When Hitler unleashed his V1 and V2 rockets on Great Britain in 1944, it was the first military attack on the British civilian population without invasion. Innocent families were wiped out without mercy and terror gripped the nation. Churchill and the Crossbow Committee knew that widespread panic would soon ensue, because the British public were becoming increasingly anxious about the Nazis superior technology, which was destroying their lives. But through important intelligence from Bomber Command, Naval commandos, the French and Dutch Resistances in Europe, and the precise plotting of V rocket activity in the Filter Room of Fighter Command through air reconnaissance, a Top Secret plan was formed to dive-bomb V rocket installations with Mark IX and Mark XVI Spitfires. Craig Cabell is the writer and historian responsible for bringing Operation Big Ben to world attention. He has studied the original documentation since its release from the National Archive in 2004 and interviewed veterans who took part in the operation, such as Flight Lieutenant Raymond Baxter. Cabell's initial research resulted in many accolades and now resides in the 602 'City of Glasgow' Squadron Museum.But now, for the first time, Cabell has put together the whole story of Operation Big Ben, showing the work of the Crossbow Committee, intelligence Commandos under the orders of Commander Ian Fleming, the French and Dutch Resistances, and the brave men who flew the Spitfires of 124, 229, 303, 453, 602 and 603 squadrons. For the sake of accuracy and attention to detail, this book concentrates on the day-to-day activity of Spitfires during Operation Big Ben and the work of the various strands of British intelligence before and during it. In this book Operation Big Ben is separated from Operation Crossbow, (the anti-V1 operation) to show how the British government stepped up its urgency to counter the V2 threat. Although some of the detail could be considered repetitious in places (many cuts of non-operational flying have been made from the histories of each squadron in order to keep the flow of the book thought-provoking and interesting), the focus is on accuracy. The author has noted that in other publications that touch on Operation Big Ben, specific activity has not been documented correctly. This is because squadron histories haven't been cross-referenced in the past.Each squadron history in this book, mentions the work of other Big Ben squadrons (to report on the filtering of intelligence, escort work for other larger operations, or the details of the weather conditions experienced and the plight of the Dutch people during the harsh winter of 1944-45) to create a fuller and more visual picture of what happened. It is appreciated that aviation historians and enthusiasts alike will analyse this volume for the details of the Spitfires used. In a nutshell, Mark IXF Spitfires started Operation Big Ben. These had elliptical wings to begin with and then progressed to clipped-wing (pin-pointing exact dates has not always been possible). The Mark XVI became the cream of the crop for the most important squadrons (602, 603 and to a lesser degree 303; with 602 being the first to have them, followed by 303), Mark V's were used for training purposes. For dive-bombing purposes, two 250 lb bombs were used under each wing for balance, with a 500 lb bomb under the fuselage.Occasionally just the 500 lb bomb was carried, sometime just the two 250 lb bombs, depending on how far they had to fly inland or the difficulty of the job in-hand (the greater weight the more fuel used). Version 5 roundel was used and Operation Big Ben insignia on either side of the fuselage.

Operation Big Ben was one of the best kept secrets of World War II. Through Squadron histories, log books, official reports, and interviews with the people who flew clipped winged Spitfire to dive-bomb VI and VII rocket sights towards the end of the war, the story is at last fully told. The book includes detailed squadron histories as well as clear details of the strategies employed and missions executed by the Spitfire squadrons that flew. It has firsthand recollections of the men who completed the dive-bombing raids, and the cutting edge technology they used.

"London and southern England has for weeks now been the target of our V1, which is only the first link in a chain of new and strongest German weapons." So wrote the editor of Der Adler, the "house" magazine of the Luftwaffe, in August 1944. The first of the German V-weapons had crashed on English soil two months before in the early hours of June 13, and for the next ten months Britain was subjected to a relentless bombardment from Hitler’s Vergeltungswaffen or "revenge weapons". Beginning with the V1 flying bombs, colloquially dubbed in Britain as "doodlebugs," thousands of which had to be fired from fixed sites in northern France, the V2 rocket had the advantage of being mounted on a mobile trailer so it could be launched from any level piece of ground. The first pair of over a thousand rockets, fired from a street corner in Holland, arrived like a double thunderclap on the evening of September 8. Heralding a new form of warfare in which there was no warning and no defense, nevertheless huge efforts had been made by the Royal Air Force and US?Army Air Forces to blunt the threat of the new supersonic weapon. Based on a formerly classified RAF narrative, this book covers the detailed story, from the very first intelligence reports in 1943, through the various counter-measures carried out, both to mitigate manufacturing and destroy suspected V-weapon construction sites. Day-by-day listings are included covering the locations in Britain where every V1 was either destroyed or where they impacted, plus those for all the V2s. Illustrated with many censored photographs from the period, "then and now" comparisons bring history alive to illustrate the passage of time over the intervening years.

This reference work provides information on all known military operations carried out under United Nations command as part of the Korean War, from June 1950 through 22 July 1954. Following an introductory history of the Korean War and a precise chronology of all Korean War operations, entries are arranged by operation name in five sections: primarily ground operations, primarily air operations, primarily sea operations, specialized operations, and covert and clandestine operations. For each operation, information includes dates, objectives, units involved, place within the greater strategy of the war, and outcome.

While his extravagant and glamorous lifestyle is well known, little has been published concerning Ian Fleming's contribution during the Second World War. In the very early days of the War, Fleming was earmarked by the Director of Naval Intelligence as his 'right hand man'. From the outset he was in the center of events, meeting with key political and military figures as well as those of exceptional intelligence, experience and courage. All this was to give him invaluable background when he came to write the Bond novels. The author has uncovered through official documentation, private papers and contacts the depth of Fleming's work in Naval Intelligence. Fascinating insights of those he worked with and details of covert trips to Europe and North Africa emerge. Fleming was closely associated with 30 Assault Unit, a crack team of Commandos who took the fight to the enemy. The book reveals both the history of 30 AU and Fleming's role.

The Second World War spawned a plethora of crack special forces units (Long Range Desert Group, SAS, SBS, Phantom and Commandos) but 30 Assault Unit remains, even today, far more secretive and exclusive than the others. Formed by Ian Fleming, who was working for Naval Intelligence, 30 AUs mission was to penetrate and operate behind enemy lines, capture by whatever means necessary vital intelligence and feed it back to London where it could be assimilated and acted upon. This crack team of commandos included mavericks such as Patrick Dalzel-Job (generally regarded as the model for Flemings fictional secret agent 007), and less well known (despite their conspicuous bravery) figures such as Captains Huntingdon-Whiteley, Captain Martin-Smith. Lieutenant Commander Curtis and Lieutenant McFee. The author has trawled archives and interviewed veterans in order to piece together the history and record of this elusive special forces unit who fought with great distinction and achieved results disproportionate to their size.