Beaufighter Aces of World War 2 (Aircraft of the Aces) [Paperback]

Andrew Thomas (Author), John Weal (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 20, 2005 | Series: Aircraft of the Aces (Book 65)

Entering service at the end of the Battle of Britain, the pugnacious Bristol Beaufighter was deployed in numbers by Fighter Command just in time for the start of the Luftwaffe’s night ‘Blitz’ on Britain. Flown by specialised nightfighter squadrons – several of them elite pre-war Auxiliary Air Force units – it was the first nightfighter to be equipped with an airborne radar as standard. Thus equipped, it combined the ability to ‘see’ the enemy at night with the devastating hitting power of four cannon and six machine guns. This book covers the exploits of the men who made ace in the Beaufighter and includes stunning original artwork together with first hand accounts of the action.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Andrew Thomas does the plane and its crews justice on all fronts, backed by the usual wealth of photographs and 30 color profiles that reflect the many varied environments under which it fought." -Jon Guttman, Military History

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.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (March 20, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1841768464
• ISBN-13: 978-1841768465
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 0.2 x 9.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,275,450 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:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beau Aces Stalk the Night Skies!, November 17, 2005

By 

Michael OConnor "Wordsmith" (Wausau, WI USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Beaufighter Aces of World War 2 (Aircraft of the Aces) (Paperback)

The physical appearance of some military aircraft just broadcast their raison d'etre. Big, brutish and pugnacious, the Bristol Beaufighter, a twin-engine RAF night fighter armed with four 20mm cannons and four .303-in. machine guns, always struck me as a born killer. Grace and styling be damned; it existed solely to make things burn, bleed and blow up. The Beaufighter's record in the skies over England, Europe, the Med and tropical climes is nicely related by Andrew Thomas in this, the 65th in Osprey's Aircraft of the Aces series.

Developed from the Beaufort torpedo bomber, the Beau arrived just in time to help defeat the Luftwaffe's night blitz on England. Aces like John Cunnigham, Bob Braham and "Zulu" Morris took an increasing toll of Luftwaffe bombers. As the tide turned, Beaufighter crews began intruder ops over Europe, flew bomber support missions and coastal strikes and were active in every theater of war. By war's end over 70 pilots including Michael Constable-Maxwell, "Moose" Fumerton and "Butch" Gordon,had made ace flying Bristol's beefy fighter.

Thomas does a good job of relating the multitude of missions the Beaufighter flew worldwide, sprinkling the text with combat reports from pilots and navigators along with dozens of photos of crews and aircraft. John Weal does his usual marvelous job with color profiles of 30 Beaufighter aircraft.

Though overshadowed by the Mosquito, the Beaufighter made a great contribution to the Allied victory and its story is nicely summarized in Thomas' book. Recommended!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book on the Beaus and their pilots, January 7, 2010

By 

Ira Kepford "Jolly Roger" (Springfield MO) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Beaufighter Aces of World War 2 (Aircraft of the Aces) (Paperback)

It has been awhile since I have written a review. I have been involved in things for awhile but still have time to read these great books from Osprey Pub.

Beaufighter aces of WWII is another book that must go in your library of books.

I was very pleased with the layout of the book. The info is very helpful and enjoyable.

The Beaufighter paved the way for future night fighting.

Replacing the Blenheim and Beaufort early in the war, the Beaufighter fought many battles from North Africa to Europe to the Pacific. Many became aces using the Beaufighter, transitioning to the Mosquito later in the war.

I very much love this book. Color plates, as always, are well done with North African, Atlantic, Pacific and European color schemes. There are also many pictures of the plane and aces.

Another great book from Andrew Thomas and Osprey Pub.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beaufighter at war, April 5, 2010

By 

Richard Morrow "el viejito" (clovis, ca) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Beaufighter Aces of World War 2 (Aircraft of the Aces) (Paperback)

The Bristol Beaufighter was the first really successful night fighter the Allies had and it arrived just in time for the famous "blitz". It was large aircraft with powerful sleeve valve engines, the only aircraft to use this type engine during the war. It was heavily armed and served in many roles- night fighter being the most prominent. It served in all theaters- Europe, the Med, Africa, the mid East, Malta, India, Burma and in the Southwest Pacific. Many aces had much success with this plane. This is a typical Ospery book with the usual lack of information on the performance and specifications of the craft. But it is the usual well written and documented book with a logical layout. It was eventually phased out in favor of the Mosquito but not before it had established an outstanding combat record.