Download or read book Seafire vs A6M Zero written by Donald Nijboer and published by Osprey Publishing. This book was released on 2009-04-21 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Products of vastly different design philosophies, the Seafire F III and the A6M Zero were never intended to meet in combat, and never should have. Yet the harsh necessities of war intervened and these two planes were pitted against each other in the last dogfight of World War II, high above the Japanese home lands. The Zero, with its clean design, low weight and high lift, was extremely nimble at low speeds and ideally suited to the job it was intended to do. In contrast, the Spitfire was not designed as a shipboard fighter; it was a short-range interceptor, intended for operations from established airfields and supported by a well stocked infrastructure of spares and qualified maintenance personal. With a different twist on the Duel concept, this book examines these two iconic fighters and their two very different histories; one was 'adapted' for a role it was never intended to carry out, the other was purpose built and proved to be one of the finest fighters of World War II. Using fantastic artwork and intimate first-hand accounts, the author discusses the decline of the Japanese Naval Air Force and its principal fighter, the Zero, in contrast to the British Seafire, as it overcame its critics to become the best pure carrier interceptor of the war and emerge victorious in the last aerial duel of World War II.
Download or read book Spitfire VC vs A6M2 3 Zero sen written by Peter Ingman and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2019-05-30 with total page 81 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Just weeks after Pearl Harbor, Darwin was mauled by a massive Japanese attack. Without a single fighter to defend Australian soil, the Australian government made a special appeal to Britain for Spitfires. A year later the Spitfire VC-equipped No 1 Fighter Wing, RAAF, faced the battle-hardened 202nd Kokutai of the IJNAF, equipped with A6M2 Zero-sens, over Darwin. This was a gruelling campaign between evenly matched foes, fought in isolation from the main South Pacific battlegrounds. Pilots on either side had significant combat experience, including a number of Battle of Britain veterans. The Spitfire had superior flight characteristics but was hampered by short range and material defects in the tropical conditions, while the Japanese employed better tactics and combat doctrine inflicting serious losses on the over-confident Commonwealth forces. Fully illustrated with detailed full-colour artwork, this is the gripping story of two iconic aircraft facing off against each other above Australia.
Download or read book No 126 Wing RCAF written by Donald Nijboer and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2013-05-20 with total page 294 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The success of No 126 Wing began before the D-Day landings and through operations at Falaise Gap, Operation Market Garden, the winter offensive in the Ardennes, and crossing the Rhine into Germany. Donald Nijboer examines the wing's operations chapter by chapter, demonstrating how the five squadrons of Spitfires of No 126 Wing were self-sufficient in everything they did and how, after the Normandy landings, the ground forces could not move without this valuable support. Squadron and ace biographies and stunning artwork bring this fascinating book to life.
Download or read book Spitfire V vs C 202 Folgore written by Donald Nijboer and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2014-04-20 with total page 173 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The inability of the Italians and Germans to invade Malta proved decisive for Allied victory in the Mediterranean during World War II, as the islands provided the Allies with a base from which to project air power. Early Italian efforts to pound the islands into submission were supplemented by major German forces from January 1942 and in a few weeks the situation for the defenders reached a critical stage; in response, in March 1942 the first Spitfires were delivered to Malta. Throughout the summer C.202s fought over Malta, escorting tiny formations of Cant Z.1007s, SM.79s and Ju 88s. The fighting subsided in August and September, but grew in strength with the arrival of more C.202s. In October the Regia Aeronautica could muster three Gruppi with a total of 74 C.202s. For ten days the Italians pressed a relentless attack before attrition brought the offensive to a halt. Throughout the bombing campaign the British were able to supply Malta with ever increasing numbers of Spitfires.
Download or read book Dogfight written by Tony Holmes and published by Chartwell Books. This book was released on 2013-04-15 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Written by Tony Holmes, an aerospace editor and leading expert on aviation history, Dogfight covers four air forces, three theaters, and ten iconic fighters. This book is the complete story of head to head aerial combat in World War II. In the skies above a world at war, individual skill, technical edge, and superior tactics all determined which pilot would emerge victorious from an aerial duel. Matching up ten aerial rivals - including Spitfires, Messerschmitts, Mustangs and Zeros - with their greatest foes, this book analyzes the histories of the machines, their pilots and tactics, with thrilling accounts of true combat. Meticulously researched digital artwork recreates the cockpits, armament, and battles of each combatant.
Download or read book P 38 Lightning vs Ki 61 Tony written by Donald Nijboer and published by Osprey Publishing. This book was released on 2010-03-23 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The air war in the South Pacific was unique and very different from other major air operations undertaken during World War II. In no theater was air power more central to success than in the South Pacific. The objective of every major strategic move was to seize an air base. The air power employed was the most complex technology available, and, ironically, it was employed over some of the most brutal, primitive and largely unknown terrain in the world. Much has been written about the major battles such as Pearl Harbor, Midway, Iwo Jima and Okinawa, but very little focus has been paid to the vital battles that took place in New Guinea and the Solomons. When hostilities in New Guinea began, Japan possessed an advantage in air strength, but as American and Australian strength grew, the Japanese air arm suffered complete and utter defeat from which it would never recover. Two of the aircraft that would see frequent combat in the New Guinea campaign were the Ki-61 Tony and P-38 Lightning. The Ki-61 represented the rare occasion when Germany and Japan cooperated in a technical field. Using the license built German DB 601A engine, which powered the Bf 109E, production of the Ki-61 began in August 1942, and the plane first flew a few weeks after Pearl Harbor. On the other hand, the P-38 was already in service (albeit in small numbers). Its speed, firepower and range made it a formidable opponent, and one for which the Japanese never had an answer; the P-38 was ultimately credited with destroying more Japanese aircraft than any other USAAF fighter. While the Ki-61 was well armed with two heavy machine guns and two German 20mm cannons, it was not quite a match for the P-38, but the differences were slight and in a dogfight it often came down to the skill and even luck of the pilot at the controls. This title explores the design and development, technical specifications, strategies, combatants, and statistics of each of these two aircraft, complete with extensive photographs and specially commissioned artwork.
Download or read book Air Combat 1945 written by Donald Nijboer and published by Stackpole Books. This book was released on 2015-09-15 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The final year of World War II witnessed the decline of the piston-engine fighter and the beginning of the jet age. Taking to the skies were tried-and-true fighters, improved versions of old aircraft, and newly developed jets, including prototypes that flew for the first time just before the war ended. • Hundreds of photos chronicle these dynamic aircraft in Europe and the Pacific • Includes American Mustangs, Thunderbolts, and Shooting Stars; British Tempests, Spitfires, and Gloster Meteors; German Fw 190s, Bf 109Ks, and Messerschmitt Me 262s; Japanese Ki 100s, Raidens, and Tojos; and many more • Ideal reference for military history fans, scholars, and modelers
Download or read book F6F Hellcat vs A6M Zero sen written by Edward M. Young and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2014-08-20 with total page 82 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Grumman F6F Hellcat and Mitsubishi A6M Zero-sen were the two principal opposing fighters in the brutal aerial clashes of the Pacific War from 1943 onwards. Reminiscent of the preceding F4F Wildcat, the F6F Hellcat was designed specifically to counter the earlier A6M2 Zero-sen, the strengths and weaknesses of which became fully understood by US designers after an undamaged example was recovered in the Aleutians. The powerful Hellcat had an impressive top speed, rate of climb and armament, and it retained its predecessor's incredible ruggedness. The A6M5 Zero-sen was also born out of an earlier type, but was intended merely as a stop-gap until more modern Japanese fighters could be produced to restore performance parity with Allied aircraft. The chaotic conditions of the Japanese Aircraft industry and war economy prevented new types from being built.Featuring detailed artwork illustrating the technical specifications of these two types and the dramatic encounters between them, this volume focuses on how these iconic fighters came into being, and how they fared as they faced one another over the Pacific skies of World War II.
Download or read book Cockpits of the Cold War written by Donald Nijboer and published by Erin, Ont. : Boston Mills Press. This book was released on 2003 with total page 200 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This pictorial book looks inside the cockpit of aircraft from 1947 to 1965 from the United States, United Kingdom, Sweden, Canada, France and the Soviet Union. Featured aircraft includes a pilot's perspective on what it was like to fly.
Download or read book US Navy Ships vs Kamikazes 1944 45 written by Mark Stille and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2016-09-22 with total page 84 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The ineffectiveness of conventional air attacks on US Navy surface ships, particularly heavily defended targets like carrier task groups, forced the Japanese to re-evaluate their tactics in late 1944. The solution they arrived at was simple – crash their aircraft into American ships. This notion of self-sacrifice fit well within the Japanese warrior psyche and proved terrifying to the American sailors subjected to it. These tactics brought immediate results, and proved effective until the end of the war. This book examines this terrifying new way of waging war, revealing how the US Navy was forced to adapt its tactics and deploy new weapons to counter the threat posed by kamikaze attacks, as well as assessing whether the damage caused to American naval strength by the loss of so many pilots and aircraft actually had a material impact.
Download or read book The First Team written by John Lundstrom and published by Naval Institute Press. This book was released on 2013-04-11 with total page 576 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Hailed as one of the finest examples of aviation research, this comprehensive 1984 study presents a detailed and scrupulously accurate operational history of carrier-based air warfare. From the earliest operations in the Pacific through the decisive Battle of Midway, it offers a narrative account of how ace fighter pilots like Jimmy Thach and Butch O'Hare and their skilled VF squadron mates - called the "first team" - amassed a remarkable combat record in the face of desperate odds. Tapping both American and Japanese sources, historian John B. Lundstrom reconstructs every significant action and places these extraordinary fighters within the context of overall carrier operations. He writes from the viewpoint of the pilots themselves, after interviewing some fifty airmen from each side, to give readers intimate details of some of the most exciting aerial engagements of the war. At the same time he assesses the role the fighter squadrons played in key actions and shows how innovations in fighter tactics and gunnery techniques were a primary reason for the reversal of American fortunes. After more than twenty years in print, the book remains the definitive account and is being published in paperback for the first time to reach an even larger audience.
Download or read book Spitfire written by John Dibbs and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2016-05-19 with total page 226 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Spitfire turns 80 on 5 March 2016, and the passion for the RAF's best-loved fighter is running at an all-time high. There are more than 50 Spitfires flying in the world today, and John Dibbs has shot virtually all of them 'on the wing' in his breathtaking style. This eye-catching book combines a unique collection of stunning photos with poignant first-hand accounts of flying the aeroplane in combat, from some of the most famous aces to ever pilot the Spitfire, and from some of the pilots forgotten by history. Chronicling the history of the most iconic of British aircraft this is a 'must have' purchase for aviation enthusiasts.
Download or read book Clash of The Carriers written by Barrett Tillman and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2006-11-07 with total page 380 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the national bestselling coauthor of Dragon's Jaw, here is the incredible true story of the most spectacular aircraft carrier battle in history, World War II’s Great Marianas Turkey Shoot. “Superb... the greatest naval air battle of all time finally receives the meticulous and comprehensive treatment it deserves.”—Richard Frank, author of Tower of Skulls In June, 1944, American and Japanese carrier fleets made their way toward one another in the Philippine Sea. Their common objective: the strategically vital Marianas Islands. During two days of brutal combat, the American and Japanese carriers dueled, launching wave after wave of fighters and bombers against one another. By day and night, hundreds of planes filled the skies. When it was over, the men of the American Fifth Fleet had claimed more than four hundred aerial combat victories, and three Japanese carriers lay on the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. Here is the true account of those great and terrible days—by those who were there, in the thick of the Battle of the Philippine Sea. Drawing upon numerous interviews with American and Japanese veterans as well as official sources, Clash of the Carriers is an unforgettable testimonial to the bravery of those who fought and those who died in a battle that will never be forgotten. “In his inimitable style, naval aviation’s most prolific historian comes through with a much-needed, comprehensive documentary on the greatest aircraft carrier battle of all time.”—Cdr. Alexander Vraciu, USN (Ret) Fighting Squadron 16, 1944
Download or read book Graphic War written by Donald Nijboer and published by . This book was released on 2011 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A superb collection of "top secret" drawings from World War II.
Download or read book Gunner written by Donald Nijboer and published by Erin, Ont. : Boston Mills Press. This book was released on 2006 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Through Patterson's remarkable photography and Nijboer's interviews with veterans, "Gunner" allows readers to imagine what it must have been like to be an air gunner in the Second World War. 150 color photos plus historical b&w photos.
Download or read book Mitsubishi Zero written by Peter C. Smith and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2014-11-30 with total page 313 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A history of the Japanese aircraft, “illustrated by well reproduced black and white photographs” details the plane’s impressive WWII aviation record. (Aviation News) The Mitsubishi Zero is one of the greatest fighter aircraft ever to have graced the skies. Symbolic of the might of Imperial Japan, she represented a peak of developmental prowess in the field of aviation during the early years of the Second World War. Engineered with maneuverability in mind, this lightweight, stripped-back aircraft had a performance that left her opponents totally outclassed. The dogfights this aircraft engaged in with the Chinese, British, Dutch and American warplanes in the 1941-42 period are the stuff of aviation legend. The Zero remained a potent threat until the end of the war, not least in her final role, that of a Kamikaze plane, in which she created as much havoc on the sea as she had done earlier in the air. Peter C. Smith takes the reader on a journey from inspired inception to the blazing termination of this unique aircraft, the first Naval fighter to be superior to land-based aircraft. Mitsubishi Zero describes in detail the many victories that punctuated the early days of the plane’s operational career as well as the final days of the Second World War which witnessed her demise. Smith also lists the preserved Zero aircraft on display today. This is a fast-paced and fascinating history of a fighter aircraft like no other.
Download or read book Cockpit written by Donald Nijboer and published by . This book was released on 2006-09 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The cockpits of World War II aircraft and the men who flew them.
