Combat Aircraft

COM 25 MiG-17 and MiG-19 Units of the Vietnam War

COM004 - Mosquito Bomber/Fighter-Bomber Units 1942–45

Truly an example of engineering ingenuity born out of the desperation of war, the legendary 'all-wooden' Mosquito was perhaps the best twin-engined fighter-bomber of its size to see action in World War II (1939-1945). The first bomber variant to enter...

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...

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...

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...

COM050 - B-52 Stratofortress Units in Operation Desert Storm

With the ending of the Cold War (1946-1991), the B-52's traditional combat role became redundant, and the USAF looked for new ways to use the machine. The invasion of Kuwait by Iraq in August 1990 gave the B-52 the chance to prove its worth in the new...

COM052 - US Navy F-14 Tomcat Units of Operation Iraqi Freedom

Since the limited Desert Fox campaign against Iraq in December 1998, the Tomcat has been integral to virtually all combat operations involving the US Navy in the Arabian Gulf. Indeed, on every carrier deployment to the Persian Gulf since Desert Fox, the...

COM098 - A-10 Thunderbolt II Units of Operation Enduring Freedom 2002-07

The A-10 was never a favourite amongst the USAF's senior staff, and prior to Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990 they had attempted to transfer the aircraft to the US Army and Marine Corps. Reprieved from premature retirement, the A-10 would see combat in...

COM127 - RF-101 Voodoo Units in Combat

This study tells the combat stories of the extraordinary RF-101, highlighting the difficulty of the missions on which it was sent and the courage of its pilots. McDonnell's F-101 Voodoo series was in many ways the most interesting of the "Century Series"...

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...

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,...

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...

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...