Pen Sword Aviation imprint: 311 books

By far the most dangerous of the RAF operations during the Second World War were daylight attacks on enemy shipping, yet little has been written about this aerial campaign and the brave airmen who took part. In particular the intense air-sea battles that were fought in the Mediterranean have been...

Alex Kerr's Wellington, a twin-engine bomber, was shot down over Germany in 1941. At first hospitalised with hopes of repatriation, he unexpectedly found himself a prisoner in a German POW camp. Throughout those trying four years he was held captive, Alex kept a secret diary. This book reproduces...

This is the vivid memoir of a man who was twenty-one at the outbreak of World War II. Having joined the RAFVR before the war, he was mobilized in August 1939 and after training became operational on 233 Squadron Coastal Command flying Hudsons from Leuchars, Aldergrove and St Eval. After fourteen months...

"It is the leaders of the country who determine the policy ...voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders." Hermann Göring 

This is the history of the Luftwaffe through the eyes of those who served in combat. The rise of the Luftwaffe from the...

This superb illustrated series books charts the rise and fall of the German Air Force from 1939 to 1945. Each volume makes use of over a hundred rare photographs, many of them taken by Luftwaffe personnel, to bring history to life and record both the men and the aircraft they flew. This title...

The book describes some of the most daring air attacks of World War II. Some were outstanding successes and some were unmitigated disasters. North Sea Battle: In the early weeks of World War II, Britain and Germany were determined to attack one another's warships in their respective naval bases....

The bombing campaign conducted against Germany and German-occupied Europe in the Second World War was, and remains, one of the most controversial operations of the entire war. Much of Bomber Command's effort was what was defined as 'area' bombing, in which whole cities or districts were targeted....

Despatches in this volume include Air Operations in Burma and Bay of Bengal 1 January to 22 May 1942 by General Wavell, the despatch on air operations in South-East Asia November 1943 to May 1944, by Air Chief Marshal Sir R.E.C. Peirse, the despatch on air operations in South-East Asia from June 1944...

Despatches in this volume include that on the Battle of Britain, and air fighting 1940-1941, by Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh C.T. Dowding, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Fighter Command, Air Operations by Fighter Command between November 1940 and the end of December 1941, the anti-aircraft defence...

The Boeing B-17 was the first American heavy bomber to see action in World War when it was supplied to the RAF. The design originated in 1934 when the US Air Corps was looking for a heavy bomber to reinforce their air forces in Hawaii, Panama and Alaska. For its time, the design included many advanced...

Britain’s desire to stay at the leading edge in the design and development of modern jet powered aircraft was born in the later stages of World War Two. The RAF sent requests to the leading aircraft manufactures for a variety of specifications, amongst which was one for a long-range heavy bomber....

Through a collection of dramatic and informative photographs, supplemented by cutaway illustrations, this book highlights the agility and flexibility of this dedicated RAF aircraft. Throughout the course of its career, it has formed the backbone of the RAF across its many different theaters of operation....

Compared to the RAF's Fighter and Bomber Commands, the Desert Air Force (DAF) is far less well known, yet its achievements were spectacular.

DAF led the way in North Africa and Italy in pioneering new tactics in close Army-Air Force co-operation on the battlefield, DAF and Allied air forces gave...

Of the many human characteristics, few evoke greater admiration and respect than gallantry in the service of one's country. Here, Graham Pitchfork describes the outstanding bravery of twenty-one air men who served in the Royal Air Force and the Fleet Air Arm during the Second World War. These accounts...