Bøger udgivet af Philedition

The Westland Whirlwind belongs to that category of aircraft which entered production but failed to live up to their designers' expectations. Its unreliable engines can be seen as a major reason for this but it only serves to hide other serious problems. Indeed, even with better engines the results would probably have been the same, as the concept of a twin-engined fighter aircraft capable of meeting single-engined fighters escorting bombers formations on an equal footing was fallacious, as combat in WW2 was soon to prove. The true story of the Whirwind and the pilots who flew it is here told with over 50 photographs, many being published for the first time.

The Hawker Typhoon was designed to Air Ministry specification F.18/37 which sought to take advantage of the new generation of 2000hp engines and satisfy the latest requirements in armament. This major step up demanded a larger and more advanced airframe than that of the company's then current Hurricane and by March 1938 work had commenced on the first two prototypes; one with the Napier Sabre, soon called 'Typhoon' and the other with a Rolls-Royce Vulture, later to be named the 'Tornado'; this latter machine was the first to fly, on 6 October 1939. The Vulture did not give too many problems in the Hawker fighter but by the end of 1940 it was experiencing serious trouble with its installation in the Avro Manchester bomber, and as a result the project was abandoned. With the third engine (Bristol Centaurus) of the new generation still some way off, the Air Ministry had little option but to concentrate on the Typhoon, which had made its first flight on 24 February 1940. The new aircraft encountered teething problems and was also delayed by production priorities for other Hawker types during the Battle of Britain. During its early operational life the Typhoon had to overcome problems that threatened to end its service, but these were eventually remedied so that, by the last quarter of 1943, the Typhoon had become a reliable aircraft. Improvements included the introduction of the new single piece 'blown' hood, a four-bladed propeller and an enlarged tailplane, but there was no change in designation. When production ceased in November 1945, 3317 Typhoons had been built.At first pure fighters were produced, but, by the spring of 1943, only the fighter-bomber version was coming off the production line and by the end of the year all the Typhoon squadrons were undertaking some form of ground attack role. On the eve of D-Day the Typhoon had become the backbone of the 2TAF fighter-bomber force with no less than eighteen squadrons active. This book narrates the operational usage of three squadrons, Nos. 137, 193 and 263 which were connected with the Fellowship of the Bellow. The Fellowship of the Bellows was a fundraising organisation active in Latin America during World War II aimed at raising money to purchase aircraft for the Royal Air Force. Illustrated with 60 photos and 14 colour plates.

The Spitfire was designed as a short-range interceptor which first flew on 5 March 1936 and was soon ordered in large quantities.The first production Spitfire came off the assembly line in mid-1938 and by the outbreak of war over 300 have been delivered to the RAF and ten squadrons already operational. During the Phoney War, the Spitfire was not deployed on the Continent and remained based on its British stations to defend the country while other squadrons were converted. It is in this role the Spitfire claimed its first victories over the Luftwaffe. When the military situation obliged the British to evacuate the continental Europe via Dunkirk, the Spitfire squadrons were called to cover the withdrawal, a period during which the type performed.This chapter covers the operational usage of the regular squadrons (19, 41, 54, 64, 65, 66, 72, 74, 92, 152, 222, 234, 238 and 266) between 1 September 1939 and 30 June 1940. Close to 70 photographs and 11 colour plates illustrate the book.

The full history of the two Belgian fighter squadrons of the RAF (Nos 349 and 350) detailled in this book illustrated with 90 photographs and 14 colour profiles.

A deep study of this unit which includes history, the men who flew with it, details on losses, claims, statistics with plenty of photos and colour profiles. Formed in Western Africa to defend the area against the French Vichy forces, it was disbanded later on to be re-formed as a Mosquito bomber squadron in 1944 in UK, and carried out many raids over Germany until VE-Day.

The Curtiss SB2C participated to the last two years of the war in the Pacific, and was one of the major aircraft in the USN inventory in 1945. With the War's end, the plane was soon relegated to second line units, but against all odds, the Helldiver had not fought for the last time and a few years, under French navy markings, the Helldiver was used in Indochina against the Communists where the French were involved in furious combats since 1946. Delivered under MDAP agreement, they arrived in the area in 1951 and the Helldiver proved again that it was a very capable machine. They were intensively used during three years including during the decisive battle of Diem Bien Phu, which sealed the end of the presence of the French in Indochina. An exiting and exotic topic for anyone interested in the SB2C Helldiver.

The B-25 Mitchell was one of the major medium bomber of WW2, and fought with three major users, the Americans, the Soviets and the British. But other countries received the Mitchell during the war, and among them, Australia was one of the smallest, having taken on charge 50 aircraft, most coming from Dutch stocks. They were used by a single unit, No.2 Squadron, during the last year of the war in the Pacific. With over 30 photos, some seen for the first time, 5 color profiles, most with wonderful nose arts, the full story of the B-25 in Australian service is narrated, which includes the full operational records. A very good reference for modelers and historians.

Hawker had its roots in the aftermath of the First World War, which resulted in the bankruptcy of the Sopwith Aviation Company. The new team began to work on new models and during the 20s and the 30s, the company produced a few fighter aircraft which saw operational service with the RAF. Until Hawker designed the famous Hurricane, a few biplane fighters were put into service in the RAF, the Woodcock, the Fury, the Nimrod and the Demon of which the last three were still in service when war broke out even if it was not necessary in the fighter role. Over 100 photos and 9 colour profiles illustrate the book, a book which covers also the usage of the Fury by the SAAF which fought again the Italians in East Africa in 1940-1941 and the Demon by the RAAF.

The Hawker Tempest was derived from the Hawker Typhoon. The new design was tested with various engines and eventually the Mk V was the first to enter service making its operational debut in January 1944 with the ADGB. The Tempest participated actively to the V-1 hunt during the summer of 1944, then the Tempest was sent to the Continent to join the 2TAF.During the war eight fighter squadrons became operational on Tempest including 486 (NZ) Squadron, the first to convert but also the only non-British unit to fly it. The book covers its the operational usage. Close to 50 photos illustrate the book alongside eleven colour profiles and one colour plate.

Eliza, Julia, Spencer, Alécia, Charlie, Emma, Sam... Vous avez aimé leurs histoires, leurs rencontres, mais comment cela se termine-t-il ? Emma trouve-t-elle réellement le chemin de la rédemption dans les bras de Sam ? Qu'en est-il de sa famille ? De sa relation avec Charlie ? Cette dernière épousera-t-elle véritablement Alécia malgré ses sentiments persistants pour Emma ? Alécia réussira-t-elle un jour à se défaire entièrement du fantôme de Spencer ? Qu'est-il advenu de l'épique duo Eliza et Julia ?À découvrir au gré de ces Scènes de Vie.