Kirjahaku

When the Wright brothers made their momentous first ever manned powered flight at Kittyhawk in North Carolina on 17 December 1903, the event heralded the birth of one of the most far-reaching inventions in the history of mankind. Peter Cooksley opens his narrative account with an overview of mankind's fascination with flight, in fact and in legend, before examining in the first half of the book the early lives and background of the Wright brothers. He proceeds to review their early trials with gliders and the steps that led them to building and flying the world's first powered aircraft. The success of the Wright Flyer is described and the granting of manufacturing licences for the aircraft around the world. The second half of the book explores the development of flight by other aviation pioneers, presented in chronological order of their greatest achievements. The reader can compare men like Cayley, Lilienthal, Maxim, Pilcher Santos Dumont, Cody and Bleriot with the Wrights and with one another. A comprehensive selection of archive photographs, illustrations, line drawings and maps complements the author's informative narrative.

Explores the contributions made by the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service during World War I. This work also covers aircraft, an array of other subjects including organization, pay, rank, uniforms, motor vehicles, the womens branches, attitudes, and even songs popular in the mess.

During the First World War Britain’s Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) fought alongside one another in the greatest conflict mankind had ever experienced. This period was also one of dramatic technological advances, in which both air arms made significant contributions to the development of air interception and strategic bombing. The RFC and RNAS were the precursors of arguably the finest, most efficient, and certainly the oldest, independent air arm in the world – the Royal Air Force. In the late nineteenth century, both the British Army and the Royal Navy were seriously considering the viability of air support, mainly for reconnaissance and surveillance duties. By 1912, the Royal Flying Corps was formed, combining the Air Battalion of the Royal Engineers and the Naval Air Organization, and embracing a Central Flying School and Royal Aircraft Factory. Two years later, just over a month before the outbreak of the First World War, the Royal Naval Air Service was created as an independent unit. At this stage it was already predicted that battles for supremacy of the air by armed aircraft were only a matter of time. The Royal Flying Corps 1914–1918 explores a wide range of subjects, from aircraft, airships, balloons and motor vehicles to pay, rank, the women’s branches, uniforms and even the origins of the RAF’s eagle badge. Peter Cooksley’s authoritative text is complemented by many previously unpublished photographs, line drawings and maps.

What was life like during the war for the civilian population? What hardships did they endure? How did they live? What was the feeling of those who stayed at home?The author tells us the true story of civilians at war on the Home Front.

Deals with the experiences of those at home during the conflict of the Second World War. This work examines topics such as: the declaration of war, the first bombs on the British Isles, rationing, petrol measures, travel restrictions, women's work in factories, and the differences in society by the end of war and what this meant for the future.