Short Stirling: The First of the RAF Heavy Bombers

• The definitive work on the Short Stirling: the result of a life’s research and dedication
  
  
• Designed by the Short Brothers in 1936, the Short Stirling entered service in 1941, but was superseded by the Halifax and Lancaster later in the war
  
  
• Superbly illustrated with 400 unpublished photographs
  
  
• The last word on the Short Stirling and a labour of love

Short Stirling: The First of the RAF Heavy Bombers is dedicated to the RAF’s first four-engine heavy bomber and is the culmination of an incredible thirty years’ comprehensive research. Illustrated with largely unpublished wartime photographs, it describes the design, construction and factories where Stirlings were produced.

The men and women who built them relate their stories and the aircrews give their personal accounts of operating the Stirling. A chapter is devoted to the training of aircrews and flying the Stirling is described in detail. Not forgotten is the work of RAF ground crews and maintenance units, often working outdoors in sub-zero conditions.

Then there are the civilian men and women who undertook repairs; little adulation was given for the vital work they achieved in rebuilding battle-damaged Stirlings.

The final transport version of the Stirling is featured both in its RAF and post-war civilian role and how it went full circle to become a bomber once more in the hands of the Egyptian Air Force.

[custom_html]The definitive work on this iconic bomber that paved the way for the Handley Page Halifax and Avro Lancaster.[/custom_html] 

[smallDescription]The definitive work on this iconic bomber that paved the way for the Handley Page Halifax and Avro Lancaster.[/smallDescription]



[tabs] [tab title="AUTHOR(S)"]Pino Lombardi was born in Cambridge in 1960. Educated to degree level, he pursued a successful career as a senior mechanical engineer and is also a qualified building surveyor. From an early age, much of his spare time was taken up researching the Short Stirling. Lombardi developed a deep understanding of the subject, finding unexplored avenues to gather material. With an interest in restoring vintage and military vehicles, he holds a private pilot’s licence and is the founder member and chairman of The Stirling Aircraft Project.
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