Bf 109 Aces of North Africa and the Mediterranean (Aircraft of the Aces) [Paperback]

Jerry Scutts (Author), Chris Davey (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: Aircraft of the Aces | Publication Date: October 17, 1997

Totally outnumbered throughout their short two-year sojourn in the Western Desert, the crack fighter pilots of the handful of Jagdgeschwader in-theatre fought an effective campaign in support of Rommel’s Afrika Korps against the British and American forces. Relying almost exclusively on the Luftwaffe’s staple fighter of World War 2, the Messerschmitt Bf 109, the battle-hardened aces used the aircraft’s superior performance to achieve incredible scores against the Allies. Similarly, once pushed out of North Africa, these units continued to take the fight to the RAF and USAAF from makeshift bases in northern Italy.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Osprey's Aircraft of the Aces series combines full colour artwork, the best archival contemporary photography, and first hand accounts from aces to bring history's greatest airborne conflicts to life.

About the Author

Jerry Scutts has worked in the field of aviation publishing since the late 1960s, writing over 40 books that have covered a broad spectrum of subject matter ranging from US Navy floatplane fighters in World War 2 to the exploits of the USAF’s Phantom IIs over Vietnam. His specialist areas are the Luftwaffe and the US Army Air Forces in World War 2, and he originally appeared on the Osprey list as long ago as 1977, when he wrote the second volume in the now much sought after Air Cam Air War series –- many of the jacket illustrations in this series were also painted by him. Jerry has been a regular contributor to Osprey's Aircraft of the Aces series since its inception in 1994.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (October 17, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1855324482
• ISBN-13: 978-1855324480
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 0.2 x 9.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,317,091 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Leopards over Africa., May 5, 2000

By 

Aaron Newlands "Sithgod" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bf 109 Aces of North Africa and the Mediterranean (Aircraft of the Aces) (Paperback)

I have always had an interest in the luftwaffe in north africa, but have found information to be sketchy. until now. this book is excellent. the information is clear and interesting. the book is filled with amazing pictures from the region as well as color plates of the many different camo, and some color paintings of pilots. this book is an excellent introduction into the bf-109 aces who flew in the campaign. there may be more informative books out there. but this one is an excellent one to start with. if you have an interest in the campaign in the desert or the luftwaffe in general then give it a read.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very helpful for model builders and historians alike., December 26, 1999

By 

Doug Przybyszewski (Destin, Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bf 109 Aces of North Africa and the Mediterranean (Aircraft of the Aces) (Paperback)

While the entire Osprey series is excellent, I found this particular volume most helpful and entertaining. I build scale models, and the 109 is a favorite of mine. This volume contains many useful photos showing details often left out of manufactured kits, as well as ideas for dioramas. The color plates are in keeping with the Osprey tradition of excellence; moreover, while not an advertised benefit, the book contains many photos of Luftwaffe and Italian pilots and aircrews in the field. If you could only have one book covering the E through G-6 variants, this should be it.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Why misspell so many German names?, January 9, 2003

By 

"misterbee66" (Aachen, NRW Germany) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bf 109 Aces of North Africa and the Mediterranean (Aircraft of the Aces) (Paperback)

Very uncommon for Osprey books are the number of wrong or misspelled German words.

Example: Eisenlaub it should be Eichenlaub denoting the Oak leaves to the knights cross

Thus 4 out of 5