RAF

"...helpful to a novice in the field and a good read." -The Northern MarinerNaval aviation arrived early in the last century in the form of balloons and airships employed by the British Royal Navy for reconnaissance, and interest was stirring in naval circles in a greater aeronautical capacity for the service. Britain's tradition of projecting a global reach through her sea power would, in the view of many, be greatly enhanced by such a capability. Among the first advocates of military aircraft development was British naval minister, Winston Churchill.Over the course of the last century since this point of inception, huge leaps have been made in the design, development, and performance of naval aircraft. This comprehensive account, brought to us by eminent aviation historian Philip Kaplan, details the journey from origin through early development into wartime deployment. This is carried forward through post-war innovations and into modern conflicts such as the Falklands campaign. Attention is paid to the key landmarks of aviation history, such as Taranto, Pearl Harbor, The Doolittle Raid, the Battle of Midway and the Korean campaign. Reference is also paid throughout to the flying aces; the high points in the combat careers of the greatest naval and marine aviators of the past century.Kaplan weaves multiple threads in an effort to produce a comprehensive and detailed history. One of these is the part played by women in the history of flight, detailing a journey characterized by ever-closer involvement at the vanguard of aviation development, showing how societal changes have impacted upon this area in tune with others. Bringing the history up to date, there is a section dedicated to the Helicopter, its varying uses, current disposition and status of the various types in the U.S. and British navies.Complemented by a collection of interesting photographs, this is sure to appeal to aviation enthusiasts as well as social historians of the past one hundred years; this isn't just a history of the various aircraft but of the people who got them off the ground and flew them into a new century.

John Folkes is one of my heroes, and a remarkable person with a remarkable story. He tells the story of Silent Tears movingly and with the sort of authority that only experience can bring. His first-hand account of flying into an atomic cloud following a bomb detonated during the Buffalo test series at Maralinga in South Australia in 1956 will live in my memory. His enduring bravery in speaking his truth to a resistant government is a lesson in civic responsibility and ethics from which we can all learn. He shares his account of an educationally-disadvantaged childhood during wartime that presented him with barriers to overcome to achieve his dream of working for the Royal Air Force. Overcome them he did, with considerable fortitude and courage. From there, he was put in harm's way during the reckless era of British atomic testing in Australia, when the lives of those exposed to radioactivity were held to be cheap by the politicians who orchestrated the tests. I commend this work to anyone who wants to understand the risks that era involved, and their ongoing consequences.- Associate Professor Elizabeth TynanJames Cook University, Australia

These are the author's recollections from his days as a child in the Sheffield Blitz, through many interesting and sometimes amusing experiences in his private and business activities over the next 80 years.

What do you do when you are ordered to kill the occupants of a building when one of those occupants is part of your family and a childhood friend?Karl Deichman knows that if he carries out orders to lead a precision bomb attack on the Royal Naval College in Dartmouth in September 1942, he will probably kill his English cousin with whom he has sworn a pact of friendship until death.But a pilot of the German Luftwaffe has no choice, the attack must proceed.After the war, and consumed with guilt, Karl returns to England: Did I kill Andrew? His quest leads him to Anna, a former secret agent with a score to settle; Robert, a war-time spy who has made his home in Portugal; Ivo, an ex-RAF Spitfire pilot recently escaped from Jail in Czechoslovakia.Karl uncovers the secret of the Dartmouth Conspiracy but tension mounts as he is drawn into the jaws of a lethal trap.The final jig-saw piece finds its slot when Karl makes his final visit to Dartmouth in the summer of 2005 for the College's centenary celebrations.Dartmouth Conspiracy is a thriller, a blend of fact and fiction whose players are drawn together from countries recently in conflict - and who still search for peace long after the war is over.Since the first edition of Dartmouth Conspiracy was published in 1999, several readers who witnessed the true event on which this story is based, have revealed further intriguing details, which are explained in the final chapter: How Much of this Story is True?

The perfect stocking filler for anyone who imagines themselves flying a spitfire . . .<BR><BR> Drop your visiting cards, put aside your beer-lever, stop being a half-pint hero and discover the gloriously funny slang which was part of everyday life in two world wars.<BR> <BR> Passion-killers: Airwomen's service knickers, whether twilights (the lighter, summer-weight variety) or black-outs (the navy-blue winter-weights). A wise directive has purposely made them as unromantic in colour and in design as a wise directive could imagine.<BR><BR> Thanks to the work of Eric Partridge in 1945, the hilarious slang of the Royal Air Force during the first two World Wars has been preserved for generations to come. While some phrases like 'chocks away!' have lasted to this day, others deserve to be rediscovered . . .<BR><BR> Beer-lever: From pub-bars, meaning the 'Joystick' of an aircraft.<BR> Canteen cowboy: A ladies' man.<BR> Half-pint hero: A boaster. One who exemplifies the virtue of Dutch courage without having the trouble of going into action.<BR> Tin fish: A torpedo.<BR> Umbrella man: A parachutist.<BR> Visiting-card: A bomb.<BR> Wheels down: Get ready - especially to leave a bus, tram, train. From lowering the wheels, preparatory to landing.<BR> Whistled: In a state of intoxication wherein one tends to whistle cheerfully and perhaps discordantly.<BR><BR> The Dictionary of RAF Slang is a funny and fascinating insight into the lives of our RAF heroes, in a time gone by.

Johnny Johnson has been awarded an MBE for his remarkable services in World War II<BR><BR>'I was anxious to fight. Hitler was the bastard who had started all this and he needed sorting out. We were under threat. Everything we stood for: our country, our families and our way of life was being attacked by this maniac. He could not be allowed to win. So for me and many, many others like me, there was no alternative. We were in a pickle and something had to be done.'<BR><BR>Johnny Johnson is 95 years old and one of very few men who can recall first-hand the most daring and ingenious air raid of all time. He can also vividly remember his childhood spent working on a farm with his controlling father, the series of events that led him to the RAF and the rigorous training that followed. But it was his decision to join 617 Squadron, and the consequences, that have truly stayed etched in his mind. <BR><BR>On 16 May 1943, Johnny, alongside 132 specially selected comrades, took off from Scampton airbase in Lincolnshire. For six weeks they had been trained to fulfil one mission that was near impossible: to destroy three dams deep within Germany's Ruhr Valley. It was a daring task but, against the odds, Johnny and his crew survived. Sadly, 53 comrades did not.<BR><BR>For the first time, Johnny relives every moment of that fatal night - and the devastating aftermath. He recalls with unique wit and insight the difficult training conducted in secrecy, the race against time to release the bombs, and the sheer strength and bravery shown by a small unit faced with great adversity and uncertainty. Embodying a whole squadron, and leaving a lasting legacy for generations to come, Johnny's story is like no other.

Studienarbeit aus dem Jahr 2009 im Fachbereich Politik - Region: Westeuropa, Note: 2,7, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-Universität Greifswald (Politikwissenschaft), Veranstaltung: Internationale Politik, Sprache: Deutsch, Abstract: Der Gegenstand der gegebenen Arbeit ist die Betrachtung der Roten Armee Fraktion (RAF) als eine internationale terroristische Organisation mit dem kurzen Eingehen auf den praktischen Bezug dieser Fragestellung. Um eindeutig zu definieren, ob die RAF eine internationale terroristische Organisation war, werden die Begriffe des Terrorismus und des "internationalen" Terrorismus ausführlich betrachtet und auf denen Grund die Kriterien einer internationalen terroristischen Organisation gebildet. Danach wird die Entsprechung der RAF mit diesen Kriterien aufgrund bestimmter Beispielen aus der Geschichte der Organisation betrachtet und als Gesamtergebnis präsentiert.

Paperback

Studienarbeit aus dem Jahr 2006 im Fachbereich Medien / Kommunikation - Medien und Politik, Pol. Kommunikation, Note: 2,0, Universität Erfurt, Veranstaltung: Islamismus, Terrorismus, Medien, Sprache: Deutsch, Abstract: Es ist der 2. April 1968. Die Kaufhäuser Schneider und Kaufhof in Frankfurt stehen in Flammen. Die Geburtsstunde der RAF und des Terrorismus in Deutschland hat geschlagen. Es entstand eine Organisation, die mit diversen Anschlägen auf wichtige Personen aus Wirtschaft und Politik sowie zahlreichen Banküberfällen, die deutschen Behörden bis zu ihrer Auflösung 1998 in Atem hielten. Auf ihr Konto gehen unter anderem 34 Morde, über 200 Verletzte und ein Sachschaden von mehr als 250 Millionen Euro. Heute, nachdem die RAF Geschichte ist, wird in Zeitungen und Zeitschriften über T-Shirts und Poster mit dem RAF- Logo berichtet. Es werden Lieder und Filme produziert, welche die Geschichte der RAF wiedergeben und manchmal sogar ihre Taten und politische Meinung rechtfertigen. Ist dies die Art und Weise wie eine Gesellschaft mit vergangenen terroristischen Aktionen umgeht? Gab es schon immer einen Kult um die RAF, der aber erst nach ihrer Auflösung kommerzialisiert werden konnte? Oder gibt es keinen Kult und es ist nur als Versuch von Medien und Wirtschaft anzusehen, Profit zu erzielen?

Studienarbeit aus dem Jahr 2007 im Fachbereich Politik - Politische Systeme - Historisches, Note: 1,3, Universität Regensburg (Institut für Politikwissenschaft), Veranstaltung: Grundkurs Einführung in den Vergleich Westlicher Regierungssysteme, Sprache: Deutsch, Abstract: Der deutsche Herbst hat Deutschland in vierlerlei Hinsicht verändert. Erhebliche Einschnitte im Rechtsstaat haben stattgefunden und die wehrhafte Demokratie wurde auf die Probe gestellt. Doch zu welchem Preis und welche politischen Theorien kann man darunter feststellen? Ist Deutschland eine defekte Demokratie (gewesen)?