Comments: Softcover, 80 pages, black-and-white photos, 11 color illustrations
ISBN: 978-1-4728-0576-8
Price: $20
Publisher: Osprey Publishing
From the publisher: Artwork and analysis provides a pilot’s view of dramatic clashes as two legendary fighters and “big name” pilots of World War II went head-to-head in the skies of Northwest Europe. As the Battle of Britain approached its conclusion, two new versions of the famous Spitfire and Messerschmitt Bf 109 arrived on the scene. The Royal Air Force, seeing that the Luftwaffe was stepping down its incursions into British airspace, went on the offensive. The Spitfire Mark II, and increasingly the Mark V, would sweep the English Channel or escort vulnerable Blenheim bombers. Waiting for them was the Bf 109F “Friedrich.” Despite the reversal of offensive and defensive dispositions, and even with the Luftwaffe transferring the bulk of its fighter strength to the Eastern Front in 1941, the Jagdflieger was able to inflict severe losses on its RAF counterparts.
FSM says: Context and content of rival fighters and the Battle of Britain; pilot profiles and photos of aircraft in the field. Modelers will find especially useful the keyed color illustrations of Spitfire Mk.VB and Bf 109F-4 cockpits.