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It is now more than 40 years since Fighters over the Desert was published, and nearly as long since this was followed by Fighters over Tunisia. Both volumes have long been out of print and collectors’ items, but, despite much prompting, Christopher Shores has resolutely refused to permit their reprinting until he amassed so much more information. He has also long nursed a desire to expand the coverage to encompass the operations of the other types of aircraft involved in this interesting and important theater of war – the bombers, reconnaissance aircraft and maritime units. Further, it is his intention to extend the period covered to include the later operations over Sicily, Italy, the Aegean area, the Balkans and Southern Europe.This then represents the first volume of a seminal series dealing with all these aspects and areas, which will also tie in with the earlier Grub Street volumes which he and his collaborators have produced. Thus a full coverage of all aspects of aerial operations throughout the whole of the Mediterranean area will be the ultimate result. Further, these volumes will link appropriately and directly with his other works of this nature, dealing both with the Far East and the war in Europe.Readers will then be able to follow the wartime careers of units and personnel involved from volume to volume throughout the war. Operations directly over the main battlefronts will be dealt with as previously, on a daily basis. However, to allow a clearer view to be obtained of operations elsewhere in the theater, or of a different nature, separate chapters will deal specifically with the night bombers, the air defense of the base areas, and the naval co-operation activities. Wide use of maps will be made throughout this and subsequent volumes together with a considerable number of photographs integrated into the text. Long awaited by many, if any work can be said to be comprehensive and definitive, this is it.

There is no bitter snarl nor self-pity in this classic novel about the air war of 1914-1918, based very largely on the author's experiences. Combat, loneliness, fatigue, fear, comradeship, women, excitement - all are built into a vigorous and authentic structure by one of the most valiant pilots of the then Royal Flying Corps.

2015 Gourmand Awards WINNER BEST INDIAN CUISINEDal is to India what pasta is to Italy. Cheap to produce, highly nutritional, suitable for long storage and capable of being cooked in a basic pot on an open fire, dal has been providing nourishment to millions of Indians for millennia. It truly is a pan-Indian dish consumed by rich and poor alike. It is high protein and has practically no sugar – in fact it is known as ‘poor man’s meat’ in India – hence doctors now include this as an essential item in a diet for diabetics. Dal is a genuinely impressive dish of infinite variety – there are at least 50 recipes for this humble food. There are multiple ways of cooking it, wide-ranging seasonings are used and there are diverse supplements to serve with it. Over the centuries Indian cooks became innovative and with locally available ingredients they dished out dal to satisfy a regional palate. In the process they also invented new dishes using dal lentils such as kedgeree (khichari – a risotto made with lentil), dosas (pancakes mixed with lentil flower), vadas (lentil cakes), dhokla (baked lentil cakes), papadam (dried lentil snack) and pakoras (fritters dipped in lentil batter).EPUB3: Reflowable

This new book covers the adventures of 283, 284, 293 and 294 Walrus Squadrons, operating from North Africa, Sicily, Italy and Sardinia. The pilots, like their counterparts in England, knew of the dangers of landing on the sea. It was a daunting task attempting to rescue downed airmen as they had often to operate in bad weather, and near hostile coasts. Airmen who were bobbing about in dinghies, or even just in their Mae West life jackets, were difficult to locate. Rescues from the cold sea needed to be speedy affairs, especially of those survivors not in dinghies, and the Walrus aircrew were always aware that time was of the essence. Moreover, rescues near a hostile shore often resulted in gunfire from German or Italian gunners. Missions were always treacherous.Many Walrus pilots have added personal recollections to the narrative and so too have some of those airmen who were rescued. As well as RAF and SAAF airmen, there were numerous USAAF units involved in the air war over the Mediterranean and Italy, and Norman has been in contact with several Americans whose lives were saved by these gallant men who flew the Walrus amphibian single-engined biplane. Men who knew only too well that to pick up more than two or three airmen generally meant a hard sea-borne taxi ride back to base, which conditions never guaranteed. The stories of these rescues gives one a sense of sincere pride in the men who daily risked their lives to save others from a very hostile environment.

By his own, modest, admission Norbert Hannig was a Frontflieger, or operational pilot, who really did nothing special during World War Two. He was just, he says, one of the many rank and file pilots fighting for his country and not for the Führer. But his wartime career makes for fascinating and highly informative reading on an aspect of the 1939-45 war not often covered in the English language; primarily that of the campaign against the Soviet Union.Norbert started flying during high school on gliders and joined the German Air Force as volunteer and officer cadet, one of the midwar-generation of Luftwaffe fighter pilots. He began operations with JG54 on the eastern (Leningrad) front in March 1943; initially he flew Messerschmitt Bf 109s before transitioning to the Focke-Wulf FW 190. After a year’s fighting, he was ordered back to Germany as a flight instructor to oppose the bomber streams of the AAF and RAF. Returning to Russia at the end of 1944, he became a Staffel CO and claimed many aircraft shot down. In April 1945 he converted to the first jet fighter, the Me 262, in south Germany, and flew his last missions with this aircraft. Also serving with JV44 (whose CO was Adolf Galland), Norbert Hannig finished the war with 42 victories from more than 200 missions. Many and varied were his experiences in action against the rejuvenated Soviet Air Force in the east, and the powerful western Allies over the homeland during the final chaotic months of hostilities, which culminated in his captivity.John Weal’s skillful translation ensures that the fluid descriptive style of the author is preserved. Thankfully, also, Norbert was a keen photographer who shot a profusion of images, all previously unpublished, many of which appear in this important book.

As most authors of factual books discover, information continues to come in after their books have been published. When Arms & Armour began a series under the heading of ‘Claims to Fame’ the first was ‘The Lancaster’, by well known aviation author and historian Norman Franks. In the event the series only embraced two books, but over the last decade Norman has continued to research and has received more information on the 34 Lancasters covered, and in fact, that total is now 35. Rewritten with all the additional information collected, and with more photographs of the aircraft and then men who flew in these very special Avro Lancasters, Grub Street has decided to reprint the book in a new-size format, to coincide with the 60th anniversary of VE Day. Each Lancaster’s history is recorded, supported by stories from aircrew members that flew in these veteran aircraft, along with what happened to them once or if - they had survived. The most famous of course is ‘Queenie’ (W5868) the only one of these Lancasters that survives, and that can be seen today in the Bomber Command Hall at the Royal Air Force Museum, Hendon, North London. She, as with one or two others, have some controversial accounting as to the actual number of bomber operations flown, but these are all explained in the book. These controversies can also be explained by the detailed listing of each raid these 35 Lancasters flew during 1942-1945, together with the names of the pilot and crew that took them on bomber sorties all over Hitler’s Third Reich, Northern Italy, during support missions before and after D-Day in June 1944 as well at attacking V1 rocket launch sites situated in Northern France. The book covers in detail how the research was carried out, the pitfalls that were encountered as well as a well-balanced view from one of the Lancaster’s former Skippers on what it was like to fly a bomber tour of operations in Bomber Command. The book will be supported by over 200 photographs of the aircraft and the men who flew in them. Many of these come from personal albums so have not been seen before.

Raymond Baxter, WW2 fighter pilot, postwar radio and TV commentator at major events from motor races to great State occasions, was later the famous presenter of television’s Tomorrow’s World. Here he tells his action-packed life story with a wry and amusing eye. From such disparate experiences as hair-raising escapes at the controls of a Spitfire over Sicily and occupied Holland to speaking to the nation while suspended in a box near the roof of Westminster Abbey, Baxter has endless tales to tell. A renowned Formula 1 Grand Prix commentator, he also competed in and reported on 14 consecutive Monte Carlo Rallies and 30 consecutive Farnborough Air Shows where, as a veteran combat pilot, he flew a Harrier on two occasions. Baxter was the instigator of the Dunkirk Little Ships organization and still owns L’Orage, which took part in the original 1940 rescue of beleaguered British troops and in which he has returned to Dunkirk on several commemorative events. An Inland Waterways enthusiast, too, he recounts amusing adventures on canals and rivers in his ‘Otter’, a futuristic craft nearly half a century ago. Life in the BBC, the Cold War in Germany, the Coronation, Sir Winston Churchill’s funeral, the triumphs and tragedies of Formula 1 racing and Le Mans, all these and much more are covered in a story that seems to encompass a dozen careers, let alone the lifetime of just one remarkable man. Tony Dron is a well-respected author and journalist whose work appears in The Daily Telegraph and others.

Life is pretty dull for Ken Rees these days. At 17 he craved danger and excitement; fast planes and cars; rugby, speed and women. Then war came and by the age of 21 he had already trained to be a pilot officer; flown 56 hair-raising bomber missions, by night over Germany; taken part in the siege of Malta; got married; been shot down into a remote Norwegian lake; been captured, questioned by the Gestapo, then sent to Stalag Luft III, where he participated in and survived the Great Escape and terrible forced march to Bremen. Now he lives relatively peacefully in Anglesey and in finding time to research and write his memoirs with Karen Arrandale has vividly recreated what it was like to be in charge of an air crew at such a tender age with responsibility for a large and expensive aircraft going 300 miles behind enemy lines, at the same time avoiding flak and enemy fighters and witnessing other comrades being shot down out of the sky.Ken's story has it all, excitement, accuracy, pace and drama and he describes events which have largely passed into legend as the former Kriegies - his friends and colleagues - pass out of this world.Wing Commander Ken Rees is one of the few remaining Great Escapers and has been interviewed extensively for newspapers, radio and television, not least during his appearances on programmes like 'Behind the Wire'.He is an excellent raconteur with many contacts in the RAF, PoW groups and the rugby world, having in the past captained London Welsh and trialled for Wales.

When the Bank of Scotland recently carried out a survey asking people to name Great Scots, 'Wallace McIntosh - War Hero' was chosen among such illustrious names as John Logie Baird, David Livingstone and Robert Louis Stevenson.Born into grinding poverty, McIntosh was a few days old when given by his young mother to her parents to bring up. As a boy, he was trailed round Aberdeenshire and Perthshire in the 1920s while his grandparents desperately sought work and shelter. He had not heard of Christmas until he was seven, and never celebrated his birthday until his late teens, but he could steal, kill and skin a sheep before he was twelve and snare anything that could be cooked in a pot. Leaving school at thirteen he was determined to escape the constant struggle to survive. Gunning for the Enemy tells the moving story of how the RAF finally accepted McIntosh after at first rejecting him, but then initially gave him the lowliest of jobs. Only by a fluke was he trained as an air gunner. During his time with 207 Squadron, based at Langar, Nottinghamshire and Spilsby, Lincolnshire, he flew over fifty sorties in World War Two. Although Bomber Command did not record details of 'kills' by air gunners, Wallace, who shot down eight enemy aircraft with one probable, is widely believed to be its top sharpshooter and at one time he was its most decorated also. He had many hairy incidents and his prodigious memory for detail enables him to recall numerous amazing escapes from death and how each and every night he and his comrades dramatically took the war to the enemy.This is a story of outstanding courage, told with wit, pace and honesty by Mel Rolfe who has previously enjoyed acclaim with such books as To Hell and Back, Hell on Earth and Flying into Hell.

On the night of 27/28 April 1944, Teddy Blenkinsop and his crew were acting as deputy master bombers during a Pathfinder raid on Montzen in Belgium. After a successful attack, their Lancaster was shot down. Miraculously he survived to be protected by Belgian citizens before ending his days in Bergen Belsen concentration camp. Little was known of his exploits in between until Peter Celis, a Belgian air-force officer, began to research the story. What he uncovered is far more amazing than any fictional film could be. He found that Blenkinsop was not only an exceptional and gallant operational pilot, but that his loyalty, dedication and devotion were second to none and that his bravery and fearlessness led him to make the supreme sacrifice in the face of Nazi Germany. Written with pace and insight, this is an uplifting account of an outstanding young man who very nearly made it back home.

The day after D-Day, the most momentous day of the Second World War, Frank Holland was an RAF pilot whose Typhoon aircraft had just been hit by German antiaircraft fire during a low flying attack on a marshaling yard in Normandy. He managed to take the aircraft up to 1200 feet but then the engine went dead and his Typhoon soon began heading towards the earth at an accelerating and frightening speed. Struggling frantically, he just barely got free of the cockpit and baled out four or five seconds before the crash. His parachute didn’t open but he fell into a wood, crashing through the branches of an oak to dangle precariously fifteen feet up. Breathing hard, he experienced a few seconds of relief at survival. But then he realized German troops would be swarming around within minutes. He had to get away, and fast…So begins Frank’s tremendous adventure as he evaded capture for months, sometimes by barely a whisker, to make it back home to the city of his birth, Cambridge. A riveting true story told in a masterly fashion.

A collection of 20 true stories of bravery, survival, and good and bad luck, involving bomber command during World War II. The following extracts illustrate the drama in this book.‘It is believed that when Dacey realised the aircraft was on fire he grabbed an extinguisher, hurried aft and tried, in vain, to put out the flames. Somehow he became trapped behind the spreading inferno and was unable to return to the cockpit for his parachute. Alone with his screams, he could do nothing except wait and die as his unsuspecting companions jumped into the cold night. It is likely that Dacey was already dead before the Halifax plunged into the ground and blew up, atomising his body.’‘Unable to release Jones (mid-upper gunner) they agreed the only way was to chop off his foot, clip him to a parachute and all bale out. Jordan seized the axe, which was part of their escape gear, detaching himself from his macabre task, knowing it must be done otherwise they would all die.’‘We were marched to a deserted and tatty industrial area, into a short cu-de-sac, where most of the property was badly damaged. A factory wall stood across the bottom and they put us against it. A line of a dozen (German) soldiers stood pavement to pavement, rifles against their shoulders. A corporal stood near them with his hand up. Stan said to me in a low, horrified voice: "They’re going to shoot us.".’‘We could see the (Lancaster) wing flapping up and down. It could have broken off at any time and going through my mind was the thought that it probably would. But we pressed on. I took a realistic view. I knew the chances were against us getting back and this might be the time everything was going to end. But I didn’t experience fear which interfered with what I had to do.

Classic stories of gallantry in World War TwoA new edition of Mel Rolfe's successful book containing twenty dramatic but true stories of Bomber Command adventures.Some of them defy belief - like the RAF bomb aimer who was blown out of his Liberator over Warsaw at 400ft without a parachute and made a poignant return in 1989 to witness the unveiling of a memorial on the crash site. Others defy logic - like two men of the same crew who survived a terrible crash, neither aware of the other's existence but both saved by the tolling of the same church bell. All are riveting.A journalist by profession, Rolfe has conducted his interviews and prepared the stories in such a way as to take the reader into the events as they happened. To read these accounts is to step back into the war itself.

In late 2001 Rod Smith died tragically at his own hand, leaving behind a part-written autobiography and many notes. At the request of his family, his friend, the historian Christopher Shores, took on the task of seeking to complete the story as nearly as possible to how he believed Rod had wished it to be. Rod and his brother Jerry both became Spitfire pilots during World War II, leaving their home in Canada only to find themselves – purely by chance – serving together in the defense of Malta during 1942. Jerry had already gained some fame as the first pilot ever to land a Spitfire on an aircraft carrier (due to a faulty fuel feed after being launched to fly to the beleaguered island). Both showed immediate promise as fighter pilots, but by the end of that year Jerry was dead – last seen chasing a German bomber out to sea – while Rod had become an ‘ace’ and would receive the D.F.C. Two years later, serving as a squadron commander in Western Europe, he claimed six Messerschmitts down within a single week, and was involved in the shooting down of the first German jet aircraft to fall to British Commonwealth fighters. He ended the war as one of Canada’s highest scoring aces, with more than 13 victories to his credit. Qualifying after the war both as an aeronautical engineer and as a barrister, he brought a keen and analytical intellect to a passionate interest in aviation and aerial combat, writing many letters and articles of great depth and insight. His untimely death was a great loss not only to his family and friends, but to the wider world of aviation history as well. This book, containing many diary entries from each of the brothers, is a testament to them.

In the later years of the Second World War Germany was subjected to a tremendous onslaught by the bomber commands of both the RAF and USAAF, as well as being assaulted by land. For these twin strategies to succeed the Allies had to obtain and hold air supremacy over Western Europe. That this was achieved was predominantly the work of USAAF long-range fighters operating from the eastern shores of England, who thereby made a major contribution to victory. The 56th Fighter Group, or Zemke’s Wolfpack as they became known, more than any other, led the way and at the end of hostilities had the highest score of enemy aircraft shot down as well as having produced the top American fighter aces of the conflict. This is an account of why and how this famous unit became so successful and the way in which its ethos and spirit was forged. Although following a chronological path of training and operations, this book is not a dedicated unit history, the narrative being primarily concerned with the personnel, both pilots and ground crew. Some one hundred veterans have been contacted by the author over the past ten years of his research and many of their recollections and photographs are woven into the story, reflecting in candid fashion the thoughts and actions of the young fighting men of this ground-breaking unit. Roger A. Freeman is the author of more than fifty books on Second World War subjects and specialises in the men, aircraft and operations of USAAF.His interest stems from boyhood experiences including working on and around an airfield which housed the organisation that is the subject of this book.

Written during the war without benefit of hindsight, this is a remarkable and valuable account. A very personal story, its lucid, exciting and readable narrative describes firstly the author's frustrations as a Staff Officer in Cairo, then his triumphs and disasters as a Beaufort Flight Commander on the anti-shipping operations from Malta in 1942, during which Gibbs' contribution was immense.

Bob Foster is a well known figure at book and print signings in many parts of the UK. Although recognized as a Battle of Britain veteran, little is known of his life, or the details of his war service with the RAF. Persuaded to tell his story to air historian and well established aviation author Norman Franks, the result is a very readable account of his flying years. These began shortly before WW2, when he learnt to fly with the RAFVR. Called up for war service in September 1939, he completed his training and was posted to 605 Squadron, equipped with Hawker Hurricanes. By early September 1940 he and his Squadron were in the thick of the air fighting over southern England, operating from Croydon. Surviving the Battle, he later became an instructor, but shortly after joining 54 Squadron, which had Spitfires, he and this unit became part of a group sent out to Australia to help defend the Darwin area. Bob’s squadron and two others, 452 and 457, engaged the Japanese incursions throughout 1943. Awarded the DFC for his efforts, he returned to the UK and was given an assignment with a RAF public relations outfit, ending up in Normandy within three weeks of the invasion of 1944. Often serving right up in the front lines, Bob saw the war at very close hand, and then quite by chance became one of the first, if not the first RAF officer to enter Paris with the liberating French army, and again, by chance, was in General de Gaulle’s triumphant procession down the Champs-Élysées. His memoir is an entertaining collection of stories and reminiscences of two distinct areas of WW2, which also shows how luck often shaped the lives of the fighter pilots involved. Bob Foster later became a successful sales manager with Shell-Mex and BP, as well as serving with the Royal Auxiliary Air Force. He now lives with his wife Kaethe near Bexhill in East Sussex. Norman Franks is a well-respected and world-renowned author and has over seventy-five books to his name. Author of Jasta Boelcke, Ton-Up Lancs, Air Battle for Dunkirk and Frank ‘Chota’ Carey he has also been co-author of many titles with distinguished fighter pilots such as Neville Duke (War Diaries of Neville Duke), Jimmy Sheddan (Tempest Pilot) and Paul Richey (Fighter Pilot's Summer).He lives with his wife Heather in East Sussex.

Born in India into a family of soldiers and diplomats, Slessor made the first aerial attack on a Zeppelin and went on to serve in the Middle East over the Western Front in World War I; and postwar on the North-West Frontier in India. Rated an exceptional staff officer, in the inter-war years, under the influence of Sir Hugh Trenchard, he became a devout proponent of strategic bombing and a strong advocate of the importance of air support for ground forces. Through his writing and teaching he gained a reputation as a deep thinker, and as Director of Plans in the Air Ministry from 1937, was closely concerned with rearmament. When the conflict came, he became a major cog in the policy machine. Serving variously as Head of 5 Group Bomber Command (1941), with Portal throughout 1942 and at Casablanca in 1943, his high point came as Head of Coastal Command in 1943 with the defeat of the U-Boats, and his nadir in August 1944 with the tragedy of the Warsaw uprising. Post-WWII he continued to influence thinking whether in office or retirement, being an ardent opponent of the Soviet Union. Indeed his Global Strategy Paper in 1952 was arguably the basis of all strategic thinking until the end of the Cold War. Immensely self-confident, Slessor expressed himself forcefully and was dismissive of such luminaries as Alexander, Tedder, Dulles, Nasser, Ibn Saud and Anthony Eden. Vincent Orange was given full access to Slessor’s diaries, letters and papers; and to all relevant official documentation. His assessment of his subject’s contribution to history is cogent, persuasive and above all, well balanced and honest. This is the first full biography of an exceptional man about whom the eminent historian Sir Michael Howard wrote ‘A truly great man. His contribution to the winning of the war has been outstanding. No less was his contribution to subsequent keeping of the peace’.

In Down to Earth, Squadron Leader McGlashan reflects honestly on his enthralling and diverse RAF career, one that began with the rag and tube of Hawker biplanes in 1939 and closed in the jet era of the late 1950s. Shot down over the beaches of Dunkirk in heated aerial combat, we follow the footsteps of the nineteen year old along the debris-littered sands and beyond. From the protection of vulnerable convoys to the pioneering days of night-fighting and airborne radar, McGlashan is in the midst of the action. Flying in support of the ill-fated landing at Dieppe and on clandestine night operations before D-Day, he takes an active role in some of the RAF’s most significant operations of World War Two. Interspersed throughout are tales of camaraderie and humour. Away from the front line, McGlashan was seconded to BOAC to fly airliners out of Cairo, tasked to ferry all manner of aircraft at the war’s end and serve Cyprus at the height of a very nasty campaign. It is a journey of tremendous diversity, punctuated by a series of close calls and inevitable losses. Half a century later, retired and living in Australia, Kenneth McGlashan is drawn back to 1940 with the discovery of his crashed Hurricane surfacing through the sands of Dunkirk. In an emotional pilgrimage, he is reunited with the steed of his youth and its bullet-ridden cockpit. In spite of the many dangers he faced and despite evidence to the contrary, McGlashan regarded himself as nothing more than just another pilot; an ordinary man in extraordinary times. Of the 3,000 allied airmen who flew in the Battle of Britain, only three percent could lay claim to the title of ‘ace’, Squadron Leader Kenneth McGlashan AFC always felt great honor in being counted amongst the 97 percent. Zupp’s writing has featured in many aviation magazines including Flypast, Flightpath and Rag and Tube.

Whilst the Lancaster was acknowledged as being a fearsome bomber, the plane was also vulnerable. Philip Gray describes what it was like to be the captain of a Lancaster at the height of World War II and how he and his crew managed to survive the war.

Three weeks after Stirling air gunner Doug Fry was reported missing over Germany his mother was still clinging to the vain hope that he was alive.Then a neighbor said she had seen him in the cinema just down the road. The airman and his crew had been filmed for a Bomber Command documentary shortly before they took off from Mildenhall to attack Remscheid. Three hours later four of the crew were killed, but it was another two months after she had also seen the poignant film that widowed mother of eight Winnie Fry knew her nineteen-year-old son, though wounded, was still alive.Lancaster pilot Victor Wood’s aircraft arrived too early over Gelsenkirchen when the target was shrouded in darkness and the Main Force was miles behind. His 12 Squadron bomber was suddenly struck with terrifying force by flak and turned upside-down. An engine was on fire, the unconscious mid-upper gunner, slumped in his turret, was being sprayed with petrol and their bomb-load had been struck by shrapnel. Could Vic Wood get his crew back to base safely?These are just two of twenty dramatic stories from Bomber Command by Mel Rolfe, which is contained in Bomber Boys.Night after night, the young men, some just out of school, went off on sorties, having pushed to the back of their minds the unpalatable awareness that they might never see another dawn. If death did not find them on the first few terrifying sorties they grew up very quickly in order to fight another day.

Ditha Bruncel’s detailed memory of living in Germany during the Second World War provides a rare, first-hand insight into the day-to-day struggle against Nazi oppression, when even small acts of defiance or resistance carried great personal risk. In 1945 Ditha was living with her parents in the small town of Lossen, in Upper Silesia. Close Jewish friends had vanished, swastikas hung from every building, and neighbors were disappearing in the middle of the night. At the same time more than one thousand, five hundred British and Commonwealth airmen were being marched out of Stalag Luft VII, a POW camp in Upper Silesia. Twenty three of these prisoners managed to escape from the marching column and by chance hobbled into Lossen. One amongst them, Warrant Officer Gordon Slowey, was the man Ditha was destined to meet and fall in love with.This book tells the extraordinary story of Ditha and the escaped POWs she helped to save. Together they embarked on a dangerous and daring flight out of Germany. As they faced exhaustion, hunger, extreme cold and the constant risk of discovery, Ditha and Gordon’s love for one another intensified, and so did their determination to survive and escape together.

Born in 1922 in north London and fascinated by a flight in 1938 in one of Sir Alan Cobham’s Flying Circus aircraft, John Misseldine enlisted in the RAF as soon as he turned 18. After training in California in 1941 (in the very first batch of air cadets to be sent there and where he met many Hollywood film stars), in March 1942 he was posted to fly fighters with 611 Squadron, whose CO was Battle of Britain veteran DH Watkins DFC, and wing commander flying Peter Townsend, later a royal suitor.On June 8th, John was shot down over northern France and for over two months was on the run from the Gestapo, being aided and abetted by the French resistance and British Intelligence, with more than a few alarms along the way. Journeying south through occupied France, he eventually escaped from Gibraltar in August, arriving in Scotland and thence to 65 (East India) Squadron. Commissioned as a pilot officer, he was posted to Algeria to ferry new Spitfires and Hurricanes to front-line squadrons supporting the Eighth Army. This role too was not without its hazards but he made it through to become CO of an airfield and to meet and marry a French girl, Mauricette. Sixty-four years later, they are still together and this is John’s heart-warming and page-turning story of ‘survival against the odds’, written by John Misseldine and the acclaimed author Oliver Clutton-Brock. Grub Street has published two of Oliver Clutton-Brock’s previous works, Footprints on the Sands of Time, and RAF Evaders.

The daughter of millionaire racing driver, Woolf Barnato, and granddaughter of Barney Barnato who cofounded the De Beers mining company, by 1936 Diana had had enough of her affluent, chaperoned existence and sought excitement in flying, soloing at Brooklands after only six hours' training. She has followed her own instincts ever since. Joining the Air Transport Auxiliary in 1941 to help ferry aircraft to squadrons and bases throughout the country, she flew scores of different aircraft - fighters, bombers, and trainers - in all kinds of conditions and without radio it has to be remembered.She lost many friends, a fiancé and a husband before 1945 but continued to fly. In 1962 she was awarded the Jean Lennox Bird Trophy for notable achievement in aviation and then - her greatest moment - in 1963 flew a Lightning through the sound barrier becoming 'the fastest woman in the world'. She was awarded the MBE in 1965.Her remarkable memoirs, lauded when first published in hardback, are now available in paperback. Brimming with adventure, anecdotes and famous names, the book makes compelling reading. It is the story of a very special woman who, now in her eighties, continues to live life to the full from her home in Surrey.

Diabetes is now unfortunately a common health problem. About 1½ million people in the UK alone have been diagnosed as sufferers - that's about 3 in every 100 people. It is believed this figure may double in six years. There are estimates that as many as a further 1 million may have diabetes but have not been diagnosed. Of those diagnosed, about 95% are suffering from Type 2 diabetes, this is non-insulin dependent diabetes. Those most at risk are the middle-aged and elderly but increasingly we are seeing diabetes affecting the young. One of the primary causes of Type 2 diabetes is being overweight but happily this form of diabetes is controlled simply by diet and exercise. So understanding nutrition and diet is essential to maintaining your health as a non-insulin dependent diabetes sufferer. Fortunately these days there are no special foods recommended, you should quite simply follow the kind of healthy diet that everyone should be eating, namely at least five portions of food and vegetables everyday and cutting back on convenience foods which are high in fat, sugar and salt - all of which are particularly unsuitable for those with diabetes.

Marguerite Patten draws on her years of experience to bring together recipes for one of the great comfort foods - soups. Hot soups are warming in cold weather and cold soups are refreshing in the heat. Soup can also be made from every kind of ingredient. This guide contains recipes for every occasion and soups from around the world from vichyssoise and minestrone to hot and sour, and covers all the information you need to make soups of perfect flavor and consistency, including stocks which are the secret of many good soups.EPUB3: Reflowable

This is Carol Bowen's sequel to her "Basic Basics Combination and Microwave Handbook", and it follows the same formula as an A to Z compendium. The reader looks up the fruit, the vegetable, the fish, the meat, the sauces, cakes or herbs, and there are quick guidelines on freezing each type of food. The author also explains how a freezer works, gives advice on choosing and siting a freezer, insurance, cleaning, maintenance, what to do in emergencies, packaging and accessories, freezing techniques and defrosting, refreezing and thawing as well as storage times.EPUB3: Reflowable

David Ince may have only managed to pass the RAF medical board at this third attempt, but this did not stop him from forging a highly successful aviation career. After flying Hurricanes and Mustangs at 41 OTU, he converted to Typhoons and flew with 193 and 257 Squadrons, from Normandy until the end of hostilities in Europe. He completed almost 150 sorties and was awarded an immediate DFC. He also took a leading part in trials, demonstrations and the early operational use of Napalm. In the closing stages of the war he was leading 193 Squadron on shipping strikes in the Baltic. Following the war, he attended a course at ETPS, was chairman of the Typhoon (Entente Cordiale) Trust, and was in the driving seat for its dynamic and growing relationship with the French in Normandy, the developing reconciliation between former foes and the new Typhoon squadrons of RAF Coningsby.'Brotherhood of the Skies' is an engaging study of leadership in action. The author is frank and outspoken about the courage, fear, team spirit and motivation that he and his comrades shared throughout the war. Laden with fresh information and perspectives, he explores elements of airpower that have been ignored in the past, pulling no punches in his analysis of army cooperation, fighter ground attack and reconnaissance – and the problems and achievements of operational training – against a wide background of personal experience and hard lessons learned.

Stunned into action by the rapid collapse of his country in 1938, Czech pilot Stanislav Fejfar escaped and traveled through Poland to serve initially with the French Foreign Legion, then as a sous-lieutenant with the French air force in early 1940. After the demise of that country, he fled to England in July 1940 to join the RAF. Posted to 310 Squadron, he saw much feverish action and he rapidly became an ace during the Battle of Britain but was to lose his life on 17 May 1942, shot down over Boulogne flying his beloved Spitfire.Until recently it was not known that throughout his short career, Stanislav kept a full day-by-day diary which has been translated by Henry Prokop and is the basis for this book. Augmented by the diligent research of Norman Franks and Simon Muggleton in unearthing previously unpublished combat reports, letters and other articles of memorabilia, together with their annotated comments, this is an extremely valuable and moving account by a man who gave his life defending freedom. A book which will be sought out by anyone interested in the history of the Battle of Britain. 2010 is the 70th anniversary of that momentous event.