The reports in this publication cover the period from August 1938 to June 1939 - the last year of peace. The reports look at the development of aircraft, engines, armament, instruments, wireless and ground  equipment and reflect the prevailing attitude of the Government to the coming war as far as aircraft were concerned. Of great importance in evaluating the preparedness ( or otherwise) of the United Kingdom for the war in the air that was soon to come.

This is the text of AVM Blucke's lecture and includes the original photographs used to illustrate the talk. It draws on the experiences during the Second World War and is a valuable synopsis on the topic. See also "Air Support" and "Air Support in the Second World War" in AHB archives.

The manual issued by the USAAF for British users of the B-17F. Profusely illustrated to a standard way above the British equivalents, and with a multitude of coloured plates.

This is a highly detailed set of tables covering all fighter command operations during 1943. It details squadrons formed, sorties, enemy effort, daily operations by aircraft and by type of operation, night operations, bombing raids by Fighter Command, German aircraft losses and last but not least Balloon Command. Further volumes of the series will be published when they have been prepared.Highly recommended as basic source  material.

This photocopy was initially questioned by MLRS: we were not sure of we could reproduce it in such a way that it would be legible. However, after some hard work we managed to get it into a reasonable shape. The importance of this document cannot be overstated, as it is the only official analysis of German fighter tactics in English to have survived the war. It covers the organisation and mobility of the German Air Force, ground attack operations, sweeps against aerial targets, defensive patrols, fighter escort, attacks against bombers (split into single- and twin-engined aircraft attacks), special methods of attacking bombers (including rocket attacks), jet and rocket propelled fighter operations, day air defence of Germany, the quality of fighter pilots and commanders throughout the war and a German Air Force evaluation of Allied fighter aircraft, pilots and tactics. The title has a wealth of important information which should not be missed. Highly recommended for content, even though some care is needed when reading.

This is a reprint of a rare but very important account of Operation MARKET, the airborne element of Operation Market Garden. It covers the whole operation (British, Polish and US contingents) throughout the battles that followed the initial air drops on 18 September 1944. Importantly it also includes the drop maps for all forces and the glider LZs. With five A1 drop maps and other colour progress maps. Of singular significance to anyone looking at this operation, it should be on every library shelf.

A complete descriptive manual on pistols, fuzes and other detonating components for all aircraft ordnance. With a multitude of illustrations. This complements the Bombs manual (due soon)

This reprint gathers together a number of pamphlets from the First World War on air gunnery, and also includes one of the first aerial bomb aiming instruction pamphlets. It covers pilot gunnery training (fixed and free guns), the theory and practice of aerial sighting, the Lewis Gun, the Vickers gun, Bomb Sighting and three pamphlets on interrupter gear. All are detailed, none more so that the machine gun pamphlets. Many illustrations.

German rocket development led the way for post-war rocketry designs by both sides of the  cold war. This remarkable record of German rockets contains a massive amount of information, and is copiously illustrated with photographs and drawings of the ground-to-ground, ground-to-air, air-to-ground and air-to-air missiles the Germans experimented wirth and often used to significant effect. If you thought a “Schmetterling” was just a butterfly, think again - it was a really nasty piece of kit!

This is a complete description of the Japanese Air Force and air industry in 1939. It includes a valuable section on tactics as well as details of the aircraft industry and sources of raw materials - later a significant factor in the war. A very good introduction to the study of the subject. With 4 colour A1 maps and many appendices.

This handbook gives a picture of the German Air Force in July 1939 (and see our reprint of the same manual for December 1938). It covers organisation, Flak, air defence, cooperation with other services, personnel, training, aircraft, supply and maintenance, air tactics, camouflage, armament, the aircraft industry, meteorology and topography. It is important to see how powerful the Luftwaffe was at the beginning of the war. The tactics section should be read in conjunction with the MLRS reprint of German Fighter Tactics.

This intelligence handbook covers the pre-war Russian Air Force in great detail. It includes over 90 A3 fold-outs and 5 A1 maps. It serves as a good guide to Stalin's air power before it was virtually wiped out by the Luftwaffe following the German invasion in 1941.

This publication includes a series of lectures given at the RAF Staff College in  the years 1922 - 1926. There are a number of topics dealt with including “Fighting in the Air,” “Air Home Defence,” “War Experiences,” “Anti-Submarine Patrolling by Aircraft,” “The Royal Air Force in Iraq since 1918,” “Morale,” “Air operations on the N.W. Frontier,” and even “A study of Marlborough and Napoleon.” Of great interest in that the war experiences are important in getting a better picture of World War I in the air, but the lectures also show what were matters of concern from a policy and doctrine point of view in the mid-1920s. 

An early training manual for the Royal Naval Air Service which includes Airships, Airplanes and Seaplanes and a multitude of technical information about them. Comes with original drawings reprinted to size. Fascinating.

This is a fascinating insight into submarine hunting from an airship, and is abundantly illustrated with over 100 photographs. It is just superb, and worth buying for its quaintness, although it is also very revealing about methods used and how easy it was (or otherwise) to find submerged submarines in the First World War.

A significant addition to any collection on the Luftwaffe, this intelligence report shows the state of the German Air Force towards the end of 1938. It should be read in conjunction with our other reprints relating to the German Air Force and the Intelligence Reports also published by MLRS. Includes aircraft, airfields, organisation, personnel and training.

This is a reprint of the revised edition of the manual (the first was first available in 1942). Copies are extremely rare, but luckily RAF Museum Hendon holds a copy. The pamphlet deals with all aspects for parachute training (including - briefly - aircrew) and its main emphasis is on paratroop parachute training. Amply illustrated with many line drawings it shows how paratroops were to be trained and how they should drop into battle. Highly recommended.

This is the official RAF manual for the conduct of operation from 1940. Its chapters include the employment and control of the armed forces, command, leadership and morale, the principles of air warfare, characteristics of air forces, air warfare, the strategic air offensive and defensive, operations in support of the navy and the army, air intelligence and operations in unadministered and undeveloped areas (never let it be said that the British forgot the lees fortunate!) In all it is a doctrinal manual which proposes many ethical concepts which soon fell by the wayside when the going got rough. Of great interest to air historians wishing to establish the ethos of British air thought in 1940.

This is the companion volume to the already published RAF War Manual Volume I - Operations. The organisation behind the fighting units and the way they were run. The two volumes need to be read together to understand how the service worked in the middle years of the war.

The important fact about this manual is not only the portrayal the Soviet Air Force at the end of the war, but the history it includes of the aircraft, operations and personnel throughout the Second World War. Profusely illustrated it details the organisation, equipment and all other details to enable the reader to get a contemporary picture of the Soviet air force as well as a detailed historical view. A very valuable publication for all who are interested in the air war in the east.