Osprey Aircraft of the Aces SC (1994) comic books 2006-2008

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Volume 68 - 1st printing. "Bf 109 Defence of the Reich Aces!" Art by John Weal. 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 heavy bomber streams and the final desperate measures against overwhelming odds. The story is predominantly that of the Bf 109's struggle to defeat the US Eighth Air Force, although latterly both the 'mediums' of the US Ninth Air Force and the 'heavies' of RAF Bomber Command were also active by day over Germany. Softcover, 96 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.

Add to cart Near Mint $12.00

Add to cart Near Mint $12.00

Volume 70 - 1st printing. "F-86 Sabre Aces of the 51st Fighter Wing!" Written by Warren Thompson. Art by Mark Styling. The 51st Fighter Wing initially flew the F-80C in the Korean War, but in 1951, the 51st brought in high-scoring World War 2 ace Colonel Francis Gabreski to assume command when it converted from the F-80 over to the newly arrived F-86E. His recruits included his elite 4th Wing pilots, and by the end of the war, the 51st had two pilots who achieved the status of "Double Ace" as well as the highest scoring ace of the war, Joe McConnell. This book describes the 51st Wing's tenure with the Sabre that led to their high scoring sprees of 1953. Softcover, 96 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.

Volume 71 - 1st printing. "Pfalz Scout Aces of World War 1!" Written by Greg VanWyngarden. Art by Harry Dempsey. The Pfalz Flugzeug Werke, located at Speyer am Rhein in Bavaria, was the third in the great triumvirate (along with Fokker and Albatros) of German fighter manufacturers in the Great War. When World War I broke out in 1914, Pfalz initially produced copies of the Morane-Saulnier parasol monoplanes for the German air service. With the advent of the famed Fokker Eindeckers with their synchronized machine guns, Pfalz entered the fighter market with the Pfalz E.I and its successors, all monoplanes which were similarly armed. Though never as as numerous as the Albatros or Fokker designs, the D III/IIIa was flown in combat by many well-known aces: Werner Voss, Carl Degelow, Erich Löwenhardt, and the balloon buster Fritz von Röth, among others. This book examines the little-known aircraft flown by these incredible men. Softcover, 96 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.

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Volume 72 - 1st printing. "F-86 Sabre Aces of the 4th Fighter Wing!" Written by Warren Thompson. Art by Mark Styling. The entry of the United State's premier jet interceptor into the Korean War was triggered by the ever-increasing presence of the Soviet-built MiG-15 south of the Yalu River. The possibility of the USAF losing air supremacy over the Korean Peninsula was unacceptable. The 4th Fighter Wing got the call for combat in Korea. They were made up of a combination of new pilots right out of jet training and the older combat veterans of World War II vintage. This combination of pilot types wrote and re-wrote the text books on jet warfare. Of the 40 jet aces that the war produced, the 4th Wing boasted 24 of them. This book details these incredible pilots and the planes they flew. Softcover, 96 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.

Volume 73 - 1st printing. "Early German Aces of World War I!" Written by Greg VanWyngarden. Art by Harry Dempsey. The Fokker Eindecker (monoplane) started the true age of fighter aviation. With the development of its revolutionary synchronised machine gun system, the Eindecker caused consternation in the ranks of Allied airmen as its pilots began to reap a grim harvest of victims in 1915. The exploits of aces like Max Immelmann and Oswald Boelke became legendary on both sides of the front, and they received the adulation of the German public, along with such honours as the first awards of the Orden Pour le Mérite (the 'Blue Max') to airmen. These men created the tactics and principles of German fighter aviation as they did so. By the final months of 1916, the monoplanes had been replaced by the next generation of biplane fighters from Fokker and Halberstadt flying together in new fighter formations – the Jagdstaffeln. This book charts the successes of the 'lone hunters' of 1915 until their eventual replacement. Softcover, 96 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.

Add to cart Near Mint $12.00

Add to cart Near Mint $12.00

Volume 74 - 1st printing. "Soviet Lend-Lease Fighter Aces of World War 2!" Written by George Mellinger. Art by Jim Laurier. 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 a number of Russian pilots became Heroes of the Soviet Union flying Lend-lease aircraft. The Soviet government tried to conceal or minimize the importance of Lend-lease fighters well into the 1980s, and the pilots who flew them were discriminated against as 'foreigners'. Only in recent years have these pilots felt free to admit what they flew, and now the fascinating story of these men can emerge. Softcover, 96 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.

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Volume 75 - 1st printing. "Royal Navy Aces of World War 2!" Written by Andrew Thomas. Art by Chris Davey. The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy served with distinction in every theatre of war throughout World War II. From its poorly equipped beginnings - it started the war with few suitable, modern, carrier-born fighters - to the final campaigns over the Japanese home islands, the FAA proved an effective fighting force wherever it went. FAA Pilots had the distinction of being responsible for both the first, and last, enemy aircraft to be shot down during the war. Featuring first hand accounts, combat reports, photographs from private collections and an array of colour plates depicting the range of profiles and symbolic markings that were used, this book will detail the history and combat experiences of these forgotten pilots who served with such distinction for the Allied cause. Softcover, 96 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.

Add to cart Near Mint $12.00

Add to cart Near Mint $12.00

Volume 76 - 1st printing. "More Bf 109 Aces of the Russian Front!" Written by John Weal. Art by John Weal. 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 who fought against the Red Air Force remain almost unknown to many English speaking readers. More Bf 109 Aces of the Russian Front rectifies that omission, providing first-hand accounts from the combat veterans themselves, as well as never-before published photographs, vividly conveying the terrible experiences of the protagonists in this difficult theatre of war. Softcover, 96 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.

Volume 77 - 1st printing. "Albatros Aces of World War 1 Part 2!" Written by Greg VanWyngarden. Art by Harry Dempsey. From September 1916 until late 1918, biplanes from the Albatros firm formed the primary equipment of Germany's fighter forces. Starting with the D I of 1916, these aircraft underwent a continuous programme of development and production to the D Va of late 1917. Albatros fighters reached their zenith of deadly efficiency in the spring of 1917, when the Albatros D III took a heavy toll of Allied aircraft. Nearly every one of the 81 Jagdstaffeln, or fighter squadrons, operated one or more types of highly decorated Albatros aircraft at some point in their history. This book is a follow-up to Osprey Aircraft of the Aces 32 World War 1 - Albatros Aces, and provides a look at the design and production of the Albatros series. It also details the careers of some of the war's best known and lesser-known aces. The exploits of such luminaries as Ernst Udet, Max Müller, Karl-Emil Schäfer and Julius Buckler are recounted through their own first-hand accounts, rare archival photography and superb colour artwork. Softcover, 96 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.

Volume 78 - 1st printing. "SE 5/5a Aces of World War I !" Written by Norman Franks. Art by Harry Dempsey. The Royal Aircraft Factory SE 5/5a was, along with the Sopwith Camel, the major British fighting scout of the last 18 months of the war in France. It equipped several major squadrons, the first being No 56 Sqn in April 1917. This unit became famous for the number of aces it had among its pilots, including Albert Ball, James McCudden, Geoffrey Bowman, Richard Maybery, Leonard Barlow, Hank Burden and Cyril Crowe. In all, 26 aces flew the aircraft with No 56 Sqn alone. Other well-known units were Nos 1, 24, 29, 32, 40, 41, 60, 64, 2 AFC, 74, 84, 85 and 92 Sqns. A number of Victoria Cross winners also flew SE 5/5as, namely Ball, Mannock, McCudden, Beauchamp Proctor and Bishop. Among the aces, no fewer than 20 scored more than 20 victories. In all, there were almost 100 SE 5/5a aces, and a large number of them are profiled in this volume. Supporting the text are more than 110 photographs, 37 brand new colour artworks and detailed appendices listing every pilot who 'made ace' on the SE 5/5a. Softcover, 96 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.

Volume 79 - 1st printing. "Bristol F2 Fighter Aces of World War I!" Written by Jon Guttman. Art by Harry Dempsey. This is the history of the best Allied fighter-destroyer of World War I and the pilots who flew it. Numerous ace teams earned the 'Biff' grudging respect from its German opponents, as the crews operated the plane not as a standard two-seater, but as a single-seat with a 'sting in the tail' in the form of a rear gunner with a Lewis machine gun. This book charts the development of the plane from its inauspicious beginnings to the revised model operating with a new kind of tactics. Numerous first-hand accounts and combat reports give a fascinating insight into the combat experiences of the pilots themselves. Softcover, 96 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.

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Volume 80 - 1st printing. "American Spitfire Aces of World War 2!" Written by Andrew Thomas. Art by Chris Davey. The first few American volunteers in World War 2 flew Spitfires with the RAF during the Battle of Britain. Many more joined their ranks, often posing as 'Canadians', eventually forming three Eagle squadrons who earned a fierce fighting reputation. When the United States entered the war its fighter sections were issued with Spitfires and eventually the Eagle Squadrons were transferred to the Eighth Air Force. Discover the experiences of a variety of American aces in their own words through first-hand accounts, interviews and combat reports, in a thrilling read that transports the reader from the Battle of Britain to the deserts of North Africa and Fortress Europe itself. Softcover, 96 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.

Add to cart Near Mint $12.00

Add to cart Near Mint $12.00

Volume 81 - 1st printing. "Griffon Spitfire Aces!" Written by Andrew Thomas. Art by Chris Davey. Modified for low-level operations to counter Luftwaffe attacks on the south coast, the Griffon-powered Spitfire XIV became the best low-level fighter of World War II. Squadrons moved to south-eastern England to counter the V1 flying bomb offensive, where daring pilots pioneered the technique of tipping the V1 over with the aircraft's wingtip to disorientate the bomb. Andrew Thomas also investigates the role played by the modified Spitfire squadrons after the V1 offensive, both in the attack on Germany and after the war in Malaya and Palestine. First-hand stories, photographs and colour profiles complete this account of the aces who flew the most powerful Spitfire variant ever built. Softcover, 96 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.

Volume 82 - 1st printing. "Soviet MiG-15 Aces of the Korean War!" Written by Leonid Krylov. Art by Yuriy Tepsurkaev. 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 into the war, with a total of 52 Soviet pilots scoring five or more victories there. The history of these covert actions has been a long-buried secret and this book is the first English publication to detail the only instance when the Cold War became 'hot'. This book uncovers Soviet combat experiences during the Korean War from detailed unit histories and rare first-hand account. With access to extensive Russian archives, the authors offer an enthralling insight into an air war that has been largely covered up and neglected. Illustrated with previously unpublished photographs and detailed full colour profiles, this book is a unique opportunity to read about an often-forgotten aspect of the Cold War. Softcover, 96 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.