Book Club

[Steve Hargreaves - Moderator]

With the holiday season approaching & the associated airport delays we thought it might be a good idea to offer some reviews of aviation biased literature that you may have read & enjoyed so that other forumites may enjoy them too.

Use the "Thread Title" for the book title & type a very short introduction as "Description" then tell us a little bit about what you liked or indeed didn't like about the book. Feel free to post comments in other threads as well but if we can try & keep each thread specific to a particular book I'm sure it will help folks choose their holiday reading.....

[Erfolg]

Title:- Battle Over the Reich (vol 1&2)

Author:- Dr Alfred Price

Pub :- Air war Classics (Ian Allen Pub)..

This is a book which is for those who like history, what really happened, how and why.

There has been for example individual accounts of the use of "Windows". Many of these accounts are very lacking in many respects. Leading to a distorted view. This book deals with how technology such as windows fits in a continuing narrative and other technologies then in use by both sides.

In essence it is a book about strategies, technologies, individuals, what actually mattered, what did not and why.

It does make use of individual accounts (both sides) to bind the history into real events.

The two books were available from a discount book shop in Bury for £5 each.

Isbn 1-903223-47-4

[Old Geezer]

ACES HIGH. Alan Clark

Account of the war in the air 1914-1918

Very cheaply available on Kindle - fascinating, well written by a real historian with respect and understanding of his subject.

[IanR]

"Night Fighter" by C F Rawnsley

C F Rawnsley was John (Catseyes) Cunningham's navigator/radar operator. This is his personal account from the earliest days of night time radar interception. The descriptions of both failed and successful interceptions are totally absorbing. I've lost count of the number of times I've re-read it in the last 30 years or so.

It's not available on Kindle, yet, but there are many inexpensive versions available from Amazon.

[FastFlyer Smyth]

''Tornado Down'' by RAF Flt Lts John Peters and John Nichol

 

This book is a real insight into the RAF and the run up of the Golf War.

I can highly recommend this book.

I could not put it down and I very rarely read a book.

 

Edited By FastFlyer Smyth on 06/07/2013 16:49:21

Edited By FastFlyer Smyth on 06/07/2013 16:49:47

[Wingman]

Currently reading "The Kamikaze Hunters" by Will Iredale - hardback - Macmillan publishing - 2015.

Very interesting book about the FAA role in supporting the American Pacific fleet in WWII - a facet of the war that I knew nothing about. The first 7 chapters are about the pilots training in America so there's actually effectively two parts to the book - training and Pacific Ops.

[FlyinBrian]

Posted by FastFlyer Smyth on 06/07/2013 16:49:01:

''Tornado Down'' by RAF Flt Lts John Peters and John Nichol

This book is a real insight into the RAF and the run up of the Golf War.

I can highly recommend this book.

I could not put it down and I very rarely read a book.

Edited By FastFlyer Smyth on 06/07/2013 16:49:21

Edited By FastFlyer Smyth on 06/07/2013 16:49:47

I know people take Golf seriously but Golf War?

[Cuban8]

Just finished reading again Sir Stanley Hooker's autobiography 'Not Much of an Engineer' - Airlife Publishing

ISBN 0 906393 35 3

Wonderfully entertaining memoir of mathematician and engineer Stanley Hooker who contributed to RR Merlin development and later on jet technology.

[Erfolg]

Although more a magazine than a book. Perhaps best seen as a paper back is

Hitlers "Wonder weapon "Bomber Projects Luftwaffe, Secret Weapons of the Third Reich. Auth Dan Sharp Pub Mortens, ISBN 978-1-911276-067 @£6.99

In most respects it is not a story, in that there is a beginning and end, which is a coherent tale. It is more a collection of aspects of what actually happened. A little bit of the why. In some respects it does dispel myths, and the what ifs and the were so lucky.

Reading the book, it is apparent that many of the extreme designs, were not intended to be the basis of an actual project. Many who work or have worked in front end design, will recognise that a significant number of approaches will be examined, calculations made, tables constructed. All of these are collated into a single document, for others to make judgement. Some have presented these as actual and real projects

A lot of what we know has come from the British and the UK officials having swept up and catalogued. Again others will have made them into a coherent index. Yet many authors have not done so. The author seems to have based much of what is written from these sources.

Some of the actual aircraft built, were in desperation, from a war machine built to have bombers that were for military support, when it became apparent that heavy and long range bombers were actually required, to match the allies.

Then there are the catalogue of failed engine projects, which meant that what had been designed would never fly, or not well.

Then there are the aspect of some of the manufacturers had been nationalised and the impact on what they did and why.

Some of the wonder designs, owe more to academic and universities than being real, again pointing to what could be done.

The history of what happened and what was intended is perhaps the most interesting. As my mother used to say, history is written by the victor, the truth quickly disappears to deal with the political narrative.

In essence a good book, that indicates that the wonder weapons were some way of, although a path could just about be made out, of missiles, cruise type weapons. There is even a Victor in there if you squint.

Not a compulsive read, although informative.

[Former Member]

[This posting has been removed]

[cymaz]

Just started reading the biography "Ali "....really rather good and a very interesting insight to the man. Some great interviews and I didn't know how mixed up he was with Malcolm X.

Edited By cymaz on 04/12/2016 22:34:20

[Terry Mills]

Apart from Amazon, psbooks is a good source of discounted new books. For second hand books try abebooks. The seller will state condition, which is usually (and honestly) good. I recently bought a copy of an aeromodelling book, mentioned in Latest Posts, from them, and can fully recommend both companies from past experience.

[Mike T]

Posted by Tom Sharp 2 on 04/12/2016 22:29:58:

Erfolg

You mention Windows, it was actually called window, not being picky understand

I well remember as a lad, me and my mates picking up these strips of foil as we proceeded on the long walk to school in the morning. I had a draw full by the time they stopped using it.

Puzzled. As I understand it, 'window' was dropped over Germany by allied (i.e. British) bombers... (Unless you are German of course, in which case alles ist klar)

[john stones 1 - Moderator]

I can't stop reading i'm an addict, read Ali, was a bit disappointed in it, the earlier ones where a better read, just read all Songs of ice and fire (Game of Thrones) then discovered (was told) about Kodi so had to watch all six series, now onto Terry Brooks Shannara stories, can't get on with Kindle i'm a Luddite

Albris is good for books as well, shop around you'll get em cheap + free P+P.

John

[Martin Harris - Moderator]

Posted by Mike T on 04/12/2016 23:30:33:

Puzzled. As I understand it, 'window' was dropped over Germany by allied (i.e. British) bombers... (Unless you are German of course, in which case alles ist klar)

The Germans had their own version called Duppel which had been developed around the same time as ours - they held back using it for quite a long time - in the same way that we held back Window - for fear of giving the idea to the other side!

Windows - systems that make screens display misleading information and create confusion...

Edited By Martin Harris on 05/12/2016 00:54:41

[Former Member]

[This posting has been removed]

[Erfolg]

Returning to the Alfred Price books.

The books (2 off) make the situation clear, in that both sides were aware of the effects of what I understand today is called Chaff. The German version known as Duppel. At the time the issue for both sides when was the optimal time and circumstance to make use of the hardware. As once used, it could be used as a countermeasure in some circumstances. All you need to know is the frequency or frequencies your opponent uses.

[Andy Meade]

Currently reading 100 Missions North, by Ken Bell. Excellent read, highly recommended here.

I can also recommend Not a Natural Pilot, and Average - all great aviation titles, kindly given to me by Matt Jones, which I will hand in again at the next PSSA meet.

Up next for me is "Valiant Boys" and "Victor Boys"

 

Edited By Andy Meade on 05/12/2016 13:20:04

[Eagle 899]

Think like a bird, an Army pilot's story. Excellent 'unputdownable'

**LINK**

[Former Member]

[This posting has been removed]

[cymaz]

Having a clear out and found

This

Published by Octopus in 1979

Anyone need a cheap Christmas present?

[Erfolg]

Can I sell you my copy?

[Former Member]

[This posting has been removed]

[Timo Starkloff]

Nice topic! I can add the following ones:

"Yeager" (interesting biography of Charles Yeager about the early days of jet flying)

"The flight of the Mew Gull" Alex Henshaw (very exciting stories about air racing in the 30s and his record flight to South Africa, nice writing, too)

"The Easter bunnies: Long-distance reconnaissance" (interesting stories from an ordinary German Junkers 88 pilot throughout the war)

"263 and 137 squadrons, the Whirlwind years" (interesting stories of the Whirlwind fighter bomber pilots, the perfect matching opposite to the Ju 88 book mentioned above)

Timo

[Mike T]

"Window" - thanks Martin/Tom