Takom TAK02159

Eurofighter EF-2000A Typhoon EADS 10 Jahre Einsatz in der Luftwaffe. Sized A4, softcover, 64 pages, over 120 photographs, several colour profiles, unit insignia and patches, ENGLISH AND GERMAN TEXT Author: Dr. Andreas Zeitler

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Building the Messerchmitt Bf-109. The iconic Messerschmitt Bf-109 was the backbone of the Luftwaffe's fighter force during World War II. The aircraft first saw operational service in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War and was still in service at the dawn of the jet age at the end of the War in 1945. The Bf-109 is the most produced fighter aircraft in history, with a total of 33,984 airframes produced from 1936 up to April 1945. It was also one of the most advanced fighters of the era, including such features as all-metal monocoque construction, a closed canopy, and retractable landing gear, and was powered by a liquid-cooled, inverted-V12 engine. It was conceived as an interceptor, and later models were developed to fulfil multiple tasks, serving as bomber escort, fighter- bomber, day-night all-weather fighter, ground-attack aircraft, and as reconnaissance aircraft. It was supplied to and operated by several countries during World War II and served with a number of air arms for many years after the war. The Bf-109 was flown by the three top-scoring German fighter aces of World War II, who claimed 928 victories among them. The highest scoring fighter ace of all time, Erich Hartmann, flew the Bf-109 and was credited with 352 aerial victories. The aircraft was also flown by Hans-Joachim Marseille, the highest-scoring German ace in the North African Campaign, who achieved 158 aerial victories. It was also flown by several other aces from Germany's allies, notably the Finn Ilmari Juutilainen, the highest scoring non-German ace on the type. This second book in the MA Publications 'Model Aircraft Extra' series brings you a guide to building some of the variants of the Bf-109. In all some 14 build projects are included in a 'how-to' format using kits in popular scales from some of the best model makers around.

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Building the Republic P-47D Thunderbolt. The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt Big, powerful, and truly a juggernaut of an aircraft, resulting in its appropriate nickname 'Jug', the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt was one of the really great warplanes of its generation. Alongside the superlative North-American P-51 Mustang and the twin-engined Lockheed P-38 Lightning, it was one of the three principal fighter types which the US Army Air Forces (USAAF) successfully operated in the later stages of World War Two. The initial production version was the P-47B, and examples of this type started to reach the USAAF's 56th Fighter Group in June 1942. The first really combat-ready model was the refined and slightly longer P-47C, which entered service later in 1942. Like all front-line P-47 versions it packed a formidable punch of four 0.5in M2 Browning machine guns in each wing, although early models did not carry the wing pylons that became so important later in the Thunderbolt's combat career. The first P-47C examples to reach Britain for the US Eighth Army Air Force did so in December 1942, followed by what became the main combat model of the Thunderbolt, the P-47D, in April 1943. Weighing in at some 15,000lb (6,804kg) fully loaded and powered by the R-2800-59 Double Wasp of 2,000hp, the P-47D was a big, powerful beast. Water injection introduced for some versions of the R-2800 would see even greater power on demand when needed in aerial combat. All of these early Thunderbolts had the 'razorback' high line rear fuselage pioneered with the P-35 and P-43, with a rearwards-sliding heavily framed cockpit canopy. Although the USAAF at first saw the Thunderbolt as a high altitude interceptor, its main initial role very soon became that of daylight bomber escort with the England- based Eighth Air Force, which was in great need of escort fighters for its B-17 Flying Fortresses and B-24 Liberators that were increasingly facing stiff Luftwaffe fighter opposition. he Thunderbolt helped to turn the tide for the US daylight bombing offensive during 1943 and early 1944, with a number of P-47 pilots gaining impressive scores in air-to-air combat against Luftwaffe fighters. Eventually the appearance of the Merlin-engined P-51B Mustang and later versions of the superb Mustang long-range fighter resulted in the Eighth Air Force almost completely re-equipping its fighter groups with the P-51, but the Eighth's 56th Fighter Group continued to fly the Thunderbolt right up to the end of the war in Europe in May 1945. The Eighth Air Force also pioneered the P-47 for air-to-ground operations as a part of its policy of taking the fight to the Luftwaffe, and additional to this the Thunderbolt eventually equipped several fighter groups specifically for fighter-bomber operations within the tactical England-based US Ninth Air Force. The P-47 proved to be a formidable fighter-bomber due to its impressive eight-gun armament, bomb load and ability to survive enemy fire. The underwing pylons that proved so useful for long-range fuel tanks were equally at home carrying a 500lb (227kg) bomb (one under each wing), and the Ninth Air Force in particular used this capability to devastating effect against German tactical targets before and after D-Day. 'Razorback' Thunderbolts additionally equipped USAAF units in Italy, the Pacific (including exceptional use by the Fifth Air Force), and the China-Burma-India theatre (CBI). Continuing development of the P-47 design led to the adoption later in P-47D manufacture of a cut- down rear fuselage spine and all-round vision 'bubbletop' canopy. This resulted in a further series of later Thunderbolt versions with even greater range and capabilities, but many 'razorback' P-47s nevertheless continued in service right to the war's end " some pilots in fact preferring the 'razorback' to the later models particularly for their better directional stability. Other important users of the Thunderbolt in World War Two included the Soviet Union, the RAF and the Free French. This seventh book in the highly successful MA Extra Series contains fourteen showcase and step by step model builds and will be a must for any P-47 aficionado!

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Staff cars in Germany WWII volume 2 Format A4 paperback, 80 pages This latest photo-album in the ""Camera On"" series contains 150 more photographs of private cars adapted for military use by the German forces during WWII. The remainder of the Opel motor company major production types are covered - the car types that were not covered in volume 1 - such as the Opel P-4 that was also used as the basis of many of the pre-war mock-up training tanks used by the German army due to the lack of real tanks to train with. The "Opel Kadett" (cadet), the Opel Supper 6, the "Opel Kapitan" (Captain) and at the top of the range, the luxurious Opel Admiral. In this volume the author provides a detailed impression of these vehicles through original photographs, taken both during and before the war by the normal German soldiers who both used and served with these now classic automobiles.

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SCHWERER GEL�"NDEG�"RGIGER PERSONENKRAFTWAGEN AND SUCCESSORS Camera On series #27 Alan Ranger This latest photo-album in the "Camera On" series contains 140 photographs of a broad selection of Germany's heavy off-road passenger vehicles in operation with the Wehrmacht during World War II. It includes both the Schwerer Gelandegangiger Personenkraftwagen and its successors, the Horch 108 type 1 and its licensed-built Ford type EG equivalents as well as the heavy cars built on light truck chassis such as the Styer 1500 and Mercedes 1500A & S types. This book contains over 140 images of German heavy passenger cars photographed in operation in the conditions they had to work in. This volume illustrates these vehicles as the soldiers themselves viewed them in both their working environment and indeed in many cases the homes they had to live in, not the highly polished and sanitized views of the official photographers. The result is an invaluable reference for military historians and modellers * Camera On: a new series of books on the equipment and operations of the German Wehrmacht in WW2.

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From Submariners to Tank Killers Marine-Panzerjagd-Regiment 1 and the Fighting near Hamburg in April-May 1945 Author: Axel Urbanke ISBN: 978-3-941437-53-1 Pages: 192 Photos: 157, 48 of them in colour Illustrations: 15 color maps Format: 24 x 28,5 cm - Large format, Hard cover plus dust jacket At the beginning of April 1945, it became clear that the surrender of the Wehrmacht was only a matter of days or weeks. But despite this hopeless prospect, the German troops still put up fierce resistance to the enemy. Most of the front-line soldiers had long since given up hope of an already illusory final victory. Other goals now had priority. The way to the west had to be kept open for columns of refugees; steps had to be taken to ensure that civilians and wounded comrades could be evacuated by sea; and a path to the west had to be cleared for their own troops. The great spectre on the Eastern Front was that of being overrun by the Russians and then being subjected to their reprisals. Very few interested people today know that a stubborn fight against the British and Americans was also necessary on the Western Front in order to achieve these goals. So in April, the Germans were playing for time, because every day that the Wehrmacht troops in the West delayed surrender saved the lives of thousands, even tens of thousands of people in the East. But Hitler was still alive and making his unrealistic decisions in Berlin. To oppose his orders in those days could quickly mean death. In this situation, Hamburg, a city of millions, made preparations for a "defence to the last round of ammunition". Disaster loomed. Due to a lack of troops, at the beginning of April, the High Command of the Wehrmacht increasingly resorted to sailors whose ships had been sunk, were damaged, or are no longer able to sail due to a lack of fuel. Among these men were about 2,000 submariners who had been waiting in the Elbe metropolis for the completion or repair of their U-boats. Now, instead of putting to sea in their boats to fight the enemy, they stood up to the British with Panzerfaust anti-tank weapons as part of the 1st Naval Anti-Tank Regiment. Under the level-headed battle commander of Hamburg, they put up such a measured resistance that time was gained to finally surrender Hamburg without a fight and, by stopping the British at the Elbe, keep the Baltic ports open to refugees for about 14 days longer. This book is an exciting piece of contemporary history that provides a somewhat different view of the events of that time. Follow the submariners' fight in the Harburg Hills and on the Elbe, which has never been summarised until today and which saved the lives of tens of thousands of people. Important note for submarine enthusiasts: Photos of Type XXI and Type XXIII submarines are known to be very rare. This book contains 31 unpublished color photos of the construction of these boat types and their commissioning at Blohm-und-Voss and Deutsche Werft AG in Hamburg. The photos were taken as part of film recordings made by war correspondent Walter Frentz on behalf of Hitler. Frentz was to film all of the modern new weapons in the summer of 1944. During filming, he privately made color slides. The color recording is therefore a small sensation that can finally be seen 78 years after it's creation.

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North-American OV-10 Bronco written by Mike Verier The full story of the first true Multi-Role Combat Aircraft, the OV-10 Bronco, still flying operationally after nearly six decades of service, is told here for the first time in a bumper 104-page Warpaint. Detailed first-hand information gathered over many years has enabled the author to bring together the many facets of this remarkably versatile aircraft including pre-cursors, competitors and prototypes, through Vietnam and combat service with some eleven US and foreign Air Arms, and its part in the development of modern precision weapons, to its astonishing array of uses since. These include fighting drug cartels in Columbia, fires in California, mosquitos in South Carolina, and ISIS in Northern Iraq. Also, finally covered in full and accurate detail are the German 'jet' Broncos. The world's largest restoration project and current training of US and NATO JTACS bring the story up to date. De-classified information has made it possible to detail for the first time all the long-nose D model conversions and all the Broncos that served in Desert Storm, their preparation, the epic trans-continental deployment of one squadron by air, and the key role played by the Broncos during the war. The detailed and revealing narrative is copiously illustrated throughout with fully captioned photographs - many previously unseen- and backed by personal accounts, Individual aircraft histories, airframe lists, scale plans and specially commissioned art work with comprehensive colour scheme information. Warpaint 140 North-American/Rockwell OV-10A/OV-10B Author: Mike Verier Content: 104 pages

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