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Fonthill Media have sent us details of their January line-up of books. With everything from ghosts to Stratofortresses, there's certainly a packed and varied range of titles to start the New Year.

Soviet Cold War Fighters
Alexander Mladenov

The story of fighters that were developed and employed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War

· Exclusive first-hand accounts from pilots and aircrew provide a unique insight into flying and fighting in Soviet Cold War fighters
· Lavishly illustrated with period photography providing a pictorial history of Soviet Cold War jet fighters from the Yak-15 to the MiG- 31
· The full story of the fighter programme that saw the Soviet Air Force and Soviet Air Defence forces introduce four generations of frontline and specialised air defence fighters
· Details of operational employment from the Cold War air defenders protecting the Soviet Union for USAF and British strategic bombers to air combat in the Middle East and Africa

Beautifully illustrated with many rare and unpublished photographs, Soviet Cold War Fighters looks at the main development periods of Soviet fighter designs and covers all the important features and developments for each – a total of four generations of fighter were developed from the late 1940s to the early 1980s – that witnessed the most iconic and powerful fighters such as the legendary MiG- 15, MiG-21, Tu-128, Su-9, MiG-23, MiG-25 reach for the skies, followed by the modern day MiG-29, MiG-31 and Su-27, which strike fear in the West for their phenomenal weaponry and blistering performance. All aircraft are described in detail with facts and figures, including their weapons and instances of combat employment, as well as explaining how the Cold War drastically changed Soviet fighter design to counter the West. Researched and written by Alexander Mladenov, a leading aviation journalist, this is a highly detailed testament to leading Soviet fighter design and development.


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Haunted Second World War Airfields
Volume Three: Northern England, Northern Ireland and Scotland
Christopher Huff

A survey of the paranormal and haunted happenings on Second World War airfields in the UK

· Fascinating subject with mass aviation, local and national appeal: the popular Flypast form has over 1,226 posts to the subject within a few days
· Overviews of paranormal investigations that have been conducted by research groups at airfields with details and web addresses of the online reports
· Includes a hand-drawn plan for each airfield
· The culmination of fifteen years of research into the topic

For seventeen years, Christopher Huff has studied paranormal phenomena on RAF airfields. Convincing reports of ghosts and inexplicable happenings have radiated from these sites since the First World War, and continue to do so today, but why are so many airfields haunted? The answer may seem obvious, but a true understanding can only be attained through a careful study of the history of each airfield and the squadrons that passed through them. In this last of three volumes, the emphasis shifts to the RAF, RCAF and the bomber airfields of Lincolnshire and Yorkshire, together with examples from Northern England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Here we find Bomber Command at its most active and from where it suffered most of its losses, and indeed where some of the most haunted airfields in Britain are to be found. Indeed, some 55,573 aircrew lost their lives in Bomber Command. Haunted Second World War Airfields is a fascinating and highly informative guide to this country’s historic airfields and is essential reading for RAF enthusiasts and those interested in the paranormal.


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RAF 100 Group 1939-1943
The Birth of Electronic Warfare
Janine Harrington

The birth of electronic warfare and the application of it as used as countermeasures against the German Defence Network

· Declassified material illustrating the partnership between the RAF and USAAF, including private letters
· Previously unpublished photographs of interest to the military historian and modeller
· Evocative and deeply moving accounts shared by people who were there at the time

RAF 100 Group 1939-1943: The Birth of Electronic Warfare tells the untold story of when Britain faced an invasion by Nazi Germany. After the fall of France, 1940 was dominated by the Battle of Britain and the threat of invasion was very real. The Royal Navy was at full strength in the belief that, as an island, the enemy would come from across the English Channel. The Army went to full conscription to boost its strength; however, the RAF bomber force was using obsolescent aircraft and equipment. With the introduction of the mighty Avro Lancaster and Handley Page Halifax, 1,000 bombers were sent to Germany at night. Aircraft and aircrews suffered increasingly heavy losses against flak and night fighters such as the Bf 100 and Ju 88. Something new and very different was needed as Britain sought a new path to victory. Enter the secret world of RAF 100 Group. Using de-classified material illustrating the partnership between the RAF and USAAF and previously unpublished photographs, this is an evocative and deeply moving account of the birth of electronic warfare against the German Defence Network.



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A History of RAF Drem at War
Malcolm Fife

A comprehensive account of RAF Drem Aerodrome near Edinburgh that participated in the first air battles over Britain at the outbreak of the Second World War

· A wide-ranging account of RAF Drem Aerodrome near Edinburgh that took part in the first air battles against the might of the Luftwaffe
· Superbly illustrated with many photographs never before seen in print
· Appendix with detailed list of all units based at Drem as well as a chronology of all significant events between 1939-1946

A History of RAF Drem at War is a comprehensive history of the Second World War airfield at Drem located near Edinburgh. When war broke out in 1939, among the first targets attacked by the Luftwaffe was the Royal Navy base at Rosyth. Spitfires at Drem were scrambled to protect this vital installation and were engaged in some of the first air battles over Britain. By mid-1940, much of the fighting had gravitated to the south of England. Spitfires and Hurricanes based at Drem would continue to patrol the skies over the Firth of Forth until the end of the war. Night fighter squadrons were also based at Drem, first flying the Blenheim and later the Mosquito. The Fleet Air Arm also had a presence at Drem with a squadron for the training of night fighter pilots. The airfield ended the war on a high note when three Ju 52s arrived with German generals to surrender their forces in Norway. Like many other military airfields, Drem closed shortly after the end of hostilities and the runways were ploughed up and returned to agriculture.


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Boeing B-52 Stratofortress
Warrior Queen of the USAF
Jeannette Remak

The magnificent history of the iconic B-52 Stratofortress bomber that is serving her country after sixty years of service

· An exhaustive study of the B-52’s colourful history, its design programme and operational service, including Vietnam, Desert Storm and Enduring Freedom
· Each variant is studied from the prototype XB-52 to the latest version in active service today
· The Cold War and the nuclear 24-hour alert: what armament does the B-52 carry?
· Beautifully illustrated with many previously unpublished images

The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress began life at the Boeing Aircraft Corporation in 1946 and was the answer that General Curtis LeMay was looking for an intercontinental bomber. The B-52 entered service with the USAF in 1955 and is still in active service. The B-52 had forged a successful career during the Cold War and was on constant alert against a Soviet nuclear threat. The B-52 was bloodied in the Vietnam War of which Operation Linebacker 1 and 2 became one of the monumental programmes in USAF history. Also, the B-52 saw action in the Middle East during Operation Desert Storm and Operation Enduring Freedom. During her operational career, the B-52 has been refined and revised with a number of improvements to her huge airframe and cockpit. Of a total of 744 that were built, eighty-five of the ‘H’ variant remain in service. Her armament capacity is immense and after sixty years of service and many battle scars later, she remains as the Boeing B-52: Warrior Queen of the USAF.


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Gloster Aircraft Since 1917
Derek N. James

Every aircraft that emerged from the Gloster Aircraft Company profiled in stunning detail

· A classic text reissued and updated, and a companion piece to his book Gloster Aircraft Company that was reissued in 2014
· Written by the foremost expert on the company
· Profiles of every type to leave the factory in stunning detail

Although renowned for its series of seaplane racers for the Schneider Trophy contests and fighters such as the Gamecock and Gladiator, the Gloster Aircraft Company ran the gamut of design ingenuity, even though no type was ordered into quantity production in the pre-war period. During the Second World War, Gloster Aircraft Company built 2,500 Hurricanes and 3,300 Typhoons for the parent company Hawker. Gloster Aircraft Company was chosen to produce Britain’s first jet aircraft, the E28/39 or ‘Gloster Whittle’, and followed its success with the ubiquitous Meteor and all-weather, missile-carrying Javelin, of which some 4,000 were built. This updated edition of Gloster Aircraft Since 1917 describes the company’s formation and development in the face of a diminishing need for military aircraft and provides some fascinating insights into the manner in which it struggled to surmount the engineering and financial problems of the four decades of its existence before succumbing to the economic and political pressures of the post-1957 Defence White Paper era. Each chapter covers a specific aeroplane, discussing its construction, development and operational history, and comprehensive appendices give year by year production figures, UK and export sales, air racing successes and record achievements.


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Bloody Paralyser
The Giant Handley Page Bombers of the First World War
Rob Langham

The gripping story of the giant Handley Page bombers of the First World War in the words of their crews

· A forgotten aspect of the First World War: the Handley Page ‘Bloody Paralyser’ that took the fight to Germany
· Forerunners of the Second World War Bomber Command before the Lancasters, Halifaxes, Stirlings and Wellingtons
· Beautifully told in the words of those that flew in them
· Contains a wealth of unpublished material and photographs documenting these mighty bombers

Bloody Paralyser: The Giant Handley Page Bombers of the First World War tells the story of the largest British bomber of the First World War and the men who flew them. In 1915, the biggest plane ever seen in Britain took flight for the first time, a twin-engine monster with a 100-foot wingspan, designed to be a ‘Bloody Paralyser’ to the Germans. Operating mainly at night, the Handley Page bombers attacked German and German-occupied towns and cities, disrupting the enemy’s industry and crippling its war effort. The men that flew in the ‘Bloody Paralysers’ were the forerunners of the crews of Bomber Command in the Second World War and now their story is told in their own words.

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