Osprey Combat Aircraft Series SC (1997-2011 OSPREY) comic books 2001-2003

Volume 22 - 1st printing. " Mitsubishi Type 1 Rikko 'Betty' Units of World War 2!" Written by Osamu Tagaya. Art by Mark Styling. The most produced Japanese bomber of the war the G4M saw action on every front from the first day of the Pacific conflict through to VJ-Day. The 'Betty's' very long range made it a key weapon during the opening year of the war. However, to achieve this, the aircraft was built with very little protective armour for its crew or fuel tanks, and Allied pilots soon exposed its extreme vulnerability. In the first in a series of volumes examining the key Japanese aircraft of WW2, Dr Osamu Tagaya details the G4M's extensive combat history, and lists all the units which operated the bomber. Softcover, 112 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.

Volume 23 - 1st printing. " Arab-Israeli Air Wars 1947-82!" Written by Shlomo Aloni. Art by Mark Rolfe. When the UN called for the end of the British mandate and the partition of Palestine into two independent states, the RAF found itself under attack from both sides. Tracing the development of hostilities in the Middle East, this book covers the period from the establishment of the first proper Israeli Air Force in 1948 to the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982. Israel's War of Independence against its Arab neighbours, the inevitable 'round two', the Suez Crisis of 1956, the Six Day War of 1967, the Yom Kippur wars of 1973 and the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982 are all detailed in this fascinating chronicle of war in the Middle East. Softcover, 98 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.

Volume 24 - 1st printing. " Conflict in the Balkans 1991-2000!" Written by Tim Ripley. Art by Mark Rolfe. Exposing the true scale and significance of the deployment of air power in the Balkans, this book details the activities of NATO and UN aircraft as well as local pilots in the former Yugoslavia. From bombing by B-2 stealth bombers to air-to-air combat; from moving ground troops by helicopter to 'food-bombing' for refugees, air power has played a vital role in 'Europe's Vietnam', and there is little sign that the fires of conflict are being extinguished. Debate amongst air power practitioners has yielded little agreement as to the degree of damage inflicted on the Yugoslav 3rd Army in Kosovo, the Balkans continue to be a region of conflict and ethnic hatred. Softcover, 98 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.

Volume 25 - 1st printing. " MiG-17 and MiG-19 Units of the Vietnam War!" Written by István Toperczer. Art by Iain Wyllie. The erstwhile enemy of the USAF and US Navy during the nine years of American involvement in the Vietnam War, the Vietnamese Peoples' Air Force (VPAF) quickly grew from an ill-organised rabble of poorly trained pilots flying antiquated communist aircraft into a highly effective fighting force that more than held its own over the skies of North Vietnam. Flying Soviet fighters like the MiG-17, and -19, the VPAF produced over a dozen aces, whilst the Americans managed just two pilots and three navigators in the same period. Softcover, 98 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.

Add to cart Near Mint $7.00

Add to cart Near Mint $7.00

Volume 26 - 1st printing. " US Navy F-4 Phantom II MiG Killers 1965-70!" Written by Brad Elward. Art by Jim Laurier. For every American fighter pilot involved in the Vietnam War, the ultimate goal was to 'kill a MiG'. In eight years of conflict 43 Vietnamese Peoples Air Force aircraft were claimed by US Navy and US Marine Corps Phantom II crews, and one single ace crew produced. Navy Phantom IIs scored the first kills of the Vietnam War, in April 1965, as well as scoring the last in January 1973. This volume charts the successes of the navy fighter crews as they encountered 'MiGs, Missiles and AAA' over the jungles of North Vietnam. Softcover, 96 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.

Volume 27 - 1st printing. " Air War in the Gulf 1991!" Written by Chris Chant. Art by Mark Rolfe. In August 1990 Saddam Hussein's Iraqi forces invaded and occupied the small Arab state of Kuwait. This book analyses the ensuing Gulf War (16 January - 28 February 1991) - a war fought to expel Iraq and restore Kuwaiti independence if not, as one British MP tartly observed, to defend democracy. The allies under General Schwarzkopf launched five weeks of air attacks, deploying 1,800 technologically highly advanced aircraft from the US, British, French and Saudi air forces. Many of these machines, including the British Tornadoes and US F-117A Stealth fighters, had never before engaged in combat, and their combined assault, watched by millions on TV, combined impressive accuracy with firepower to which the Iraqi forces had no answer. Softcover, 98 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.

Volume 28 - 1st printing. " Air War in the Falklands 1982!" Written by Chris Chant. Art by Mark Rolfe. The war fought between the United Kingdom and Argentina in 1982, for the possession of the Falkland Islands was probably the last 'colonial' war that will ever be undertaken by the British. This book shows how the key to British success was the speed with which the British gained and then maintained air superiority over the islands and the waters around then with their small force of Sea Harrier STOVL warplanes, which operated from two aircraft carriers. Though subsonic, the Sea Harrier and its Sidewinder AAM were a combination altogether superior to Argentina's mix of supersonic and subsonic warplanes with older weapons, and this advantage was emphasised by the significantly greater tactical acuity of the British pilots. The Argentine pilots fought with considerable piloting skill and enormous courage, and scored a number of stunning successes against British warships, but ultimately they could not prevent the British landing and the following land campaign that resulted in complete Argentine defeat. Softcover, 98 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.

Volume 29 - 1st printing. " MiG-21 Units of the Vietnam War!" Written by István Toperczer. Art by Mark Styling. Having honed their piloting skills on the subsonic MiG-17 and transonic MiG-19, the Vietnamese Peoples' Air Force (VPAF) received their first examples of the legendary MiG-21 supersonic fighter in 1966. Soon thrown into combat over North Vietnam, the guided-missile equipped MiG-21 proved a deadly opponent for the USAF, Navy and Marine Corps crews striking at targets deep into communist territory. Most of the VPAF's 12+ aces scored their bulk of their kills in the MiG-21, which was then the best fighter produced by Russia's premier fast jet manufacturer, Mikoyan Gurevich. Well over 200 MiG-21s were supplied to the VPAF, and the numerous models and the schemes they wore are chronicled in great detail in this unique volume. Softcover, 98 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.

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Volume 30 - 1st printing. " US Navy F-4 Phantom II MiG Killers 1972-73!" Written by Brad Elward, and Peter Davies. Art by Jim Laurier. The second of two books on the Navy's Phantom II MiG killers of the Vietnam War, this book covers the numerous actions fought out over North Vietnam during the Linebacker I and II operations of 1972-73. No fewer than 17 MiGs were downed during this period, five of them by the Navy's sole aces of the conflict, Lts Randy Cunningham and Willie Driscoll of VF-96. Drawing on primary sources such as surviving Phantom II aircrew and official navy documentation, the author has assembled the most precise appraisal of fighter operations involving US Navy Phantom II units and those elusive MiGs ever seen in print. Softcover, 98 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.

Add to cart Near Mint $7.00

Volume 31 - 1st printing. " Lancaster Squadrons 1942-43!" Written by Jon Lake. Art by Chris Davey. The RAF's most successful heavy bomber of World War 2, the Avro Lancaster formed the backbone of Bomber Command during the large-scale night bombing campaign against occupied Europe. In this, the first of two volumes on the British bomber icon of World War 2, noted English aviation historian Jon Lake recounts the early daylight raids, the first 'thousand bomber' raids on Germany and the epic 'Dambusters' mission of 16/17 May 1943 by No 617 Sqn, as well as myriad other sorties to numerous German targets in 1942-43. This volume contains more than 100 photographs, 30 all-new colour profiles by leading aviation artist Chris Davey and specially commissioned scale drawings of the Lancaster B I/II by Mark Styling. Softcover, 98 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.

Volume 32 - 1st printing. " B-25 Mitchell Units of the MTO!" Written by Steve Pace. Art by Jim Laurier. From November 1942 through to May 1945, the backbone of the USAAF's medium bomber force was provided by the clutch of bomb groups equipped with the B-25 Mitchell. First seeing action in North Africa in the wake of Operation Torch, and in the Battle of El Alamein, the 'bombing twin' proved to be one of the most successful allied combat types in the Mediterranean Theatre of Operations (MTO). The first of four volumes planned for the Combat Aircraft series on the Mitchell, this title includes first-hand accounts, 30 colour profiles and more than 100 colour and black and white photographs of the B-25 in the MTO. Softcover, 98 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.

Volume 33 - 1st printing. " B-29 Superfortress Units of World War 2!" Written by Robert F Dorr. Art by Mark Styling. The ultimate piston-engined heavy bomber of World War 2, the first production B-29s were delivered to the 58th Very Heavy Bomb Wing in the autumn of 1943. By the spring of 1944 the Superfortress was bombing targets in the Pacific, and by war's end the aircraft had played as great a part as any weapon in ending the conflict with the Japanese. Indeed, the final dropping of two atomic bombs from the B-29 convinced the Japanese to sue for peace. This book traces the wartime career of the B-29, as the aircraft went from strength to strength in the Pacific Theatre. Softcover, 98 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.

Add to cart Near Mint $7.00

Add to cart Near Mint $7.00

Volume 34 - 1st printing. " PV Ventura/Harpoon Units of World War 2!" Written by Alan C Carey. Art by Tom Tullis. A development of the successful Lockheed 'medium twins' of the late 1930s, the PV Ventura/Harpoon family of patrol bombers saw widespread service with both the US Navy/Marine Corps and the TAF and Commonwealth from October 1942 onwards. The USAAF also used surplus Venturas originally ordered by the RAF, designated B-34 Lexingtons, in the bomber training and coastal patrol roles. The final variant in this family was the larger PV-2 Harpoon, which was built to a US Navy requirement from March 1944 onwards. Used primarily in the Pacific, 470 Harpoons saw frontline service on anti-shipping and submarine patrols through to VJ-Day. This book covers each of these variants in complete illustrated detail. Softcover, 98 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.

Volume 35 - 1st printing. " Lancaster Squadrons 1944-45!" Written by Jon Lake. Art by Chris Davey. The RAF's most successful heavy bomber of World War 2, the Avro Lancaster formed the backbone of Bomber Command during the large-scale night bombing campaign against occupied Europe. Produced in massive numbers (over 7300 up to VE-Day), the first examples entered squadron service on Christmas Eve 1941, and tasted combat the following March. The second of two volumes on the British bomber icon of World War 2, this book details Bomber Command's massive nocturnal bombing campaign, its support for the D-Day landings, Tallboy raids against the U-boat pens in France and the battleship Tirpitz in Norway, and the final daylight missions of 1945. Softcover, 98 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.

Volume 36 - 1st printing. " B-17 Flying Fortress Units of the Eighth Air Force Part 2!" Written by Martin Bowman. Art by Mark Styling. The Boeing B-17, which has come to epitomise the American war effort in Europe, took the fight to Germans from the late summer of 1942 through to VE-Day. Its primary operator in Western Europe was the 'Mighty Eighth', who controlled 27 bomb groups for much of the war. This second of two volumes covers the 14 Bomb Groups of the Third Air Division. First hand accounts, period photography, profile artworks and nose art scrap views bring to life aircraft from each of the groups within the Third Air Division. Softcover, 98 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.

Volume 37 - 1st printing. " Iranian F-4 Phantom II Units in Combat!" Written by Tom Cooper, and Farzad Bishop. Art by Jim Laurier. Different versions of the jet have provided the backbone of the frontline strength of the Iranian air force since the 1970s, and whole generations of Iranian pilots and ground personnel have been trained to fly and maintain them. Indeed, the type bore the brunt of active combat operations during the long war with Iraq. Iranian F-4 Phantom IIs were also some of best equipped examples ever exported by the USA. Some Iranian Phantom II pilots gathered immense experience on the type, flying it in combat for more than ten years. This book removes the veil of secrecy surrounding Iranian Phantom II operations since the war with Iraq. Softcover, 98 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.

Volume 38 - 1st printing. " B-17 Flying Fortress Units of the MTO!" Written by William N Hess. Art by Mark Styling. Although the Fifteenth Air Force was dismissed as 'minor leaguers' by the Eighth Air Force, strategic bombers from this outfit had done a 'major league' job on Axis targets in southern Europe following its formation in Italy in November 1943. And the heavy bombers employed by the Fifteenth were of course the venerable B-17 and B-24. At its peak strength, the Fifteenth's B-17 force comprised six groups of four squadrons each, all controlled by the 5th Bomb Wing. Having been a part of the Fifteenth Air Force in 1944, author Bill Hess has long been waiting to write a definitive account on 'his air force'. Softcover, 98 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.

Add to cart Near Mint $7.00

Add to cart Near Mint $7.00

Volume 39 - 1st printing. " B-17 Flying Fortress Units of the Pacific War!" Written by Martin Bowman. Art by Mark Styling. The B-17 saw combat in the Pacific from the moment a formation of these bombers arrived at Pearl Harbor during the midst of the 7 December 1941 Japanese attack. By the end of the war, SB-17 rescue craft were saving combat crews in the waters off Japan. This book reveals why, to the public, the Flying Fortress was better known than the Spitfire, the Boeing 747, or Lindbergh's Spirit of St Louis. The name recognition enjoyed by the B-17 was that company's reason for creating B-17 Steak Sauce and Osprey's reason to round out the saga of this great wartime aircraft. Softcover, 98 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.

Add to cart Near Mint $7.00

Volume 40 - 1st printing. "PBJ Mitchell Units of the Pacific War!" Written by Jerry Scutts. Art by Jim Laurier. Flown exclusively by the US Marines, the PBJ was one of those rare examples of an air force type being procured by the navy due to its ability to do exactly the job that was required of it. Bought as a land-based patrol bomber for operations in the Atlantic and Pacific, the PBJ (Patrol, Bomber, North American) was kitted out to hunt down submarines as well as surface vessels. Identical to its air force counterpart, except for its ability to lay mines, deploy depth charges and launch torpedoes, some 706 PBJs were delivered to the Marine Corps from 1943-45. This book outlines the aircraft's history and technology, and takes a closer look at the men who flew it. Softcover, 98 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.

Add to cart Near Mint $7.00

Volume 41 - 1st printing. " US Army AH-1 Cobra Units in Vietnam!" Written by Jonathan Bernstein. Art by Jim Laurier. Bell's AH-1 Cobra was the first dedicated helicopter gunship to reach frontline service anywhere in the world. Developed as a private venture by the manufacturer, and based on the mechanics of the ubiquitous UH-1 Huey, the Cobra proved a huge success once introduced into combat with the US Army in 1966. Built as a key weapon in the Advanced Aerial Fire Support System concept of 1965, the AH-1 was one of the few aircraft to reach the combat zone after actual combat experience went into its design. The AH-1 helped reduce the losses being suffered by vulnerable troop transport helicopters by providing effective fire suppression during airmobile operations. This book explores its history, technology and crew. Softcover, 98 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.

Add to cart Near Mint $7.00

Add to cart Near Mint $7.00

Volume 42 - 1st printing. " B-29 Superfortress Units of the Korean War!" Written by Robert F Dorr. Art by Mark Styling. This book is the story of a majestic bomber of the propeller era flying perilous combat missions against a sleek, nimble warplane of the jet age, the Soviet MiG-15. A very heavy bomber and a sky giant during World War 2, at that time the B-29 was the most advanced combat aircraft in the world. By the time North Korea attacked its southern neighbour in 1950, the B-29 had been reclassified a medium bomber. Many of its crew members had fought their war and settled down to raise families and begin careers only to be recalled to fight another war on a distant Asian peninsula. Softcover, 98 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.