French Aces of World War 2 (Osprey Aircraft of the Aces No 28) [Paperback]

Barry Ketley (Author), Mark Rolfe (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: Aircraft of the Aces | Publication Date: September 15, 1999

French pilots endured fighting both with and against the Allies during World War 2. Possessing obsolescent aircraft at the outbreak of the war, the Armée de l'Air was decimated in the wake of the Blitzkrieg; however, a number of fighter units still achieved creditable scores flying Curtiss Hawks, Morane MS.406s and Dewoitine D.520s. Following the capitulation of France at the end of June 1940, many aces continued to fly with the now Vichy French Squadrons that were stationed in North Africa, and a number of these pilots subsequently saw action against their former Allies there. Numerous French pilots also escaped to Britain, and a handful achieved notable sucess with the RAF flying Hurricanes, Spitfires and Tempests. In Russia, the formation of the French-manned ‘Normandie-Niemen’ regiment in 1943 also saw near on 40 pilots achieve ace status flying Yak fighters on the Eastern Front.

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

Barry Ketley runs his own aviation publishing company which specialises in the more esoteric aspects of military aviation. He has been a student of the Armée de l’Air’s wartime exploits since the 1960s.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (September 15, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1855328984
• ISBN-13: 978-1855328983
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 0.2 x 9.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,611,437 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 Good but not perfect book, October 28, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: French Aces of World War 2 (Osprey Aircraft of the Aces No 28) (Paperback)

This book is another one in Osprey's "Aircraft of the Aces" series. Like the others, French Aces of World War 2 contains a great deal of information, some of which is hard to find elsewhere. It has the usual collection of excellent illustrations, particularly color prints. For the most part, the book is very well written. However, as is the case in much of the rest of the series, proofreading and editing are slack; obvious typos and grammatical mistakes can be found. In addition, the book is ten pages too long. The author's list of some of the most important French aces could have been shortened by half. Those two reservations aside, French Aces of World War 2 is well worth having for anyone interested in the exploits of French pilots.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "FRENCH ACES OF WORLD WAR II", April 27, 2008

By 

L. Dequesada (JAMAICA,, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: French Aces of World War 2 (Osprey Aircraft of the Aces No 28) (Paperback)

Some think of World War II as easily definable where the only aircraft and other military weapons you encountered in the skies and battlefields were defined just as Americans, British, German,Italian and Russian. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth as there were quite diverse nationalities and countries involved in that war. No wonder it was defined as a World War. Pilots of the main contenders in the fight had to be aware of "the allies" and by allies I don't mean America,Britain and Russia. The Axis Powers mainly Germany and Italy had some diverse allies, among them Vichy France. If one was flying for the anti-Axis forces, one had to watch out in the sky not only for the main enemies aircraft,german and italian, but also those of their "allies", like the Vichy French, Hungarians, Rumanians, Finnish, etc. This great book covers those French pilots who were divided, some flew for the axis and others for the Allies. The cover of this book portrays a French Vichy Fighter who just strafed and downed what looks like a four engine British Bomber Hydroplane. Other French pilots the anti-Vichy ones headed to fight for the British Royal Airforce and the Soviet Union in the famous French Squadron of the Soviet Airforce, "Normandie Niemens" who flew several Soviet fighters, like the Laggs, Yaks and Mig 1's. This is a special book covering a relatively unknown aspect of the war in the skies of World War II, when French pilots, divided by different ideologies chose different sides of the war.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Informative and intriguing, December 21, 2003

By 

Blake Hamilton (Carleton Place, Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: French Aces of World War 2 (Osprey Aircraft of the Aces No 28) (Paperback)

As with the other superlative books in Osprey's "Aircraft of the Aces" series, this work is a truly excellent resource for World War 2 buffs and aviation historians. Ketley has done a wonderful job in his portrayal of the often-neglected French fighter pilots of the Second World War. His exhaustive research gives the book a true sense of authenticity and accuracy; the author's meticulous attention to detail is commendable. Ketley's work is instrumental in educating the English-speaking audience about the exploits of the Armée de l'Air. What makes this book truly laudable is the author's fair and balanced approach to the subject matter. Ketley strives for objectivity; he provides equal and in-depth coverage to both the pre- and post- Armistice periods. He gives us the whole picture, in essence. The activities of both the Vichy and Free French air forces and their pilots (as well as the pre-1940 Armée de l'Air) are chronicled in a clear, unfettered fashion. The exploits of the famed Normandie-Niemen regiment in the Soviet Union are of particular interest. The colour plates depicting examples of the various aircraft flown are simply marvelous. The numerous vintage black and white photos, many of them quite rare, are a formidable supplement to these. The technical data provided is equally fascinating. We get a good perspective on various machines used in battle by French fighter pilots, including the Morane-Saulnier MS.406, the Dewoitine D.520, and the American-built Curtiss Hawk. Overall, an excellent and highly-recommendable book!