This is a detailed history of Base Air Depot No 2 of the United States 8th Air Force, which operated at Warton, Lancashire, from 1942 to 1946, during which time the base processed, modified or repaired more than 10,000 aircraft. The many photographs are accompanied by lists outlining the aircraft and personnel and their achievements, and, in a lighter vein, reports of visits by personalities such as Bing Crosby and Glenn Miller.

Subtitled: The Worlds Greatest Air Depot. A detailed history of Base Air Depot Number 2 of the US 8th AF who operated at Warton, Lancashire. This base processed, modified or repaired more than ten thousand aircraft from 1942-45. Included here are 235 photographs, plus detailed lists outlining US 8th AF aircraft, personnel and achievements. Sftbd., 7 1/2x 9 1/2, 160 pgs., 235 bandw ill.

In the pantheon of air power spokesmen, Giulio Douhet holds center stage. His writings, more often cited than perhaps actually read, appear as excerpts and aphorisms in the writings of numerous other air power spokesmen, advocates-and critics. Though a highly controversial figure, the very controversy that surrounds him offers to us a testimonial of the value and depth of his work, and the need for airmen today to become familiar with his thought. The progressive development of air power to the point where, today, it is more correct to refer to aerospace power has not outdated the notions of Douhet in the slightest In fact, in many ways, the kinds of technological capabilities that we enjoy as a global air power provider attest to the breadth of his vision. Douhet, together with Hugh “Boom” Trenchard of Great Britain and William “Billy” Mitchell of the United States, is justly recognized as one of the three great spokesmen of the early air power era. This reprint is offered in the spirit of continuing the dialogue that Douhet himself so perceptively began with the first edition of this book, published in 1921. Readers may well find much that they disagree with in this book, but also much that is of enduring value. The vital necessity of Douhet’s central vision-that command of the air is all important in modern warfare-has been proven throughout the history of wars in this century, from the fighting over the Somme to the air war over Kuwait and Iraq.

His combat tour over, a survivor of thirty-four bombing missions as an 8th Air Force bombardier, Charles Norm Stevens wonders what he will do next. He would have his 30-day furlough, but that will pass quickly. What then? Having endured the hell of his bombing missions, he has no desire to sign up for another tour. Even though the Allies are gaining on all fronts, the war still rages, and he is still on active duty in the Army Air Corps. He is a trained bombardier who will continue his military service. But in what capacity? Turning down the option of being an instructor, he volunteers for training as a radar bombardier. But where would this lead him? He sees himself slowly being drawn into the Pacific War as a radar bombardier on a B-29 Superfortress. It is a gamble. Would the war end or would he find himself again in hostile skies? Stevens previously wrote about his cadet and crew training in The Innocent Cadet Becoming a World War II Bombardier and his combat experiences in An Innocent at Polebrook: Memoir of an 8th Air Force Bombardier. This volume completes his military experience.