{"title":"Andrew D Bird","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"coastal-dawn-book-andrew-bird-9781906502690","title":"Coastal Dawn","description":"In 1940, the defence of Great Britain rested with a handful of volunteer aircrew, Churchills few. Overshadowed in later folklore by the more famous Spitfire and Hurricane pilots, there were other pilots, observers and air gunners  just as courageous  flying the Bristol Blenheim MKIV-F. The future of the country and arguably that of the free world depended also on their skill, morale and sacrifice. Remarkably little has been chronicled of these men and their aircraft  the trade protection squadrons formed by Hugh Dowding  allotted to 11 Group in October 1939. The aircrafts range and endurance made it suitable for defence of coastal shipping against attack on the southern and eastern shores of Britain, and for operations further afield. Indeed during bitter fighting casualties among 235, 236, 248 and 254 Squadron Blenheims were high on operations over Norway, Holland, France, Dunkirk and then the Battle of Britain where the Blenheims were completely outclassed by Messerschmitt 109 and 110 fighters and fell easy victims, scythed from the sky. But the record of the aircraft and their crew was an immensely proud one. Drawing on contemporary diaries, periodicals, letters, logbooks, memoirs and interviews with survivors, lauded historian Andy Bird reassesses the vital role they played and repositions it in history. In doing so, he justifiably embraces the heroes we have left behind.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49557675966737,"sku":"GOR006235482","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50624059998481,"sku":"GOR006384569","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1906502692.jpg?v=1751438292"},{"product_id":"heroes-of-coastal-command-book-andrew-d-bird-9781526710697","title":"Heroes of Coastal Command","description":"In Heroes of Coastal Command, Andrew Bird examines the maritime war between 1939 and 1945, interweaving accounts of events of the period with personal stories of individuals caught up in them. Through interviews, letters, diaries and reports, all combined with his own research, the author looks afresh at the maritime conflict, reassessing long-held views of the Cinderella Service's defensive and offensive capabilities through the eyes of ordinary individuals battling for survival above the oceans against flak gun, enemy aircraft and weather as the stakes rose higher and the number of casualties become catastrophic. Heroes of Coastal Command makes the reader think again about the RAF's maritime arm, Coastal Command, which was established in 1936. Throughout the war, its crews worked tirelessly alongside the Royal Navy to keep Britain's vital sea lanes open. Together, they fought and won the Battle of the Atlantic, with RAF aircraft destroying 212 German U-Boats and sinking a significant tonnage of enemy warships and merchant vessels. Often working alone and unsupported, undertaking long patrols out over opens seas, Coastal Command bred a special kind of airman. This includes individuals such Lloyd Trigg, who was awarded the Victoria Cross; Roger Moorwood, a Blenheim pilot who flew in the Battle of France; Jack Davenport, who flew his Hampden; John Watson, the sole survivor of a Short Sunderland which was lost during a rescue mission; Maurice Guedj, a Frenchman who escaped from Morocco to join the Free French Air Force; Sam McHardy, who for a short while became a Coastal Command ground coordinator posted aboard a Royal Navy destroyer for a raid on Norway; and Ken Gatward, who flew a unique daylight mission over Paris to drop a Tricolore on the Arc de Triomphe. These are just some of the fabulous stories, full of daring and breath-taking courage, and individuals explored in this book.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":49733314871569,"sku":"NGR9781526710697","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49855915557137,"sku":"GOR010641400","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49874997838097,"sku":"GOR010549049","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1526710692.jpg?v=1751244458"},{"product_id":"berlin-airlift-book-andrew-d-bird-9781526711014","title":"The Berlin Airlift","description":"It was a time of high drama. The tension mounting with each passing day, with each new restriction, each demonstration of strength. Berlin was the battleground, located within the Soviet sector of Occupied Germany. The Western Allies were determined to maintain their rights of access to the German capital; the Soviets were equally determined to isolate Belin. The result was that in the summer of 1948 the Soviets severed all over-ground links. This meant the only way by which the Allies could to deliver the vital supplies of food and fuel to the beleaguered Berliners was by air. So began the greatest logistical air operation in history.  On 24 June 1948, the Berlin airlift began. Aircrews from the USAF, RAF, Royal Canadian Air Force, Royal Australian Air Force, Royal New Zealand Air Force and South African Air Force flew more than 1,500 flights every twenty-four hours, delivering up to 8,893 tons of necessities each day.  As it became clear that the Allies were both willing and able to continue the airlift indefinitely, in the spring of 1949 the Soviets announced that they were prepared to negotiate an end to the blockade of Berlin. It was finally lifted on 12 May that year.  In total 2,326,406 tons of materials and products were delivered to Berlin on 278,228 flights. Some 692 aircraft were engaged in the Berlin Airlift, more than 100 of which belonged to civilian operators, flying nineteen different types of aircraft, including flying boats which landed on Berlin’s Spree and Havel rivers.  The result of the Soviet blockade was the formation of the state of West Germany, and the introduction of its new currency, the Deutschmark.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ -","offer_id":51606912729361,"sku":"","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":51606913810705,"sku":"NGR9781526711014","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/152671101X.jpg?v=1759402084"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.worldofbooks.com\/collections\/author-books-by-andrew-d-bird.oembed","provider":"World of Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}