Osprey Aircraft of the Aces SC (1994) comic books 2001
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Issue #36-1ST
$12.00
$12.00
Volume 36 - 1st printing. "P-39 Airacobra Aces of World War 2!" Written by John Stanaway. Art by Jim Laurier. The first American fighter fitted with a tricyle undercarriage and mid-mounted engine, the P-39 proved less than successful in the hands of its launch customer, the US Army Air Force (AAF). Hampered by unreliabilty and poor engine performance at high altitude, the P-39 nevertheless served alongside the P-40 and P-38 in the bitter struggle to capture Guadalcanal in 1942/43, as well as seeing much action over the jungles of New Guinea. Around a dozen AAF aces scored five kills with the P-39, although this total was far outstripped by the Soviet Red Air Force, whose pilots rated the Airacobra as one of the best lend-lease fighters of the war. Softcover, 96 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.
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Issue #37-1ST
$12.00
$12.00
Volume 37 - 1st printing. "Bf 109 Aces of the Russian Front!" Written by John Weal. Art by Iain Wyllie. The highest scoring aces of any aerial conflict were the Luftwaffe pilots involved in the bloody combats on the Russian Front. The most common fighter used by these pilots was the Bf 109, which was involved in the action from Operation Barbarossa in June 1941, through to the doomed Defence of the Reich in 1945. Units like JGs 5, 52 and 54 all flew the Messerschmitt fighter, progressing from Emil to Gustav variants. This volume includes all the high-scoring aces, and explains just how difficult a job the Jagdwaffe faced on the Russian Front, and how its experts achieved such overwhelming scores. Aircraft of the Aces 6 and 37 are also available in a single volume as German Aces of the Russian Front'. Softcover, 96 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.
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Issue #39-1ST
$12.00
$12.00
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 #40-1ST
$12.00
Volume 40 - 1st printing. "Fokker Dr I Aces of World War 1!" Written by Norman Franks. Art by Harry Dempsey. Undoubtedly the most famous fighter type to see service on either side during World War 1, the Fokker Dr I was a revelation when it entered service on the western front in 1917. Manfred von Richthofen's JG 1 circus' was the first Jasta to completely re-equip with the new fighter, and in the skilled hands of its numerous aces the Dr I proved a formidable opponent. The Dr I remained in service on the Western Front until replaced by the superior Fokker D VII in May 1918. Just weeks prior to that, however, Germany's leading ace, the great Red Baron', had been killed at the controls of a Dr I. Softcover, 96 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.
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Issue #42-1ST
$12.00
Volume 42 - 1st printing. "American Aces of World War 1!" Written by Norman Franks. Art by Harry Dempsey. American fliers arriving in Europe from September 1917 brought with them no aircraft. Instead, US units had to obtain machines mainly from the British and French. From early 1918 American pilots were issued with SPAD fighters and they never looked back. As this volume details, the first American trained pilot to become an ace was Lt Douglas Campbell, who shot down five German aircraft by the end of May 1918. He was a member of the celebrated 94th 'Hat in the Ring' Aero Squadron, which created the bulk of American aces in World War I. Softcover, 96 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.
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Issue #45-1ST
$12.00
$12.00
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.
