Description

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This book brings together the best and most iconic fighters of World War II, pitted against one another in desperate aerial combat.

The battle for the skies in World War II fuelled a race between rival air forces to develop ever faster and more capable fighter aircraft – and the struggle for air superiority was never over until the war itself ended.

This volume explores four clashes of some of the finest planes and pilots, in key theatres of the war: Spitfires duelling the formidable Bf 109 over the Channel, the Fw 190 battling the Soviet La 5 and 7 on the Eastern Front, the F4F Wildcat in a desperate clash with the legendary A6M Zero-sen, and the F4U Corsair in combat with the second-generation Japanese Ki-84 in the closing days of the war.

Fully illustrated with contemporary photographs, maps and colour artwork, Air Combat conveys the full story behind these dramatic aviation duels.

About the Author

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Having initially worked for Osprey as an author in the 1980s, Tony Holmes became the company's aviation editor in 1989 after he moved to England from Western Australia. Responsible for devising the Aircraft of the Aces, Combat Aircraft, Aviation Elite Units, Duel and X-Planes series, Tony has also written more than 30 books for Osprey over the past 35 years.

Edward M. Young is a retired financial executive with a BA degree in Political Science from Harvard University and an MA from the University of Washington. In 2015 he received an MA in the History of Warfare from King's College, London and in 2020 completed a PhD in History at King's College. During his career he had assignments in New York, London, Tokyo, and Hong Kong. He is the author of numerous books and articles on aviation history. He lives with his wife in Seattle, Washington.

Having initially worked for Osprey as an author in the 1980s, Tony Holmes became the company's aviation editor in 1989 after he moved to England from Western Australia. Responsible for devising the Aircraft of the Aces, Combat Aircraft, Aviation Elite Units, Duel and X-Planes series, Tony has also written more than 30 books for Osprey over the past 35 years.

Praise For…

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“I think it's excellent – highly recommended and I'm sure you'll love it as much as I do.” —Geoff Coughlin, Scale Modelling Now

“The Armourer Editor's Choice: This is a very fine and collectable book about air combat in WWII.” —The Armourer (March, 2019)

“Highly recommended.” —Flypast

“Although written by different authors, the format of each Part is very similar and consistent. All made for a good and stimulating read, and I really liked the use of the paintings in the text to give a bit of a "you are there" feeling to the stories as I read them. If you are new to the series, or are already a fan, I think you will be pleasantly surprised by the contents. Considering the softcover Duel volumes go for about $20/each, getting four in this book for less than the cost of two individual ones seems like a very good deal to me. Highly recommend.” —IMPS / USA Reviews

“The book is well researched, liberally illustrated, and written with clear prose.” —WWII Magazine