Messerschmitt Bf 109: libros - historia y despliegue (4/4)

The period covered in this volume was considered to be the 'glory years' for the Jagdwaffe - fresh from the experience gained in the Spanish Civil War - and for the Bf 109 in particular. Many famous pilots scored their first kills in the classic dogfights staged over Poland, Western Europe, the Channel and finally southern England. Some 40 Knight's Crosses were awarded in 1940 alone.
However, after sweeping all before them in support of the Blitzkrieg across continental Europe, the Bf 109E pilots were to suffer badly during the Battle of Britain, the result of poor tactics inflicted upon them by the Luftwaffe High Command, and their mount's less then generous range.

Contents: Birth of the Blitzkrieg - Guarding the North Sea Coast - Patrolling the Westwall - Scandinavian Sideshow - The Blitzkrieg Comes of Age - The Battle of Britain and After - Appendices.

Step into the cockpits of the Luftwaffe's Bf 109 and the Red Air Force's Yaks 1-7, two fighters which were involved in some of the largest, fiercest aerial battles in history.
The Iconic Messerschmitt fighter and its combat hardened pilots inflicted a fearful beating on the Yaks in the beginning of the war. Some of the highest scoring aces in history benefitted from the Bf 109's technical superiority over the overweight and underpowered Yak 1, racking up incredible successes against their poorly trained and equipped adversaries.
And yet, as the Soviets accumulated combat experience, their tactics improved, as did their mounts in the upgraded Yak 1B and gradually, the Red Force eroded the Jagdwaffe's dominance of the skies in the eastern front, though with the 109G they would never lose qualitative superiority.
Featuring first-hand accounts from veteran pilots, rare archival photographs and expert analysis, this volume brings to life the vicious dogfights that took place between the Bf 109 and the Yak as they vied for mastery of the frozen skies of the Eastern Front.

Contents: Introduction - Chronology - Design & Development - Technical Specifications - Strategic Situation - Combatants - Combat - Statistics and Analysis - Aftermath - Further Reading - Index.

Although the P-40 and the Bf 109 joined the air war over North Africa at nearly the same time in 1941, the German fighter had already racked up a considerable combat career, dating back to 1937 in Spain. In contrast, the P-40 was a bit of an unknown quantity and was making its combat debut in the hands of the RAF's Desert Air Force.

Discover how the huge differences between the veteran Bf 109 and the new P-40 determined the tactics they adopted and the ultimate outcome of their epic confrontation in this book. The author covers all aspects of the aerial battle, from the small, agile Bf 109's ability to operate more effectively at high altitudes through to the P-40's advantage in manoeuvrability, which outweighed its poor high altitude performance.

Totally outnumbered throughout their short two-year sojourn in the Western Desert, the crack fighter pilots of the handful of Jagdgeschwader in-theatre fought an effective campaign in support of Rommel's Afrika Korps against the British and American forces. Relying almost exclusively on the Luftwaffe's staple fighter of World War 2, the Messerschmitt Bf 109, the battle-hardened aces used the aircraft's superior performance to achieve incredible scores against the Allies. Similarly, once pushed out of North Africa, these units continued to take the fight to the RAF and USAAF from makeshift bases in northern Italy.

Contents: Desert Jagdflieger - 'Star of Afrika' - End of an Era - New Adversaries - Italian Debacle - Jagdgeschwader 27 'Afrika' - Appendices - Index.

This book charts the story of the myriad aces who flew the later marks of Messerschmitt fighter through to VE-Day. As good as the Emil had been during the opening 18 months of the war, the aircraft was being progressively bettered in virtually all aspects of aerial combat by the Spitfire come 1941, so Messerschmitt updated and improved the breed, firstly with the introduction of the Friedrich and then the multi-variant Gustav.

Contents: First Line of Defence - Defence of the Reich - Normandy and the Defence of the Reich - Appendices.

Describes the procurement, operation and technical aspects of the legendary Messerschmitt Me 109 in Swiss service during and after World War II. The aircraft and its procurement during the 1930s and 1940s are described in detail, as are the internal quarrels and errors in planning. The Me 109G "Gustav" is extensively discussed, and a chapter on camouflage paint and markings will be of special interest to modelers. The book also contains nearly 450 mostly unpublished photographs, including color.