When you piloted a fast photo‑recce Spitfire, you had no guns to get you out of trouble —only your own flying ability and the speed of that wonderful aircraft. And among the most daring of these super pilots was Squadron Leader Roddy Duffield, who had the cool cheek to stick the nose of his unarmed […]
Aircraft are only as good as the men who fly them. So, were the crews of these Stirling bombers the right men for the job? Were they brave, calm, determined, as good aircrews ought to be… or were they really cowards, dangerous fools, deserving heavy punishment? The RAF was soon going to find out —and […]
Out of the darkness they came, to strike at the enemy before he knew what was happening. Their radar locked onto the target, the parachute flares were dropped to illuminate their victim in a blinding glare, then down went the bombs. They were the long-range Catalina flying boats, painted dark grey and flown by men […]
Sam Burton was a young officer on a frigate of the Royal Navy. One night, his ship was sunk during an enemy attack and for about six hours, he drifted around the Mediterranean, clinging to a piece of the wreckage. Then he was picked up by a cargo vessel and twelve hours after that he […]
The agent codenamed “Condor” had returned home to a hero’s welcome in Berlin. As a saboteur who had eluded the British in their own country, he deserved the highest honours Germany could bestow, now that his dangerous work was over. But this Condor was not what he seemed. His loyalty was to Britain, and now […]
To catch an enemy agent operating in Britain and known only by the codename “Leopard” — that was the task facing Captain Barry West, and he hadn’t had much success. Until now that is, for in Nazi‑occupied France the agent’s cover was about to be blown and his true identity revealed. But one problem still […]
Only the bravest of the brave and the toughest of the tough served in the Glider Pilot Regiment. Every man was hand-picked, trained to perfection then let loose behind German lines. Why then, was Captain Paul Preston one of this band of heroes? Hadn’t he once saved his own skin by leaving his men to […]
Looping the loop in a huge glider packed full of troops might seem impossible, but it can be done if the pilot is good enough — and desperate enough to take the chance! Sergeant Hugh Miller, the co‑pilot of this glider was certainly desperate enough. His first pilot was wounded and if he didn’t do […]
The Heinkel 162 jet fighter swept in low over the RAF airstrip, strafing the parked Typhoons and anything that moved. By the time the British had recovered, the enemy machines had disappeared. Patrols were sent out, a German airfield was bombed, but still the jets survived. They had to have a base somewhere, and it […]
Fairey Swordfish flew and fought from many dangerous places during the war, but the most risky of all were the tiny aircraft carriers converted from merchant ships. That’s where Lieutenant Paul Drayton of the Fleet Air Arm found himself, and as if the Focke-Wulf Kondors and the weather weren’t enough to contend with, he was […]
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