Osprey Combat Aircraft Series SC (1997-2011 OSPREY) comic books 2000

Volume 17 - 1st printing. " Ju 88 Kampfgeschwader on the Western Front!" By John Weal. Undoubtedly the most versatile German aircraft of World War 2, the Junkers Ju 88 served as a fighter, bomber and patrol aircraft on every front on which the Luftwaffe fought. Blooded in action during the Blitzkrieg, the Ju 88 soon proved to be a formidable opponent for the beleaguered Allied air forces. This book is the first of three volumes which will cover the Ju 88's extensive wartime service in the bomber role, and it details the aircraft's early campaigns, through to its extensive use in the night Blitz of 1940-41. Softcover, 98 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.

Volume 18 - 1st printing. " B-17 Flying Fortress Units of the Eighth Air Force Part 1!" Written by Martin Bowman. Art by Mark Styling. The Boeing B-17 has come to epitomise the American war effort in Europe, the huge four-engined heavy day bomber taking the fight to Germany from the late summer of 1942 through to VE-Day. The primary operator of the Flying Fortress in Western Europe was the 'Mighty Eighth'. This volume, which is the first of two dealing exclusively with the 'Mighty Eighth', covers the 15 Bomb Groups of the First Air Division, each of which controlled four squadrons. The evolution of the force is traced through first-hand accounts of those individuals that took part in the action. Softcover, 116 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.

Volume 19 - 1st printing. " Sunderland Squadrons of World War 2!" Written by Jon Lake. Art by Chris Davey. The elegant Sunderland was the RAF's staple maritime patrol aircraft throughout WW2. Crucial in the Battle of the Atlantic, the Sunderland was instrumental in defeating the U-Boat menace which threatened to starve the UK into submission. Nicknamed the Flying Porcupine due to its heavy armoury of 14 guns, the Sunderland proved an immediate success in battle. Aside from its worldwide use with the RAF, it saw action with the RAAF, RNZAF and RCAF. This is the first book devoted to the Sunderland's WW2 service to be published in over a decade. Softcover, 112 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.

Volume 20 - 1st printing. " TBD Devastator Units of the US Navy!" Written by Barrett Tillman. Art by Tom Tullis. The first monoplane aircraft ordered by the US Navy for carrier operations, the Douglas TBD Devastator was designed to fulfil a requirement for a new torpedo bomber. Just 129 were built, and when it entered service it was the most modern aircraft of its type anywhere in the world. Its only real taste of action came on 4 June 1942 in the pivotal Battle of Midway, when 35 were shot down in a clash with Japanese A6M Zero fighters. The aircraft was replaced by the Grumman Avenger weeks later. Softcover, 98 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.

Volume 21 - 1st printing. " B-24 Liberator Units of the Fifteenth Air Force!" Written by Robert F Dorr. Art by Mark Rolfe. The B-24 was heavily utilised in the North African and Mediterranean theatres by the USAAF's Fifteenth Air Force, with operations over the Ploesti oilfields in Rumania being some of the most famous missions undertaken by the big American 'heavy' in World War 2. The stirling work of the Fifteenth Air Force is often overshadowed by the glamorous 'Mighty Eighth', yet the men flying the B-24 fought ceaselessly right through to VE Day. This is the third of five titles planned to chart the operational history of the Consolidated heavy bomber, and is the first single volume to exclusively cover the Fifteenth Air Force's B-24 units. Softcover, 98 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.