Jackson, Robert 1941-

PERSONAL:

Born December 29, 1941.

CAREER:

Writer. Military service: British Royal Air Force, squadron leader.

WRITINGS:

NONFICTION

A Taste of Freedom: Stories of the German and Italian Prisoners Who Escaped from Camps in Britain during World War II, A. Barker (London, England), 1964.

The Crime Doctors, Ebenezer Baylis (London, England), 1966.

The Israeli Air Force Story: The Struggle for Middle East Aircraft Supremacy since 1948, Tom Stacey (London, England), 1970.

The Red Falcons: The Soviet Air Force in Action, 1919-1969, Clifton Books (Brighton, England), 1970.

Strike from the Sea: A Survey of British Naval Air Operations, 1900-69, Barker (London, England), 1970.

Airships in Peace and War, Cassell (London, England), 1971.

The Dragonflies: The Story of Helicopters and Autogiros, Barker (London, England), 1971.

At War with the Bolsheviks: The Allied Intervention into Russia, 1917-20, Tom Stacey (London, England), 1972.

Before the Storm: The Story of Royal Air Force Bomber Command, 1939-42, Barker (London, England), 1972.

Air War over Korea, Scribner (New York, NY), 1973.

Airships: A Popular History of Dirigibles, Zeppelins, Blimps, and Other Lighter-Than-Air Craft, Doubleday (Garden City, NY), 1973.

(Compiler) When Freedom Calls: Great Escapes of the Second World War (anthology), Barker (London, England), 1973.

Air War over France, May-June 1940, Ian Allan (London, England), 1974.

Storm from the Skies: The Strategic Bombing Offensive, 1943-1945, Barker (London, England), 1974.

The Fall of France: May-June 1940, Barker (London, England), 1975.

(With John Frayn Turner) Destination Berchtesgaden: The Story of the United States Seventh Army in World War II, I. Ian Allan (London, England), 1975.

Aerial Combat: The World's Great Air Battles, Weidenfeld & Nicolson (London, England), 1976.

Dunkirk: The British Evacuation, 1940, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1976.

Fighter Pilots of World War II, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1976.

Heroines of World War II, A. Barker (London, England), 1976.

Hubschrauber, Flugschrauber, Tragschrauber: D. Geschichte D. Drehflugler, Motorbuch-Verlag (Stuttgart, Germany), 1976.

Fighter Pilots of World War I, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1977.

Air Heroes of World War II: Sixteen Stories of Heroism in the Air, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1978.

World Military Aircraft since 1945, Scribner (New York, NY), 1979.

Bomber! Famous Bomber Missions of World War II, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1980.

Fighter! The Story of Air Combat, 1936-45, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1980.

The Jet Age: True Tales of the Air since 1945, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1980.

V-bombers, Ian Allan (London, England), 1981.

Hawker Hunter, Ian Allan (London, England), 1982.

Douglas Bader: A Biography, Barker (London, England), 1983.

The Secret Squadrons, Robson Books (London, England), 1983.

Avro Vulcan, Patrick Stephens (Cambridge, England), 1984.

Dark Age Britain: What to See and Where, Patrick Stephens (Cambridge, England), 1984.

The Sky Their Frontier: The Story of the World's Pioneer Airlines and Routes, 1920-40, Arco (New York, NY), 1984.

The RAF in Action: From Flanders to the Falklands, Blandford Press (Poole, Dorset, England), 1985.

Combat Aircraft Prototypes since 1945, Arco/Prentice Hall Press (New York, NY), 1986.

Flying Modern Jet Fighters, Patrick Stephens (Wellingborough, England), 1986.

Strike Force: The USAF in Britain since 1948, Robson Books (London, England), 1986.

NATO Air Power, Presidio Press (Novato, CA), 1987.

The Berlin Airlift, Patrick Stephens (Wellingborough, England), 1988.

The Hawker Hurricane, Blandford Press (New York, NY), 1988.

Aces' Twilight: The Air War in the West, 1918, Sphere (London, England), 1988.

Attack at Night, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1989.

Canberra, the Operational Record, Smithsonian Institution Press (Washington, DC), 1989.

The Prisoners, 1914-18, Routledge (New York, NY), 1989.

Sea Harrier and AV-8B, Blandford (London, England), 1989.

Hawker Hunter: The Operational Record, Smithsonian Institution Press (Washington, DC), 1990.

London Blitz, Museum of London (London, England), 1990.

Air Force: The RAF in the 1990s, Airlife Publishing (London, England), 1990.

The Forgotten Aces, Sphere Books (London, England), 1990.

Mysteries of World War Two, Apple Press (London, England), 1991.

Unexplained Mysteries of World War II, Popular Culture (London, England), 1991.

Mysteries of Witchcraft and the Occult, Greenwich Editions (London, England), 1991.

The Malayan Emergency: The Commonwealth's Wars, 1948-1966, Routledge (New York, NY), 1991.

True Crimes, Smithmark (New York, NY), 1992.

Ghosts, Smithmark (New York, NY), 1992.

Great Mysteries: UFOs, Shooting Star Press (New York, NY), 1992.

UFOs: The Sighting of Alien People and Spacecraft from the Earliest Centuries to the Present Day, Smithmark (New York, NY), 1992.

High-Tech Warfare: Air, Land & Sea, Sterling Publishing (New York, NY), 1992.

The Guinness Book of Air Warfare, Guinness World Records (New York, NY), 1993.

Mustang: The Operational Record, Smithsonian Institution Press (Washington, DC), 1993.

Arnhem, Crowood Press (Ramsbury, England), 1994.

Churchill's Moat: The Channel War, 1939-1945, Airlife (Shrewsbury, England), 1995.

F-86 Sabre: The Operational Record, Smithsonian Institution Press (Washington, DC), 1995.

Spitfire: The Combat History, Motorbooks International (Osceola, WI), 1995.

UFOs (Library of the Unexplained), Shooting Star Press (New York, NY), 1996.

The Alchemists, Weidenfeld & Nicolson (London, England), 1997.

The Royal Navy in World War II, Naval Institute Press (Annapolis, MD), 1997.

Air War Korea, 1950-1953, Motorbooks International (Osceola, WI), 1998.

High Cold War: Strategic Air Reconnaissance and the Electronic Intelligence War, Patrick Stephens (Sparkford, Somerset, England), 1998.

Air War Flanders, 1918, Airlife Publishing (London, England), 1998.

Nuclear Alert: Britain's Airborne Nuclear Deterrent, Ian Allan (London, England), 1999.

The Little Book of Secret Codes, Buster Books (London, England), 1999.

History of the Royal Navy, Parragon Publishing (Bath, England), 1999.

Submarines of the World, Friedman/Fairfax (London, England), 2000.

The World War II Warship Guide, Silverdale Books (London, England), 2000.

United States Air Force in Britain: Its Aircraft, Bases and Strategy since 1948, Airlife (Shrewsbury, England), 2000.

V-Force: Britain's Airborne Nuclear Deterrent, Ian Allan (Shepperton, England), 2000.

The World's Great Battleships: From the Middle Ages to the Present, Thunder Bay Press (San Diego, CA), 2000.

Destroyers, Frigates and Corvettes, Grange Books (London, England), 2001.

Civil Aircraft: 300 of the World's Greatest Civil Aircraft, Grange Books (London, England), 2001.

The B-17 Flying Fortress, MBI Publishing (Osceola, WI), 2001.

Before the Storm: The Story of Bomber Command 1939-42, Cassell (London, England), 2001.

(Editor and contributor) Kriegsmarine: The Illustrated History of the German Navy in WWII, MBI Publishing (Osceola, WI), 2001.

Secret Codes, Running Press (Philadelphia, PA), 2002.

Liners, Tankers, Merchant Ships: 300 of the World's Greatest Commercial Vessels, Amber Books (Phoenix, AZ), 2002.

Action Books: Secret Codes: Create and Send Your Own Hidden Messages and Cryptic Communications, Running Press Kids (Philadelphia, PA), 2002.

The Encyclopedia of Military Aircraft, Parragon Publishing (Bath, England), 2002.

Bismarck, Spellmount Publishers (London, England), 2002.

Modern Military Aircraft: Development, Weaponry, Specifications, Bookmart (Wigston, England), 2003.

De Havilland Mosquito, Crowood Press (Ramsbury, England), 2003.

Aircraft of WWII, Bookmart (Wigston, England), 2003.

Encyclopedia of Military Jets, Silverdale Books (London, England), 2003.

Commanders and Heroes of WWII, Airlife Publishing (Wiltshire, England), 2003.

Military Jets: Design and Development: 1945 to the Present Day, Thunder Bay Press (Berkeley, CA), 2003.

A6M Zero, Airlife Publishing (Wiltshire, England), 2003.

Air Aces of World War II, Airlife (Wiltshire, England), 2003.

Ju 87 Stuka, Airlife Publishing (Wiltshire, England), 2004.

(General editor) The Encyclopedia of Aircraft: Over 3,000 Military and Civil Aircraft from the Wright Flyer to the Stealth Bomber, Thunder Bay Press (San Diego, CA), 2004.

(General editor) Helicopters: Military, Civilian, and Rescue Rotorcraft, Thunder Bay Press (San Diego, CA), 2005.

Aircraft Spotter's Guide: Vintage Warbirds to Modern Airliners, Thunder Bay Press (San Diego, CA), 2005.

Hit & Run: Daring Air Attacks in World War II, Pen & Sword Aviation (Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England), 2005.

Infamous Aircraft: Dangerous Designs and Their Vices, Pen & Sword Aviation (Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England), 2005.

(General editor) The Encyclopedia of Warships: From World War II to the Present Day, Thunder Bay Press (San Diego, CA), 2006.

Men of Power: The Lives of Rolls-Royce Test Pilots Harvey and Jim Heyworth, Pen & Sword Aviation (Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England), 2006.

Baling Out, Pen & Sword Aviation (Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England), 2006.

Army Wings, Pen & Sword Aviation (Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England), 2006.

Battle of the Baltic: The Wars, 1918-1945, Pen & Sword Maritime (Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England), 2007.

Britain's Greatest Aircraft, Pen & Sword Aviation (Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England), 2007.

Through the Eyes of the World's Fighter Aces: The Greatest Fighter Pilot's of World War Two, Pen & Sword Aviation (Barnsley, England), 2007.

Sea Warfare: From World War I to the Present Day, Thunder Bay Press (San Diego, CA), 2008.

NOVELS

Thirty Seconds at Quetta: The Story of an Earthquake, Evans Brothers (London, England), 1960.

Suez, 1956: Operation Musketeer, Ian Allan (London, England), 1980.

Battle of Britain: A Novel of 1940, Weidenfeld & Nicolson (London, England), 1990.

Wind of Death, Weidenfeld & Nicolson (London, England), 1991.

The Romanov Mission, Weidenfeld & Nicolson (London, England), 1991.

Target Rommel, Weidenfeld & Nicolson (London, England), 1991.

The Last Secret, Weidenfeld & Nicolson (London, England), 1992.

Flames over Norway, Severn House (Sutton, Surrey, England), 1996.

Suez: The Forgotten Invasion, Airlife (Shrewsbury, England), 1996.

Flames over France, Severn House (Sutton, Surrey, England), 1997.

"YEOMAN" SERIES

Target Tobruk: Yeoman in the Western Desert, A. Barker (London, England), 1979.

Malta Victory: Yeoman on the George Cross Island, A. Barker (London, England), 1980.

Mosquito Squadron: Yeoman in the Battle over Germany, Corgi Children's Books (London, England), 1981.

Last Battle: Yeoman and the Defeat of the Third Reich, Corgi Children's Books (London, England), 1982.

Operation Firedog: Yeoman in Guerrilla Warfare, A. Barker (London, England), 1982.

Tempest Squadron: Yeoman in the Battle of the Ardennes, Corgi Children's Books (London, England), 1983.

Operation Diver: Yeoman on Special Missions, Corgi Children's Books (London, England), 1983.

Hurricane Squadron: Yeoman Goes to War, Walker (New York, NY), 1984.

Squadron Scramble: Yeoman in the Battle of Britain, Walker (New York, NY), 1985.

"SECRET SQUADRON" SERIES

The Intruders, Ulverscroft (London, England), 1997.

Fortress England, Ulverscroft (London, England), 1998.

Desert Combat, Ulverscroft (London, England), 1998.

The Rising Sun, Ulverscroft (London, England), 1999.

SIDELIGHTS:

Robert Jackson is a nonfiction and fiction writer who specializes in military and aviation history. Overall, Jackson has written more than eighty books. In Infamous Aircraft: Dangerous Designs and Their Vices, the author looks at airplanes from World War I that garnered a reputation for being difficult and dangerous to fly, such as the B-26 bomber, which was nicknamed the "Widow Maker." Another book by Jackson, Men of Power: The Lives of Rolls-Royce Test Pilots Harvey and Jim Heyworth, tells the story of the two noted British pilots who began testing jet airplanes during World War II.

In Army Wings, the author writes of the British army's fixed-wing cooperation units in World War I. These units served primarily as types of scouts that flew into enemy territory at low altitudes to help guide artillery gunners onto their targets. A contributor to Soldier magazine noted that the author tells the story "in engrossing detail." Baling Out explores the many instances in battle in which pilots and crews have had to bail out of their damaged airplanes. The author includes a look at the first pilots to use parachutes in World War I and also writes of amazing escapes from peacetime crashes.

Jackson delves into the battle to control the Baltic Sea during World War II in his book Battle of the Baltic: The Wars, 1918-1945. Naval encounters began in 1939 and continued throughout the war until 1945. Britain's Greatest Aircraft looks at Great Britain's contributions to airplane design and technology. In it Jackson describes the design history, development, and operational careers of twenty-two legendary British military and civil airplanes. With his book Through the Eyes of the World's Fighter Aces: The Greatest Fighter Pilot's of World War Two, Jackson details the heroics of many of the fighter aces who flew throughout the war in many different operational theatres. Jackson is also the editor of several books concerning military topics, including Kriegsmarine: The Illustrated History of the German Navy in WWII, which details through numerous pictures and text the rebuilding of the German Navy after the devastating defeat of World War I. Jennifer M. Price, writing in Sea Power Magazine, noted that in the first chapter Jackson provides a history of the men who created the Kriegsmarine, a small force that, according to Price, "came close to bringing Britain to its knees in World War II."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Sea Power Magazine, May, 2002, Jennifer M. Price, review of Kriegsmarine: The Illustrated History of the German Navy in WWII.

Soldier (Aldershot, Hampshire, England), July, 2002, "Army's Unsung Heroes," review of Army Wings.

ONLINE

Fantastic Fiction Web site,http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/ (May 17, 2008), overview of books by author.

Pen & Sword Books Web site,http://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/ (May 2, 2008), overview of books by author and published by Pen & Sword.