Mark Styling – illustratör

The Boeing B-17 has come to epitomise the American war effort in Europe, the huge four-engined heavy day bomber taking the fight to Germany from the late summer of 1942 through to VE-Day.The primary operator of the Flying Fortress in Western Europe was the 'Mighty Eighth'. This volume, which is the first of two dealing exclusively with the 'Mighty Eighth', covers the 15 Bomb Groups of the First Air Division, each of which controlled four squadrons.The evolution of the force is traced through first-hand accounts of those individuals that took part in the action.

This book details the colourful experiences of the elite pilots of the AAF's Tenth and Fourteenth Air Forces in the 'forgotten' China-Burma-India theatre during WW2.Inheriting the legacy of the American Volunteer Group (AVG), units such as the 23rd FG 'held the line' against overwhelming Japanese forces until the arrival of the first P-38s and P-51s in 1944. The Warhawk became synonymous with the efforts of the AAF in the CBI, being used by some 40 aces to claim five or more kills between 1942-45.This volume is the first of four covering the exploits with the P-40 during World War 2.

The sterling work of the Fifteenth Air Force is often overshadowed by the glamorous 'Mighty Eighth', yet the men flying the B-24 fought ceaselessly right through to VE Day.The B-24 was heavily utilised in the North African and Mediterranean theatres by the USAAF's Fifteenth Air Force, with operations over the Ploesti oilfields in Rumania being some of the most famous missions undertaken by the big American 'heavy' in World War 2.This is the third of five titles charting the operational history of the Consolidated heavy bomber, and is the first single volume to exclusively cover the Fifteenth Air Force's B-24 units.

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.

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 East Asia, 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.

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.

'B-29!' No other term struck such terror in the hearts of the Japanese public during World War 2 than this single, most-hated name.It was then only natural that the pilots who attempted to shoot these high-flying Boeing bombers out of the skies over Tokyo, Nagasaki, Hiroshima and Kobe should become known as the elite of the Japanese Army Air Force.This book details the exploits of the ‘Dragon Slayers’ who, flying the very latest single- and twin-engined fighters, exacted a heavy toll on the AAF Boeing bombers using a range of tactics including ramming.

A detailed history of the MiG-17 and MiG-19 units of the Vietnamese People's Air Force, packed with first-hand accounts and colour profiles.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.As this book explores, 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.

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.This book tells the story of around a dozen AAF aces who 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Featuring photography and colour profiles throughout, a history of the bomber that shaped the Pacific War.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.

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.

The first book 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 are featured in this volume, as they were among the many early war acers who cut their teeth in Fighter Command on the Gladiator.

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. This is their story.

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.This compact book examines the American aces, the first of whom 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.

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.

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.

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.Featuring first-hand accounts and combat reports, this book tells the story of pilots like Dezsö Szentgyörgyi and György Debrödy, who 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.

'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.

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. This is a detailed, illustrated account of the combat history of this great wartime aircraft.

Designed in a great rush to take part in the German standard fighter competition held in January/February 1918, the D VII easily walked away with first prize.As Germany's 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.This is the story of the aces that flew it, and what they achieved in combat.

Featuring photographs throughout, this book tells the story of the aces that flew this well-known type around the world.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.

An illustrated account of how the Royal Rumanian Air Force claimed their kills against the Soviets.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.

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.

The first title in the Elite Units series to deal with an American bombardment group, this title focuses on the 303rd BG, dubbed the 'Hells Angels.'One of the very first B-17 units assigned to the newly created Eighth Air Force in England in September 1942, the 303rd was in the vanguard of the daylight bombing campaign through to VE-Day. Awarded a Distinguished Unit Citation in January 1944, the 303rd also had two of its aircrewmen presented with the Medal of Honor, Americas ultimate military decoration.Brian O Neill brings the group's colourful combat history to life with a mix of first-hand accounts, raw statistics and concise mission narrative.

Having been a part of the Fifteenth Air Force in 1944, author Bill Hess has written the definitive account on 'his air force', featuring photographs and illustrations throughout.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.