Fighting Firsts
Fighting Firsts
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Summary
This is the often surprising story of the combat debut of famous fighter aircraft, from the first victory of an RFC B.E.2A in 1914 through to the Gloster Meteor and the Messerschmitt Me-262 of 1944.
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Fighting Firsts by Jon Guttman
The first aerial victory scored in a Fokker Triplane was achieved by Manfred von Richthofen, the Red Baron. Then and ever since, it was the pilot's skill that determined how well an aircraft performed: results were not always in direct relation to the aeroplane's capabilities. Some machines offered such power, speed and versatility that they could hardly fail - the Japanese Zero, for example. But others had to be coaxed to the limit in even the simplest engagement, while some just never made the grade. This is a book about beginnings, some more famous than others, and about the men who took new aircraft into combat for the first time. Aircraft reputations were often cruel and slow in the making, and the author looks behind those reputations to discover the truth about the introduction and later development of many familiar names. The book includes cockpit accounts of aerial combat techniques, always changing to match the power and technology available, and features - amony many aircraft - such stalwarts as the Sopwith F.I Camel, 1917; the Fiat C.R.3 2, 1936; the Hawker Hurricane and the Supermarine Spitfire, 1939-40; the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, 1942; and the Grumman F6F Hellcat, 1943.
Jon Guttman is editor of the leading US magazine Military History, and well-known for his articles on First and Second World War military aviation.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781854094438 |
| ISBN 10 | 1854094432 |
| Title | Fighting Firsts |
| Author | Jon Guttman |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Orion Publishing Co |
| Year published | 2000-03-23 |
| Number of pages | 288 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |