Allied fighter aces : the air combat tactics and techniques of World War II

Many thousands of fighter pilots of many nations--British, American, Australian, Canadian, Polish, and many more--flew, fought, and died in Allied aircraft. A few became famous. About five percent of fighter pilots accounted for some forty percent of all air victories, and these were the aces. COVER......Page 1 CONTENTS......Page 5 Plates (pages 97-112)......Page 7 The Fulmar......Page 97 No 1 Squadron in France, 1940......Page 98 Frank Carey......Page 99 Keith Park......Page 100 'Al' Deere and Colin Gray......Page 101 A Kittyhawk of No 112 Squadron......Page 102 Reade Tilley in his Spitfire......Page 103 Aces of Biggin Hill......Page 104 The Blenheim......Page 105 Bob Braham......Page 106 'Flying Tigers'......Page 107 Gabby Gabreski......Page 108 Dick Bong......Page 109 'Pappy' Boyington......Page 110 'Johnnie' Johnson......Page 111 The Tempest V......Page 112 Figures......Page 8 Fighter Command Attack No 2......Page 20 Turning Capability......Page 22 Standard RAF Fighter Formation 1939......Page 29 Comparative Turning Ability, Spitfire I vs Bf 109E......Page 49 The Break......Page 58 The 'Ten Second' Envelope......Page 64 The Scissors......Page 66 Deflection Shooting......Page 68 Sailor Malan's Formation......Page 70 Peter Brothers' Defensive Measure......Page 73 The Finger Four......Page 83 Beating the Box......Page 123 Caldwell's Evasion Method......Page 134 Early Al Radar Display......Page 138 Serrate Display......Page 142 Shooting Position From The Beaufighter......Page 144 The High Side Attack......Page 152 The Overhead Attack......Page 154 The Thach Weave......Page 159 The Split-S......Page 164 Gabreski's Evasion......Page 170 The Vector Roll Attack......Page 172 Typical Lightning Sweep Formation in the Far East......Page 178 The Best Laid Plans......Page 183 The Gyro Gunsight......Page 189 PREFACE......Page 9 PROLOGUE......Page 12 The Fighter Ace......Page 14 Flying and Marksmanship......Page 16 The Royal Air Force......Page 17 Fighting Area Attacks......Page 19 Manoeuvre Combat......Page 21 United States Army Air Corps......Page 23 United States Navy and Marine Corps......Page 24 Sitzkrieg......Page 26 Against the Luftwaffe......Page 28 The Fighters......Page 30 The Opposition......Page 32 Into Action......Page 34 Blitzkrieg......Page 36 Aces of the French Campaign......Page 39 Detection and Control......Page 45 Organisation......Page 46 Aims and Attitudes......Page 47 Aircraft of the Battle......Page 48 'What-ifs'......Page 52 Phases of the Battle......Page 53 RAF Tactics......Page 62 Against the Bombers......Page 63 Against the Fighters......Page 65 Fighter Command Tactics......Page 69 The Aces......Page 71 LEANING FORWARD, JANUARY 1941-MAY 1944......Page 78 Wing Leaders......Page 80 Basic Tactics......Page 81 Policy for 1941......Page 82 Changing Times, 1942-May 1944......Page 85 The Fighters......Page 87 The Aces......Page 89 MALTESE FALCONS, JUNE 1940-NOVEMBER 1942......Page 96 The Fighters......Page 115 The Aces......Page 117 NORTH AFRICA, JUNE 1940-AUGUST 1943......Page 125 The Fighters......Page 126 The Aces......Page 130 'Catseye' Fighters......Page 136 Radar Fighters......Page 137 Bomber Support......Page 141 The Fighters......Page 143 The Aces......Page 145 AGAINST THE RISING SUN, DECEMBER 1941-FEBRUARY 1943......Page 149 The Fighters......Page 153 The Aces......Page 156 SEVEN-LEAGUE BOOTS, 1943-45......Page 161 Escort Tactics......Page 162 The Fighters......Page 165 The Aces......Page 167 VICTORY IN THE PACIFIC, 1943-45......Page 174 The Fighters......Page 177 The Aces......Page 181 NORMANDY TO BERLIN......Page 186 The Fighters......Page 188 The Aces......Page 191 Overclaiming......Page 196 Relative Scores......Page 197 Mirror, Mirror, on the Wall.........Page 198 Leading Aces of the British and Commonwealth Air Forces......Page 202 Leading Aces of the American Air Forces......Page 223 BIBLIOGRAPHY......Page 235 COVER......Page 240 INDEX......Page 237 Air power in World War II was crucial for ultimate victory, and it was the fighter pilots who determined the eventual outcome of the war. About five percent of thes e fighter pilots accounted for some forty percent of all air victories, as Spick recounts. ' Drawing on first-hand accounts, an examination of some of the Luftwaffe's leading fighter aces of World War II, in which the author surveys their exploits and explains the secret of their success.