Osprey Aircraft of the Aces SC (1994) comic books
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Issue #9-REP
$6.00
Volume 9 - 2nd and later printings. "Focke-Wulf Fw 190 Aces of the Western Front!" Written by John Weal. 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 Air Forces. This is their story. Softcover, 96 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.
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Issue #15-REP
$7.00
Volume 15 - 2nd and later printings. "Soviet Aces of World War 2!" Written by Hugh Morgan. Art by John Weal. No single volume in English has ever appeared in the West dealing with this intriguing subject area, but now that restrictions have relaxed in the former Soviet Union, records of the deeds of the elite pilots of the various Soviet Air Forces are coming to light. Although initially equipped with very poor aircraft, and robbed of effective leadership thanks as much to Stalin's purges in the late 1930s as to the efforts of the Luftwaffe, Soviet fighter pilots soon turned the tables through the use of both lend-lease aircraft like the Hurricane, Spitfire, P-39 and P-40, and home-grown machines like the MiG-3, LaGG-3/5, Lavochkin La-5/7/9 and the Yak-1/3. Softcover, 96 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.
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Issue #28-1ST
$6.00
Volume 28 - 1st printing. "French Aces of World War 2!" Written by Barry Ketley. Art by Mark Rolfe. French pilots endured fighting both with and against the Allies during World War 2. Possessing obsolescent aircraft at the outbreak of the war, the Armée de l'Air was decimated in the wake of the Blitzkrieg; however, a number of fighter units still achieved creditable scores flying Curtiss Hawks, Morane MS.406s and Dewoitine D.520s. Following the capitulation of France at the end of June 1940, many aces continued to fly with the now Vichy French Squadrons that were stationed in North Africa, and a number of these pilots subsequently saw action against their former Allies there. Numerous French pilots also escaped to Britain, and a handful achieved notable sucess with the RAF flying Hurricanes, Spitfires and Tempests. In Russia, the formation of the French-manned Normandie-Niemen' regiment in 1943 also saw near on 40 pilots achieve ace status flying Yak fighters on the Eastern Front. Softcover, 96 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.
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Issue #30-1ST
$6.00
$6.00
Volume 30 - 1st printing. "P-47 Thunderbolt Aces of the Ninth and Fifteenth Air Forces!" Written by Jerry Scutts. Art by Chris Davey. This book charts the story of the lesser known aces who flew the mighty Republic aircraft as a tactical fighter-bomber with the Ninth Air Force, rather than as a long-range escort. It also details the exploits of the Mediterranean-based 325th FG, which was the only P-47 group within the strategic Fifteenth Air Force. Thunderbolt aces within the Ninth Air Force, particularly, were rare, despite some 15 groups flying the fighter. Supporting troops on the ground rather than searching out aerial foes, was the name of the game for the men of the Ninth. However, with the Luftwaffe often opposing such sorties through to April 1945, more than 20 pilots had the opportunity to score five or more kills and 'make ace'. Softcover, 96 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.
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Issue #39-1ST
$7.00
Volume 39 - 1st printing. "SPAD VII Aces of World War 1!" Written by Jon Guttman. Built by the 'Société Anonyme Pour l'Aviation et ses Dérivés', (SPAD), the SPAD VII was the first successful fighting scout design to emerge from the company that had traded as Duperdussin pre-war. Flown from the off' by aces Paul Sauvage and Georges Guynemer, the scouts made an immediate impression. Indeed, the latter pilot was so impressed that he dubbed the Type VII the flying machine gun'. The first of two volumes on SPAD aces, this book tells the whole story from the ace perspective. By the time production of the SPAD VII ended in the final months of 1918, around 6000 examples had been built, and Allied aces on every front had enjoyed success with the type. Softcover, 96 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.
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Issue #44-1ST
$7.00
Volume 44 - 1st printing. "Gloster Gladiator Aces!" Written by Andrew Thomas. Art by John Weal. Never before has a single volume been devoted exclusively to the intrepid and disparate band of pilots who could claim to be Gladiator aces. Flying the ultimate British biplane fighter, pilots in China, Finland, East Africa, North Africa, Western Europe, the Mediterranean, Norway and the Middle East all scored the prerequisite five kills to become aces. The first individuals to do so were fighting marauding Japanese fighters and bombers attacking targets in China in 1938. The likes of Sheen, Tuck and Carey will also be featured in this volume, as they were among the many early war acers who cut their teeth in Fighter Command on the Gladiator. Softcover, 96 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.
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Issue #45-1ST
$7.00
Volume 45 - 1st printing. "British and Empire Aces of World War 1!" Written by Christopher Shores. Art by Mark Rolfe. At the outset of World War I the British had some 110 assorted aircraft, used mostly for the visual reconnaissance role. With the advent of faster and more agile single-seaters, the Allies and their adversaries raced to outdo each other in the creation of genuinely effective fighters with fixed forward-firing machine gun armament. It was not until 1917 that the British developed a truly effective interrupter gear, which paved the way for excellent single seaters such as the Sopwith Triplane Camel and the RAF S.E.5., later joined by the Bristol F.2B - the war's best two-seat fighter. This volume traces the rapid development of the fighter in World War I and the amazing exploits of the British and Empire aces who flew them. Softcover, 96 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.
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Issue #48-1ST
$7.00
$7.00
Volume 48 - 1st printing. "Dolphin and Snipe Aces of World War 1" Written by Norman Franks. Art by Harry Dempsey. This book focuses on the combat careers of the last of the famous Sopwith fighters to enter service during World War 1, the Dolphin and the Snipe, both of which were built on the strong scouting heritage of the Pup and Camel. The Dolphin featured the unique negative-staggered biplane wing arrangement, which provided the pilot with the best possible tactical view forward for seeking out his enemy. Used extensively on the Western Front, the Dolphin proved very effective in combat, with a substantial number of British aces scoring kills with the fighter. The Snipe was built as the successor of the highly successful Camel, and entered service with the fledgling Royal Air Force in the summer of 1918. Although seeing just a few months of action before the Armistice, the Snipe nevertheless proved its superiority over virtually all other fighters. Softcover, 96 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.
