Pen & Sword Aviation is one of the company's largest imprints. By teaming up with some of the worlds leading aviation experts we are able to offer an unrivalled list of aviation publications. Many of our titles include stunning colour photographs and our colour profiles are now world renowned. We cover the first flights of early aviation pioneers right through to modern day conflicts and unmanned aircraft.
The third volume of this important series about the air campaigns in the Solomon Islands continues the detailed description of the air battle at Guadalcanal during November and December 1942. With high attrition, the US position was perilous with the Japanese conducting a frenzied air campaign against the defenders. In almost 200 glossy art paper pages the well written text that is the result of forensic research is supported by a mixture of photographs, artwork, side profiles and maps that enhance the understanding narrative. The so-called ‘Tokyo Express’ where Japanese ships transported reinforcements into Guadalcanal continued resulting a heavy fighting in the air and offshore. The period also saw the beginnings of offensive US action and the start of ‘Black Cat’ Catalina missions by night, and the early operations by the Royal New Zealand Air Force. The joy of this valuable series of highly readable narratives is the authors’ use of both Allied and Japanese records to present.. Read more
Andrew Thomas - Author and Historian
The third volume of this important series about the air campaigns in the Solomon Islands continues the detailed description of the air battle at Guadalcanal during November and December 1942. With high attrition, the US position was perilous with the Japanese conducting a frenzied air campaign against the defenders. In almost 200 glossy art paper pages the well written text that is the result of forensic research is supported by a mixture of photographs, artwork, side profiles and maps that enhance the understanding narrative. The so-called ‘Tokyo Express’ where Japanese ships transported reinforcements into Guadalcanal continued resulting a heavy fighting in the air and offshore. The period also saw the beginnings of offensive US action and the start of ‘Black Cat’ Catalina missions by night, and the early operations by the Royal New Zealand Air Force. The joy of this valuable series of highly readable narratives is the authors’ use of both Allied and Japanese records to present.. Read more
Andrew Thomas - Author and Historian
In the desperate early days of the Pacific War when the Japanese onslaught presented a genuine threat to Australia a project was set in train to develop an indigenous fighter against the potential disruption in supply from Britian and the US. Based on the two-seat Wirraway the appropriately named Boomerang flew just six months after the initial concept. The first half of this beautifully produced and well-illustrated account covers the development and testing of this fighter before moving onto its operational service. Initially deployed as a fighter in defence of western and northern Australia, the ‘Boomer’ had the misfortune to arrive just as significant numbers of Spitfires had arrived that were immeasurably superior fighters. However, the rugged and reliable aircraft was issued to two army co-operation squadrons that saw intensive service in the tropical skies of New Guinea and Bougainville. In the most arduous conditions, its manoeuvrability and robustness were greatly appreciated.. Read more
Andrew Thomas - Author and Historian
In the desperate early days of the Pacific War when the Japanese onslaught presented a genuine threat to Australia a project was set in train to develop an indigenous fighter against the potential disruption in supply from Britian and the US. Based on the two-seat Wirraway the appropriately named Boomerang flew just six months after the initial concept. The first half of this beautifully produced and well-illustrated account covers the development and testing of this fighter before moving onto its operational service. Initially deployed as a fighter in defence of western and northern Australia, the ‘Boomer’ had the misfortune to arrive just as significant numbers of Spitfires had arrived that were immeasurably superior fighters. However, the rugged and reliable aircraft was issued to two army co-operation squadrons that saw intensive service in the tropical skies of New Guinea and Bougainville. In the most arduous conditions, its manoeuvrability and robustness were greatly appreciated.. Read more
Andrew Thomas - Author and Historian
Most military aviation books are about a specific unit, aircraft, battle, or person. There are very few books out there about what some aircrew would describe as scarier than the enemy. And that is the ever-present danger of severe weather. The renowned aviation historian, Michael Claringbould shines the light on a lesser-known USAAF 5th AF mission on 16 April 1944 to Hollandia. The weather encountered on the return trip from Hollandia presented a great challenge to the 300 fighters and bombers trying to get back to their bases in New Guinea. Towering thunderstorms that stretched far and wide with tops well over the service ceiling of the aircraft involved and high terrain caused the loss of 37 aircraft and 54 airmen killed or missing in action. No aircraft were lost due to enemy action, and it was virtually a "milk run" in regard to enemy opposition. But it was the greatest non-combat loss the USAAF incurred in any theatre or campaign during the Second World War. The aircraft on this.. Read more
Aviation Enthusiasts
Most military aviation books are about a specific unit, aircraft, battle, or person. There are very few books out there about what some aircrew would describe as scarier than the enemy. And that is the ever-present danger of severe weather. The renowned aviation historian, Michael Claringbould shines the light on a lesser-known USAAF 5th AF mission on 16 April 1944 to Hollandia. The weather encountered on the return trip from Hollandia presented a great challenge to the 300 fighters and bombers trying to get back to their bases in New Guinea. Towering thunderstorms that stretched far and wide with tops well over the service ceiling of the aircraft involved and high terrain caused the loss of 37 aircraft and 54 airmen killed or missing in action. No aircraft were lost due to enemy action, and it was virtually a "milk run" in regard to enemy opposition. But it was the greatest non-combat loss the USAAF incurred in any theatre or campaign during the Second World War. The aircraft on this.. Read more
Aviation Enthusiasts
I only started the book 24 hours ago knowing nothing of Jean's story. It really was difficult to put down.
Packed with many fabulous photographs from the family's collection, this book has been a most enjoyable read. Jean clearly was an incredible and very determined man.
I definitely recommend this book to all.
Read the full review [link=https://historybookchat.blogspot.com/2025/02/the-belgian-raf-pilot-who-defied-gestapo.html]here[/link]
History Book Chat
I only started the book 24 hours ago knowing nothing of Jean's story. It really was difficult to put down.
Packed with many fabulous photographs from the family's collection, this book has been a most enjoyable read. Jean clearly was an incredible and very determined man.
I definitely recommend this book to all.
Read the full review [link=https://historybookchat.blogspot.com/2025/02/the-belgian-raf-pilot-who-defied-gestapo.html]here[/link]
History Book Chat
Alan Dawson is a fine historian, who has turned a labour of love -- a family history of wartime adventure and, ultimately, great loss, for which family archives only provide limited help in undoing decades of silent suffering by those who survived their sons and brothers -- into a brilliant piece of investigative story telling. At its heart are the adventures of Roy Lane, a Hurricane pilot whose determination to find excitement and serve his country took him from the skies above the British channel to the Atlantic convoys, to northern Russia and ultimately to the jungles of Burma. Roy Lane kept diaries, and promised his family that he would one day write a book about his war. But the diaries went missing, as he did, and all that the author of this volume, his niece's husband, had to go on were his letters home -- inevitably somewhat bland, to ensure that they were spared the censor's pen and reached home. But the comparative poverty of this material never gets in Dr Dawson's way. Thanks.. Read more
Mark Wormald
Alan Dawson is a fine historian, who has turned a labour of love -- a family history of wartime adventure and, ultimately, great loss, for which family archives only provide limited help in undoing decades of silent suffering by those who survived their sons and brothers -- into a brilliant piece of investigative story telling. At its heart are the adventures of Roy Lane, a Hurricane pilot whose determination to find excitement and serve his country took him from the skies above the British channel to the Atlantic convoys, to northern Russia and ultimately to the jungles of Burma. Roy Lane kept diaries, and promised his family that he would one day write a book about his war. But the diaries went missing, as he did, and all that the author of this volume, his niece's husband, had to go on were his letters home -- inevitably somewhat bland, to ensure that they were spared the censor's pen and reached home. But the comparative poverty of this material never gets in Dr Dawson's way. Thanks.. Read more
Mark Wormald
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Aircraft Wrecks: A Walker's Guide
Originally published to acclaim in 2009, this paperback re-issue aims to give readers access to the tangible remains of hundreds of historic aircraft that still lie at crash sites on the moors and mountains of the British Isles, all of which can be visited. It covers almost 500 selected sites, with emphasis placed on those located within open access… Read more...
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Twin Mustang: The North American F-82 at War
One of the most unusual and remarkable American fighter aircraft, the F-82 Twin Mustang was the last mass production propeller-driven fighter acquired by the U.S. Air Force. Originally intended as a very long-range fighter escort for the Boeing B-29 Superfortress during World War II, it arrived too late to see combat and evolved into a night and all-weather… Read more...
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Daring Raids of World War Two: Heroic Land, Sea and Air Attacks
The Second World War saw a host of heroic raids enacted across the various theatres, all delivered valiantly in a variety of ways by British combatants; on land, by sea and from the air. Daring exploits such as the raid on Rommel, the endeavours of the Cockleshell Heroes and the Dam Busters have become legendary in the annals of warfare. All feature… Read more...
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Air War Normandy
So much ink has been spilt and so many miles of film expended on the amphibious invasion of Normandy on 6 June, 1944, otherwise known as D-Day, and so familiar have the images become of men leaping from their landing craft and wading ashore as shells exploded all around them, that it is all too easy to forget that none of this would have been possible… Read more...
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Secret Wings of WWII
There are many myths and legends surrounding the advanced German aeronautical technology of the Second World War. There are also facts and proven events. Yet within these stories and behind these facts lie conspiracy theories, mistaken assumptions and denials that seem to contradict the evidence. So what really happened? How far ahead were the German… Read more...
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The British Aerospace Hawk: A Photographic Tribute
Through a collection of dramatic and informative photographs, supplemented by cutaway illustrations, this book, the first in a mini series of three, highlights the agility and flexibility of this dedicated RAF and RN trainer. With the T1 and T1A versions soon to be retired from UK service (eventually to be replaced by the BAE Systems Hawk T2) this… Read more...
On 10 July 2018, exactly 100 years and 100 days after the formation of the world’s first independent air force, 103 aircraft of twenty-four types from twenty-five squadrons flew over London in the largest formation of military aircraft seen over the capital of the UK in nearly thirty years. Involving over 250 aircrew and operating out of fourteen… Read more...
The events of 1942 marked a pivotal year in the history of British air power. For more than two decades the theory that long-range bombing could win wars had dominated British defence policy. The vast majority of warplanes ordered for the RAF were designed either to bomb enemy cities or stop the enemy from bombing British cites. Conventional armies… Read more...
One moment the sky would be full of aircraft wheeling and positioning for the best shot at the enemy; a sky full of danger and menace. The next instant there would just be a clear blue empty sky with the sun shining down on a calm and beautiful landscape. Such was the phenomenon experienced by pilots who fought in the key battles of France and Britain… Read more...
Prior to World War Two, Wing Commander Guy Gibson joined the Royal Air Force. In 1944, he wrote down his experience of serving in the RAF. Aged just 25, Gibson had completed two full tours, each of 30 operations, with Bomber Command, and had led the now-famous Dam Busters raid against the dams of the Ruhr Valley in May 1943. He died aged 26 in 1944,… Read more...
We Seek the Highest has been the motto of the thousands of Officer Cadets who, over ten decades, have passed through the rigorous training regime at the Royal Air Force College, Cranwell, Lincolnshire. The words embody the College ethos: to strive to reach the tough standards demanded by the RAF, in the air and on the ground. This book tells the 100-year… Read more...
This is the story of the Arado 234, an aircraft that on one day in 1944, in the skies above Normandy, heralded the beginning of a new era in aviation: the jet era... For more than a century, the aviation industry has experienced continual change and upheaval. Many individuals have contributed to this field of developmental aviation over the course… Read more...
