Böcker i Aircraft of the Aces-serien

The Japanese High Command realised that the loss of Okinawa would give the Americans a base for the invasion of Japan. In the air battles leading up to the invasion of Okinawa, the Japanese lost more than 7000 aircraft. In the course of the fighting, 67 Navy, 21 Marine, and three USAAF pilots became aces.

Jagdgeschwader 3 may not have the same immediate resonance as some of the more famous Luftwaffe fighter units, such Jagdgeschwader 2 'Richthofen', but it is arguably the archetypal German fighter formation of World War 2. This title deals with this war.

Dubbed the 'Eagles of Duxford', the 78th Fighter Group (FG) was unique in being the only fighter unit in the 'Mighty Eighth' to fly the P-38 Lightning, P-47 Thunderbolt and P-51 Mustang operationally. This title charts the group's highs and lows during its two years in action from Duxford, focusing on the exploits of the 51 pilots.

By the end of 1941, the Soviet Union was near collapse and its air force almost annihilated, leaving large numbers of surviving pilots with no aircraft to fly. After the United States entered the war, the Americans extended and sent almost 10,000 fighters to the Soviets. This book is a story of these aircrafts.

The siege of Malta during World War II is one of the great epics of aerial warfare. Described in 1942 as both a 'fighter pilot's paradise' and 'the most bombed place on earth', Malta suffered 154 consecutive days and nights of bombing, 100 nights more that London suffered during the Blitz. The destruction of Axis convoys by Malta-based aircraft proved to be one of the decisive factors in the defeat of Rommel's forces in North Africa. This vital position would have been lost if it had not been for the successful defence of the island by a handful of greatly outnumbered Royal Air Force fighter squadrons. This book details the heroic story of the Spitfire Aces based on Malta. Drawn from an international team of Australians, British, Canadians, New Zealanders, Rhodesians and South Africans these pilots fought against extreme deprivation, physical hardships and overwhelming odds in one of the most crucial and decisive air battles of World War II.

The Soviet Union began assisting the People's Republic of China in its establishment of a modern air force in 1950, when Soviet Air Force regiments were sent to train local pilots. China's involvement in the Korean War in late October 1950 inevitably drew Soviet pilots into the war. A total of 52 Soviet pilots scored five or more victories in the Korean War. The history of these covert actions has been a long-buried secret and this book will be the first English publication to detail the only instance when the Cold War between Russia and the US became "hot." This book uncovers Soviet combat experiences during the Korean War from detailed unit histories and rare first-hand accounts. With access to extensive Russian archives, the authors offer an enthralling insight into an air war that has been largely covered up and neglected, illustrated with previously unpublished photographs and detailed full-color profiles.

The Spitfire XII and XIV squadrons were moved to south-eastern England in mid-1944 to counter the V1 flying bomb offensive, when Spitfire XIV pilots pioneered the technique of tipping the V1 over with the aircraft's wingtip to disorientate the bomb. This volume describes the Griffon Spitfire Aces.

The 4-year long Eastern Front campaign fought between Germany and the Soviet Union produced the greatest number of aces, and also the highest individual and unit scores ever recorded. This book covers the Luftwaffe fighter pilots credited with scores of between 50 and 100, and provides first-hand accounts from the combat veterans themselves.

In 1942 the Eagle Squadrons were transferred to the Eighth Air Force and further fighter squadrons were formed which all flew Spitfires. In just two years of service with the USAAF, 22 pilots claimed five or more victories flying the Spitfire. This title helps you to discover the experiences of a variety of American aces in their own words.

Nicknamed 'Biff' by the pilots, the Bristol F2 Fighter enjoyed extraordinary over the Western Front in the final 18 months of the war. This book charts the development of the plane from its unpromising beginnings, to the revised model operating with a new kind of tactics.

The Royal Aircraft Factory SE 5/5a was, along with the Sopwith Camel, the major British fighting scout of the last 18 months of the war in France. This unit became famous for the number of aces it had among its pilots. This title profiles most of these SE 5/5a aces.

The Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy served with distinction in World War II. Featuring first hand accounts, combat reports, photographs and colour plates depicting the range of profiles and symbolic markings that were used, this book details the history and combat experiences of these pilots who served with such distinction for the Allied cause.

The 51st Fighter Wing initially flew the F-80C in the Korean War, but in 1951, the 51st brought in high-scoring World War 2 ace Colonel Francis Gabreski to assume command when it converted from the F-80 over to the newly arrived F-86E. His recruits included his elite 4th Wing pilots, and by the end of the war, the 51st had two pilots who achieved the status of "Double Ace" as well as the highest scoring ace of the war, Joe McConnell. This book describes the 51st Wing''s tenure with the Sabre that led to their high scoring sprees of 1953.

The 4th Fighter Wing got the call for combat in Korea. They were made up of a combination of new pilots right out of jet training and the older combat veterans of World War II vintage. This book details these pilots and the planes they flew.

At the start of the Spanish Civil War, most young fighter pilot officers joined the rebels, while the high ranking officers, grupo or escuadrilla commanders, and the NCOs, sergeants and corporals remained loyal to the government. This volume details the exploits of those pilots.

The Fokker Eindeckers were the world's first true fighter aircraft. This volume charts the history of the Early German Aces in World War I, from development of the Fokker Eindeker and its early successes in late 1915 and early 1916, to the decline of the Fokker's superiority and the resurgence of Allied fighter aviation.

Designed in a rush at the end of 1917 just in time to take part in the German standard fighter competition held in January/February 1918, the D VII walked away with first prize. This work outlines the exploits of the German aces that fought in the aerial battles in the final years of the Great War.

The Sopwith Triplane, an iconic symbol of early 20th century airwar, was one of the most manoeuvrable and versatile aircraft of its era. This book examines the Sopwith Triplane's history from the perspective of the aces that flew it.

The remarkable tale of how, flying outmoded and outclassed machines, P-40 pilots managed to hold their own against technically superior and battle-seasoned German pilots during World War II.

Tethered balloons reached their zenith as a means of providing a stationary observation platform above the battlefield during World War I. It took a special breed of daredevil to take on such odds deep in enemy lines in order to destroy a balloon, with Balloon specialists such as Willy Coppens, Pierre Bourjade and Michel Coiffard rising to the challenge. This book covers the story of these 'balloon busters' from both sides in World War 1 through a mix of first-hand accounts and expert analysis, which compares tactics, theatres of operation, aircraft types and the overall odds for success.

Entering service at the end of the Battle of Britain, the pugnacious Bristol Beaufighter was deployed in numbers by Fighter Command just in time for the start of the Luftwaffe's night 'Blitz' on Britain. Flown by specialised nightfighter squadrons - several of them elite pre-war Auxiliary Air Force units - it was the first nightfighter to be equipped with an airborne radar as standard. Thus equipped, it combined the ability to 'see' the enemy at night with the devastating hitting power of four cannon and six machine guns. This book covers the exploits of the men who made ace in the Beaufighter and includes stunning original artwork together with first hand accounts of the action.

This work explains how Israel developed a Phantom force that could prevail in battle even when outnumbered. It describes the exploits of the pilot on whom Israel's faith in the F-4 was founded.

Israeli delta fighter pilots have been credited with almost 300 kills between 1966 and 1974, and dozens of them became aces. This text presents rare first-hand accounts from a number of the aces, plus material from combat reports written at the time which have remained classified over 30 years.

Featuring illustrations depicting P-38 models from the E to the H-5 previously not known to the general public, unpublished photographs and new data, this volume presents an account of some of these lesser known aces.