Gloster Gladiator Aces
By (Author) Andrew Thomas
Illustrated by John Weal
Illustrated by Iain Wyllie
Illustrated by Mark Styling
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Osprey Publishing
20th May 2012
United Kingdom
General
Non Fiction
European history
First World War
Second World War
Modern warfare
623.74640941
Paperback
96
Width 184mm, Height 248mm, Spine 7mm
322g
Never before has a single volume been devoted exclusively to the intrepid and disparate band of pilots who could claim to be Gladiator aces. Flying the ultimate British biplane fighter, pilots in China, Finland, East Africa, North Africa, Western Europe, the Mediterranean, Norway and the Middle East all scored the prerequisite five kills to become aces. The first individuals to do so were fighting marauding Japanese fighters and bombers attacking targets in China in 1938. The likes of Sheen, Tuck and Carey will also be featured in this volume, as they were among the many early war acers who cut their teeth in Fighter Command on the Gladiator.
"This is an excellent book which will be of value to modellers and historians alike. Perhaps inevitably, the Gloster Gladiator has been largely overshadowed by the likes of the Hurricane and Spitfire, but Andrew Thomas does a fine job in setting the record straight with a book which is a fitting tribute to a tough little fighter and the brave men who flew it." --Rowan Baylis, AeroScale
Andrew Thomas is one of Britain's most pre-eminent RAF researchers, having published numerous squadron histories. He is presently a serving officer in the RAF. Arguably the finest profile artist in the business, John Weals love of German aircraft makes his work a treat for students of the subject. He has written several Aces volumes, and two books on the JU 87 in the companion series Combat Aircraft.