Air Forces & Warfare

Between 1956 and 1971 the New Zealand SAS were deployed on active service four times. Michael 'Wings' Williams career in the New Zealand Army, and the New Zealand SAS, spans a significant portion of this period - and this book takes the reader through two of those key campaigns; ...Borneo and South Vietnam.
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From the mind of the engineering genius who designed the iconic Hurricane, Typhoon and Tempest planes, the Harrier jump jet was to be a crucial element of the RAF's fleet for over four decades.

A story of great daring, imagination and unparalleled human courage - the biography of an aircraft which came to personify toughness and audacity.

"A fine biography of one of the war's greatest unsung heroes," Royal Air Force Commander Keith Park (The Daily Telegraph). "If ever any one man won the Battle of Britain, he did. I don't believe it is realized how much that one man, with his leadership, his calm judgement and his... skill, did to save not only this country, but the world." So wrote Marshal of the RAF Lord Tedder of Keith Park in 1947. As commander of No. 11 Group, RAF Fighter Command responsible for the air defense of London and southeast England, Park took charge of the day-to-day direction of the battle. In spotlighting his thoughts and actions during the crisis, this biography reveals a man whose unfailing energy, courage, and cool resourcefulness won not only supreme praise from Winston Churchill, but the lasting respect and admiration of all who served under him. Few officers in any of the services packed more action into their lives, and Park covers the whole of his career: youth in New Zealand, success as an ace fighter pilot in World War I, postings to South America and Egypt, the Battle of Britain, command of the RAF in Malta 1942-43, and finally Allied Air Commander-in-Chief of Southeast Asia under Mountbatten in 1945. His contribution to victory and peace was immense and this biography does much to shed light on the Big Wing controversy of 1940 and give insight into the war in Burma, 1945, and how the huge problems remaining after the war's sudden end were dealt with. Drawn largely from unpublished sources and interviews with people who knew Park, and illustrated with maps and photographs, this is an authoritative biography of one of the world's greatest unsung heroes.
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When war breaks out, Annie and her family are thrust into a world of uncertainty and danger. Her sweetheart becomes a fighter pilot and Annie joins the WAAF, where her intelligence and warmth single her out for a daring role. Will she and her loved ones survive Britain's darkest ...hour?
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