Fighting Spirit

This book begins with the excitement of the Britannia, New Zealand's first military aircraft, and traces the struggles that culminated in the RNZAF's founding as an independent force in 1937. It covers the development of the air force through World War Two and the Cold War; an increasing range of roles, such as search and rescue; the disbanding of the air combat force; and state-of-the-art technology - along with stringent cutbacks - in the new millennium. New Zealand's air and ground staff have spanned the world, from Antarctica to Afghanistan. Their exploits have ranged from the dropping of a treacletin bomb over Samoa to flying Lancasters in the night skies over Germany, operating Hercules in the Gulf War, and training in reconnaissance with unmanned aerial vehicles today.