Thought I’d post a thread about these two series published by Osprey. I’m a big fan, and I’ve ordered and read through quite a few. I was wondering if anyone else here has done the same, and what they thought or still think of the series. I’ll post the titles I own, and you guys do the same along with your comments:
Aircraft of the Aces:
Messerschmitt Bf-110 Zerstorer Aces of World War II – #25
P-40 Warhawk Aces of the CBI – #35
P-39 Airacobra Aces of World War II – #36
American Volunteer Group Colors and Markings – #41
P-40 Warhawk Aces of the MTO – #43
P-40 Warhawk Aces of the Pacific – #55
Israeli F-4 Phantom II Aces – #60
Combat Aircraft:
Junkers Ju-87 Stukageschwader 1937-1941 – #1 (in the process of reading)
F-8 Crusader Units of the Vietnam War – #7
TBD Devastator Units of the U.S. Navy – #20
U.S. Navy F-4 Phantom II MiG Killers 1965-70 – #26
U.S. Navy F-4 Phantom II MiG Killers 1972-73 – #30
Iranian F-4 Phantom II Units in Combat – #37
USAF F-4 Phantom II MiG Killers 1965-68 – #45
USAF F-4 Phantom II MiG Killers 1972-73 – #55
What about you guys?
Oh, and I also own one more Osprey book from the another series.
Frontline Color:
F-80 Shooting Star Units Over Korea – #5
By: XN923 - 9th February 2007 at 09:37
No doubt a very thin volume….
Perhaps he’s confused Osprey with Squadron/Signal’s “…In action” series. They did do a book on the Firefly.
BTW: Each one has a different author so the quality does vary.
Just because you’re disappointed with one shouldn’t turn you off the series. They are rather fun and (over here anyway) good value for money.
You’re absolutely right – my bad, and I apologise to all concerned
By: Arabella-Cox - 9th February 2007 at 09:11
I have a few mostly the phantom one’s as they are pretty good, i talked to the guy from osprey at Flying Legends last year and he said they were always on the look out for new book idea’s so if they have missed anything good let them know.
curlyboy
By: PhantomII - 8th February 2007 at 19:59
Seems like I’m one of the few in this case…..
By: PhantomII - 8th February 2007 at 00:38
Interesting on the Firefly book…I was going to say that I don’t remember seeing that one in a listing.
Other titles I’d like to get are the second book on the Stuka as well as the book about Soviet Lend-Lease Aces (which might provide more information on Soviet P-39 operations not to mention my particular airplane of interest….the P-40.)
I’d also like to get the one about British Tomahawk and Kittyhawk Aces in the MTO.
By: Old Fart - 7th February 2007 at 23:30
Got about 56 diffrent ones all very good in my view.
I’ll try and post a photo of the all lined up on my book case.
By: DazDaMan - 7th February 2007 at 20:27
I’ve got a few:
Spitfire MkI/II Aces 1939-41
Spitfire MkV Aces 1941-45
Late Marque Spitfire Aces 1942-45
Hurricane Aces 1939-40
Hurricane Aces 1941-45
Messerschmitt Bf109 F/G/K Aces of the Western Front
I find them to be quite good reads in general, though what slips and errors there are I’m not entirely sure.
The one thing that really irks me, though, is some of the profiles in the Spitfire series. One or two are missing things such as tailwheels or air intakes, and the two or three MkVII profiles in the “Late Marque” title all show the type as having a circular oil cooler under the port wing!! :rolleyes:
By: JoeB - 7th February 2007 at 19:26
Osprey… Maybe they are better on US aircraft though.
Maybe, but it’s a Brit publishing co. so I don’t know why that would be.
Across the whole spectrum, Osprey a/c books or military books in general, they vary in quality a lot, because they are written by a lot of different people (though some authors have written many). The production quality seems pretty standardized, the research approach less so.
Two random examples. I recently read “USN PBY Catalina Units of the Atlantic Theater” (don’t hold me to exact title). Really excellent research, the author had found just about every PBY action in German records. Even for attacks on U-boats not even claimed to be successful, he tells you which boat was the target. Photo’s, data, drawings all to the usual standard, just a very good book, despite the limiting format (size, no footnotes, etc).
The list above includes “P-39 Aces”. This is more generic, just presents the claims of P-39 aces and units not what really happened. It’s a little out of the ordinary in presenting details of Russian claims (the author is a Russian speaker, published Russian language works seem to be his sources). But that’s not *so* unusual anymore; what I want to see is what Soviet P-39’s *actually* achieved, not what they claimed. There can be a big, and unpredictable, difference between those two things. And same for US P-39 units, though in that case I could get check out the real Japanese losses in other books, at least in some cases. Again good photo’s and art, but info in the book basically the traditional generic one sided accout from that plane (or units flying it) POV. Just OK overall IMO.
Joe
By: J Boyle - 7th February 2007 at 19:18
They haven’t actually done one on the Firefly. :confused:
No doubt a very thin volume….
Perhaps he’s confused Osprey with Squadron/Signal’s “…In action” series. They did do a book on the Firefly.
BTW: Each one has a different author so the quality does vary.
Just because you’re disappointed with one shouldn’t turn you off the series. They are rather fun and (over here anyway) good value for money.
By: Mark V - 7th February 2007 at 18:58
They haven’t actually done one on the Firefly. :confused:
Well he did say there were ‘slips and errors’. 😀
I greatly admire the Aircraft of the Aces series, just could do with a few more in my collection.
By: XN923 - 7th February 2007 at 17:01
Bought one Osprey combat aircraft book, the one on the Fairey Firefly, and it seemed to me to have a number of slips and errors so I haven’t bought another. Maybe they are better on US aircraft though.
Edit – Apologies – I am talking rubbish. The Firefly book is by Squadron/Signal. I have a couple of the Osprey modelling-related titles and they are very good, for some reason I mix up those two publishers sometimes.
100 times ‘I must check my facts before posting’
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February 7, 2007 at 3:40 pm