Osprey's Big Reveal: Combat Aircraft

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Next up in our Big Reveal is the Combat Aircraft series, which sees four new books landing in 2017.

Nakajima B5N ‘Kate’ and B6N ‘Jill’ Units

Entering service during the Sino-Japanese War, the Nakajima B5N (code-named ‘Kate’) excelled and went on to achieve surprising and dramatic successes in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.  Its replacement, the Nakajima B6N ‘Jill’, while a marked improvement over its illustrious predecessor, was never able to achieve its full potential in combat due to advances in Allied aircraft, finding itself relegated to the dreaded Kamikaze strikes in the latter part of the war. This book will cover the history of both aircraft, including their design and development, as well as the combat highs and lows of the Imperial Japanese Navy’s premier torpedo-bombers.

Ju 52/3m Bomber and Transport Units 1936-41

The all-metal Junkers Ju 52/3m enjoyed a solid – indeed, revered – reputation amongst its crews and the troops and paratroopers who used and depended on it. For more than ten years, it saw service as a successful military transport, with its distinctive, three-engined design and corrugated metal construction becoming instantly recognisable. This, the first of two books, details its service as a bomber in Spain and in South America, followed by its pivotal role in early war operations during the invasions of Poland and France, the airborne invasion of Crete and the early stages of Operation Barbarossa.

A-6 Intruder Units 1974-96

In the three decades after Vietnam, the veteran A-6 Intruder remained the most powerful strike aircraft available to the US Navy and Marine Corps. Engaging in operations over Cambodia, Lebanon and Libya during the 1970s and 80s, the A-6 maintained its reputation as the ‘Main Battery’ of carrier aviation, remaining in service through the First Gulf War up until 1996 when its duties were taken over by the F-14 Tomcat. Filled with first-hand accounts from pilots and navigators, and fully illustrated with profile artwork and photographs, this is the complete story of the US Navy's main medium attack aircraft in the latter part of the Cold War.

Savoia-Marchetti S.79 Sparviero Bomber Units

Initially developed by Savoia-Marchetti as a transport aircraft, the aircraft had evolved into a dedicated medium bomber by the time the S.79-I made its combat debut in the Spanish Civil War in 1936. During World War 2, it became Italy’s most successful bomber, and the most produced, with around 1370 built between 1936 and early 1944. Although initially hampered by poor tactics, the S.79 bomber crews nonetheless scored sunk a number of Allied vessels. The bombers patrolled ceaselessly over the Mediterranean providing a constant threat to Allied sailors in the early stages of the war. This volume chronicles the history of the S.79’s war in the Mediterranean, North African, Balkan, and East African theatres.

Which of these will you be adding to your collection next year? Let us know in the comments section below.