Books in the Osprey Aircraft of the Aces S. series

The period covered in this volume was considered to be the 'glory years' for the Jagdwaffe fresh from the experience gained in the Spanish Civil War and for the Bf 109 in particular. Many famous pilots scored their first kills in the classic dogfights staged over Poland, Western Europe, the Channel and finally southern England. Some 40 Knight's Crosses were awarded in 1940 alone. However, after sweeping all before them in support of the Blitzkrieg across continental Europe, the Bf 109E pilots were to suffer badly during the Battle of Britain, the result of poor tactics inflicted upon them by the Luftwaffe High Command, and their mount's less then generous range.

Describes the design and production of the P-51D, and draws on first-hand accounts to chart its combat history in Europe, and to tell the stories of the aces who flew the fighter. This book also includes new colour illustrations and cutaways, as well as contemporary photographs.

The USAAF's premier fighters, the P-47 and P-51, made significant contributions to the victory against Japan from 1943 onwards. In this text, several leading aces are interviewed and there are scale drawings of all variants together with tables listing the units involved.

Focuses on the American air aces who flew the Grumman Wildcat in America's hasty defence against the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy. This book covers the bloody battles at Coral Sea, Midway and Guadalcanal, and examines in detail their tactics and their secrets of survival and success.

The Focke-Wulf FW190 was the Luftwaffe's best piston-engined fighter and on the Russian front they had an abundance of targets, both in the air and on the ground. Many of its pilots passed the 100 victories mark. This book looks at both the plane and the aces who flew it.

Although the primary role of the P-47 was tactical ground support, a number of enemy aircraft were downed by pilots over the battlefields of western Europe. This volume explains the tactics used by crews, includes interviews with Aces and lists all the units involved.

Described as a rugged, dependable workhorse of a fighter, this book examines the US-built Hellcat, which went on to achieve a kill-to-loss ratio of 8 to 1. The Hellcat was the chosen plane of over 250 US Navy aces.

Originally designed as an interceptor, Hawker's mighty Typhoon made a name for itself in the ground attack role. The follow-on Tempest V destroyed 638 V1s and 20 Me 262s in the final year of the war. This volume includes many scale drawings, archival photographs and interviews with leading Aces.

An examination of the experiences of the elite pilots of the AAF's Tenth and Fourteenth Air Forces in the "forgotten" China-Burma-India theatre during World War II. It outlines the exploits of the aces, including biographies and listings. There are 1/72-scale drawings and archival photographs.

The Italians were the junior partners of the Axis alliance in the European war, and produced 102 pilots who qualified as aces. This work outlines the exploits of the aces, including detailed biographies and listings. There are specially commissioned 1/72-scale drawings and archival photographs.

This volume charts the story of the Aces who flew the later types of Messerschmitt fighters through to VE-Day. The detailed text explains the tactics crews used, lists tables of the units involved and lists all the BF Aces. Archival photographs sourced from around the world are included.

Aiming to dispel many myths about air combat on the Eastern Front, this volume describes the aircraft of the Soviet Air Force during World War II and the aces who flew them.

This title charts the history of the P-39 Airacobra which served alongside the P-40 and P-38 in the bitter struggle to capture the Guadal canal in World War II.

The highest scoring aces of any aerial conflict in World War II were the Luftwaffe pilots involved in the bloody combats on the Russian Front. This volume includes all the high-scoring aces, and explains just how difficult a job the Jagdwaffe faced on the Russian Front.

This work looks at the Focke-Wulf 190 and the aces who flew it. Nimble, speedy and well-armed, the FW190 was the scourge of the RAF and USAAF from the moment it appeared over the skies at Abbeville in August 1941.

Japan's top aces doubled the best efforts of the Allies due to pre-war experience in China and Manchuria and their excellent aircraft types from Nakajima and Kawasaki. Described here in detail, the book also features colour uniform plates showing pilots of the period.

Powered by a 2000hp Pratt & Whitney engine, the P-47 Thunderbolt joined the Eighth Air Force in Britain in 1943 to undertake an escort role for the force's B-17 bomber. This book includes interviews with pilots, tables of the units involved, details of variants and archival photography.

In the AIRCRAFT OF THE ACES series, an illustrated aviation history of the Finnish fighter pilots in the Second World War. It includes information on tactics, tables of the units involved and interviews with some of the pilots themselves.

Hurricanes outnumbered Spitfires during the Battle of Britain by three to one, and actually downed more Luftwaffe aircraft than the famous Spitfire. Hurricanes had provided the first RAF aces of the war in France during the Blitzkrieg, and they are described in this volume.

The UK-based 9th Air Force produced nearly 100 aces flying Mustangs, the subject of this book. In fact, it was the RAF which was the first Allied air force to put the Mustang into service, producing seven aces. The book looks back on both the plane and the aces who flew them.

The Japanese naval Air Force pilots achieved ace status during the eight years of near constant war in the Far East. They fought for control of the skies and their exploits are detailed in this volume of the "Aircraft of the Aces" series.

Polish Air Force pilots achieved ace status during the six years of World War II. They fought alongside the Allied forces and their exploits are detailed in this volume.

Although the Spitfire is undoubtedly best known for its exploits against the Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britain, its later war service with Fighter Command on all fronts against the Axis alliance was equally as important. This volume features the exploits of pilots who turned the tide against the Luftwaffe on the Western European and Mediterranean fronts, as well as the Japanese in the Far East, flying Spitfire Mk VIs, VIIs, VIIIs, IXs XIIs and XIVs. Names like Johnnie Johnson, Neville Duke and Donald Kingaby, plus a myriad of lesser known British, Polish, Canadian, American, Australian, Czech, Free French, New Zealand and Norwegian pilots, and their aircraft, are all covered in this book.

Germany's nightfighter force was virtually non-existent at the start of the war, but by 1942 was equiped with some 389 fighters fitted with advanced airbourne radar which helped to destroy hundreds of RAF bombers. This text includes interviews with some of the leading aces.

The RAF's first aces of World War II achieved impressive scores during the Battles of France and Britain, despite the aircraft's short range, light armament and overheating engines. This work examines both the history of these early Spitfires and the aces who flew them.

This volume completes the "Aircraft of the Aces" trilogy on the elite pilots that flew the Spitfire in World War II. The Mk V was the workhorse of the wartime marks, being built in sufficient numbers to serve in the Far East, Australia, North Africa and Russia.

This book focuses on the feats of the American air aces of the Korean War, profiles the leading aces, and examines in detail the specifications and markings of the planes they flew. It also contains rare coverage of the North Korean and Chinese air forces and some of their leading pilots.

Equipped mainly with Messerschmitt's classic BF 109, the JG 27 elite Luftwaffe Unit wreaked havoc against RAF squadrons in the Middle East during the Afrika Korps Campaign. This book describes both the plane and the pilots who flew them.

Far in advance of any Allied planes of the time, the jet-powered "wonder weapons" of the German Jagdwaffe could perform their sorties with impunity. This volume describes the handful of pilots who amassed amazing scores with these revolutionary aircraft in the last year of the war.

Deemed unsuitable for the Channel Front, lend-lease Tomahawks and Kittyhawks instead became the staple fighter of the Desert Air Force in 1941-42, flying with the RAF, South African and Australian squadrons. This title details accounts from flying aces on their flights and their aircraft.