Jagdgeschwader 53 'Pik-As' Bf 109 Aces of 1940

by Chris Goss, Chris Davey (Illustrator)

Overview

Boasting pilots who had been blooded in the Spanish Civil War, Jagdgeschwader 53 (JG 53) 'Pik As' or 'Ace of Spades' achieved great success in the skies over France and Britain in 1940. It was infamous amongst its opponents for the quality and calibre of its aces – men such as Werner Mölders, Hans-Karl Mayer and Rolf Pingel. These aces won numerous Knight's Crosses for their exploits in 1940, credited with 258 victories, with 51 pilots being killed or captured. This study follows these pilots of JG 53 into battle, telling the stories of their victories, losses, and ultimate fate.
Containing 36 profile illustrations depicting the drastic change in appearance of their aircraft over time, and complemented by thorough research, this book is a welcome addition to Osprey's popular Aircraft of the Aces series.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781472818737
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	02/23/2017
Series:	Aircraft of the Aces , #132
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	96
File size:	48 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Chris Goss is a recently retired senior Royal Air Force officer who has studied the 1939-45 air war over northwest Europe for many years, specialising in Luftwaffe air operations. He has amassed a substantial collection of original wartime material and photographs as a result of interviews and extensive correspondence with veterans and their families. Chris has written more than 14 books, including Bloody Biscay, Brothers in Arms and The Luftwaffe's Blitz, as well as Combat Aircraft 115: Fw 200 Condor Units of World War 2, which is due for publication by Osprey in 2016.

Chris Davey has illustrated more than 30 titles for Osprey's Aircraft of the Aces, Combat Aircraft, and Aviation Elite Units series. He is one of the last traditional airbrush artists in the business and is based in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, UK.
Chris Goss is a retired senior Royal Air Force officer who specialised in the 1939-45 air war over northwest Europe and Luftwaffe air operations. He owns a collection of original wartime material and photographs as a result of interviews with veterans and their families. Chris has written more than 25 books that have been critically acclaimed for their research and been published in Swedish, Hungarian, Spanish and Czech as well as in English. He has written three books for Osprey.
Chris Davey has illustrated more than 70 titles for Osprey's Aircraft of the Aces and Combat Aircraft series since 1994. Based in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, as one of the very last traditional airbrush artists in the business, he has become the company's illustrator of choice for both USAAF fighters and RAF subject matter, proving his undoubted skill when dealing with large aircraft subjects such as the Halifax, Sunderland, Lancaster, and Stirling.

Table of Contents

Introduction /To War /Battle of France /Battle of Britain – The Western Battle /Battle of Britain – The Eastern Battle /1940 – The Final Days /Appendices /Colour Plates Commentary /Index