Böcker av Tony Holmes

An illustrated study of the legendary Spitfire and the evolving tactics behind its early defence of Britain's shores.

In this book, the exploits of the pilots who achieved the title of 'ace' by shooting down five or more enemy aircraft whilst at the controls of a Spitfire. All the key marks of Spitfire will be included, from the 1940-era Mk I, through the ubiquitous Mk V, to the Griffon-engined Mk XIV.

By the early months of 1944 in the Pacific, the US Navy''s burgeoning force of carrier-based F6F-3/5 Hellcats had pretty much wiped the skies clear of Japanese fighters during a series of one-sided aerial engagements. However, starting in October they faced the superb Kawanishi N1K1/2 Shiden/Shiden-Kai, a formidable fighter with improved armament, a powerful engine, and excellent maneuvrability that in contrast to earlier Japanese fighters had the ability to withstand a greater degree of battle damage.Japanese pilots using this aircraft would claim more than 170 aerial victories over Kyushu and whilst escorting Kamikazes attacking Allied ships off Okinawa. US Navy Hellcat pilots in turn were credited with many of the scores of Shiden-Kais that were downed attempting to defend Japan. This fully illustrated book compares these two fascinating aircraft, using specially commissioned artwork, first-hand accounts, and a thorough technical analysis.

Probably best-known for its starring role in the Hollywood movie Top Gun, the variable geometry two-seat carrier-based Grumman F-14 Tomcat was the US Navy's primary maritime air superiority fighter and fleet defence interceptor between 1974 and 2006. Tony Holmes reviews the design, construction and use of the Tomcat, as well as its combat career in Operation Desert Storm (1991), Deliberate Force (Bosnia-Hertzegovina, 1995), and Allied Force (Bosnia and Kosovo, 1999). In 2001, F-14s led some of the first strikes into Afghanistan (Operation Enduring Freedom), and in Iraq in 2003 (Operation Iraqi Freedom)