Combat Aircraft

COM005 - Blenheim Squadrons of World War 2

Built in large numbers in the years leading up to World War II (1939-1945), Bristol's Blenheim saw use as both a fighter and bomber thanks to its high speed in relation to the biplane types it was then replacing. Aside from its work as the staple medium...

COM006 - Junkers Ju 87 Stukageschwader of North Africa and the Mediterranean

The 'terror weapon' of the invasion of Poland at the start of World War II (1939-1945), the assault on Scandinavia and the Blitzkrieg through western Europe, the Ju 87 Stuka had had its reputation severely dented during the Battle of Britain, where its...

COM007 - F-8 Crusader Units of the Vietnam War

Osprey's study of the role played by F-8 Crusader Units in the Vietnam War (1955-1975). Known to its pilots as the 'last of the gunfighters' due to its quartet of Colt-Browning Mk 12 20 mm cannon, the F-8 Crusader was numerically the most populous...

COM009 - Mosquito Fighter/Fighter-Bomber Units of World War 2

The second volume in the trilogy of Combat Aircraft titles devoted to de Havilland's 'wooden wonder', this book focuses on the Mosquito fighter/fighter-bomber variants, and their users. From its earliest development phase, the aircraft was considered as...

COM010 - SBD Dauntless Units of World War 2

Unquestionably the most successful dive-bomber ever to see frontline service with any air arm, the Douglas SBD Dauntless was the scourge of the Japanese Imperial Fleet in the crucial years of the Pacific War of World War II (1939-1945). The revolutionary...

COM011 - B-24 Liberator Units of the Pacific War

Ever present in the Pacific from Pearl Harbor to VJ-Day, the B-24 Liberator proved to be the staple heavy bomber of the campaign. From its ignominious beginnings in the Allied rout in the Philippines and the Dutch East Indies, the bomber weathered the...

COM012 - RF-8 Crusader Units over Cuba and Vietnam

Although the Crusader was built first and foremost as a Navy interceptor, as has often been the tradition with US fighters, a photo-reconnaissance variant was also produced by Vought. The photo-bird's first operational test came in the autumn of 1962...

COM014 - Halifax Squadrons of World War 2

The second of Britain's four-engined bombers to enter frontline service during World War II (1939-1945), Handley Page's Halifax has forever lived in the shadow of Avro's superb Lancaster. However, it was a Halifax which became the first RAF 'heavy' to...

COM016 - TBF/TBM Avenger Units of World War 2

As its name suggests, the Avenger meted out severe retribution on the Japanese in the Pacific, participating in every major engagement through to VJ-Day. As a key weapon of World War II (1939-1945), the Avenger was so highly valued by the US Navy that...

COM020 - TBD Devastator Units of the US Navy

Osprey's title examining the TBD Devastator Units' short-lived participation in World War II (1939-1945). The first monoplane aircraft ordered by the US Navy for carrier operations, the Douglas TBD Devastator was designed to fulfil a requirement for a...

COM025 - MiG-17 and MiG-19 Units of the Vietnam War

COM026 - US Navy F-4 Phantom II MiG Killers 1965–70

For every American fighter pilot involved in the Vietnam War (1955-1975), the ultimate goal was to 'kill a MiG'. In eight years of conflict 43 Vietnamese Peoples Air Force aircraft were claimed by US Navy and US Marine Corps Phantom II crews, and one...

COM034 - PV Ventura/Harpoon Units of World War 2

Osprey's examination of the PV Ventura/Harpoon Units and of their participation in World War II (1939-1945). A development of the successful Lockheed 'medium twins' of the late 1930s, the PV Ventura/Harpoon family of patrol bombers saw widespread service...

COM036 - B-17 Flying Fortress Units of the Eighth Air Force (Part 2)

The Boeing B-17, which has come to epitomise the American war effort in Europe during World War II (1939-1945), took the fight to Germans from the late summer of 1942 through to VE-Day. Its primary operator in Western Europe was the 'Mighty Eighth', who...

COM120 - Ju 52/3m Bomber and Transport Units 1936-41

The all-metal Junkers Ju 52/3m enjoyed a solid – indeed, revered – reputation amongst its crews and the troops and paratroopers who used and depended on it. For more than ten years, it saw service as a successful military transport, with its distinctive,...

COM128 - F-80 Shooting Star Units of the Korean War

Built within a 180-day time limit in 1943, the F-80 Shooting Star first saw service in Italy in the final year of World War 2, and consequently was sent to bases in the US, Europe and the Far East after VJ Day. It was the latter groups based in Japan...

COM129 - Dornier Do 17 Units of World War 2

Illustrated throughout with detailed artwork, this book examines the Do 17, also known as the “Flying Pencil,” a common and feared sight in the European skies, including over southern England during the Battle of Britain.Initially designed as a...

COM131 - Me 210/410 Zerstörer Units

Robert Forsyth

COM133 - Vickers Wellington Units of Bomber Command

This illustrated study charts the development and combat history of the Vickers Wellington units, the mainstay of the RAF heavy bomber force during the first half of World War II.The Vickers Wellington was one of very few aircraft types to have been in...

COM134 - Arado Ar 234 Bomber and Reconnaissance Units

This illustrated title explores the design, evolution, and deployment of the Arado Ar 234, the world's first truly operational jet bomber and first reconnaissance jet.When the revolutionary twin jet-powered Arado Ar 234 first appeared in the skies over...

COM136 - Arado Ar 196 Units in Combat

A detailed study of the attractive Arado Ar 196, one of the last fighting seaplanes. It was the standard seagoing aircraft for the German Kriegsmarine during World War II, providing the Luftwaffe with reach into the southern oceans.Beating its biplane...

COM138 - RAF Tornado Units of Gulf War I

The Panavia Tornado GR 1 and F 3 bore the brunt of RAF operational tasking (and combat losses) during the first Gulf War in 1991. Featuring many first-hand combat accounts, this book tells the story of the backbone of the RAF frontline from the 1980's...

COM139 - Dornier Do 217 Units of World War 2

This illustrated study charts the development and combat history of the Dornier Do 217 Units, the Luftwaffe's workhorse bomber during World War II.The Dornier Do 217 had a much larger bomb load capacity and had considerably greater range than the Do 17,...

COM140 - Yokosuka D4Y 'Judy' Units

A fully illustrated guide to one of the finest dive-bombers produced during World War 2, the Yokosuka D4Y "Judy."In 1938, the Yokosuka Naval Air Technical Arsenal, acting under the requirements issued by the Kaigun Koku Hombu for a Navy Experimental...

COM141 - F2H Banshee Units

A fully illustrated study of the extraordinarily successful early-generation jet, the F2H Banshee, a frontline aircraft that served with 27 US Navy and US Marine Corps squadrons and three Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) squadrons.The F2H Banshee was an...

COM142 - RAF Tornado Units in Combat 1992-2019

The Tornado units were deployed in many operational missions in the most recent conflicts over the Middle East and the Balkans. Featuring many first-hand combat accounts, this book tells the story of the backbone of the RAF frontline through the 1990s...

COM143 - F3D/EF-10 Skyknight Units of the Korean and Vietnam Wars

An illustrated study of the F3D Skyknights and their deployment during the Korean and Vietnam wars, as well as their key role both as escort aircraft and electronic warfare aircraft.The Douglas F3D Skyknight was an early but effective attempt at...

COM144 - B-36 ‘Peacemaker’ Units of the Cold War

A fully illustrated study into the extraordinary Convair B-36 during the Cold War.Conceived during 1941 in case Germany occupied Britain, when US bombers would then have insufficient range to retaliate, the B-36 was to be primarily a "10,000-mile bomber"...

COM145 - Macchi C.202/C.205V Units in Combat

A study of the Macchi Folgore and Veltro, the most successful Italian fighters in World War II. With specially commissioned profiles, the book examines how these fighters were conceived, their performance and the fascinating stories of their pilots...

COM146 - Junkers Ju 188 Units of World War 2

The Junkers Ju 188 was the epitome of mid-war German twin-engined aircraft design, representing the enhancement of an earlier type and incorporating increased performance and technological sophistication. As part of the 1939 “Bomber B” program, it was...

COM147 - F-4 Phantom II Wild Weasel Units in Combat

With first-hand insight into the into the key role of the US Air Force's fighter-bomber from the Vietnam War through to Operation Desert Storm during the First Gulf War, this book is an unmissable account of some of the most dangerous and demanding...

COM148 - Nakajima Ki-49 'Helen' Units

A fully illustrated study of the Nakajima Ki49 'Helen', the twin-engined bomber of the Pacific War, from Japanese aviation expert George Eleftheriou.The Nakajima Ki-49 Donryu ('Dragon Eater'), codenamed 'Helen' by the Allies, was a twin-engined Japanese...

COM149 - Bf 109 Jabo Units in the West

Using specially commissioned artwork and detailing technical specifications, this book explores the Bf 109's different roles occasioned by wartime necessity, from its employment as a fighter to its evolution as a fighter-bomber. One of the principal...

COM150 - Spitfire Photo-Recce Units of World War 2

A fascinating exploration of the feats of the RAF's photographic reconnaissance aircraft. The photographic reconnaissance (PR) versions of the Supermarine Spitfire saw service against the Axis Tripartite throughout World War 2. Its superior performance...

COM151 - Harrier GR 7/9 Units in Combat

Former RAF Tornado pilot Michael Napier chronicles the action-packed history of the Harrier GR 7/9, and its missions in West Africa, the Balkans, the Middle East and Afghanistan over a 14-year period of ceaseless operations. The Harrier GR 7/9 was at the...

COM152 - U-2 ‘Dragon Lady’ Units 1955–90

An illustrated account of the early service of the Lockheed U-2, one of the most important and longest-serving intelligence gathering platforms fielded by the US air force. The U-2 is one of the most recognizable aircraft of the Cold War; nicknamed the...

COM153 - Kawanishi H6K ‘Mavis’ and H8K ‘Emily’ Units

An illustrated account of the little-known operations of the Imperial Japanese Naval Air Force's flying boat units during World War 2. Respectively codenamed the 'Mavis' and 'Emily' by the Allies, Japan's H6K and H8K flying boats outstripped their RAF...