Description

This book brings together the best and most iconic fighters of World War II, pitted against one another in desperate aerial combat.

The battle for the skies in World War II fuelled a race between rival air forces to develop ever faster and more capable fighter aircraft – and the struggle for air superiority was never over until the war itself ended.

This volume explores four clashes of some of the finest planes and pilots, in key theatres of the war: Spitfires duelling the formidable Bf 109 over the Channel, the Fw 190 battling the Soviet La 5 and 7 on the Eastern Front, the F4F Wildcat in a desperate clash with the legendary A6M Zero-sen, and the F4U Corsair in combat with the second-generation Japanese Ki-84 in the closing days of the war.

Fully illustrated with contemporary photographs, maps and colour artwork, Air Combat conveys the full story behind these dramatic aviation duels.

Table of Contents

Foreword

Part I by Tony Holmes
Channel Clashes: Spitfire II/V vs Bf 109F
The Machines
Type History
The Strategic Situation
The Men
Into Combat
Analysis
Aftermath

Part II by Edward M. Young
Hell in the Pacific: F4F Wildcat vs A6M Zero-sen
The Machines
Type History
The Strategic Situation
The Men
Into Combat
Analysis
Aftermath

Part III by Dmitriy Khazanov and Aleksander Medved
Air War in the East: La-5/7 vs Fw 190
The Machines
Type History
The Strategic Situation
The Men
Into Combat
Analysis
Aftermath

Part IV by Edward M. Young
Ill-Fated Defence of the Home Islands: F4U Corsair vs Ki-84 'Frank'
The Machines
Type History
The Strategic Situation
The Men
Into Combat
Analysis
Aftermath

Further Reading
Index

Product details

Published Jan 24 2019
Format Ebook (Epub)
Edition 1st
Extent 320
ISBN 9781472836748
Imprint Osprey Publishing
Illustrations Fully illustrated with photos and colour artwork
Series General Aviation
Short code GNA
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

About the contributors

Volume Editor

Tony Holmes

Having initially worked for Osprey as an author in…

Contributor

Dmitriy Khazanov

Dmitriy Khazanov is one of Russia's leading expert…

Contributor

Aleksander Medved

Aleksander Medved is a retired air force colonel w…

Contributor

Edward M. Young

Edward M. Young is a retired financial executive w…

Foreword

Tony Holmes

Having initially worked for Osprey as an author in…

Resources

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