Osprey Aircraft of the Aces SC (1994) comic books 2001-2003

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Add to cart Near Mint $9.00

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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Add to cart Near Mint $9.00

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.

Volume 38 - 1st printing. "Tomahawk and Kittyhawk Aces of the RAF and Commonwealth!" Written by Andrew Thomas and Tony Holmes. Deemed unsuitable for the Channel Front, lend-lease Tomahawks and Kittyhawks instead became the staple fighters of the Desert Air Force in 1941-42, flying with RAF, South African and Australian squadrons in North Africa and the Middle East. Although usually outclassed by the Bf 109, a number of pilots enjoyed some success during the desert campaign – men like Caldwell, Gibbes, Edwards and Drake, all of whom accrued double figure scores. In the Far East, Australian and New Zealand pilots also saw much action against the Japanese in 1942/43, flying over the jungles of New Guinea in defence of the Australian mainland. This book charts the careers of the men who ‘made ace' in these often underestimated fighters. Softcover, 96 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.

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Add to cart Near Mint $9.00

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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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.

Volume 41 - 1st printing. "American Volunteer Group ‘Flying Tigers' Aces!" Written by Terrill J Clements. Art by Jim Laurier. The American Volunteer Group, or 'Flying Tigers', have remained the most famous outfit to see action in World War II. Manned by volunteers flying American aircraft acquired from the British, the AVG fought bravely in the face of overwhelming odds in China and Burma prior to the US entry into World War II. Pilots such as 'Pappy' Boyington, R T Smith and John Petach became household names due to their exploits against the Japanese Army Air Force. The AVG legend was created flying the Curtis P-40 Tomahawk and Kittyhawk. This volume dispels the myths surrounding the colours and markings worn by these famous fighters. Softcover, 96 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.

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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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Volume 43 - 1st printing. "P-40 Warhawk Aces of the MT!" Written by Carl Molesworth. Art by Jim Laurier. Thrown into action following the Torch landings of late 1942, the ‘green' American pilots flying the obsolescent P-40F suffered cruelly at the hands of seasoned German fighter pilots flying superior machines. Those that survived learnt quickly, and a handful of Warhawk pilots succeeded in making ace by the time the Axis forces surrendered in North Africa. The action then shifted to Sicily and Italy, and the P-40 remained in service until mid-1944. This book charts the careers of the 23 men who succeeded in making ace during that time, despite the advent of much better P-47 and P-51 fighters. Softcover, 96 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.

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Add to cart Near Mint $9.00

Volume 44 - 1st printing. "Gloster Gladiator Aces!" Written by Andrew Thomas. Art by John Weal. Never before has a single volume been devoted exclusively to the intrepid and disparate band of pilots who could claim to be Gladiator aces. Flying the ultimate British biplane fighter, pilots in China, Finland, East Africa, North Africa, Western Europe, the Mediterranean, Norway and the Middle East all scored the prerequisite five kills to become aces. The first individuals to do so were fighting marauding Japanese fighters and bombers attacking targets in China in 1938. The likes of Sheen, Tuck and Carey will also be featured in this volume, as they were among the many early war acers who cut their teeth in Fighter Command on the Gladiator. Softcover, 96 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.

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Add to cart Near Mint $9.00

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.

Volume 46 - 1st printing. "Austro-Hungarian Aces of World War 1!" Written by Chris Chant. Art by Mark Rolfe. Starting the war with only 35 aircraft, Austro-Hungarian industry went on to produce only moderate numbers of poor quality aircraft. The fliers of the Austro-Hungarian Empire operating on the Serbian and Russian fronts were fortunate at first, finding themselves faced by small numbers of aircraft yet more obsolescent than their own. Serbia fell in 1915, but when Italy declared war the Austro-Hungarians were still faced with a two-front war – a static front against Italy, and a far more fluid one against Russia. Austro-Hungarian fighter pilots performed bravely and often very effectively under extremely difficult geographic, climatic and operational conditions. Softcover, 96 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.

Volume 47 - 1st printing. "SPAD XII/XIII Aces of World War 1!" Written by Jon Guttman. Art by Harry Dempsey. This book details the exploits of the pilots who flew the hugely successful SPAD XIII and the trickier SPAD XII. Built in response to the combat inadequacies of the SPAD VII, the XIII first entered service with the French Aviation Militaire in late 1917. Despite suffering engine unreliability, the XIII enjoyed great success on the Western Front, where it was flown by numerous French, American, Italian and Belgian aces, including Eddie Rickenbacker, leading US ace of World War I. The SPAD XII, meanwhile, was the product of numerous improvements to the SPAD VII model. Entering service in July 1917, the aircraft boasted a single-shot 37 mm Puteaux cannon, which had to be hand-reloaded in flight! Tricky to fly, the XII was only issued to experienced pilots, and was flown briefly by a number of aces. Softcover, 96 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.

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Add to cart Near Mint $9.00

Volume 48 - 1st printing. "Dolphin and Snipe Aces of World War 1" Written by Norman Franks. Art by Harry Dempsey. This book focuses on the combat careers of the last of the famous Sopwith fighters to enter service during World War 1, the Dolphin and the Snipe, both of which were built on the strong scouting heritage of the Pup and Camel. The Dolphin featured the unique negative-staggered biplane wing arrangement, which provided the pilot with the best possible tactical view forward for seeking out his enemy. Used extensively on the Western Front, the Dolphin proved very effective in combat, with a substantial number of British aces scoring kills with the fighter. The Snipe was built as the successor of the highly successful Camel, and entered service with the fledgling Royal Air Force in the summer of 1918. Although seeing just a few months of action before the Armistice, the Snipe nevertheless proved its superiority over virtually all other fighters. Softcover, 96 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.

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Add to cart Near Mint $9.00

Volume 49 - 1st printing. "Croatian Aces of World War 2!" Written by Boris Ciglic and Dragan Savic. Art by John Weal.Initially flying Italian-supplied Fiat G.50s, the Croat forces suffered heavy losses during 1942 whilst flying alongside JG 52 in the southern sector of the Russian front. Despite this, a significant number of kills fell to future aces such as Cvitan Galic and Mato Dubovak during this time, and when the units re-equipped with Bf 109G-10s in 1943, battle-seasoned Croat pilots started to rack up impressive scores. This book reveals how, by 1944, Croat air groups were defending Yugoslavia from British and American air raids, and in the final months of the war a handful of surviving pilots fought on until final defeat in May 1945. Softcover, 96 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.

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Add to cart Near Mint $9.00

Volume 50 - 1st printing. "Hungarian Aces of World War 2!" Written by György Punka. Art by Stephan Boshniakov. Like Germany, Hungary was forbidden from having an air force following the defeat of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the end of World War 1. However, again like Germany, the new state of Hungary created an air arm in secret during the 1930s. Hungarian fighter pilots first saw action against their Slovakian neighbours in early 1939, following the annexation of Czechoslovakia by Germany. In June 1941, Hungarian armed forces joined the Germany in the invasion of Russia, and pilots from the I/I Fighter Group saw continuous action into 1942. Flying CR.42s, Re.2000s and Bf 109Es, pilots scored a modest number of kills. However, when the Bf 109G-equipped Hungarian 101 ŒPuma1 Fighter Regiment was committed to action over Kharkov in April 1943, numerous aces started to rapidly build their scores. One year later the unit returned home in order to defend Hungarian cities from American heavy bombers, and pilots such as Dezsö Szentgyörgyi and György Debrödy scored the bulk of their kills in desperate battles against American fighters and bombers. Unlike most of Germany's Eastern European allies, Hungary did not capitulate during the Russian advances of 1944, and its fighter pilots fought on until May 1945. Softcover, 96 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.

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Add to cart Near Mint $9.00

Volume 51 - 1st printing. "'Down to Earth' Strafing Aces of the Eighth Air Force!" Written by William N Hess. Art by Chris Davey. 'Like The Long Reach, Down to Earth is a message from the battle at its height, told in their own words by the men who fight' - this is how Brig-Gen Francis Griswold, VIII Fighter Command, ends his introduction to this book. His official endorsement reveals just how important a document Down to Earth was to the teaching of tyro fighter pilots heading for action in the ETO. More leading aces were lost to flak whilst ground strafing than to German fighters. In this book William Hess has included biographies of all the pilots that originally contributed to this work back in 1943-44. Softcover, 128 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.

Volume 52 - 1st printing. "Sopwith Camel Aces of World War 1!" Written by Norman Franks. Art by Harry Dempsey. Responsible for destroying 1294 enemy aircraft between June 1917 and November 1918, the Camel was the most successful fighting scout employed by either side in terms of the sheer number of victories that it scored. The Camel was renowned for its sensitivity and need for skill and experience, and casualties amongst pilots undergoing training on the type were very high. More than 5490 examples were constructed, and this book covers its combat use on the Western Front, in Palestine, on the Italian front, in the Home Defence role in the UK and in Russia. Softcover, 96 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.

Volume 53 - 1st printing. "Fokker D VII Aces of World War 1!" Written by Greg VanWyngarden and Norman Franks. Art by Harry Dempsey.Designed in a great rush at the end of 1917 just in time to take part in the German standard fighter competition held in January/February 1918, the D VII easily walked away with first prize. As Germanys premier fighter unit, von Richthofens JG I (led by Hermann Göring in the wake of the 'Red Baron's' recent death) received the first examples of the D VII to reach the frontline in late April. Built to oppose the new generation of French SPAD XIIIs and British SE 5as and Camel fighters, the D VII was arguably the best all-round fighting scout of the Great War. Softcover, 96 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.

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Volume 54 - 1st printing. "Rumanian Aces of World War 2!" Written by Dénes Bérnad. Art by John Weal. First seeing action in the wake of the German invasion of the USSR in June 1941, the Royal Rumanian Air Force had been allied to the Luftwaffe since the Romanian government signed a Tripartite Pact with Germany and Italy in November 1940. This book reveals how, despite suffering heavy losses to the numerically superior Russian forces, the Rumanians inflicted even greater casualties on the communists. Locked in bitter conflict with the Soviets until September 1944, when the Red Army poured across the Rumanian frontier and forced an armistice, the modest fighter force claimed 1500+ kills using primarily Bf 109's, E's. Softcover, 96 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.

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Add to cart Near Mint $9.00

Volume 55 - 1st printing. "P-40 Warhawk Aces of the Pacific!" Written by Carl Molesworth. Art by Jim Laurier. The first USAAF fighters to engage the Japanese in World War 2, a handful of P-40s rose to defend Pearl Harbor from attack on the morning of 7 December 1941. Warhawk units were also heavily involved in the ill-fated fight to stem invading Japanese forces in the Philippines and Java between December 1941 and April 1942 and again in the Gilbert and Marshall Islands between January 1943 and March 1944. This book examines The Warhawk's wartime exploits and all of its aces including 'aces-in-a-day' Mel Wheadon and Joe Lesika. Softcover, 96 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.

Volume 56 - 1st printing. "LaGG & Lavochkin Aces of World War 2!" Written by George Mellinger. Art by Jim Laurier. This book examines the LaGG family of fighters, that were amongst the first modern piston-engined interceptors made available to the Red Air Forces in early 1941and proved far better fighters than their radial-engined predecessors. Despite technical maladies and political interference from Moscow, the LaGG-3 matured into an effective fighter when flown to its strengths at low level. Many early Soviet aces were weaned on the LaGG-3, and if they survived the early massacres of 1941-42, they went on to fly the Lavochkin family of fighters. Indeed, the Lavochkin La-3, -5 and -7 were the fighters of choice for Heroes of the Soviet Union such as Ivan Kozhedub, who claimed 62 kills. Softcover, 96 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.

Volume 57 - 1st printing. "Hurricane Aces 1941–45!" Written by Andrew Thomas. Art by John Weal. The Hurricane saw widespread action with Allied forces, as the RAF's first monoplane fighter. This book describes its many feats throughout 1945. It served as a fighter-bomber on the Channel Front, where the American Eagles and Polish units were amongst the Fighter Command squadrons flying the Hurricane, and where some of its highest-scoring aces operated. The Sea Hurricane was the principal fighter deployed by the Fleet Air Arm in the Mediterranean, and Hurricane units continued to operate from bases in India and Ceylon until 1945, following their failure to defend Singapore and Malaya from the Japanese. Softcover, 96 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.