Tempest Books

  

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Hawker Tempest V in RAF Service (WPA 29)

by Chris Thomas

"An often requested subject, we are delighted to launch the Tempest V into the WPA series as one of the best RAF fighters of WW2.

Once again we’re delighted to have Typhoon and Tempest expert Chris Thomas as author for this one. Not only has Chris covered the well known story of the Mk V, he has also managed to uncover some new information and photos which even the most committed Tempest enthusiast will find of interest.

As with all the books in this series, we’ve enhanced the photos to pull out the shadow detail and have added arrows and letters to identify points of interest.

‍This book contains approx 120 original wartime/post-war photos and 6 in-depth colour profiles."

Publisher: WINGLEADER

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Eagles of Destiny: Volume 1: Birth and Growth of the Royal Pakistan Air Force 1947-1956

by Usman Shabbir and Yawar Mazhar

"To say that the Pakistan Air Force has an eventful history would not be an overstatement. From its very inception it was involved in the support of ground troops in Kashmir while trying to stand on its own feet in the immediate aftermath of the partition of British India. Two major wars ensued in which it performed well against the numerically superior Indian Air Force.

The Eagles of Destiny mini-series covers the early years of Royal Pakistan Air Force, initially while still being led by seconded Royal Air Force personnel and operating under a British model, through to being led by Pakistani officers and its transformation into a first-rate tactical force based on the American approach to air operations. The acquisition of assets under British leadership and later via the American Mutual Defence Assistance Program are examined in depth as are the resulting changes in operational concepts. The major wars with India during 1965 and 1971 are also covered in detail, including the intervening period, where an American arms embargo brought in drastic changes and a flare for improvisation.

The Eagles of Destiny mini-series is based on extensive research conducted over more than 20 years, including interviewing a large number of officers, many of whom shaped the events along with access to numerous British, American and Pakistani archives.

Eagles of Destiny Volume 1 tells the story of Pakistan Air Force up to 1956, and is illustrated by dozens of unique photographs, some never published before, along with specially commissioned maps and color artworks."

Publisher: Helion and Company

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Tempest II - An illustrated history of the Tempest Mk. II

by Christopher Thomas

A pictorial book that covers Tempest Mk.IIs in RAF Royal Indian Air Force and Royal Pakistan Air Force. 

NOTE: A book included with Eduard's The Ultimate Tempest 1/48 kit of Tempest Mk.II. Not sold separately.

Publisher: Eduard

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The Hawker Tempest Mk V: - The New Zealanders - (SQUADRONS! Book 50)

by Phil Listemann

"The Hawker Tempest was derived from the Hawker Typhoon. The new design was tested with various engines and eventually the Mk V was the first to enter service making its operational debut in January 1944 with the ADGB. The Tempest participated actively to the V-1 hunt during the summer of 1944, then the Tempest was sent to the Continent to join the 2TAF.
During the war eight fighter squadrons became operational on Tempest including 486 (NZ) Squadron, the first to convert but also the only non-British unit to fly it. The book covers the operational usage of this squadron. Close to 50 photos illustrate the book alongside eight colour profiles and one colour plate."

Publisher: RAF-in-Combat.com

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The Secret Horsepower Race: Western Front Fighter Engine

by Calum E. Douglas

"The piston engines that powered Second World War fighters, the men who designed them, and the secret intelligence work carried out by both Britain and Germany would determine the outcome of the first global air war.

Advanced jet engines may have been in development but every militarily significant air battle was fought by piston-engined fighters. Whoever designed the most powerful piston engines would win air superiority and with it the ability to dictate the course of the war as a whole. This is the never-before-told story of a high-tech race, hidden behind the closed doors of design offices and intelligence agencies, to create the war’s best fighter engine.

Using the fruits of extensive research in archives around the world together with the previously unpublished memoirs of fighter engine designers, author Calum E. Douglas tells the story of a desperate contest between the world’s best engineers – the Secret Horsepower Race."

Publisher: 

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Pierre CLOSTERMANN Journal de sa vie opérationnelle Janvier 1943 - Août 1945

by Georges-Eric Coisne

 

Possible to order from Amazon.fr

 

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Tempest V - An illustrated history of the Temporary Tempest

by Christopher Thomas

A pictorial book that covers Tempest Mk.V service.

NOTE: A book included with Eduard's Royal Class edition kit of Tempest Mk.V in 1/48 scale. Not sold separately.

Publisher: Eduard

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Sydney Camm: Hurricane and Harrier Designer

by John Sweetman

"This Man Saved Britain’ ran a headline in the News Chronicle on 18 February 1941, in a reference to the role of Sydney Camm, designer of the Hawker Hurricane, during the Battle of Britain. Similarly, the Minister of Economic Warfare, Lord Selborne, advised Winston Churchill that to Camm ‘England owed a great deal.

Twenty-five years later, following his death in 1966, obituaries in the Sunday Express and Sunday Times, among other tributes, referred to ‘Hurricane Designer’ or ‘Hurricane Maker’, implying that this machine represented the pinnacle of Camm’s professional achievement. Sir Thomas Sopwith, the respected aircraft designer and Hawker aircraft company founder, believed that Camm deserved much wider recognition, being ‘undoubtedly the greatest designer of fighter aircraft the world has ever known.

Born in 1893, the eldest of twelve children, Camm was raised in a small, terraced house. Despite lacking the advantages of a financially-secure upbringing and formal technical education after leaving school at 14, Camm would go on to become one of the most important people in the story of Britain’s aviation history.

Sydney Camm’s work on the Hurricane was far from the only pinnacle in his remarkable career in aircraft design and engineering – a career that stretched from the biplanes of the 1920s to the jet fighters of the Cold War. Indeed, over fifty years after his death, the revolutionary Hawker Siddeley Harrier in which Camm played such a prominent figure, following ‘a stellar performance in the Falkland Island crisis’, still remains in service with the American armed forces.

It is perhaps unsurprising therefore, as the author reveals in this detailed biography, that Camm would be knighted in his own country, receive formal honours in France and the United States, and be inducted into the International Hall of Fame in San Diego."

Publisher: Pen and Sword Books

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Tempest V vs Fw 190D-9: 1944–45 (Duel) 

by Robert Forsyth

"Arguably two of the finest piston-engined fighters ever built, the Tempest V and Fw 190D-9 raised the bar in terms of aircraft design and operational capability during World War II. The long-nosed 'Dora 9', designed by Kurt Tank, first appeared in the skies over the Western and Eastern Fronts in the late summer of 1944. Fast, and with an exceptional rate of climb, it quickly bettered almost every fighter that the RAF, USAAF and Soviet Red Air Force could field. 
The Hawker Tempest V entered service in early 1944, initially proving itself a stalwart performer when it was deployed to intercept V1 flying bombs over southern England. From the autumn of 1944, the Tempest V also equipped squadrons of the 2nd Tactical Air Force, operating in support of the Allied armies advancing across north-west Europe. It became a potent ground-attack aircraft, armed with underwing rockets, but also a first-class interceptor when pitted against the Luftwaffe's advanced Fw 190D-9 and Me 262.
Featuring full colour artwork, this book describes in fascinating detail combats between the Tempest Vs of No 274 Sqn and the Fw 190D-9s of I. and III./JG 26 between February and April 1945."

Publisher: Osprey Publishing

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Airframe & Miniature No.4: The Hawker Tempest


by Richard A. Franks

 

Updated and expanded - now 160 pages!


In addition to the original content it contains:
  • Extra Eduard 1/48th Mk V Series I & Special Hobby 1/32nd Mk V kit builds by Steve A. Evans. These have been specially commissioned for the book
  • New kit reviews
  • A new stencil diagram
  • An extra 16 pages of content in total
  • Specially commissioned new front cover artwork by Jerry Boucher

 

Publisher: Wings Publishing

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Hawker Typhoon and Tempest: A Formidable Pair

by Philip Birtles

"With technology of the Hurricane being at the end of the biplane combat era, there was an urgent requirement for a modern fighter with a capability ahead of anticipated fighter development for the Luftwaffe. 

Led by Sydney Camm, the Hawker design team created the all-metal stressed skin structure and the Typhoon was powered by the revolutionary Napier Sabre engine. Whereas the Hurricane had been developed in peacetime, the Typhoon was designed during the war, when the urgency of the programme caused the development of both the airframe and engine to be accelerated, resulting in teething troubles not being fully solved when the aircraft entered service with the RAF. 

The much-improved Tempest used the same engine and basic fuselage with thinner lamina flow wings, giving improved performance at high altitude and allowing the destruction of V-1s. Both aircraft made a significant impact on the victory by the Allies during the Second World War, although their low-level ground attack missions were extremely hazardous and resulted in high losses."

Publisher: Fonthill Media

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Tempest Squadrons of the RAF - COMBAT AIRCRAFT 117

by Chris Thomas

"Hawker's charismatic Tempest V entered RAF service just in time to be the most successful counter to the V1 flying bomb assault on southern England in the summer of 1944. With more than 800 of the robot missiles to its credit, Tempest V units then crossed the Channel to lock horns with the best the Luftwaffe had to offer - Fw 190D-9s, Ta 152s, Me 262s and Bf 109G/Ks - achieving an impressive kill/loss ratio in aerial combat.
With incredibly detailed aircraft profiles and exciting combat reports this title covers the full history of Tempest squadrons, from their initial design and combat experience in World War 2 through to their post-war role and the eventual decline of this iconic British fighter.
 

Chapter 1 Development and entry into RAF service
Chapter 2 Battle against the V1 flying bomb
Chapter 3 Service with the 2nd TAF 1944-45
Chapter 4 BAFO and Cold War
Chapter 5 Confrontation in the Middle East
Chapter 6 Service in the Far East (India and Malaya)
Appendices: Listing all font line units equipped with the Tempest, along with their bases and commanding officers, Plate Commentaries"

Publisher: Osprey Publishing


 

Tempest Magazines 

 

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Flypast January 2024

UNIQUE WARBIRD FLIES FROM SYWELL


"In the January 2024 issue of FlyPast, we celebrate the return to flight of a warbird type that has not flown in several decades – the Hawker Tempest. Pete Kynsey lifted off from Sywell in Fighter Aviation Engineering’s Tempest Mk.II MW763 and we reflect on this remarkable achievement with our cover and lead story."

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Aeroplane Magazine April 2023


POWER GAMES

How Hawker’s legendary Typhoon and Tempest could have been Griffon-powered.

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FlyPast December 2022

FLYPAST CLASSICS: HAWKER TEMPEST


The potent Hawker Tempest has perhaps been overshadowed by its older sister, the Hurricane. However, the Tempest was a fine warplane and its pilots gave a good account of themselves in the war’s latter stages, as documented by Thomas McKelvey Cleaver. Our special section is accompanied by exclusive profile artwork from Andy Hay.

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Tempest - Unsung power player

This highly anticipated special from the publishers of FlyPast and Aeroplane magazines celebrates the 80th anniversary of the first flight of the Hawker Tempest, the RAF fighter that became famous in the battle against the V1 'buzz bombs' during the summer of 1944.

Beginning life as the 'Typhoon II' to correct problems in the design of that aircraft, it became the RAF's fastest piston-engine fighter; from its first shoot-down of a V1 in June 1944 to the last victory against the Luftwaffe over Germany 11 months later, Hawker's Tempest demonstrated its superiority against all comers. This brand-new publication celebrates the Tempest, its actions, and its heroic pilots.

 

Publisher: Key Publishing Ltd

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Airfix Model World - February 2022

Advanced Build – Storm Force

Dean Large adds a wealth of aftermarket detail to Revell’s impressive 1/32 Hawker Tempest Mk.V, completing it as a 501 Squadron airframe.

Exclusive Build – Anyone for Tempest?

Airfix’s brand-new 1/72 scale tooling of the Hawker Tempest Mk.V is put under the spotlight by Garry Tobiss.

In Focus – Whipping up a Storm 

Chris Thomas explains the history and operational service of the RAF’s Tempest Mk.Vs and provides modellers with a guide to differences between Series 1 and 2 airframes.

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RC Scale International - 2nd issue

 

Hawker Tempest Mk. V - A stunning warbird! by Davide Furini

 

Publisher: RC Scale International

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SECOND TO NONE - Anniversary Edition 2021

 

Remembering PAF's first fighter "Tempest II" by Franciszek Grabowski

 

Publisher: Second to None

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FlyPast March 2021

 

INSIDE STORIES: Pierre Clostermann

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FlyPast February 2020

 

Restoration in focus – Hawker Tempest (MW763)

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Aeroplane February 2020

Tempest for Cosford

 

"The RAF Museum’s Hawker Tempest II, PR536, was being dismantled at Hendon in mid-December prior to a transfer to the RAF Museum Cosford. The former Indian Air Force fighter — which went on display at Hendon in November 1991 following restoration by The Fighter Collection at Duxford — is expected to move north by the end of January."

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AVIONS 227 - N° SPECIAL CLOSTERMANN

 

The true record of Clostermann, the Hero of the "Great Circus". 

 

With the use of all available archives, including Clostermann's own log books, the author of the "The Big Show" is described on 41 pages with a lot of details, 110 photos (for the most part never published) and 13 original color profiles by illustrator Thierry Dekker.


   
  

 Tempest DVDs

 

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Tempest at War

From the backcover of the DVD:
"On its introduction into RAF service in April 1944, the Hawker Tempest proved to be a truly outstanding fighter/bomber. It was the fastest aircraft in RAF, highly manoeuvrable and packed a real punch.
Equipped with 4 x 20mm cannons, it also carried bombs and rockets, which made it as fierce a ground attack aircraft as a fighter.

From the backcover of the DVD:
"On its introduction into RAF service in April 1944, the Hawker Tempest proved to be a truly outstanding fighter/bomber. It was the fastest aircraft in RAF, highly manoeuvrable and packed a real punch.
Equipped with 4 x 20mm cannons, it also carried bombs and rockets, which made it as fierce a ground attack aircraft as a fighter.

Surviving Tempest pilots and ground crew provide a fascinating insight into what it was like to fly and fight in the Tempest, recalling dogfights with Fw190s and Me262s, shooting down and "wing tipping" V1 Flying Bombs, a highly dangerous occupation, and stalking the skies of a ravaged Nazi Germany looking for targets of opportunity on the ground below.
Expert commentary is provided by Kev Darling, author of many respected books on fighter aircraft."

Running time: 68 mins approx with 7 mins extras.
Colour & B/W
Format: PAL 4x3
Audio: Stereo
Possible to order from DD Home Entertainment