Technical

During the Battle of Britain the RAF s Hawker Hurricane fighter won lasting fame alongside the Supermarine Spitfire. Over 11,700 examples were eventually built of this versatile and deadly combat aircraft that fulfilled an incredible number of contrasting roles.

The West was stunned when the Soviet Union dropped its first atomic bomb in August 1949. In the wake of the Second World War, funding for the RAF had fallen away dramatically but now there was an urgent need for new jet fighters to meet the threat of Russian bombers head-on. 

In the years that followed Germany's crushing defeat in the First World War, German aviators took to flying gliders - a sport which led to rapid advances in the study of aerodynamics. 

The world's first independent air force, the Royal Air Force celebrates its centenary in 2018. In the 100 years since the end of World War I, the service has been involved in almost continuous operations around the globe, giving the RAF the longest and most wide-ranging history of any air force in the world. But over the years this history has also become entangled with myths.

The history of aviation is full of striking and unusual designs, from the biplanes and triplanes of World War I, through the giant bombers and streamlined fighters of World War II and beyond, to the stealthy shapes and unusual configurations of modern military aircraft like the Northrop Grumman B-2 and V-22 Osprey. 

An engaging history of the aircraft of the Great War that includes incredibly detailed colour profiles of all major types of combat aircraft.

With the aid of 116 extraordinarily detailed and accurate line drawings illustrating the interior fittings and fixtures, Technical Drawings of Aircraft of World War II shows how a wide selection of classic military aircraft were constructed.

From the Fokker biplanes to World War II fighters like the Supermarine Spitfire and Messerschmitt Bf 109, and from heft bombers like the Boeing B-17 to Cold War classics such as the MiG-21 and on to stealth aircraft such as the SR-71 and Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor, each entry in 'Top 50 Military Aircraft' tells you all you need to know about the best there has been.

This pocket manual presents an accessible collection of fascinating historical documents to help readers explore the technical and tactical developments relating to the design and use of this famous aircraft.

With illustrations and an introduction by historian Martin Robson, The Spitfire Pocket Manual is an essential volume for any Spitfire enthusiast.