THE FIGHT FOR THE SKIES — Allied Fighter Aircraft in Europe and North Africa 1939-1945
Prix régulier 30,00 € TTC 6%
Characteristics
| ISBN-10 | 1854094130 |
| Book cover finish(es) | Hardcover ( round back binding ) with a dust jacket |
| Condition |
Used - like NEW |
| Author(s) | Roger A. Freeman |
| Publisher | Arms & Armour Press |
| Number of pages | 192 |
| Published date | 1998 |
| Language(s) | English |
| Size | 22.5 x 28.5 x 1.5 cm |
Description
Flying fighters during World War Two may have seemed glamorous—the fighter pilot appearing as a sort of twentieth-century knight—but it was also appallingly dangerous. More than 22,000 British and American fighter aircraft were lost during the conflict, and over 9,000 pilots were killed.
The Fight for the Skies tells the true story of Allied fighter operations during World War Two. More than 270 carefully selected photographs illustrate British and American fighter aircraft and the pilots who flew them.
In this balanced and unbiased account, the author challenges many of the myths that developed during and after the war, often shaped by wartime propaganda. RAF pilots during the Battle of Britain, for example, can be seen as even more remarkable when considering the performance and armament advantages of the Luftwaffe fighters. In the Western Desert, British Hawker Hurricanes initially operated at a significant disadvantage until 1943. By spring 1944, however, the Allied fighter force had become a truly offensive weapon, achieving air superiority over enemy territory.
This pictorial account covers all Western and Mediterranean theatres of the war, focusing on the deployment of Allied fighters, their tactics, and the men who flew them. All major fighter types are represented, including Supermarine Spitfire, Hawker Hurricane, Gloster Gladiator, Hawker Tempest, Hawker Typhoon, North American P-51 Mustang, Lockheed P-38 Lightning, Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, Westland Whirlwind, Gloster Meteor, as well as Bristol Beaufighter and de Havilland Mosquito.
These aircraft carried out a wide range of missions, including escorting daylight bombing raids, intruder operations over occupied Europe, and ground-attack missions in support of land forces in North Africa, Sicily, Italy, and Northwestern Europe from the Normandy campaign onwards.
