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 - in the early days, waiting for short-ranged Allied fighters to turn back before attacking the bombers, the see-saw battle for aerial supremacy that followed, the advent of the P-51 and its devastating effect, the growing might of the...
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 ae...
The 'storm troopers' of the Luftwaffe, the elite Strumgruppen units comprised the most heavily armed and armoured fighter interceptors ever produced by the Germans. Their role was to smash like a mighty fist through the massed ranks of USAAF daylight bombers. Only volunteers could serve with these elite units, and each pilot was trained to close with the enemy and engage him in extremely short-range combat, attacking from the front and the rear in tight arrowhead formations. In exceptional circumstances pilots would even ram their enemy. This book chronicles the brief, but violent, career of...
The 'storm troopers' of the Luftwaffe, the elite Strumgruppen units comprised the most heavily armed and armoured fighter interceptors ever produced b...
One of the "top picks for specialized military holdings" - California Bookwatch
JG 51 is one of the Luftwaffe's top wartime fighter units whose story has never been told in English. The unit's history encapsulates the fortunes of the Luftwaffe's fighter arm as a whole: the heady successes of the early months, the steady attrition and the growing strength of the opposition during the mid-war years, and the final chaos and collapse of the last days. The story works on other levels too: the diversity of aircraft types flown - biplanes, Messerschmitt and Focke-Wulf fighters, and even...
One of the "top picks for specialized military holdings" - California Bookwatch
JG 51 is one of the Luftwaffe's top wartime fighter units who...
The four-year long Eastern Front campaign fought between Germany and the Soviet Union produced not only the greatest number of aces, but also the highest individual and unit scores ever recorded in the history of aerial warfare. An ideal complement to its bestselling predecessor, this fully illustrated volume covers the Luftwaffe fighter pilots credited with scores of between 50 and 100; every single one of them amassing a greater number of victories than the highest and most celebrated of any British or American World War II ace.Despite these huge personal totals, the names of these pilots...
The four-year long Eastern Front campaign fought between Germany and the Soviet Union produced not only the greatest number of aces, but also the high...
Arguably the archetypal Luftwaffe fighter unit of World War 2, JG 53 aircraft were encountered on almost every fighting front from the first day of hostilities until the last. Its famous and familiar "Ace of Spades" unit emblem, which was displayed throughout the war, has, in effect, become visual shorthand for the wartime German fighter arm, being seen on die-cast models, prints, illustrations and book covers the world over. During almost six years of near constant campaigning, JG 53 took a steady toll of Allied aircraft - French, British, Soviet and American - in every theater it fought...
Arguably the archetypal Luftwaffe fighter unit of World War 2, JG 53 aircraft were encountered on almost every fighting front from the first day of...
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...
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...
The Fw 190 was the scourge of Fighter Command from the moment it appeared on the Western Front at Abbeville in August 1941 with II./JG 26. A nimble, speedy and well-armed adversary, the 'Butcher Bird' quickly proved superior to all Allied fighters of the time, particularly at medium to low altitude. Led by Experten of the calibre of 'Pips' Priller, Heinz Bar and Walter Oesau, the handful of Fw 190-equipped Jagdgeschwader flew against overwhelming odds, firstly on the Channel coast, and then in direct defence of the Reich when the Jagdflieger took on the might of the USAAF's Eighth and Ninth...
The Fw 190 was the scourge of Fighter Command from the moment it appeared on the Western Front at Abbeville in August 1941 with II./JG 26. A nimble, s...
The Ju 87 Stuka was the most feared weapon in the German arsenal in the first year of World War II (1939-1945), the Luftwaffe using it to deadly effect during the Blitzkrieg between September 1939 and June 1940. Although vulnerable to the enemy fighters due to its moderate speed in level flight and general lack of manoeuvrability, the Ju 87 nevertheless soon came to symbolise the might of Nazi Germany as the mere handful of Stukageschwader supporting the Wehrmacht rampaging out of the Fatherland took a heavy toll of the Allied forces.
The Ju 87 Stuka was the most feared weapon in the German arsenal in the first year of World War II (1939-1945), the Luftwaffe using it to deadly effec...
The follow-on volume to Osprey Aircraft of the Aces 11 - Bf 109D/E Aces 1939-41, this book charts the story of the myriad aces who flew the later marks of Messerschmitt fighter through to VE-Day. As good as the Emil had been during the opening 18 months of the war, the aircraft was being progressively bettered in virtually all aspects of aerial combat by the Spitfire come 1941, so Messerschmitt updated and improved the breed, firstly with the introduction of the Friedrich and then the multi-variant Gustav.
The follow-on volume to Osprey Aircraft of the Aces 11 - Bf 109D/E Aces 1939-41, this book charts the story of the myriad aces who flew the later mark...
This final volume of the Osprey trilogy on the infamous Luftwaffe dive-bomber charts its fortunes in the toughest theater of all: the Eastern Front. The fearsome reputation that the Stuka had enjoyed in the opening months of the war was shattered over the English Channel in the summer of 1940 but was restored in the invasion of the Soviet Union. Against a demoralized enemy, the Ju 87 scored a string of spectacular successes, destroying infantry, artillery and armor alike and sinking numerous ships of the Soviet Baltic Fleet. In the far north one Stukagruppe concentrated on bombing the Arctic...
This final volume of the Osprey trilogy on the infamous Luftwaffe dive-bomber charts its fortunes in the toughest theater of all: the Eastern Front. T...
