Featured Company:

Malta Spitfire Aces (Aircraft of the Aces)

Today's shopping tips: "Be wise in purchasing ..... find best value one"

---

Manufacturer: Osprey Publishing
List Price: $22.95
Our Price: $14.12
You Save: $ 8.83 ( 38% )
(prices subject to change)
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours

Average Ratings:

The siege of Malta during World War 2 is one of the great epics of aerial warfare. In 1942, it was described alternately as both a 'fighter pilot's paradise' and 'the most bombed place on earth'. During the peak of the Axis efforts against Malta, it suffered 154 consecutive days and nights of bombing, 100 nights more that London suffered during the Blitz.

The destruction of Axis convoys by Malta-based aircraft proved to be one of the decisive factors in the defeat of Rommel's forces in North Africa. This vital position would have been lost if it had not been for the successful defence of the island by a handful of greatly outnumbered Royal Air Force fighter squadrons. In the brutal and unforgiving air war over Malta only the very best fighter pilots succeeded, and all too often that was no guarantee of living another day. This book details the heroic story of the Spitfire Aces based on Malta. Drawn from an international team of Australians, British, Canadians, New Zealanders, Rhodesians and South Africans these pilots fought against extreme deprivation, physical hardships and overwhelming odds in one of the most crucial and decisive air battles of World War II.


DESCRIPTION:

Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 940.5421585
EAN: 9781846033056
ISBN: 1846033055
Label: Osprey Publishing
Manufacturer: Osprey Publishing
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 96
Publication Date: 2008-09-23
Publisher: Osprey Publishing
Release Date: 2008-09-23
Studio: Osprey Publishing


SIMILAR ITEMS:

• American Nightfighter Aces of World War 2 (Aircraft of the Aces)
• P-36 Hawk Aces of World War 2 (Aircraft of the Aces)
• Ki-43 Oscar Aces of World War 2 (Aircraft of the Aces)
• Griffon Spitfire Aces (Aircraft of the Aces)
• Jagdgeschwader 7 "Nowotny" (Aviation Elite Units)


CUSTOMER REVIEWS:

Customer Rating:
Summary: Ultimate Dogfight
Comment: This was a very good account of the aerial battles over Malta between June, 1940 and Nov., 1942. The axis powers desperately needed to take out Malta, but the little island hung tough. Lots of mini bios of some of the brave pilots that gave their lives for the cause.

Customer Rating:
Summary: Spits in Defense of Malta!
Comment: Mention of Malta Spitfires invariably brings to mind George Beurling, the RAF's master of deflection shooting. Yet Beurling was one of several hundred Spit pilots who defended that vital island from Axis invasion in 1942. Over three dozen pilots made ace over Malta in 1942 and 1943, Beurling topping the list with 27 kills. Steve Nichols tells the story of those valiant pilots in MALTA SPITFIRE ACES, #83 in Osprey's 'Aircraft of the Aces' series.

First committed to action over Malta in February 1942, Supermarine's superlative fighter would prove absolutely crucial to that already battered island's existence in the coming year. During 1942 Axis air units periodically mounted punishing attacks on Malta, inflicting heavy damage. Fuel, ammunition and food stocks almost ran out and it was only through the efforts of Malta's Spitfire units that the island survived.

Though 'Screwball' Beurling topped the list, other aces such as 'Buck' McNair, 'Timber' Woods, Peter Nash, Claude Weaver, Ray Hesselyn, 'Slim' Yarra, 'Johnny' Plagis and others bloodied German and Italian air units alike, giving Malta needed breathing space.

Author-illustrator Steve Nichols' exciting text, filled with firsthand combat accounts, is complimented by 10 pages of Nichols-drawn color profiles. Information on Malta Spits, especially profiles, has been pretty slim so this Osprey volume is doubly welcome.

Being a fighter pilot on Malta in 1942 was rough duty. Aside from the rigors of air combat, food and amenities were few. Many pilots suffered from malaria, dysentery and exhaustion. MALTA SPITFIRE ACES does a marvelous job of relating what those determined pilots did so many years ago over the Med. Recommended.

---

NOTE: All online transactions are processed at Amazon.com's secure server, using the latest technology on internet's secure transactions.
| Blocks | Building Sets | Model Toys | Puzzles | Figures & Playsets | Toys by Age Ranges |