speedlink wagon fleet. This first volume begins by setting the scene from which Speedlink emerged. It explores the background to BR's lossmaking wagonload business from the 1960s onwards and examines the circumstances which led to the creation of Speedlink as the solution to these problems. Having dealt with the background to its emergence, the book moves on to look at existing air braked stock owned by British Rail prior to the launch of Speedlink including that built in the 1960s for use on train ferries and vehicles converted to air braking. All the many types of existing covered vans and open wagons that could be used on Speedlink are thus featured in this volume.Written by wagon expert David Larkin and heavily illustrated throughout, this series will be an invaluable source of reference for all those interested in the post steam era on Britain's railways. Those modeling the railway scene from the 1970s to the 1990s will also find these books essential reading.

Arguably, since the 1920s but markedly since the 1960s, the railways have been fighting a losing battle with the road transport to retain their share of freight traffic. Gone are the days when almost every British passenger station had its own goods yard, handling all kinds of freight in wagonload quantities for distribution in the local area. That network of general freight terminals was gradually reduced and, eventually, eliminated, as the railway lost out to its main competitor, the lorry, with British Rail effectively throwing in the towel in relation to wagonload traffic with the demise of the Speedlink network in the 1990s. At the same time, rail freight has developed new markets for heavy trainload operations. That growth has led to the setting up of specialised terminals for aggregates, cement, steel, deep-sea containers and other bulk cargoes. The move from traditional wagonload traffic to lengthy and heavy block trains conveying only type of freight has been fully accomplished. This book illustrates and describes the huge transition that has taken place across the British railway network over the last 60 years in relation to the handling of goods traffic. It provides views of long-forgotten operations forming a stark contrast with the streamlined facilities of today. The book also looks at the range of traction and rolling-stock which was used to handle the nation's railway freight traffic over the decades ranging from steam-hauled pick-up goods trains to today's uniform loads of 2,000 tonnes and more.

If it can be said that adversity generates creativity, then the story of the Heinkel He 162 jet fighter is testimony to such a precept. From the summer of 1944, the adversity facing the leadership of the Third Reich was formidable. Ironically however, the very existence of such adversity prompted many inventive and radical designs for the prosecution of the air defence of the Reich on a determined and even manic scale.In the closing months of the war, at a time the Allies had assumed that they had mastered the Luftwaffe jet menace, the combined efforts of a leading German aircraft manufacturer - Ernst Heinkel AG - and a small team of dedicated civilian and military specialists achieved an almost unbelievable feat: the production of a new, jet-powered interceptor from concept, through development and testing, to operational readiness in just six months. The accomplishment of the so-called Volksjäger (the `People's Fighter') project was - and still is - regarded as a `miracle of production'.In this extensively researched book, aviation historians Robert Forsyth and Eddie J Creek, draw, for the first time, on previously unused Heinkel company papers to offer a unique insight into the workings of the Nazi production system in the late-war period, as well as other German and Allied documents. Their work is supported by many rare photographs and accompanied by line drawings and facsimile documents as well as highly detailed colour artwork by He 162 specialist, Simon Schatz.This is the most comprehensive history of this fascinating aircraft to be published in the English language and is a natural accompaniment to the other detailed German aircraft monographs published by Classic Publications. It will form an essential reference work to all those interested in the airpower of the Second World War.

At the very edge of the atmosphere, invisible against the deep indigo sky, lurks a spy plane so sophisticated that it replaced the SR-71 Blackbird some 30 years ago. Its flat black shark-like skin deflects and absorbs all but the most advanced radars, leaving it to roam undetected while silently gathering detailed intelligence. Considered a 'National Asset' the U-2 Dragon Lady, in its various forms, has been in continuous military service for over six decades. Indeed she is deemed so important that she has enjoyed three separate production runs at the super-secret Lockheed 'Skunk Works', each time emerging with new and highly classified intelligence gathering capabilities.Rick Bishop, a former U-2 pilot, takes the reader deep into the Black World of 'air-breathing' (non-satellite) reconnaissance, with a revealing and detailed account of the trials and challenges of flying a machine widely acknowledged as 'the most dangerous aircraft in the world', as well as revealing the personalities and adventures of some of the elite cadre of hand-selected pilots who have the right stuff to tame the Dragon Lady. From the gruelling two-week interview process, through early training flights to many exploits flying top-secret missions around the world, and his eventual rise to Commander, the author sheds new light on a world that is largely unknown outside the tight-knit fraternity of U-2 pilots and support personnel.

This is a revised and expanded edition of one of our best-reviewed and best-selling titles of 2018, Atlas of Railway Station Closures. The Atlas shows all standard gauge railway lines built in Britain and the dates when each line and every station on those lines was closed. The first part of the book consists of an atlas of the entire railway network. On these maps line closures are colour-coded by decade. The company, BR Region or later organisation owning the station at the time of the closure is listed, as well as the last pre-grouping owner. The name of the station used is in every instance that applied at the time of its closure. The second part of the book provides a complete index and gazetteer listing all station closure dates if the station has closed, and highlighting those still in use.? Atlas of Railway Station Closures encompasses a wealth of invaluable information organised and presented in an accessible format, but we were aware that it was a hugely ambitious project and invited comments from readers some of which have been incorporated into this new edition. This second edition also contains additional inset maps to provide greater clarity and make more comprehensible the complex railway networks of location such as Swansea, Cardiff, Liverpool, Aberdeen and parts of London.

Accurate facsimile editions of the original Air Ministry Pilot's Notes originally issued to aircrew for military aircraft types.Each approximately 60 pages, paper cover, with header card, featuring euro-hook cut-out for display

Accurate facsimile editions of the original Air Ministry Pilot's Notes originally issued to aircrew for military aircraft types.Each approximately 60 pages, paper cover, with header card, featuring euro-hook cut-out for display

Accurate facsimile editions of the original Air Ministry Pilot's Notes originally issued to aircrew for military aircraft types.Each approximately 60 pages, paper cover, with header card, featuring euro-hook cut-out for display