Last week we unveiled the new series that we’re busy creating for next year, Air Campaign. To end the suspense – and finally complete our Big Reveal for 2017 – here are the four titles that will kick off Air Campaign next autumn.

ACM 001
The Battle of Britain 1940
Doug Dildy

Everyone knows the story of the Battle of Britain. But this book, the first in the series, showcases what we’re doing a little differently in Air Campaign. Rather than focusing on the Few in their Spitfires and Hurricanes, it will explain and analyse the Battle of Britain from the perspective of the Luftwaffe – their strategic aims, capabilities and plans, how they attempted to subdue Fighter Command, and why they failed.

ACM 002
Rabaul 1943–44
Mark Lardas

Rabaul was one of the biggest obstacles on the Allies’ road to Tokyo – a heavily fortified Japanese naval and air base, with a 100,000-strong garrison. The US-led Allies devised an innovative but difficult strategy – instead of capturing Rabaul, the island fortress would be neutralized and bypassed. The Allies would grind down Rabaul’s defences from the air, capturing and building new airfields to bring more air power closer and closer to Rabaul. The strategy saved a costly invasion, and provided an example of what air power can do.

ACM 003
Operation Rolling Thunder 1965–68
Dr Richard P. Hallion

One of the most controversial bombing campaigns in US history, Rolling Thunder was meant to discourage the North Vietnamese from supporting communist guerrillas in South Vietnam and Laos. After three years, the brutal, failing campaign was ignominiously ended. Here, Richard Hallion, a vastly experienced expert on US air power, explains the strategy behind Rolling Thunder, the many reasons why it failed, and the ‘How Not To’ lessons that it taught – which in the 1970s transformed US air power, spurring a new professionalism, new pilot training, and a new generation of far more capable combat aircraft and weapons.

ACM 004
Malta 1940–42
Ryan Noppen

Like the Battle of Britain, this is an air battle that’s usually told from the perspective of the defenders. Here, multilingual aviation analyst and New Vanguard stalwart Ryan Noppen examines the Malta air war from the attackers’ side – how first Italy and then Germany planned and fought their strategic air campaign to knock Malta out of the war and gain supremacy over the Mediterranean.

Some of these you had already guessed, but let us know what you think of our launch line-up!