Short Stirling Units of World War 2

by Jonathan Falconer, Chris Davey (Illustrator)

Overview

Of the RAF's trio of four-engined heavy bombers in World War 2, the mighty Short Stirling was the first to enter service in August 1940. From its first raid in February 1941, the Stirling was at the forefront of the British night bombing offensive against Germany before unacceptably high losses forced its relegation to second-line duties later in the war.

In its modified form as the Mark IV the Stirling fulfilled vital roles with the RAF as a paratroop transport and glider tug on D-Day, at Arnhem and on the Rhine crossing as well as flying countless Special Duties operations over Occupied Europe and Norway. Its last gasp was in 1948-49 when a handful of Mk Vs were acquired by the Royal Egyptian Air Force to bomb Israel in the First Arab–Israeli War.

Containing numerous first-hand combat accounts from the crews that flew the bomber and detailed profile artwork, Short Stirling Units of World War 2 uncovers the history of one of the RAF's greatest World War 2 bombers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781472820440
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	04/19/2018
Series:	Combat Aircraft , #124
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	96
File size:	68 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Jonathan Falconer is the author of more than 30 books on aspects of aviation and military history, including the Haynes D-Day Operations Manual, de Havilland Mosquito Manual (with Brian Rivas), Short Stirling Manual and theHandley Page Halifax Manual. He is an authority on the Short Stirling bomber and wrote Stirling at War, Stirling Wings and Stirling in Combat. Jonathan lives in Wiltshire.

Chris Davey has illustrated more than 25 titles for Osprey's Aircraft of the Aces, Combat Aircraft and Elite Units series since 1994. Based in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, and one of the last traditional airbrush artists in the business, he has become the artist of choice for both USAAF fighters and RAF subject matter, proving his undoubted skill when dealing with large aircraft subjects such as the Halifax and Sunderland.
Jonathan Falconer is the author of more than 35 books on aspects of aviation and military history, including the Haynes D-Day Operations Manual, de Havilland Mosquito (with Brian Rivas), Short Stirling and the Handley Page Halifax Manuals. He is an authority on the Short Stirling bomber, and has previously written Stirling at War, Stirling Wings and Stirling in Combat. Jonathan is a senior commissioning editor with a UK book publisher and he lives in Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire.
Chris Davey has illustrated more than 70 titles for Osprey's Aircraft of the Aces and Combat Aircraft series since 1994. Based in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, as one of the very last traditional airbrush artists in the business, he has become the company's illustrator of choice for both USAAF fighters and RAF subject matter, proving his undoubted skill when dealing with large aircraft subjects such as the Halifax, Sunderland, Lancaster, and Stirling.
Mark Postlethwaite was born in Leicestershire in 1964 and has developed a lifelong passion for aviation history. He first worked as a photographer before turning his attention solely to artwork, and is now highly regarded in his field for the quality and accuracy of his work. He became the youngest elected member of the Guild of Aviation Artists in 1991. Mark is a valued Osprey artist and has contributed to more than 100 of its books.

Table of Contents

Introduction 6

Chapter 1 In the Beginning 9

Chapter 2 Growing Strength 19

Chapter 3 Confound and Destroy 45

Chapter 4 Cloak and Dagger 51

Chapter 5 Aid from the Skies 70

Appendices 89

Colour Plate Commentary 92

Bibliography and Sources 95

Index 96

Editorial Reviews

There is a lot of information in these pages and thoughtful analysis as well. The color profiles, for which this series is famous, live up to their reputation as always. I enjoyed this book and recommend it to modelers and aviation history enthusiasts alike. It gives a nice look at what is an undeservedly overlooked aircraft.” —IPMS / USA

“...good text and photos plus a series of really great color profiles. Four stars.” —Air Classics Magazine

“Recommended!” —Cybermodeler Online

From the Publisher