Mike Spick – författare

In 1939, the Luftwaffe was arguably the world's best-equipped and best-trained air force. Its fighters were second to none, and their pilots had a tactical system superior to any other in the world. In campaigns over Poland, Norway, the Low Countries and France, they carried all before them. Only in the summer of 1940 did they fail by a narrow margin in achieving air superiority over England. In the West, with a mere holding force, they maintained an enviable kill-loss ratio against the RAF, while elsewhere they swept through the Balkans, then decimated the numerically formidable Soviet Air Force. Their top scorers set marks in air combat that have never been surpassed.Yet within three years – despite the introduction of the jet Me 262, the world's most advanced fighter – the Luftwaffe fighter arm had been totally defeated. How did this happen? Air-warfare historian Mike Spick explores this question in depth in this incisive and compelling study of World War II's most fearsome air force.

In this compelling book, Mike Spick shows how the Luftwaffe's leading fighter pilots were able to outscore their allied counterparts so effectively and completely during the Second World War.When the records of the Jagdflieger pilots became available after the war, they were initially greeted with incredulity. The highest claim was for 352 kills, and more than 100 pilots had recorded more than 100 victories.However post-war research proved that these claims had in fact been made in good faith and confirmation had only been given after rigorous checking.To discover the secret of this success, aviation history expert Mike Spick examines the exploits of these aces and sets out the context in which it took place.Every major theatre is covered in detail including the conditions peculiar to each: climate, relative numerical and qualitative strengths, the presence or absence of radar and other measures, and the relative merits of the planes being flown.He focuses on the methods and tactics used by individual aces and uses first-hand sources wherever possible to put the reader right alongside the pilot in the cockpit.

The Luftwaffe excelled at ground attack and in doing so helped revolutionised modern warfare. Whether flying in support of panzer columns during the invasion of Poland and the destruction of France, deployed against British airfields and cities, sent against Soviet tanks, or thrown into the defence of the Reich, Germany's bomber and dive-bomber pilots wrought havoc across the face of Europe during the Second World War.Mike Spike, author of a number of acclaimed books on fighter pilots, now turns his attention to outstanding ground-attack pilots. He outlines the Luftwaffe's revolutionary tactics, first tested during the Spanish Civil War, and highlights individual techniques and methods used against specific types of target.Biographical sketches of the leading bombers – many of whom were awarded the Knight's Cross – allow an insight into the diverse career and backgrounds of Luftwaffe personnel and outline just what it took to be a successful bomber pilot.First-hand accounts add gripping drama to the narrative, and give an unsurpassed appreciation of just what it was like to dive-bomb, come under attack by fighters or brave a barrage of anti-aircraft guns.

This is an illustrated guide shown in over 100 images. It is a fascinating history of the Avro Lancaster, from the first trials of the prototype at Boscombe Down in 1941 through to the famous Dambusters raids of 1943. It includes complete technical specifications detailing the Lancaster's dimensions, weights, power, fuel and oil, performance and armament. It features over 100 photographs of the Avro Lancaster in action, as well as a cutaway diagram showing the interior construction of this classic bomber aircraft. The Avro Lancaster was a truly outstanding combat aircraft of World War II. Lancasters formed the main equipment of the Pathfinder Force, and they pioneeered low-level marking and precision attacks. This expertly written handbook describes the Lancaster's design and development, and includes eye witness accounts from pilots who flew it in action. It explains how and why the Lancaster was developed, and includes information about the aircraft's specifications, gun turrets, bomb loads, the squadrons who flew it, and its dramatic bombing operations. Long after World War II, the Lancaster retains a mystique unequalled by any other bomber.