War is a terrible thing but some extraordinary partnerships evolved between human and machine. Here are some tales of derring-do in the air, on the ground and under the seas.
Sigh for a Merlin: testing the Spitfire by Alex Henshaw
Alex Henshaw, after his success in races and record flights in the 1930's asked for something useful to do in 1939, and fairly soon found himself assisting the chief test pilot at the vast Castle Bromwich factory where Spitfires were built for 6 years, and where he and his fellows flew over 37,000 flights in nearly 13,000 aircraft, often in unspeakable conditions. Braille 4v; TB 403738.
Spitfire into war by Sandy Johnstone.
In command of 602 Fighter Squadron during the critical time of the Battle of Britain. Written in diary form, this is his memoir of the day-to-day life of himself and his fellow pilots from September, 1939 until April, 1941; vividly recreating the routine, the excitements and the tragedies in the days when life was lived from hour to hour. Braille 5v.
Spitfire women of World War II by Giles Whittell.
During the Second World War women weren't allowed to fly in combat, but unarmed and without instruments or radios, they delivered planes for the Air Transport Auxiliary to the RAF bases. At the mercy of the weather and any long-range enemy aircraft that pounced on them, dozens of these women died. Braille 7v.
Wing leader: top-scoring Allied fighter pilot of World War Two by Air Vice-Marshal 'Johnnie Johnson'.
The reader is taken on an epic journey through the great aerial fighter actions of the war including the Battle of Britain, sweeps across the Channel and over France, Dieppe and Normandy; and finally, operations across the Rhine and into Germany itself.
Braille 6v.
By tank: D to VE Days by Ken Tout.
Follow the very ordinary young lads of the Northamptonshire Yeomanry through the massive enemy defences on Bourguebus Ridge, to the snows of the Ardennes, the night crossing of the River Rhine, when Sherman tanks were traded in for amphibious Buffaloes, and final roll-call in Zwolle's Grote Kerkl, where they celebrated with liberated Dutch citizens. The author graphically describes the total experience inside the Sherman tank, nicknamed by their enemy the 'Tommy Cooker'. Braille 6v; TB 16777.
Tank men: the human story of tanks at war by Robert Kershaw.
Ex-soldier and military historian Robert Kershaw brings to life the grime, the grease and the fury of a tank battle through the voices of ordinary men and women who lived and fought in those fearsome machines. Braille 10v; TB 16771.
Submarine: an anthology of first-hand accounts of the war under the sea, 1939-1945 edited by Jean Hood.
In this oral history collection, submariners of almost all the participating nations recall their service. There are chapters on how submarines were worked, on life aboard and on the particular perils of the service - depth charges, being rammed, staying submerged for many hours. Braille 11v, TB 16770.