Get Free Shipping on orders over $79
Skyhookers : An Illustrated History of Hook-on Aircraft and Their Dirigible Motherships - William Wolf

Skyhookers

An Illustrated History of Hook-on Aircraft and Their Dirigible Motherships

By: William Wolf

Hardcover | 30 November 2025

At a Glance

Hardcover


$71.75

or 4 interest-free payments of $17.94 with

 or 

Ships in 10 to 15 business days

From the First World War's Zeppelins to the Second World War's large bombers, military aircraft were vulnerable to fast, manoeuvrable interceptors. To address this, fighter escorts were used, but their limited range often left bombers exposed. A solution was the use of Composite aircraft, where larger bombers carried smaller, short-range fighters, which could be launched and retrieved as needed. Zeppelins, particularly vulnerable to interceptors, were ideal for this concept. During the First World War, Germany briefly experimented with carrying parasite aircraft, while the British conducted post-war trials using airships like His Majesty's Airship R-23 and R-33, carrying fighters such as the Sopwith Camel and de Havilland DH.53 Humming Bird. However, successful hook-on/retrievals were only achieved with the Humming Bird. The US Navy and Army further developed this concept. In 1918, the Navy launched a Curtiss JN 'Jenny' from a C-1 Blimp, and in 1924, the Army successfully flew a Sperry Messenger from a TC-Class airship. The US perfected the carry/launch/retrieval method for airship defence and scouting, notably with the USS Los Angeles, which carried aircraft on a 'trapeze' device. The Akron and Macon airships, with internal storage for aircraft, further advanced this technique, making them some of the most remarkable aircraft of their time. AUTHOR: Dr William Wolf was a dentist for twenty-two years before retiring at the age of 45 to pursue his aviation interests and outdoor pastimes. Over the past forty-five years he has amassed an archive of over 27,000 books and magazines, 10,000 or more images, and hundreds of reels of microfilm, among other material, on the subject. He is the author of twenty-four books on aerial warfare in the Second World War, including nine on American bombers, two on US fighters, five on American flying units, and three volumes on US aerial armament. 172 b/w ilustrations

More in Military History

Borneo : The Last Campaign - Michael Veitch

RRP $34.99

$27.75

21%
OFF
On My Watch : Leading NATO in a Time of War - Jens Stoltenberg

RRP $39.99

$31.75

21%
OFF
Huey : The Helicopter That Became an Australian Aviation Icon - Mark Lax
Inferno : Australians on the Western Front - Phillip Bradley

RRP $36.99

$29.75

20%
OFF
Midnight : The story of a Light horse - Mark Greenwood

RRP $24.99

$21.75

13%
OFF
Armada : The Spanish Enterprise and England's Deliverance in 1588 - Colin Martin
The Glass Mountain : Escape and Discovery in Wartime Italy - Malcolm Gaskill
The Rape of Nanking : The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II - Iris Chang
Kokoda : Updated Edition - Peter FitzSimons

RRP $39.99

$31.75

21%
OFF
Blitzed : Drugs in Nazi Germany - Norman Ohler

RRP $26.99

$22.99

15%
OFF
44 Days : 75 Squadron and the Fight for Australia - Michael Veitch

RRP $22.99

$20.75

10%
OFF
The Siege : The Remarkable Story of the Greatest SAS Hostage Drama - Ben Macintyre
Start With Why : How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action - Simon Sinek
Crusader Criminals : The Knights Who Went Rogue in the Holy Land - Steve Tibble
The Traitors Circle : THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER - Jonathan Freedland
Guts and Glory : Diggers, Sport and War - Peter Rees

RRP $36.99

$29.75

20%
OFF