Series: Aircraft of the Aces

An illustrated account of how the Royal Rumanian Air Force claimed their kills against the Soviets. First seeing action in the wake of the German invasion of the USSR in June 1941, the Royal Rumanian Air Force had been allied with the Luftwaffe since the Romanian government signed a Tripartite Pact with Germany and Italy in November 1940. Rumanian Aces...

Thrown into action following the Torch landings of late 1942, the ‘green’ American pilots flying the obsolescent P-40F suffered cruelly at the hands of seasoned German fighter pilots flying superior machines. Those that survived learnt quickly, and a handful of Warhawk pilots succeeded in making ace by the time the Axis forces surrendered in North Africa. The action then shifted...

This illustrated history describes the clashes between the US and the hastily created Kamikaze units of the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy Air Forces, which were some of the last large-scale aerial engagements of the Pacific War. The Japanese High Command realised that the loss of Okinawa would provide the Americans with a base for the invasion of Japan. In...

The Third Reich's last ditch efforts to sweep the massed Allied bomber formations from the skies of Germany centred around the new crop of jet 'wonder weapons' that were issued to the Jagdwaffe from mid-1944 onwards. Far in advance of anything the Allies had even in the experimental phase, types like the Me 262, He 162, Me 163 and the...

The first USAAF fighters to engage the Japanese in World War 2, a handful of P-40s rose to defend Pearl Harbor from attack on the morning of 7 December 1941. Warhawk units were also heavily involved in the ill-fated fight to stem invading Japanese forces in the Philippines and Java between December 1941 and April 1942 and again in the...

The Mosquito developed into one of the most versatile aircraft of World War 2, entering service with Fighter Command in early 1942. The Mossie was soon defending raids on Britain's cathedral cities and became an integral part of the country's night defences. Its airborne radar gave it the ability to ‘see’ the enemy at night, and its speed and devastating...

The Mitsubishi A6M Zero-sen was Japan’s Spitfire. In continuous development and operational service from the time of the Sino-Japanese War in 1940 to the end of the Pacific War in 1945, it is held in almost mythical awe, similar to Britain’s legendary fighter aircraft. At the time of its operational debut, the fighter’s design features offered the revolutionary combination of...

A vivid and detailed account of Soviet skill in the air during the Korean War. 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...

This volume tells the story of the daylight air battles over Germany through the eyes of the Bf 109 aces involved. It traces the development of the aerial defence of the Reich from its small beginnings to arguably the most savage and costliest campaign in the history of aerial warfare. The Luftwaffe pilots explain their tactics and relate their experiences...

An illustrated description of the famous US Nightfighter aces and their planes. The Americans lagged behind their European contemporaries in military aviation in the late 1930s, and it took the Battle of Britain to awaken America to the necessity of having aircraft that could defend targets against night-time attack by bomber aircraft. American Nightfighter Aces of World War 2 examines...

Totally outnumbered throughout their short two-year sojourn in the Western Desert, the crack fighter pilots of the handful of Jagdgeschwader in-theatre fought an effective campaign in support of Rommel's Afrika Korps against the British and American forces. Relying almost exclusively on the Luftwaffe's staple fighter of World War 2, the Messerschmitt Bf 109, the battle-hardened aces used the aircraft's superior...

An illustrated history of how the British fighter developed, both single- and two-seaters. At the outset of World War I, the British possessed some 110 assorted aircraft, used predominantly for visual reconnaissance. With the emergence of faster and more agile single-seaters, the Allies and their adversaries engaged in a race to develop genuinely effective fighters equipped with fixed forward-firing machine...

An operational history of the most successful fighter plane of the Spanish Civil War, and the aces that flew it. The CR.32 Falco was a handsome and highly manoeuvrable biplane fighter. During General Franco's fight with the Republicans for control of Spain from 1936 to 1939, no fewer than 477 CR.32s were involved, boasting an astounding 709 confirmed aerial victories,...

The Hawker Hurricane was the RAF's first monoplane fighter, and it dragged the air force into a position where it could defend Britain in its 'hour of need'. Prior to the Battle of Britain, a number of squadrons equipped with the fighter had seen action firstly in the 'Phoney War', and then during the disastrous campaign in France. Pilots like...

Italian Aces of World War 2 by Giorgio Apostolo and Giovanni Massimello highlights the valiant efforts of Italian fighter pilots during the Second World War. Flying aircraft such as the Macchi 200-202, Fiat G.50, and the biplane Fiat CR.42, these pilots were recognised by their Allied counterparts as brave opponents. Despite being blessed with sound flying abilities, they employed under-gunned...

This book examines the LaGG family of fighters, which were among the first modern piston-engined interceptors made available to the Red Air Forces in early 1941 and proved far better fighters than their radial-engined predecessors. Despite technical maladies and political interference from Moscow, the LaGG-3 matured into an effective fighter when flown to its strengths at low level. Many early...

The complete story of the pilots who 'made ace' while flying the original MiG fighters. The MiG-1/3 family of fighters was built to satisfy a Soviet Air Force requirement for an advanced, fast, high-altitude fighter. Entering service in the spring of 1941, the problematic MiG-1 had its handling issues rectified with the hasty production of the MiG-3. Many of these...

Although far better known for their exploits over the war-torn skies of Germany and Italy, the USAAF's premier fighters, the P-47 and P-51, also made significant contributions to the victory against Japan from 1943 onwards. Mustang and Thunderbolt Aces of the Pacific and CBI relates the appearance of the Allison-engined A-36As and P-51As over Rangoon from India in November 1943,...