Bøker av Ken Delve

To many people the Supermarine Spitfire was Britain's saviour during the Battle of Britain and the embodiment of air combat during the Second World War. The Story of the Spitfire presents a thrilling appraisal of this unique aircraft, focusing on its fighting capability and the tactics of the pilots who flew it. Using official evaluations and reports, alongside technical and tactical developments, plus the recollections of Spitfire pilots, Ken Delve provides a fascinating insight into the combat career of this legendary aircraft. Despite some problems with their new aircraft, the Fighter Command pilots of 1938 were generally delighted with the Spitfire - speed, manoeuvrability and firepower were all far greater than they had been with the earlier biplanes. In tactics and training the RAF was outdated, but it adapted quickly and the air battles over Britain in late 1940 forged the Spitfire legend. How justified was the legend? There were only nineteen Spitfire squadrons in Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain; it was only later, as the RAF turned to the offensive, that the number of Spitfire units increased dramatically. At certain times the combat initiative was lost to improved Messerschmitt Bf 109s and Focke-Wulf Fw 190s, but with increased performance and better training, the Spitfire clawed back the advantage. By 1944 the Spitfire was operating as a fighter-bomber in various theatres of war, with new tactics and new problems. Many fighter pilots thought that having bombs strapped under the aircraft verged on an insult - but with aerial targets in short supply, this was the most effective, if risky, way of taking the war to the enemy. After the war the Spitfire saw action right up to 1948 in the Arab-Israeli War. Today there are approximately seventy airworthy Spitfires in existence and R.J. Mitchell's remarkable aircraft is still the highlight of flying displays around the world.

A Reference to the Men Aircraft Operational History. Includes Commanders, Aircraft, Orders of Battle, Group overviews, airfields, squadron histories, a reading list and a heritage trail.A unique approach containing all the fundamental information the aviation enthusiast or historian is likely to require.Over 200 illustrations and colour profiles of aircraft.

Documents the first time that the RAF struck back at Hitlers Reich.

Comprehensive analysis and comparison of leadership, aircraft, weapons, tactics and training

Summer 1942 and the war in the Middle East is in the balance; Rommel’s Axis forces are poised on the borders of Egypt and all that is needed is one last push. For that to succeed, Rommel needs supplies and for the Allies to be denied supplies. With Malta still active and disrupting the Axis shipping routes across the Mediterranean he is denied those supplies. Meanwhile, the Allied build-up continues, and Montgomery holds at El Alamein and then counter attacks. Rommel is pushed back and then, in a double blow, the Allies land in Tunisia. The collapse of North Africa leads to the invasion of Italy and contributes to the final Axis defeat.But what if Rommel had won?In this alternate history, Ken Delve proposes that with a few strategic changes by the Axis powers and poor decision by Allied Commanders, the outcome of could have been very different. In this scenario, the Allied invasion in Tunisia fails, Rommel defeats Montgomery and seizes Egypt, leaving the Germans well-placed to sweep up through the Middle East, capturing oil installations and joining up with German forces in Russia.

Ken Delve explores the roles of leadership, external support and community spirit and the parts they played during one of Maltas most challenging eras.

Brief history of the airfield, construction and use including decoy sitesComprehensive list of flying units with dates and aircraft typesList of HQ units based at the airfieldDetails of memorialsMaps and plans of almost every airfieldLocation detailsSelection of period photographs

Brief history of the airfield, construction and use including decoy sitesComprehensive list of flying units with dates and aircraft typesList of HQ units based at the airfieldDetails of memorialsMaps and plans of almost every airfieldLocation detailsSelection of period photographs

Looks at the military airfields of the British Isles. This work contains: history of the airfield, construction and use including decoy sites; comprehensive list of flying units with dates and aircraft types; list of HQ units based at the airfield; details of memorials; maps and plans of almost every airfield; and more.

A series that provides a look at the military airfields of the British Isles, aimed at historians and tourists. Each book includes a number of counties on a regional basis. Entries cover various military airfields within the counties, beginning from WW1. This third fourth title focuses on Northern England, where WWII bomber airfields dominated.