Books in the Osprey Aircraft of the Aces S. series

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.

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.

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.

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.