The famed Bf 109F is shown on a variety of war fronts, with coverage of its various markings, paint schemes (including color profiles), and in up-close detail
Contains 124 extraordinary color profiles, portraying examples of nearly all types of single-seated fighter aircraft used by the Luftwaffe in World War II. All of the detailed profiles represent aircraft flown by German aces, some of the most famous and successful as well as those of lesser known. Also contains over 100 color illustrations of Luftwaffe unit markings, uniform insignia, camouflage colors, unit code styles, kill markings, and related features.
In this exciting 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 postwar 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 theater 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 firsthand sources wherever possible to put the reader right alongside the pilot in the cockpit.
The Messerschmitt Bf 109 is one of the most recognizable fighter aircraft in history, and this book focuses on the Messerschmitt Bf 109F and early G models – the Friedrich and Gustav – the workhorses of the German Luftwaffe during the middle years of World War II. Detailing five different builds across the scales, and featuring aircraft in camouflage schemes and markings from the Western Desert to the Russian Steppes, this book is an excellent source of reference for both the beginner and expert modeller, on one of the most effective killing machines of World War II.
A superb study for both the historian and modeler, this book contains 124 color profiles showing Luftwaffe single-engine fighter aircraft - Bf 109, Fw 190, Ta 152, Me 262, Me 163, and He 162 - once piloted by some of the most famous German aces of World War II. Also shown are war-era photographs of select aircraft and pilots. The book begins with a summary of Luftwaffe fighter camouflage and color schemes on the various war fronts, then explains unit markings, tactical codes, personal markings and other markings. Luftwaffe Fighter Aircraft in Profile serves as the perfect introduction to the history of the German Luftwaffe in World War II. At the same time, it is an indispensable volume to the aircraft modeler.