Arctic Bf 109 and Bf 110 Aces

Author: John Weal
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1782007997
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 116

Book Description
Once Nazi Germany had conquered Norway in 1940, just a handful of Gruppen flying the Bf 109 and Bf 110 fighters were able to shatter all opposition and dominate the air in the Arctic Circle. Yet as the dual threats of the RAF and the Red Air Force grew, the Luftwaffe was forced to increase its fighter presence to full Geschwader strength with the formation of JG 5 Eismeer (Ice-sea) in early 1942. The struggle for the frozen skies of the arctic raged on until the end of the war as the embattled JG 5 produced some of the Eastern Front's leading aces, pilots of the calibre of Theodor Weissenberger, Heinrich Ehrler, Walter Schuck, Franz Dörr and Jakob Norz all achieving over 100 kills. Featuring first-hand accounts from the pilots, extensive research from a leading authority on the Luftwaffe, and illustrations of the aircraft in unique winter camouflage, this book is a comprehensive guide to the Arctic Experten and the planes they flew.

World War II Fighter Planes Spotter's Guide

Author: Tony Holmes
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472848500
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 289

Book Description
World War II saw pilots from around the world battling in the skies over Europe, Asia and Africa, with victory resting upon their nerve, skill and the capabilities of some of history's most iconic aircraft. In the chaos of battle, it was vital that they could quickly identify friend from foe. But do you know your Hurricane from your Bf 109, or what the legendary P-51 Mustang looks like? Do you know the wingspan of the A6M Zero-sen, or how fast it could fly? THE WORLD WAR II FIGHTER PLANES SPOTTER'S GUIDE answers all of these questions and more, providing essential information on over 90 legendary aircraft, from the celebrated Spitfire to the jet-powered Me 262. Featuring full-colour artwork to aid recognition, as well as all the details you need to assess their performance, this is the perfect pocket guide to the Allied and Axis fighters of World War II.

Messerschmitt Bf 110 Zerstörer Aces of World War 2

Author: John Weal
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 178200565X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 107

Book Description
This volume is the first of its type to be devoted exclusively to the Zerstörer day fighter aces, spanning the war years from Poland to the defence of the Reich. Although Messerschmitt's single-engined Bf 109 has received most of the plaudits for achieving virtual air superiority over Europe in 1939-40, the exploits of the manufacturer's twin-engined Bf 110, the Ju 88 and the Me 410 Zerstörer in the first year of the war also make for very impressive reading. Indeed, on the eve of World War 2 a posting to a Bf 110 unit was considered to be the best career move available in the Luftwaffe.

Bf 109 F/G/K Aces of the Western Front

Author: John Weal
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1780963505
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 100

Book Description
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.

Soviet Hurricane Aces of World War 2

Author: Yuriy Rybin
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1849087423
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 97

Book Description
In 1942, about 80 per cent of the fighters serving with Air Forces of the Karelian and Northern Fronts were Hurricanes. This book explores the bitter struggle against well-drilled Luftwaffe and Finnish units flying in the polar regions of northern Russia. Following the destruction wrought on the Red Army Air Forces during the first days of Operation Barbarossa in June 1941, the Soviet Union found itself desperately short of fighter aircraft. Premier Josef Stalin duly appealed directly to Prime Minister Winston Churchill for replacement aircraft, and in late 1941 the British delivered the first of 3360 Hurricanes that would be supplied to the Soviet Union under the Lend-Lease agreement. Specifically requested by the USSR, the Hurricanes were quickly thrown into action in early 1942 – the Soviet Air Forces' most difficult year in their opposition to the Luftwaffe. Virtually all the Hurricanes were issued to Soviet fighter regiments in the northern sector of the front, where pilots were initially trained to fly the aircraft by RAF personnel that had accompanied the early Hawker fighters to the USSR. The Hurricane proved to be an easy aircraft to master, even for the poorly trained young Soviet pilots, allowing the Red Army to form a large number of new fighter regiments quickly in the polar area. In spite of a relatively poor top speed, and only a modest rate-of-climb, the Hurricane was the mount of at least 17 Soviet aces.

LaGG & Lavochkin Aces of World War 2

Author: George Mellinger
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1782005846
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 97

Book Description
This book examines the LaGG family of fighters, that were amongst 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 Soviet aces were weaned on the LaGG-3, and if they survived the early massacres of 1941-42, they went on to fly the Lavochkin family of fighters. Indeed, as this book demonstrates, the Lavochkin La-3, -5 and -7 were the fighters of choice for Heroes of the Soviet Union such as Ivan Kozhedub, who claimed 62 kills.

Soviet Lend-Lease Fighter Aces of World War 2

Author: George Mellinger
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1782005862
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 97

Book Description
The Soviet government tried to minimize the importance of Lend-lease fighters well into the 1980s. Only in recent years have these pilots felt free to admit what they flew, and now the fascinating story of these men can emerge. 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. To help prevent this collapse the UK eventually supplied a total of 4300 Hurricanes and Spitfires to the USSR. After the United States entered the war, the Americans extended Lend-lease to include direct supply to the Soviets as well as the British, and among the aircraft sent were almost 10,000 fighters. Although the aircraft were outdated and often unsuitable to Russian conditions, they served when they were needed, and this book tells how a number of Russian pilots became Heroes of the Soviet Union flying Lend-lease aircraft.

Messerschmitt Bf 109

Author: Jan Forsgren
Publisher: Fonthill Media
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 291

Book Description

Dornier Do 217 Units of World War 2

Author: Chris Goss
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 147284615X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 97

Book Description
The Do 217 had a much larger bomb load capacity and had considerably greater range than the Do 17, which it replaced in frontline service from mid to late 1941. Although initially used simply as a bomber, later variants were developed to allow the Do 217 to undertake the precision maritime strike role. In order to perform the latter mission, the Do 217 was modified to launch glide bombs – units employing these pioneering weapons enjoyed some success in the Mediterranean from the autumn of 1943. During the course of these operations the Do 217 became the first aircraft in military aviation history to deploy a precision-guided bomb in combat in the form of the 'Fritz X' radio-guided, free-fall weapon, which sank the Italian battleship Roma shortly after Italy capitulated in September 1943. The Do 217 served on all fronts, and was often used on anti-shipping strikes during the Battle of the Atlantic and against the Allied invasion fleet at Normandy. This versatile aircraft was also converted into a nightfighter, seeing action in the Defense of the Reich through to war's end. This highly illustrated study explores the design and development of the Do 217 and chronicles its use in the frontline as a strategic bomber, launch platform for first generation precision weapons, reconnaissance aircraft and nightfighter, among others.

Ju 88 Aces of World War 2

Author: Robert Forsyth
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472829212
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 97

Book Description
The fully illustrated story of the Luftwaffe aces piloting Germany’s versatile heavy fighter attacking Allied convoys and defending the Reich against bombing raids.