Spick, Mike Luftwaffe Fighter Aces

The Exploits and Tactics of Nazi Germany's Greatest Pilots

In this book, Mike Spick reveals how the Luftwaffes leading fighter pilots in World War II managed to outperform their Allied adversaries so effectively and comprehensively. When the pilots' kill tallies became known after the war, they were initially met with disbelief. The highest reported figure stood at 352 kills, and more than 100 pilots had each achieved over 100 aerial victories. However, postwar investigations confirmed that these figures had been reported in good faith and that confirmations were granted only after rigorous verification. To uncover the secret behind this success, aviation historian Mike Spick examines the achievements of these aces and sheds light on the specific operational conditions they faced. He provides a detailed analysis of all major theaters of war and their unique characteristics: climate, numerical and qualitative strength ratios, the availability of radar and other systems, and the performance capabilities of the aircraft types employed. In doing so, he focuses on the methods and tactics used by individual aces, drawingwherever possibleon firsthand accounts to place the reader right alongside the pilot in the cockpit.