Books by Thomas Crean

Thirty-three Victories and Counting (The Life and time of Oblt Kurt (Robert Wilhelm) Wolff) Part One by Thomas CreanHere is the life of Kurt Wolff, a World War One German fighter pilot, with 33 enemy aircraft victories to his credit, wearier of Germany's highest award for bravery - the Order 'Pour le Mérite' along with the Iron Cross 1st and 2nd class. The book beings from his birth on 06 Feb 1895, his earlier upbringing, the loss of his Father and mother while at a young age and having to live (along with his two sisters) with this Aunt in Memel, Germany until his enlistment in the German Army Active service in Berlin to become an officer candidate attached to the Eisenbahn-Regiment IV on 07 Mar 1914 at the age of 19.The First World War (Great War) began as of 28 June 1914 and young Kurt Wolff marched off to the Western Front with his railway construction company as a Gefreiter (Corporal) into the war and was later promoted to Officer Cadet on 04 Aug 1914.After requesting and being selected, he began his flight training in Germany and was assigned to F.E.A. 1 located at Nieder-Neuendorf Military Aviation School until he completed/passed his flying tests and then was transferred on 1 Oct 1915 to an Army Flug (Aviation) Park (AFP) to await reassignment to a flying unit.All pilots in the German Air Force, before they got to wear the 'official' flying badge, were required to be a pilot in a bomber squadron to accumulate 40 operational combat missions. He and his observer believed that they had scored two victories over the enemy but as they could not be confirmed they were dis-allowed. He completed this on 5 Mar 1916 and then moved on to more advanced pilot training to become a fighter pilot.On 12 Oct 1916 Ltn. Wolff was assigned to Jagdstaffel (JASTA) 11 ('No. 11 Fighter Squadron') as a fighter pilot which was formed earlier that month at the La Brayelle/Douai airfield and flew a Halberstädter D.II single-seater with a big "W" on the side panels indicating who the pilot was.This book contains lots and lots of photo's, maps from the time as well as a documented gemological information about Kurt Wolff, his family and the pilots he met and flew with all the way up to 1 May 1917, where Book 2 will continue until he his shot down on 15 Sept 1917 and beyond.

In his best-selling book A Catholic Replies to Professor Dawkins, Thomas Crean gave a clear and sophisticated response to the modern atheist phenomenon. In Letters to a Non-Believer he goes beyond the mere existence of God to look in detail at the more distinctively Catholic aspects of Christian belief: Christ's death and Resurrection; questions of evil, suffering and free will; and the need for the Church and the Sacraments.Writing in his usual clear and precise style, Crean makes the rational arguments which underpin Catholic teaching accessible to every reader, marking himself out as a true philosophical heir to great medieval thinkers like St Thomas Aquinas, and the literary heir to modern Christian expositors such as C S Lewis.Fr Thomas Crean is a Dominican friar, a hospital chaplain in Leicester, and a tutor for the Maryvale Institute. In addition to A Catholic Replies to Professor Dawkins (published in the United States as God is no Delusion), he has also written The Mass and the Saints, a commentary on the liturgy.

As Voss followed his intended prey down, firing his twin machine guns as he went, he became suddenly aware of planes behind him. Maybe a sixth sense or experience or even pilots instinct, caused him to spin in his seat, just in time to see the flight of S.E. 5 fighters diving upon him from above. Voss and his triplane broke off their attack on Chidlaw-Roberts' aircraft. He immediately turned and dropped into a perfectly executed half-spin and suddenly Voss found himself surrounded by enemy aircraft. He noticed, through situational awareness, that a flight of Camels were several thousand feet below, so flying in that direction was impossible and a flight of SPADs and Camels were circling high above, ruling out that direction as well. 56 Squadron started out organized and in pairs as they dove upon their prey. McCudden had formulated his trap, upon which he thought there was no escape for the German pilot. McCudden in (B4863), coded "G" and 2/Lt. Rhys Davids in (B525), coded "I" were in the first pair and would attack Voss at roughly the same time. McCudden went right, Rhys Davids went left, 2/Lt. Muspratt in (A8944) coded "H" and Capt. Hoidge in (B506), coded "J" both at the top and bottom of an open mouthed box with his remaining two SE5's (Lt. Cronyn in (A4563), coded and Capt. Maybery in (B1), coded guarding any possible escape from the trawl. From McCudden's perspective, his plan should keep the German from diving to escape the trap, as he would be surrounded by the Sopwith Camels below. If he decided to climb above his trap, he would certainly be pounced upon, by the flight of SPADs and Camels from above.Voss on the other hand, had decided upon some evasive maneuvers of his own concoction. Instead, he decided to fight it out. When the leading S.E.5 pilots depressed their respective triggers together and as the first resounding rattle from their .303 gunfire let loose, Voss did the incredible. He looked over his shoulder, saw them coming and turned in a most disconcertingly quick manner, not a climbing or Immelmann turn Capt. McCudden wrote but a sort of flat half spin. Lt. Cronyn wrote Voss whipped around in an extra ordinary way, using no bank at all but just throwing his tail behind him. Voss expertly utilized the pitching & the acrobatic qualities of his rotary-engine triplane to his full advantage, against the faster but heavier and slower-turning S.E.5s. He accomplished this by kicking in full rudder, adding opposite aileron and adding a little elevator, so as to keep his aircraft level. All of this was completed in the blink of an eye.When Voss recovered from his unorthodox maneuver, he found himself surrounded by the six members of "B" flight and two of the S.E.5's that he had initially attacked him from 60 Squadron. The odds were eight British aircraft against one German Fokker triplane. The growing number of Allied aircraft in the area, tended to seal Voss's avenues of escape.As Voss turned his aircraft to face the approaching danger, he applied a bit more throttle power to his engine, and headed straight at his attackers. Voss was following the 'Dictas of Boelcke' after he had executed his flat, half-spin, which took the Allied flyers completely by surprise. What was even more surprising was that none of the bullets from either S.E.5 found their mark. He flew straight back towards his ambushers firing his twin Spandau machine guns as he came.