The Influence of Air Power Upon History makes a startlingly new analysis of the far-reaching implications flight has had on warfare, politics, diplomacy, technology, and mass culture. Author Walter Boyne examines the application of air power from the very earliest days of the balloon down to the current era of space warfare and postulates some new and controversial theories that are certain to arouse comment. Where Alfred Thayer Mahan's classic work,...

"Personal reflections on the best planes, the geniuses who designed them, and the top guns who flew them. Extensive coverage includes chapters on one-of-a-kind pioneering aircraft, celebrated airliners, ominous warplanes, and beloved trainers"--Jacket.

Falcons of France -- a novel about flying, World War I, and contemporary moralities. It was written by two American veterans of the 'Escadrille Lafayette', and contains thrilling tales of aerial battle and life during the war. This is a text that will appeal to anyone with an interest in aviation, and will especially appeal to those interested in aviation in World War I.

A comprehensive history with descriptions of the world's most significant aircraft employed as "eyes in the sky." For as long as there has been sustained heavier-than-air human flight, airplanes have been used to gather information about our adversaries. Less than a decade after the Wright Brothers flew at Kitty Hawk, Italian pilots were keeping tabs on Turkish foes in Libya. Today, aircraft with specialized designs and sensory equipment still cruise...

In May 1945, with victory in Europe established, the war was all but over. But on the other side of the world, the Allies were still engaged in a bitter struggle to control the Pacific. And it was then that the Japanese unleashed a terrible new form of warfare: the suicide pilots, or Kamikaze.Drawing on meticulous research and unique personal access to the remaining survivors, Will Iredale follows a group of young men from the moment they signed up...

The history of the Cobra helicopter is a long and varied one, characterised by extensive deployment in some of the most dynamic theatres of war. Designed in 1965, we are fast approaching the 50th Anniversary of the craft's inception into the world of combat flight, so it seems timely that we should be presented with this, a comprehensive historical account of the various landmarks of the Cobra's service history. This heavily illustrated volume relays...

What are the core teachings and beliefs of Islam? Readers will learn about one of the world's most widely practiced religions through the lens of two different perspectives and dive deep into important figures, sacred texts, holidays, and commandments. This narrative nonfiction book uses considerate text that is, written at a higher maturity level with a lower reading level to engage and accommodate struggling readers. Includes sidebars that are,...

This is the 70th Anniversary year of 656 Squadron, which first formed on 31st December 1942. Over the intervening years the Squadron has served with great distinction in India, Burma, Java, Malaya, Borneo, Hong Kong, the UK, the Falkland Islands, Bosnia, Kosovo and, most recently, in Afghanistan. This is 656s story, told in full and for the first time.656 Squadrons story is a diverse one, characterized by active deployment in a diverse range of wartime...

After nearly four decades of government denial, the deeds of four Alabama Air National Guardsmen who died at the Bay of Pigs in 1961 have been made public and their names memorialized at the CIA's Wall of Honor in Langley, Virginia. Their stories can now be told. The four guardsmen who died flew with a group of Alabama volunteers to secret CIA bases in Guatemala and Nicaragua to train Cuban exiles to fly B-26 bombers in support of the invasion forces....

During World War II, the US Army Air Forces (AAF) trained over 21,000 aircrew members from 29 Allied countries. The two largest programs, 79 percent of those trained, were for Britain and France. The Royal Air Force (RAF), fully engaged against the German Air Force by December 1940, was not able to train new aircrews. The British government asked the United States to train new pilots until it could get its own flight-training program underway. Lieutenant...