Osprey Aviation Elite Units SC (2000-2007 OSPREY) comic books
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Issue #2-1ST
$11.00
Volume 2 - 1st printing. "56th Fighter Group!" Written by Roger Freeman. Art by Chris Davey. One of the first Thunderbolt groups to see action in the European Theatre of Operations (ETO) with the US Army Air Forces, the 56th Fighter Group (FG) was also the only fighter unit within the Eighth Air Force to remain equipped with the mighty P-47 until war's end. Led by the inspirational ?Hub' Zemke, this group was responsible for devising many of the bomber escort tactics employed by VIII Fighter Command between 1943 and 1945. By VE-Day the 56th FG had shot down 100 more enemy aircraft than any other group in the Eighth Air Force, its pilots being credited with 677 kills during 447 missions. The exploits of this elite fighter unit are detailed in this volume together with photographs, their aircraft profiles and insignia. Softcover, 1280 Pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $25.95.
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Issue #3-1ST
$11.00
Volume 3 - 1st printing. "No 91 'Nigeria' Squadron!" Written by Peter Hall. Art by Chris Davey. From its humble beginnings as a reconnaissance flight, using second-hand aircraft at the very end of the Battle of Britain, No 91 'Nigeria' Squadron went on to become one of the most famous units in RAF Fighter Command. It achieved outstanding results using new low-level interception tactics along the south coast of England, employing the very latest marks of Spitfire. Indeed, it was one of the few fighter units to be Spitfire-equipped throughout World War 2. Manned by a multifarious band of pilots from across the globe, No 91 'Nigeria' Sqn also produced its fair share of aces. Softcover, 128 Pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $25.95.
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Issue #7-1ST
$11.00
$11.00
Volume 7 - 1st printing. "354th Fighter Group!" Written by William N Hess. Art by Chris Davey. I think the success of the 354th as the leading group in the European theatre for aerial victories is due to several things. First was the initial training of the squadrons before deployment to England. Colonel Ken Martin nurtured the group from its infancy, and all the excellence that later showed through could be placed at his doorstep. Despite his youth, he knew how to foster teamwork and demand perfection in flying. There was nothing more important than getting the group off on the right foot. Second, our pilots were taught to fly mutual support, and practised it faithfully. There were no hot pilots in the 354th, only excellent pilots. Third, men like Glenn Eagleston gave advice and warnings about combat tactics and guarding one's tail. This prepared our pilots for lurking dangers, something the other groups may not have done.' Brigadier General James Howard, Commanding Officer of the 354th Fighter Group. Softcover, 128 pages, PC/PB&W Cover price $25.95.
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Issue #8-1ST
$11.00
Volume 8 - 1st printing. "352nd Fighter Group!" Written by Tom Ivie. Art by Tom Tullis. Nicknamed the ?Bluenosed Bastards of Bodney' due to the garish all-blue noses of their P-51s, the 352nd FG was one of the most successful fighter groups in the Eighth Air Force. Credited with destroying almost 800 enemy aircraft between 1943 and 1945, the 352nd finished fourth in the ranking of all groups within VIII Fighter Command. Initially equipped with P-47s, the group transitioned to P-51s in the spring of 1944, and it was with the Mustang that its pilots enjoyed their greatest success. Numerous first-hand accounts, 55 newly commissioned artworks and 140+ photos complete this concise history of the ?Bluenosers'. Softcover, 128 pages, PC/PB&W Cover price $25.95.
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Issue #9-1ST
$6.50
$6.50
Volume 9 - 1st printing. "No 43 ?Fighting Cocks' Squadron!" Written by Andy Saunders. Art by Chris Davey. Known as the 'Fighting Cocks', No 43 Sqn has been a part of the RAF since 1916, and is still in service today. This volume deals exclusively with the unit's exploits during WW2, covering its service during the evacuation of Dunkirk and the Battle of Britain, as well as the years spent supporting the Allied cause in North Africa and the Mediterranean. Flying Hurricanes from November 1939, and re-equipped with Spitfires in early 1943, 'Fighting Cocks' pilots scored 159 kills during the war and over a dozen of them 'made ace'. This book presents a full picture of the squadron, its men and its aircraft. Softcover, 128 pages, PC/PB&W Cover price $25.95.
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Issue #10-1ST
$11.00
Volume 10 - 1st printing. "359th Fighter Group!" Written by Jack H Smith. Art by Tom Tullis. Nicknamed the 'Unicorns', the 359th FG was one of the last groups to arrive in the UK for service in the ETO with the Eighth Air Force. First seeing action on 13 December 1943, the group initially flew bomber escort sweeps in P-47s, before converting to the ubiquitous P-51 in March/April 1944. Throughout its time in the ETO, the 359th was credited with the destruction of 351 enemy aircraft destroyed between December 1943 and May 1945. The exploits of all 12 aces created by the group are detailed, along with the most significant missions flown. This book also discusses the various markings worn by the group's three squadrons, the 368th, 369th and 370th FSs. Softcover, 128 pages, PC/PB&W Cover price $25.95.
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Issue #11-1ST
$11.00
Volume 11 - 1st printing. "303rd Bombardment Group!" Written by Brian D O'Neill. Art by Mark Styling. The first title in the Elite Units series to deal with an American bombardment group, this title focuses on the 303rd BG, dubbed the 'Hells Angels.' One of the very first B-17 units assigned to the newly created Eighth Air Force in England in September 1942, the 303rd was in the vanguard of the daylight bombing campaign through to VE-Day. Awarded a Distinguished Unit Citation in January 1944, the 303rd also had two of its aircrewmen presented with the Medal of Honor, Americas ultimate military decoration. Brian O Neill brings the group's colourful combat history to life with a mix of first-hand accounts, raw statistics and concise mission narrative. Softcover, 128 pages, PC/PB&W Cover price $25.95.
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Issue #14-1ST
$11.00
$11.00
$8.00
Volume 14 - 1st printing. "49th Fighter Group!" Written by William N Hess. Art by Chris Davey. The 49th FG was sent to Australia in early 1942 to help stem the tide of Japanese conquest in Java. Too late to save the island, the group went into action in the defence of Darwin, Australia, where the Forty-Niners' handful of P-40E Warhawks were thrown into combat alongside survivors from the defeated forces that had fled from the Philippines and Java. This book assesses the outstanding performance of the 49th FG, pitted against superior Japanese forces. By VJ-Day the group had scored 668 aerial victories and won three Distinguished Unit Citations and ten campaign stars for its outstanding efforts. Softcover, 128 pages, PC/PB&W Cover price $25.95.
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Issue #16-1ST
$11.00
Volume 16 - 1st printing. "'Richthofen's Circus'!" Written by Greg VanWyngarden. Art by Harry Dempsey. Undoubtedly the most famous of any nation's aviation units in World War 1 was the legendary Jagdgeschwader Nr 1, or 'The Flying Circus' as its respectful foes labelled it. Germany's first true fighter wing, it would always be associated with its first commander, the charismatic and revered Manfred von Richthofen. JG 1 was formed in July 1917, and for sixteen months the unit's young pilots in their colourful aircraft battled for aerial dominance of the Western Front. From its ranks emerged many of Germany's most successful airmen, including the Red Baron's brother Lothar; Ernst Udet; Werner Voss; Erich Löwenhardt and Hermann Göring. This book charts the World War I experiences of JG 1. Softcover, 128 pages, PC/PB&W Cover price $25.95.
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Issue #17-1ST
$11.00
Volume 17 - 1st printing. "SPA124 Lafayette Escadrille!" Written by Jon Guttman. Art by Harry Dempsey. This book tells the story of one of World War I's most famous squadrons, Spa. 124 - the only French squadron made up entirely of American volunteers (save for the commander and executive officer.) Organised in April 1916, the group was successively dubbed the Escadrille Americaine, Escadrille des Volontaires and finally the Escadrille Lafayette. Its achievements were modest, but it included several colourful characters who captured the public imagination and played a major role in gaining American sympathy for the Allied cause. When the United States finally entered the war, many Lafayette veterans helped prepare US Army Air Service and Navy pilots for combat, although a few chose to stay on with the French. Softcover, 128 pages, PC/PB&W Cover price $25.95.
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Issue #18-1ST
$11.00
Volume 18 - 1st printing. "Groupe de Combat 12, 'Les Cigognes'!" Written by Jon Guttman. Art by Harry Dempsey. This book traces the combat history of the most famous and highest-scoring fighter group in France's World War I Aviation Militaire. Groupe de Combat 12 boasted the highest-scoring Allied fighter pilot, René Fonck, and France's most celebrated hero of the air, Georges Guynemer. Its ranks included numerous other famous aces, such as Rene's Dorme, Alfred Heurteaux, Albert Deullin, and American volunteers Edwin Parsons and Frank L. Baylies. Additionally, Guynemer was instrumental in developing France's premier series of fighter planes, the SPAD VII, XII, XIII and XVII. Softcover, 128 pages, PC/PB&W Cover price $25.95.
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Issue #19-1ST
$11.00
$11.00
Volume 19 - 1st printing. "Jagdgeschwader Nr II Geschwader 'Berthold'!" Written by Greg VanWyngarden. Art by Harry Dempsey. After struggling with inadequate supplies of aircraft and matériel, the veteran pilots of the Geschwader would go on to enjoy incredible successes against French and American opponents in September 1918. Aces who flew the famous blue-fuselaged Fokkers of JG II included such stalwarts as Josef Veltjens (35 kills), Georg von Hantelmann (25 kills), Franz Büchner (40 kills) and Ulrich Neckel (30 kills). This volume contains many first-hand accounts by these and other notable aces, which reveal the esprit de corps and camaraderie these airmen displayed in their struggles against superior numbers up to the war's final grim days. Softcover, 128 pages, PC/PB&W Cover price $25.95.
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Issue #21-1ST
$5.50
$5.50
Volume 21 - 1st printing. "Very Long Range P-51 Mustang Units of the Pacific War!" Written by Carl Molesworth. Art by Jim Laurier. These pilots called themselves the 'Tokyo Club'. It was a simple task to become a member. All you had to do was strap yourself into a heavily loaded P-51 Mustang, take off from Iwo Jima, fly 650 miles north over the sea - often through monsoon storms - in your single-engined aircraft to Japan, attack a heavily defended target and then turn around and fly home despite a shrinking fuel supply and perhaps battle damage as well. Do it once and you earned membership in the club. Do it 15 times and you earned a trip home. But make one mistake or have one touch of bad luck, and you had a very good chance of ending up dead. This book tells the little-known story of these brave men and their efforts to defeat the aerial forces defending Japan. Softcover, 128 pages, PC/PB&W Cover price $25.95.
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Issue #22-1ST
$11.00
$11.00
Volume 22 - 1st printing. "Jagdgeschwader 51 'Mölders'!" Written by John Weal. Art by John Weal. JG 51 were one of the Luftwaffe's top wartime fighter units, yet their story has never been told in English. The unit's history encapsulates the fortunes of the Luftwaffe's fighter arm as a whole - the heady successes of the early months, the steady attrition and the growing strength of the opposition during the mid-war years, and the final chaos and collapse of the last days. But it is perhaps the details of the pilots who served with the unit that sets JG 51 apart. During the course of the war it numbered more Knight's Cross winners among its ranks than any other. And it is their stories their successes, exploits and eventual fates - which brings this history to life. Softcover, 128 pages, PC/PB&W Cover price $25.95.
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Issue #23-1ST
$11.00
$11.00
Volume 23 - 1st printing. "475th Fighter Group!" Written by John Stanaway. Art by Chris Davey. Formed with the best available fighter pilots in the Southwest Pacific, the 475th Fighter Group was the pet project of Fifth Air Force chief, General George C Kenney. From the time the group entered combat in August 1943 until the end of the war it was the fastest scoring group in the Pacific and remained one of the crack fighter units in the entire US Army Air Forces with a final total of some 550 credited aerial victories. Amongst its pilots were the leading American aces of all time, Dick Bong and Tom McGuire, with high-scoring pilots Danny Roberts and John Loisel also serving with the 475th. This book details these pilots, the planes they flew and the campaigns and battles they fought in including such famous names as Dobodura, the Huon Gulf, Oro Bay, Rabaul, Hollandia, the Philippines and Luzon. Softcover, 128 pages, PC/PB&W Cover price $25.95.
