Great Book by Osprey Publishing. 128 pages
JG 53 is an obvious choice for inclusion in the Elite Unit series as it is arguably the archetypal Luftwaffe fighter unit of World War 2. Its aircraft were encountered on almost every fighting front from the first day of hostilities until the last. And its famous and familiar 'Ace of Spades' unit emblem, which was displayed throughout, has, in effect, become visual shorthand for the wartime German fighter arm, being seen on die-cast models, prints, illustrations and book covers the world over. During almost six years of near constant campaigning, JG 53 took a steady toll of Allied aircraft - French, British, Soviet and American - in every theatre it fought over. Its aircraft were present in some of the fiercest aerial actions of the war - the Battle of Britain, El Alamein, Stalingrad, Normandy and Defence of the Reich. And although the 'Ace of Spades' remained true to the Messerschmitt Bf 109 during its entire career, the variety of camouflage finishes worn by its machines - a unique three-tone scheme in the early years, winter white, desert dapple and Reich's defence black - and the steady progression of variants from Bf 109E to Bf 109K, will ensure plenty of interest in the colour section. Several pilots who flew with JG 53 have published biographies/autobiographies, and these, together with official documents studied while researching at the German Federal Archives, and personal contact with ex-members of the Geschwader, will provide the basis for an authoritative and 'human' account of the 'Ace of Spades'' long and eventful war.
JG 53 is an obvious choice for inclusion in the Elite Unit series as it is arguably the archetypal Luftwaffe fighter unit of World War 2. Its aircraft were encountered on almost every fighting front from the first day of hostilities until the last. And its famous and familiar 'Ace of Spades' unit emblem, which was displayed throughout, has, in effect, become visual shorthand for the wartime German fighter arm, being seen on die-cast models, prints, illustrations and book covers the world over. During almost six years of near constant campaigning, JG 53 took a steady toll of Allied aircraft - French, British, Soviet and American - in every theatre it fought over. Its aircraft were present in some of the fiercest aerial actions of the war - the Battle of Britain, El Alamein, Stalingrad, Normandy and Defence of the Reich. And although the 'Ace of Spades' remained true to the Messerschmitt Bf 109 during its entire career, the variety of camouflage finishes worn by its machines - a unique three-tone scheme in the early years, winter white, desert dapple and Reich's defence black - and the steady progression of variants from Bf 109E to Bf 109K, will ensure plenty of interest in the colour section. Several pilots who flew with JG 53 have published biographies/autobiographies, and these, together with official documents studied while researching at the German Federal Archives, and personal contact with ex-members of the Geschwader, will provide the basis for an authoritative and 'human' account of the 'Ace of Spades'' long and eventful war.
