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Polish Aces of World War 2 by Robert Gretzyngier Pdf
Pilots of the Polish Air Force saw action from the first day of World War 2 until the final victory in Europe. Flying hopelessly outmoded P.11 fighters in defence of their country in September 1939, a handful of aviators inflicted serious losses on the Luftwaffe before being overwhelmed. The survivors escaped to then neutral Hungary and Romania, before being ordered to France by the new C-in-C of exiled Polish Armed Forces, General Sikorski. With the invasion of Western Europe in May 1940, the surviving pilots were once more thrust into desperate action in newly-formed Polish units
Japanese Army Air Force Aces 1937–45 by Henry Sakaida Pdf
Little has been published in English on the Japanese Army Air Force (JAAF), let alone its most successful fighter pilots no less than 150 of them achieved ace status during eight years of near-constant war, and they are all listed in this volume. From the arid plains of the Mongolian border region to the lush jungles of New Guinea, the JAAF was more than a match for the many opponents it fought against for control of the skies. Indeed, even when the mighty Allied war machine proved almost overwhelming from early 1944 onwards, the elite fighter pilots of the various sentais within the JAAF fought on with near-fanatical loyalty in defence of the Home Islands. Aircraft of the Aces 13 and 22 are also available in a single volume as 'Aces of the Rising Sun 1937-1945'.
Always outnumbered by their Soviet counterparts, the small band of Finnish fighter pilots who defended their Scandinavian homeland from the 'communist hordes' in three separate wars between 1939 and 1945 amassed scores only bettered by the Luftwaffe's Jagdflieger. Initially equipped with a motley collection of biplane and monoplane fighters garnered from sources across the globe, the Finnish Air Force was thrust into combat in November 1939. Given little chance against the massive Soviet force, the Finnish fighter pilots confounded the sceptics and decimated the attacking fighter and bomber formations, prompting the Russians to call a halt in March 1940. This scenario was repeated in 1941, and by 1943 the Finns had become uneasy allies with the Germans. Complete with first-hand accounts and detailed colour illustrations, this book profiles aces like Juutilainen and Wind, who proved unbeatable in the final months of conflict.
Ki-43 ‘Oscar’ Aces of World War 2 by Hiroshi Ichimura Pdf
Dubbed the 'Oscar' by the Allies, the Ki-43 Hayabusa Peregrine was the most prolific Japanese fighter of World War 2. Designed for manoeuverability and speed, the low-wing model meant that firepower and safety had to be sacrificed, with only two machine guns per plane. Despite this, more Japanese pilots achieved Ace status flying the Hayabusa than any other plane. This book expertly charts the experiences of the pilots and discusses the early stages of the war in South-East Asia, China, Burma and New Guinea. Accompanied by detailed appendices and specially commissioned artwork, this is the first volume in English to focus exclusively on the exploits of the Ki-43.
Introduced into service early in 1938 during a time of extensive re-organisation of Army air units, the Ki-27, known as the 97 Sen by its pilots, achieved its first successes during the so-called 'China Incident' against the mainly biplane types operated by the Chinese. On 10 April 1938 Ki-27 pilots of the 2nd Daitai (later to become the 64th Sentai) claimed 24 Chinese biplane fighters shot down for the loss of only two of their own. Almost within a year of its combat debut against the Chinese the 97 Sen was to be tested in fighting against the Russians during the Nomonhan Incident of 1939. Initially the 97 Sen proved superior to the Soviet I-16 monoplanes, but the latter were hastily modified to better engage the Japanese fighter and the Russian pilots rapidly adapted to exploit their own strengths and the enemy weaknesses. A handful of Japanese Army Air Force (JAAF) aces emerged from this showdown to be lauded by the Japanese press and ever associated with the iconic 97 Sen - Shimada the 'Red-Legged Hawk', Shihonara the 'Richthofen of the Orient' and Yoshiyama, the 'warrior of the Holombile Plateau'. These were the glory days for the JAAF and many of the successful 97 Sen pilots went on to become the outstanding leaders and veteran aces of the Pacific War. By December, 1941 the JAAF had just started to replace the 97 Sen with the more modern Hayabusa, but the fixed undercarriage fighter still equipped 17 of the 19 Army fighter Sentai and took the brunt of the offensive against the British and Americans in Southeast Asia and the Philippines, as well as the Homeland Defence capability at the time of the Doolittle Raid. Initially facing more modern Allied types of fighter, the 97 Sen was more than able to hold its own by exploiting its outstanding aerobatic qualities. But the writing was on the wall for an unarmoured, fixed undercarriage aircraft with two rifle-calibre machine guns as the Allies consolidated and began their fightback. In China, Chennault had already assessed the 97 Sen's strengths and weaknesses, describing it as a fighter that 'climbs like a sky rocket and manoeuvres like a squirrel'. Prior to the outbreak of the Pacific War he had sent a complete dossier on the type to the USA where it was studiously ignored. The pace of re-equipment with new types and the resurgence of Allied airpower required JAAF units to continue with the 97 Sen as main equipment, especially on the quieter fronts and in Home Defence. By 1943 it was considered seriously obsolete but was still being encountered in combat by Allied pilots, especially in the air defence role. The Ki-27 also found an important secondary role as an armed fighter trainer, equipping an important number of training units and flying schools. The Mansyu Ki-79, a purpose built trainer produced in both single and two-seater versions, was based on the Ki-27. It also served expediently in the suicide attack role and in at least one epic air defence combat. In February 1945, over Chiba, experienced ace WO Masatoshi Masuzawa, flying one of the open cockpit trainers, downed a US Navt Hellcat. Masuzawa had scored his first victory in a 97 Sen over Nomonhan in 1939, and in three months of fighting there had claimed 12 enemy aircraft shot down. He epitomised the veteran JAAF flyers who had first taken the 97 Sen to war and survived to see the atom bombs dropped on their homeland.
Austro-Hungarian Aces of World War 1 by Chris Chant Pdf
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.
Croatian Aces of World War 2 by Boris Ciglic,Dragan Savic Pdf
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.
Yakovlev Aces of World War 2 by George Mellinger Pdf
The Yak-1 entered Soviet service in 1941, one of three modern types of aircraft accepted for production just prior to the German invasion of the USSR. Despite initial shortcomings, it soon proved to be the thoroughbred of the Soviet Airforce. Indeed, it remained in production until the end of the war, modernized but fundamentally recognizable. By VE-day about 33,100 Yakovlev fighters had been built. Virtually all Soviet fighter regiments flew at least one variety of Yak for a time, including those which gained their fame identified with other aircraft, and consequently many pilots known as Airacobra or Lavochkin aces also scored victories with the Yak. Many other famous aces were exclusively 'Yak patriots', including the French Normandie pilots. This book focuses on the Soviet aces who scored all, or most of their victories in the Yak, drawing informaion from official unit histories and memoirs of the Soviet pilots themselves.
P-40 Warhawk Aces of the CBI by Carl Molesworth Pdf
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.
P-36 Hawk Aces of World War 2 by Lionel Persyn,Kari Stenman,Andrew Thomas Pdf
The Curtiss P-36 was considered a revolution in performance design in comparison to other US fighters. Yet by the time of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor the P-40 was increasingly supplanting the P-36, which the US then exported to France under the guise of the Hawk 75. Flown by the French, captured by the Germans, sold to the Finns, transferred to India and Africa, and even incorporated into the RAF, the Hawk 75 saw service in every theatre of operations and in a variety of combat environments. This book depicts the fascinating life of a plane that fought on both sides in the war, with colour artwork, photographs and first-hand accounts.
Aces of the Republic of China Air Force by Raymond Cheung Pdf
The ace pilots of the Republic of China Air Force have long been shrouded in mystery and obscurity, as their retreat to Taiwan in 1949 and blanket martial law made records of the RoCAF all but impossible to access. Now, for the first time, the colourful story of these aces can finally be told. Using the latest research based on released archival information and full-colour illustrations, this book charts the history of the top scoring pilots of the RoCAF from the beginning of the gruelling, eight-year Sino-Japanese War to the conclusion of the Civil War against the Chinese Communists. Beginning as a ragged and very disparate group of planes and pilots drawn from various provincial air forces, the RoCAF gradually became standardised and was brought under American tutelage. Altogether it produced 17 aces who scored kills whilst flying a startling variety of aircraft, from biplanes to F-86 Sabres.
For Germany, the Spanish Civil War proved a perfect testing ground for new technologies and tactics. During the war, some 19,000 German 'volunteers' formed an aviation group called the Legion Condor in support of the fascists. Originally flying He-51s, they were soon upgraded to 109s. These fighters proved dominant in the Spanish skies, and many members of the legion scored five or more kills during the fighting.
The Hawker Hurricane was the Raf's first monoplane fighter, and it dragged the air force into a position where it could defend Britain in its 'hour of need'. Prior to the Battle of Britain, a number of squadrons equipped with the fighter had seen action firstly in the 'Phoney War', and then during the disastrous campaign in France. Pilots like 'Cobber' Kain had achieved impressive scores in the face of overwhelming LUftwaffe forces, and although the RAF lost no less than 386 Hurricanes during the Blitzkried, it gave many pilots valuable experience. Hawker fighters outnumbered Spitfires during the Battle of Britain by three to one, and downed far mor aircraft. Overseas, a handful of pilots put up stiff resistance against Germany's Italian ally in Libya and Egypt, and also over Malta.
