Pictorial category: 1048 books

The Republic Thunderbolt came into RAF inventory when it became clear the RAF would be unable to obtain enough North American Mustangs from the Americans. By 1943, the RAF was looking a fighter-bomber able to succeed the Hurricane and the Kittyhawk. The idea was to succeed both type in the Mediterranean...

Mount Desert Island possesses a rich and diverse history of boatbuilding. Chester Clement was the first of the "lobsteryacht" builders, and Bunker and Ellis elevated the concept. Henry Hinckley started on an old boat-repair wharf and built a world-class brand. Members of the Rich family produced everything...

The early 20th century was a time of greatness and prosperity for New York�s Capital Region. Economically powerful cities like Albany and Schenectady were home to emergent companies that employed a growing population. This influx gave way to an abundance of stores and retail establishments that catered...

The little-known story of how Southern forces came close to invading the capital of Pennsylvania—includes photos. In June 1863, Harrisburg braced for an invasion. The Confederate troops of Lt. Gen. Richard S. Ewell steadily moved toward the Pennsylvania capital. Capturing Carlisle en route,...

Fort Payne was named for the US Army stockade at the Native American village of Willstown, where Cherokee scholar Sequoyah developed his famous alphabet in the 1820s. Following the Cherokee Removal of 1838, known as the Trail of Tears, a farming settlement developed around the stockade site, and the...

More than 33,000 Messerschmitt Bf 109s were built between 1935 and 1945, making it the second-most produced warplane of all time. The Bf 109 was the mainstay of Luftwaffe fighter squadrons and the favoured choice of most fighter aces. Bf 109 pilots accounted for thousands of Allied aircraft with individual...

This remarkable work pulls the lid off one of the legendary air forces in history at the very peak of its power—unveiling the men and machines as they truly existed day-to-day, underneath the propaganda of their own regime and the scare stories of their enemies. In Hitler’s Germany, color photography...

The conduct of a successful air campaign requires a combination of strategy, tactics, capable aircraft, well trained pilots - and good leadership. During WW2, the RAF, Commonwealth (RCAF, RAAF, RNZAF and SAAF) and 'Free European' forces employed almost 250 fighter squadrons throughout the World, from...

Designed before the Mk. IX, but following it into service because its radical design changes would have meant production delays when time was of the essence, the Spitfire Mk. Vlll was in fact a non pressurized version of the Mk. VII designed for low altitude combat (see SQUADRONS! No. 6). At the outset...

The Fortress Mk.II and Mk.III were the equivalent of the USAAF’s B-17E/F and G. The Fortress Mk.I was the B-17C as featured in ‘SQUADRONS! No. 4’. The Fortress Mk.I was only used in small numbers (20), but, for the British, it was the first step leading to the large scale introduction of the...

The Curtiss Hawk 75 was the export version of the USAAC Curtiss P-36 that became, from 1936 onwards, the standard American single-seat fighter and represented a big step forward for the USAAC. The French were the first to express interest in this fighter and ordered large quantities before and during...

The Douglas Boston or Havoc is one major aircraft of WW2. Designed as a light bomber, it proved to be very versatile and was used with success in various roles over all theatres of operations. The introduction of the Boston into the RAAF’s inventory was a pure accident, being a former Dutch aircraft....

Turret equipped fighters became operational with the Royal Air Force during WW2 as the result of the British Government’s ongoing concern about German aerial attacks on the United Kingdom during World War One. The possibility of enemy bombers, and not just German ones, once again flying over the...

The Curtiss P-40 was the most numerous USAAF fighter on hand when the United States entered the war in December 1941. A development of the Curtiss P-36, the P-40 was essentially a P-36 equipped with an Allison inline V12 V-1710. The French were the first to express an interest in this model, known...