More Bf 109 Aces of the Russian Front

Description

The four-year long Eastern Front campaign fought between Germany and the Soviet Union produced not only the greatest number of aces, but also the highest individual and unit scores ever recorded in the history of aerial warfare. An ideal complement to its bestselling predecessor, this fully illustrated volume covers the Luftwaffe fighter pilots credited with scores of between 50 and 100; every single one of them amassing a greater number of victories than the highest and most celebrated of any British or American World War II ace. Despite these huge personal totals, the names of these pilots who fought against the Red Air Force remain almost unknown to many English speaking readers. More Bf 109 Aces of the Russian Front rectifies that omission, providing first-hand accounts from the combat veterans themselves, as well as never-before published photographs, vividly conveying the terrible experiences of the protagonists in this difficult theatre of war.

John Weal is Osprey's primary Luftwaffe author and artist. He possesses one of the largest private collections of original German-language literature from World War 2 and his research is based on this huge archive. Fluent in German, Weal has spent much time establishing contact with ex-members of the Luftwaffe, from General Staff Officers of the RLM to frontline aircrew. A freelance airbrush artist since the days of the monthly RAF Flying Review, he has illustrated some of the finest Luftwaffe profiles to date.

"This title focuses on 120 of the 'lesser known' aces who scored 'only' between 50 and 100 kills. It complements a previous title in the series (No 37) that focused on 'better known' pilots with 100 kills or more. The profiles are larger than usual (spanning the full page landscape instead of portrait) and include a useful variety of both unusual and common schemes." --Aerospace Modeler (January 2009) "This volume is captivating... I was absorbed by the surge and recession of the fighters' fortunes, the ebb and flow of bureaucratic evolution, and personal narratives of these unknown aerial warriors." --Fred Rick Boucher, Aeroscale (August 2007) "Overall, this is a superb book and one that 109 fans, Luftwaffe enthusiasts and modelers alike will find invaluable. As with all Osprey titles, one that I can highly recommend and one you can purchase with confidence." --Scott Van Aken, modelingmadness.com (May 2007)