At the end of 1912,
Jacques Schneider announced his intention to present an
annual trophy for an international seaplane contest. There
were only twelve Schneider contests, but these were major
international events, which came to rival others in Britain,
Italy, France, and the US. Some very advanced twin-float
biplanes were among the winners as late as 1925, however it
was the monoplane which was to become the symbol of the
Schneider Trophy, when Supermarine and Macchi designs
reached the apex of seaplane racing performance. The final,
winning combination of a Supermarine airframe and
Rolls-Royce engine made a vital contribution to Britain's
defense in 1940, in the form of the Rolls-Royce powered
Hurricane and Spitfire.
SS-Obersturmbannfuhrer Otto Skorzeny became a legend in his
own time. ‘Hitler's favourite commando' acquired a
reputation as a man of daring, renowned for his audacious
1943 mission to extricate Mussolini from a mountain top
prison. Skorzeny's influence on special operations doctrine
was far-reaching and long-lasting, yet he was an egoist who
stole other men's credit (including for the seminal rescue
of Mussolini), brave and resourceful but also an unrepentant
Nazi and a self-aggrandizing hogger of the limelight.
The author recounts in authentic detail the fateful
circumstances of B-24 Liberator Little Eva's last mission
from a remote US air base in Far North Queensland and
follows the dedicated searchers and skilled trackers who
risked their lives trying to save the lost crewmen, who in
the early hours of 2 December 1942, returning from a mission
over New Guinea were thrown off course by a violent storm.
Running out of fuel, and with no fix on their position, the
crew had no option but to bail out. Although two young
airmen walked out of the wilderness, four were not so lucky.
Missing for months, they ventured northwest and ended up
stranded on the desolate shores of the Gulf of Carpentaria,
barely surviving on a diet of berries and reptiles.
Very good in card
cover - 209pp illustrations, maps
Hitler's Command Bunkers, 1939-45, the
Fuhrerhaupt-quartiere built for Hitler on the eastern and
western fronts. Revealing their locations and how they were
used to direct the Nazi war apparatus, this is a fascinating
insight into a range of historical sites from Berghof to the
Wolf's Lair. With a map showing the locations of all of
Hitler's bunkers and fortifications, illustrated with
photographs and specially commissioned artwork, this is an
essential introduction to Hitler's command structures,
recreating numerous bunkers and buildings which were
destroyed by Allied bombing raids or by fleeing German
troops.
New in card cover
- A4 format, 64pp, numerous b/w & colour photos, 8 colour
plates, 1 map
This second volume covers Weapon
Carriers, vehicles which didn't go into mass production and
general war service of Half-Tracks. Half-Tracks were used by
the US Army and USMC, as well as the other major Allies in
all theaters and there are extensive descriptions and
illustrations of such operations. The book also covers post
war service in the Middle East and Korea. Camouflage and
markings are shown in 12 colour plates and available scale
models and accessories are listed. 34 pages of 3D colour
graphics and colour photographs of museum exhibits and
currently operational, restored vehicles round of this
impressive volume.
New in card cover - A4 format, 240pp, c250 b&w & colour photos,
scale plans, colour profiles + 3D views
