Non-Fiction Books
The development of jet aviation is studied, probing its social and economic impact and analyzing the crucial commerical decisions by the aircraft industry
Discusses flying from various viewpoints, including the job opportunities, the great financial rewards, and the risks, while at the same time conveying the raw excitement of flying with a collection of classic aviation photographs
Messerschmitt Me 262: Arrow to the Future tells the dramatic story of the Me 262's combat career as a fascinating chain of events in which planning, luck, and even blind stupidity played important roles. Even by today's engineering standards, magnificent is the only word to describe the effort to bring the plane's jet engines, which eclipsed the performance of all contemporary aircraft, from the laboratory to production in an amazingly short time. Arrow to the Futrue also tells the story of the people who flew the Me262 in combat. Their complete accounts bring their missions to life and set the plane in the historical context of the war. The German narratives are complemented by the accounts of Americans who flew against the Me 262 - for instance, the team of crack USAAF pilots known as "Watsons's Whizzers," who literally stole a fleet of jet aircraft from German airfields at the end of the war. Also described are the postwar efforts to test and preserve the Me 262. Included is a description of the efforts to obtain one of these aircraft for display at the National Air and Space Museum, and the painstaking efforts by the team at the Smithsonian's Paul E. Garber Facility for Preservation, Restoration, and Storage to restore the Me 262 to its pristine condition. This new reprint edition is lavishly illustrated with more than 100 photographs, including operational photos from World War II, color views of the cockpit, and interior and exterior shots of the restored Me 262. In addition to the striking photographs, there are expert technical drawings, cutaway illustrations, and equipment and conversion tables. Walter J. Boyne is the author of many books including The Smithsonian Book of Flight, The Leading Edge, Boeing B-52: A Documentary History and Phantom in Combat, as well as the novels The Wild Blue, Trophy for Eagles and Air Force Eagles.
Describes the facilities of the National Air and Space Museum's restoration center and looks at some of the many famous civilian and military aircraft in its collection
Traces the development of the helicopter and vertical takeoff aircraft, describes key technological breakthroughs, and looks at the future of helicopters
Phantom in Combat puts you in the cockpit with the missile-age aces as they fight for their lives in the skies of Vietnam and the Middle East. Starting with a brief account of the forging of this deadly weapon, Phantom in Combat moves to the wars, campaigns and single engagements in which it was used to such telling effect. Leading USAF ace Steve Ritchie speaks more in sorrow than anger of the politically inspired rules that so frustrated him and his comrades in Vietnam. The story of the gruelling dogfight that made Randy Cunningham and Willie Driscoll the U.S. Navy's only aces is redolent of the sweat, toil and terror of high-speed air fighting. And combat reports from some of Israel's anonymous aces speak laconically of victories, losses, hair's-breadth escapes, and, above all, the Phantom's ability to give and take enormous punishment. Providing a rich background to this testimony is a wealth of rare material, including: - Battle-damage and gun-camera photographs - Recently declassified U.S. Navy tactical diagrams - Photo-sequence showing the destruction of an F-4 by a North Vietnamese missile. - Official analysis of the USAF's most successful MiG-trapping operation, led by the famous General Robin Olds. - Complete listing of USAF and USN air-to-air victories in Vietnam. Here is the human face of modern air warfare, described by the commanders and crews who earned for the Phantom its reputation as the world's finest fighting aircraft.
Charts the evolutionary course of aviation history by highlighting in detail the most important inventions and pivotal developments along with their creators
A lavishly illustrated history of aviation presents an intriguing account of humankind's struggle to fly, from the earliest flying machines to the state-of-the-art aircraft of the present day.
A history of human flight, from man's oldest dreams, through the World Wars which generated rapid advances in aviation, to the present jet age.
Discusses basic concepts of aerodynamics, looks at how insects, birds, and aircraft fly, and describes technological advances in military and commercial aviation
Describes ships, tanks, aircraft, missiles, and other weapons used in conflict
Describes the background of the Gulf War, identifies key military and political leaders, and offers information on ships, tanks, aircraft, and missiles used by the Coalition Forces and Iraq
In the final volume of the Eagles trilogy, aviation pioneers Frank Bandfield and Hadley Roget team up with master fighter pilot, John Marshall, to rebuild American airpower. 25,000 first printing.
A retired USAF colonel chronicles the U.S. Air Force, from its establishment in 1907, through its rapid growth during World War I, through equally impressive gains during World War II, to the present
A comprehensive assessment of the 1939 to 1945 international air war by the former director of the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum analyzes pivotal battles, key personnel, and crucial technological developments.
In an overview of naval campaigns from 1939 to 1945, a military historian and author of Clash of Wings explains how sea power changed the course of World War II. From the Atlantic to the Pacific to the North Sea and the Mediterranean, Walter Boyne weaves together dramatic battle scenes with skillful analyses of strategies and tactics to present a wide-ranging look at all of the naval forces operating in every theater of the Second World War.
From the most important leaders and the most courageous victories to the earliest machines of flight and the most advanced Stealth technology, Walter J. Boyne's Beyond the Wild Blue presents a fascinating look at 50 turbulent years of Air Force history. From the prop-driven armada of World War II to the most advanced Stealth weaponry, from pioneers like General Henry "Hap" Arnold to glorious conquests in the Gulf War, B eyond the Wild Blue is a high-flying study of the triumphs (and failures) of leadership and technology. In three new chapters, Walter Boyne covers an eventful ten years, including 9/11, the invasion of Afghanistan, and the second Gulf War, describing in detail the technological advancements that led to highly efficient airstrikes in Iraq. He also takes stock of the Air Force's doctrine and mission statements as this unique sector of the military grapples with an ever-changing world.
The author of Beyond the Wild Blue explores the many factors that led Lockheed from near bankruptcy in the 1930s to become one of the most successful and innovative aerospace corporations in the world. 25,000 first printing.
A look at nearly 60 of the greatest airplanes of all time. Full-color photographs and paintings, from the Wright Flyer to the B-2 Spirit bomber. Written by Col. Walter J. Boyne (USAF, Ret.), former Director of the U.S. National Air and Space Museum and a pilot with more than 5,000 flying hours. Lively text with insider's insights about design, manufacturers, capabilities, and military/political/corporate impact.
Walter J. Boyne's The Yom Kippur War is a spellbinding chronicle of the international chess game that was played out in October 1973. It is a story of diplomacy and military might that accounts for many of the dilemmas faced in the present-day Middle East. It's usually called the Yom Kippur War. Or sometimes the October War. The players that surround it are familiar: Sadat and Mubarak, Meir and Sharon, Nixon and Kissinger, Brezhnev and Dobyrnin. It was a war that brought Arab and Jew into vicious conflict. A war in which Israel almost unleashed her nuclear arsenal and set two superpowers on a treacherous course of nuclear escalation. And a war that eventually brought peace. But a peace fraught with delicate tensions, disputed borders, and a legacy of further bloodshed. This is a war that Israel never thought was possible. Surprised by the fury and excellent execution of the Arab onslaught, and perhaps more than a little complacent, Israel suddenly found itself on the point of losing a war because of a lack of ammunition, planes and tanks. The United States, after much vacillation, finally elected to help Israel, beginning a tremendous airlift (code name: Operation Nickel Grass) which incurred the wrath of the Arab states, and their sponsor, the Soviet Union. Fortunately, the airlift came just in time for Israeli ground forces to stabilize their positions and eventually turn the tide in the Sinai and Golan Heights. And it was all made possible by an operation that dwarfed the Berlin Airlift and the Soviets' simultaneous efforts in Egypt and Syria. The Yom Kippur War is bound to become the definitive history of a war that quite literally approached Armageddon.
No war has ever had the intensive media coverage of the 2003 war in Iraq, and none has ever had such monumental second-guessing. Months before the war began, domestic and international pundits painted a gloomy picture of a new Vietnam or of a nuclear Armageddon that would see Israel reduced to ruins. The war started with a brilliant series of pre-emptive bangs that shattered Iraqi leadership and seized the most valuable areas of Iraq. How did the US military machine, assumed to have insufficient air power, too few troops, and little momentum take a country the size of California within three weeks? In the 1991 victory in the Gulf War, the United States lead a much larger coalition force into a heavy air campaign followed by a lightening quick ground campaign. In the years that followed, the United States military experienced a continuing series of reductions in the national defense budget. What was left unrecorded was the incredible degree of competence with which the US military leadership managed the reduction in resources, balancing force structures against personnel requirements against procurement needs and logistic realities. Any one considering the great military victory achieved in Iraq must ask the following questions: Who was bright enough to plan to have the weapons systems in the right place at the right time? Who orchestrated this vast complex array of sophisticated military machinery-ships, submarines, missiles, armor, and soldiers-all needing fuel, ammunition and water? The answer is the much-maligned civil and military leaders of the American defense establishment, working in concert with the most advanced defense-based corporations in the world. While there were those anxious to parade the iniquities of a two-billion dollar bomber, most often failed to appreciated the genius required to conceive of, much less create a system which can use a satellite to send signals to a B-1B to program a precision guided missile to take out a Soviet T-72 tank parked in a mosque-without damaging the mosque! Admittedly, there were lapses in the Iraqi war, such as the looting of museums by members of the Ba'ath party just a day after many had declared Baghdad liberated and the raids on hospitals, another problem that could have easily been remedied by a show of U.S. presence and force. And there were technological complications as well, including the aching misfortune of death by friendly fire. The author deals with these shortcomings in a straightforward manner. Operation Iraqi Freedom: What Went Right and Why; What Went Wrong and Why gives intimate insight into the way in which the armed services, particularly the United States Air Force, managed to overcome genuine budgetary, political, and military difficulties to create the finest military force in the world, one that operated with the most extreme care to avoid collateral damage and to prevent loss of life.
Today's Best Military Writing is the first-ever collection of the finest articles on the military published in recent years. Esteemed military historian and bestselling author Walter J. Boyne has gathered twenty-one writers, both military and civilian, and their published articles and essays on all aspects of the various branches of the armed forces and on the military history of the United States. From searching analyses of wars spanning two centuries to examinations of how our country's modern armed forces are coping with new threats that are more dangerous than any they've faced before, these articles represent the best of the best---incisive, thoughtful, and probing opinions and information, often written by the people who have lived and breathed their topics. Article subjects in this volume include: *A chillingly logical hypothesis that could be the next step in terrorism--mating cruise missiles with biological warfare *A call to assign coastal U.S. defense to the branch of the armed forces that is most equipped to deal with it--the Coast Guard *The history and development of the F-15 Eagle, one of the most famous jet fighters in the world *Little known facts about the use and deployment of artillery pieces during the Indian Wars of 1860-1890 *The role of U.S. Army chaplains tending to German war criminals during the Nuremberg Trials.
512 pages Publisher: Publications International (July 2004) Chronicle of Flight: A Year-By-Year History of Aviation [Hardcover] Walter J. Boyne (Author)
This volume excerpts more than 25 classic text by experience air war specialists such as Antoine de Saint-Exupery. Eddie Rickenbacker, Bill Mitchell and Paul Brickhill. Each excerpt is introduced and placed into historical context by the editors. The book concludes with a thought-provoking look into the art and science of air warfare, as well as its future.
The 25 Most Influential Aircraft of All Time conveys the fascinating progression of flying technology from flimsy wood-and-fabric biplanes to thunderous supersonic wonders. Aviation’s most historically relevant and arguably most influential aircraft – planes like the elliptical-winged Spitfire, the blisteringly-fast X-15, and the ubiquitous Learjet – are dramatically showcased in individual chapters. Factors like performance, price, operational efficiency, and perceptions in popular culture are examined. People are just as important as hardware in the discussion of the world’s greatest aircraft. The larger-than-life characters who designed and built these aeronautical marvels – men like the reclusive Howard Hughes and the demanding Clarence “Kelly” Johnson – are an indispensable part of the story. So, too, are the fearless pilots like Charles Lindbergh and Chuck Yeager who gave life to the shining examples of a new and dynamic industry. The authors have flown or flown in many of the featured aircraft and they knew many of the luminous personalities involved, enabling them to share unique perspectives. The preface is written by William Lloyd Stearman, a former staff member of the National Security Council and the son of famed industry engineer Lloyd Stearman. The introduction is written by Norman R. Augustine, the retired Chairman and CEO of Lockheed Martin Corporation. The foreword is written by Burt Rutan, the renowned aircraft designer and founder of Scaled Composites. Each aircraft is magnificently illustrated in color, mostly with paintings by leading aviation artists.