Aviation history
The
Airships
The story of the largest and most romantic aircraft ever
conceived – from the flight of the first Zeppelin in 1900
to the Hindenburg disaster of 1937 and beyond – and its role
in intercontinental air travel, exploration and warfare.
Douglas Bader
Loved and loathed, Bader became a national hero after losing his legs in an air crash only to rejoin the RAF and become the most famous of ‘the few’ in the Battle of Britain.
- The Battle of Britain:
A beginner's guide
Sources of information that you can use to find out more about – and get some idea of the experience of – the battle won by ‘the Few’. - Battle Stations I
Ten machines – including the Spitfire, Lancaster, C-47 Skytrain, Messerschmitt, Mustang and V-1 and V-2 – that show how crucial technological innovation was in World War II. - Battle Stations II
Thirteen machines and structures that helped the world's superpowers achieve mastery of the battlefield – including Pacific aircraft carriers, Catalina flying boat, MiG-15, Huey, Blackbird, Stratofortress, Lightning, Corsair, Black Hawk. - Battle Stations III
Four US aircraft that won the day on the battlefield: Nighthawk Stealth, Eagle, Flying Fortress, Hornet. - Blitz:
Bombing and total war
An examination of the influence that aerial bombing campaigns have had on the conduct and aims of modern warfare – from World War II to 'shock and awe' in Iraq. - Blitz: The diary of an air raid
29/30 December 1941: when German bombers launched on London their most devastating attack yet. Accompanied by computer reconstructions. - Britain’s
Cold War Super Weapons
How Britain's entries in the Cold War arms race - nuclear bombs, jet aircraft and ballistic missiles - ultimately failed to fulfil their initial promise to turn the tide of history. - Classic
Weapons of World War II
Database cataloguing nearly 100 machines and tools of war, including an ‘Aircraft’ section comprising fighters and bombers. - The Dambusters
An extract from the book by military historian John Sweetman about the raid against German dams with 'bouncing bombs'. - Dogfight: The mystery of the
Red Baron – interviews
Interviews with historians Philip Sabin and Norman Franks and with the Red Baron's nephew Baron Hermann von Richthofen. - Douglas Bader
Loved and loathed, Bader became a national hero after losing his legs in an air crash only to rejoin the RAF and become the most famous of ‘the few’ in the Battle of Britain. - Howard Hughes: A
chronology
Extraordinary life of the dashing American tycoon, pioneer aviator and film producer, which also charts his descent into madness, squalor and death. - Rocket
Science Timeline
An interactive timeline from 400 BC to the present, covering all the milestones in the development of rockets. - Space disasters and near misses
A chronology of the disasters (and some near misses) of the space programmes of the US and Soviet Union, plus those of such relative newcomers as the European Space Agency, China and Brazil. - Speed Machines
Stories of eight battles to design and build the fastest car, ship, plane, boat and train. - Spitfire Ace
In this extract from their book, Martin Davidson and James Taylor explain why the Spitfire achieved legendary status during World War II and has maintained it ever since.
