Pen Sword Aviation imprint: 311 books
Flying to the Limit
Testing World War II Single-engined Fighter Aircraft
Language: English
Release Date: November 19, 2005
During the years preceding and during WW2, the RAF and the Royal Aircraft Establishment were responsible for the selection and procurement of British military aircraft and also to evaluate their capabilities against captured enemy models whenever possible. During the lend-lease agreement with the...
by Frank Schwede
Language: English
Release Date: January 30, 2018
Language: English
Release Date: January 30, 2018
Reconnaissance aircraft have always been the spearhead of the various air forces, helping to provide the basis for any further military operations. At the time of the Cold War and before the satellite era, the use of reconnaissance aircraft reached its zenith, as the warring nations were determined...
Boeing 747: A History
Delivering the Dream
Language: English
Release Date: June 10, 2014
There is perhaps no other commercial airliner as iconic as the Boeing 747. A presence in our skies for over forty years, it has transported hundreds of thousands of passengers across the world. From its introduction with Pan American Airlines in 1970, it has persevered as one of the forerunners of...
Kamikaze
To Die for the Emperor
Language: English
Release Date: November 28, 2014
In this brand new publication from eminent historian Peter C. Smith, we are regaled with the engaging and often incredibly disturbing history of the Kamikaze tradition in Japanese culture. Tracing its history right back to the original Divine Wind (major natural typhoons) that saved Japan from invaders...
Sepecat Jaguar
Tactical Support and Maritime Strike Fighter
Language: English
Release Date: February 23, 2011
This versatile single-seater aircraft was a joint development between the UK and France. It first flew in 1968, but its robust and flexible operational uses led to its long service life, only being retired from RAF service in 2008. It has seen front-line action in all major conflicts since introduced...
Air Gunner
The Men who Manned the Turrets
Language: English
Release Date: April 21, 2009
There have been several books published about the wartime experiences of individual air gunners but there is no general history of Air Gunners, their equipment, training or service in the various RAF Commands in which they served. This book explains in great detail how and why the trade of air gunner...
Vichy Air Force at War
The French Air Force That Fought The Allies in World War II
Language: English
Release Date: July 6, 2011
At the beginning of World War II the French faced the German invasion with 4,360 modern combat aircraft and 790 new machines currently arriving from French and American factories each month. When the phony war finally ended, some 119 of 210 squadrons were ready for action on the north-eastern front....
16 Air Assault Brigade
Britain’S Rapid Reaction Force
Language: English
Release Date: April 21, 2009
After the S.A.S., 16 Brigade is the most high profile formation in the British Army but to date there has been no complete history of its operations and activities. The aim of this book is to produce a history of Britain’s Elite Rapid Reaction Force 16 Air Assault Brigade.
It will provide...
Fighter Command 1936-1968
An Operational & Historical Record
Language: English
Release Date: August 16, 2007
This is a comprehensive reference to the structure, operation, aircraft and men of Fighter Command from its formation in 1936 to 1968 when it became part of Strike Command. It includes descriptions of many notable defensive and offensive campaigns, the many types of aircraft used, weapons and airfields....
Baling Out
Amazing Dramas of Military Flying
Language: English
Release Date: September 18, 2006
To bale out of a stricken airplane is a pilot's or aircrew's final chance to escape death. It is a traumatic and hazardous exercise that is only practiced in extremis and is in itself full of danger with no guarantee of survival. Many struggled free of a flaming and spinning aircraft only to see their...
Deep Sea Hunters
RAF Coastal Command and the War Against the U-Boats and the German Navy 1939-1945
Language: English
Release Date: September 11, 2014
This enthralling new release from Martin Bowman details all the varied and dynamic operations at sea carried out by RAF Coastal Command against the U-boats and the German Navy during the Second World War. Beginning with the disastrous Norwegian Campaign, it takes in the numerous attacks on the bustling...
Handley Page Victor - Volume 2
The Mark 2 and Comprehensive Appendices and Accident Analysis for all Marks.
Language: English
Release Date: November 12, 2007
The first volume of Roger Brooks’ detailed reference to the Victor covers the conception, design and test-flying of the prototype HP 80 and then the production and operation of the Mark 1 in its many roles. This second volume completes the history of the aircraft by describing the improved Mark...
Skua!
The Royal Navy’s Dive-Bomber
Language: English
Release Date: March 28, 2007
The Blackburn Skua was the first monoplane to be designed and built for the Royal Navy in the 1930s. As a result of continued debate, it became a compromise between the Navy’s desire for a carrier-based dive-bomber and RAF’s preference for a fighter. Despite being the first to shoot down a Luftwaffe...
RAF Fighter Pilots Over Burma
Rare Photographs from Wartime Archives
Language: English
Release Date: January 22, 2014
It is a recognized fact that, had the war gone badly for the Allies on the India/Burma front, and had the Japanese succeeded in invading the Indian Continent, the outcome of the war would have been entirely different. Yet despite this, the campaign on the Burma front is offered surprisingly scant...