Books published by Crecy Publishing

The story of O V Bulleid''s ''Leader'' class is one that simply refuses to lie down, continuing to be a source of debate and controversy. Was this the great innovation that would have taken the steam locomotive to unheard of levels of sophistication and efficiency, or a folie de grandeur on the part of an undoubtedly creative, charismatic yet maverick engineer, which should never have been countenanced or financed by his superiors? Seventy years after the last examples of these ill-fated locomotives were scrapped, the controversy surrounding them still rumbles on and fascination with the project among railway enthusiasts is unabated.Having written previously on the subject, author Kevin Robertson has continued his research into the ''Leader'' class and unearthed much new material from a variety of sources which is presented here for the first time. Whilst not likely to have changed the end result, much new light is shed as to how that decision was arrived at. New sources have been explored that were not available previously and these add greatly to our understanding of how the project was managed, adding flavour and at times even comedy to the events recounted.

Peter Timm''s two previous books on the subject of Swindon works have been combined and rewritten to form the basis for this enlarged work. This is a comprehensive account of the Great Western Railway''s main works in what was, in many ways, its heyday. It is written in a way that should appeal to engineers, social historians, railway enthusiasts and people looking for their Swindon ancestors.The scale is such that it is intended as a work of reference, rather than a straight cover-to-cover read. To that end, each of the twenty-five chapters has been divided into sections and there is a general index. As with most historical research, this study is researched from many varied sources not least from first-hand recollections of the men and women who worked ''inside''. The author also confronts many widely held views and dispels some of the myths. One being that everything that can be written about the GWR has already been written, this book clearly proves otherwise.In piecemeal form, much has been written about Swindon Works but many aspects of it have remained, until now, neglected. Saying that it''s ''complete'' is a bold statement, so perhaps it should be regarded as ''near enough'': that''s what old Swindonians used to say when something turned out right.

This is a gripping account of the ill-fated RAF raid, on 3 May 1944, on the Panzer tank depot and military barracks at Mailly-le-Camp south of Rheims in northern France, part of the softening up process on German military targets, in preparation for the D-Day landings. Raids like this over occupied France were considered relatively low risk affairs and only counted for one third of a mission for the crews concerned. In total, 362 RAF bombers, Lancasters, Mosquitoes and Halifax, from bases in England took part in a raid and although no-one involved anticipated disaster, forty-two Lancasters never returned home. Almost incredibly, those who planned the attack were apparently unaware that four German night fighter bases were located nearby. Luftwaffe fighters wreaked havoc on the bombers as they circled a marker in bright moonlight awaiting the order to attack their targetThis is the story of that battle, bitterly contested and ever-remembered by those who were engaged, one among hundreds that were fought in the skies over Europe between the RAF's bombers and the Luftwaffe's night-fighters in the course of World War Two. It lasted less than sixty minutes but cost two hundred and fifty-five lives.

One of the best guides to this subject was published about ten years ago by professional modeller and layout builder Ian Morton.

On the night of 13/14 October 1939, the German commander of U-boat U-47, Günther Prien, steered past the sunken block ships and chains which inadequately protected the British naval base at Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands. The U-Boat sank the old British World War I battleship HMS Royal Oak and then escaped into the North Sea. The loss of the Royal Oak was insignificant in naval terms though over 800 men perished with her, however this was a bitter blow to British moral. There have been two 'Phantoms' of Scapa Flow. The first was U-47 and how she slipped through the heart of the heavily defended base. The second was the insistence of Prien that he hit two warships that night. The British Admiralty admitted only to the loss of Royal Oak. The second phantom is that unknown ship claimed by Prien.This book investigates both phantoms beginning with a dramatic reconstruction of the German operation. The second part is the result of research in both Britain and Germany including much evidence gathered from surviving eye witnesses on both sides. In a series of appendices the various conflicting facts and opinions are laid before the reader, producing a remarkable picture of the actual events.

This book proved to be an instant success when first published, explaining as it did, in a simple and comprehensible way the complex engineering behind a steam locomotive.

This is a compendium edition of the highly regarded and long out of print Nachtjäger volumes in the acclaimed Classic Colours series on the aircraft, camouflage and markings of the Luftwaffe between 1939-1945. The book focuses on the operations and the aircraft of the Nachtjagd from its origins in the inter-war years, to its formation as an embryonic and innovative force in 1939 and through its desperate and climactic battles against the massed raids of RAF Bomber Command from 1939 onwards. The force evolved from using single-seat Bf 109s to twin-engined Bf 110s and Ju 88s, fitted with technically advanced radar equipment and weapons systems, supported by a sophisticated ground reporting network.It produced many leading night fighter aces such as Wolfgang Falck, Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer, Helmut Lent and Hans-Joachim Jabs. As the war progressed and the strategic situation began to tilt away from Germany's favour so, ironically, the pace of development quickened with the Luftwaffe introducing uprated versions of the Ju 88 as well as new types such as the Do 217 and He 219. In the last, desperate months of the war, even the Me 262 was introduced as a night fighter in limited numbers. Nachtjäger is an important resource for modellers and students of Luftwaffe history, providing a detailed narrative augmented by many photographs and specially commissioned colour profiles.

The Southern Way continues to be the definitive journal for all those interested in the history and heritage of the Southern Railway and the Southern Region of British Railways. Edited by Kevin Robertson, whose many publications on the railways of the south of England are well known to SR enthusiasts, each volume contains a series of authoritative articles on a fascinating range of topics, copiously illustrated with a wealth of photographs.As always four new issues of The Southern Way will be released during 2021

The Southern Way continues to be the definitive journal for all those interested in the history and heritage of the Southern Railway and the Southern Region of British Railways. Edited by Kevin Robertson, whose many publications on the railways of the south of England are well known to SR enthusiasts, each volume contains a series of authoritative articles on a fascinating range of topics, copiously illustrated with a wealth of photographs.As always four new issues of The Southern Way will be released during 2021.

Following the hiatus in railway improvements resulting from the Second World War and its aftermath, the late 1950s saw work start on the Kent Coast Electrification scheme. As well as continuing the programme of main-line electrification started by the Southern Railway in the 1930s, this project represented a number of ''firsts'' - the first to employ main line multiple-units built to BR Mark 1 designs; the first to use a higher line voltage of 750 against the 660 of earlier schemes, and the first to see the complete replacement of steam haulage on freight workings by new electric and diesel locomotives. As with the earlier Southern Railway schemes, the new services brought reduced journey times and greatly increased connectivity, leading to increases in passenger numbers and new housing development as commuters moved further out.Sixty years on, the railways in Kent have arguably undergone more significant change than those elsewhere in the former Southern Region. Aside from timetable changes, new rolling stock, and the upheaval of privatisation, 1994 saw the opening of the Channel Tunnel and the introduction of international services between London, Paris and Brussels. While the Eurostar trains operating these services were based on the French TGV sets, on this side of the Channel they spent their first ten years working over the routes electrified with the third rail three decades earlier. The new century saw construction of a high speed line between St Pancras and the tunnel - the first new main line railway in Britain for over 100 years - cutting international journey times, and opening up a whole new range of domestic journey opportunities throughout the county.This Southern Way Special Issue looks back at the original scheme of 1959-62 and at the various developments since, bringing the story of the ''Southern Electric'' in Kent right up to date.

We are pleased to announce the forthcoming publication of the next issue of The Southern Way, the journal of record for all those interested in the history and heritage of the Southern Railway, its constituent companies and the Southern Region of British Railways. Edited by Kevin Robertson, whose extensive knowledge of all things SR and whose many publications on the railways of the south of England are well known to SR enthusiasts, each volume contains a series of authoritative articles on an always interesting range of topics, copiously illustrated with a wealth of photographs. Four issues of The Southern Way are published annually, usually in January, April, July and October and the regular issues of the journal are supplemented by occasional Southern Way Specials which focus in much greater depth on specific area of SR history, operations or traction.

This is the story of one the Third Reich's most advanced night fighters - the Ta 154. The driving force behind its gestation was Professor Kurt Tank, designer of the Fw 190. He and a small team of designers and engineers combined state-of-the-art technology with elegant aerodynamics to create an innovative and potent warplane. Inspired by the British de Havilland DH 98, in 1943, the German Air Ministry issued a specification for an all-wood, fast attack-bomber to be powered by Jumo 211 engines. Focke-Wulf was awarded the contract and employed inventive construction methods for the wooden assembly, though ultimately, instead of a Schnellbomber, the resulting Ta 154 would emerge as an experimental night fighter, similar to the de Havilland Mosquito in construction, although it was fitted with a nosewheel. The Ta 154 also incorporated ejection seats, advanced avionics and radar.The aircraft first flew in prototype stage in July 1943 and when pitted against the He 219 and Ju 388 proved faster, reaching around 700 km/h. In addition to 23 prototypes, around 50 production machines were built with some pre-production examples also being converted to production standard. Some were assigned to NJG 3 for operational night fighting trials, while plans were made to develop a Fw 190/Ta 154 composite bomber formation destroyer. This is a significantly revised and expanded version of a book originally published in the German language in 2006, an absorbing account of a little known but remarkably sophisticated German World War II aircraft. With the aid of over 350 photographs and illustrations, the author dispels myths associated with the construction methods of the Ta 154 and reveals new and intriguing facts about this fascinating aircraft.

In 1963, Eugen Sänger, became head of the Eurospace organisation which promoted the 'AeroSpace Transporter'. In response to a Eurospace call, aircraft makers in France, Germany and UK designed recoverable, winged spacecraft. From 1964 to 1970 the French government led studies to evaluate the feasibility of the concept.Those studies, under the leadership of the French Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES), coalesced into the Hermes spaceplane which was then adopted by the European Space Agency. In parallel, Germany and UK proposed fully recoverable designs while other countries, including Japan, India and Russia came to CNES to share ideas about spaceplane design. Unfortunately Hermes was never launched and by 1994 was abandoned after many alternative propositions were discussed.This book relates the story of these remarkable concepts, crossovers between aircraft and spacecraft beginning with the 'antipodal bomber' of 1944 and continuing to Aerospatiale STS-2000 project through the Transporteur Aero-Spatial, VERAS, AW Pyramid, Bumerang, Sänger II, HOTOL, Hermes, and Taranis. Non-European projects like Dyna-Soar, Hyperplane, HOPE, and MAKS are also be covered. It provides a fascinating and detailed account of these projects which, being half-way between aircraft and spacecraft, have hitherto often been therefore often neglected by aviation writers and historians

First published in the 1970s, Military Aircraft Markings has become an indispensable annual publication for aircraft enthusiasts, historians and students of military aviation.At the heart of Military Aircraft Markings is the most complete listing of all the aircraft of the UK Armed Forces; the Royal Air Force, Royal Navy, Army and associated units. For each entry the military serial, aircraft type, unit/operator and usual base is given. Further listings cover Ireland's military aircraft and historic aircraft in military markings. Other sections of Military Aircraft Markings include American military aircraft based in Europe, overseas military aircraft which may be seen in the UK, unit markings and a unit serial number/letter de-code. In addition, the book provides a comprehensive listing of visiting aircraft from overseas air forces that may be seen during the air display season, together with a new full colour photo section.Also included are details of the UK's main military air bases, a maintenance unit cross-reference and detailed RAF Squadron markings. Military Aircraft Markings 2021 has been fully revised and updated by one of Britain's leading authorities on military aviation. This is the must-have companion for all those interested in military aviation.

Civil Aircraft Markings is the long-established and best-selling civil aviation book in the world.At the core of CAM is the most complete listing available of all aircraft currently on the UK Register of Civil Aircraft - around 20,000 individual aircraft are detailed in this section alone, from historic biplanes to modern airliners, as well as everything in between - including microlights, helicopters, light aircraft, balloons and gliders. For each aircraft listed the registration marks, exact aircraft make and model, and the owner or operator is given, together with space for user notes.In addition, CAM lists other civil aircraft commonly visiting the UK from overseas, which may be seen at British airports, and the latest civil aircraft registers of Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. Furthermore, CAM also lists the common Airline Flight Codes, radio frequencies for major UK civilian airfields and the complete British Aircraft Preservation Council (BAPC) register.Fully revised and updated by one of the UK''s most widely respected aviation authors, CAM 2021 has become an aviation ''Wisden'', an indispensable annual publication with a place on the bookshelves of any civil aviation professional, enthusiast and historian.

After the Allies invaded in 1943, there were two Italian governments, one backing the Allies, the other a puppet supporting the Germans. This led to a secret war that was vital to supporting the Allies'' conventional forces.

Starting in 1902 with three 0-8-0s for the Great Central Railway, J G Robinson''s heavy freight locomotive fleet grew rapidly as part of General Manager Sam Fay''s strategy to rescue the company from financial difficulties.

More so than even the sea, the world of aviation has spawned an amazing store of tales of ghosts, the supernatural and inexplicable events, ghostly bombers and phantom aircrew on long-deserted airfields, prophetic warnings from beyond the grave, restless spirits apparently drawn back to places from which they flew.

A prolific sub-contractor building airframes during the First World War, Boulton & Paul entered the field of design and manufacture in 1917 with the formation of an Aeronautical and Research Division under John Dudley North.

This book examines in detail one aspect of the aircraft's history which is not that well known, the fact that DC-3s and their military equivalents and derivatives have been in continuous service in that geographically diverse region of the world known as Latin America for more than 75 years, longer than anywhere else in the world.

Whilst much has been published on BR locomotives and passenger stock, accurate and detailed coverage of the large inventory of vehicles used to convey the huge volumes of goods traffic carried by the railways at that time.