Spitfire Mark V Aces 1941-1945 (Osprey Aircraft of the Aces No 16)
By Alfred Price
1997
First Published
4.31
Average Rating
100
Number of Pages
Part of Series
As the first Spitfire variant to see extensive service outside of Britain, the Mk V fought the Axis alliance over the deserts of North Africa, the waters of the Mediterranean and the vast expanses of the Indian Ocean off the northern coast of Australia. Initially produced in haste to combat the arrival of new German fighters (the Bf 109F and the Fw 190) on the Channel front, the Mk V had been created simply by pairing a Mk I or II fuselage with the new Merlin 45 engine - so successfully that some 6479 airframes were eventually built. Although often outclassed (particularly on the Channel front by the Fw 190) by later generation fighters, the Mk V nevertheless proved to be a worthy opponent when flown by pilots of the calibre of Malan, Tuck, Johnson, Beurling, Caldwell and Duke, who all enjoyed success with it thanks to its agility and increased armament.
Avg Rating
4.31
Number of Ratings
13
5 STARS
38%
4 STARS
54%
3 STARS
8%
2 STARS
0%
1 STARS
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Author
Alfred Price
Author · 14 books
Alfred Price seved for 16 years as an aircrew officer in the Royal air Force where he specialised in electronic warfare and air fighting tactics. He left the RAF in 1974 and thereafter he worked full time as a writer on aviation subjects. He holds a PhD in history from Loughborough University and is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.
