Spitfire vs Bf 109: Battle of Britain

Osprey Duel #5

by Tony Holmes

Churchill's words, "never was so much owed by so many to so few," came to encapsulate how, in a few critical months, the entire fate of the British Empire, if not the war, hung in the balance, to be determined not by world leaders or armies of millions, but by a handful of pilots fighting tirelessly in the skies over Britain.

Tony Holmes describes the key conflict of the Battle of Britain, the clash between the Spitfire and the Bf 109 - detailing not only the key elements of both aircraft types - the airframe, engine, armament and flying characteristics, but also the pilots' training and both British and German tactics. The growing influence of radar and the efforts of British coastal defences are also examined, as are real-life engagements - from both German and British perspectives. With a wealth of previously unpublished material including first-hand accounts from the veterans who strapped themselves into these now legendary machines as well as lavish illustrations and cockpit-view artwork, this book puts the reader in the midst of a dogfight. This is a unique insight into one of the greatest duels of history in the world's first major aerial battle.

Genres: History, Military History, Aviation, Nonfiction

80 pages, Paperback

First published November 20, 2007

Reviews

[Mark Blane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I HIGHLY recommend these Osprey "Duel" series for concise and well researched niche aspects of history. In this read, Holmes focuses on the Battle of Britain between the Spitfire and Messerschmidt BF 109, a classic pairing indeed.

I enjoyed learning how a German Luftwaffe pilot would get his training, which was quite extensive, in order to obtain his B2-Schien in order to get his license called the "Luffwaffeflugzeugführerschein," accompanied by the highly prized "Flugzeugführerabzeichen" (pilots badge aka his "wings").

Air combact tactics are also succinctly explored amongst the two aircraft, and the reader will learn about:

1. The British "VIC" air formation (altered toward the end of the was as it was tactically dumb); in fact, the German pilots called it "idiotenteihen" ("rows of idiots");

2. The German "Rotten" (Pair of 2) formation, followed by the "Schwarm" ("Sworm") formation (Pair of 2 "Rottens"), and the "Staffel" formation (three Schwarme); and,

3. The "Abschwung" (downturn) maneuver aka (American "Split-S") which is a half roll pulled through into a steep dive at full throttle, and can only be done with plenty of altitude (as up to 15,000 ft would be lost).

Strategy, tactics, design, combat, and pilots are all compared in this jam packed quick read! You will have a good foundation of both planes to venture forward into more deeper readings. That is the standing invitation with this book and progeny of other books in the series.


2.

[Robert Hepple · Rating 4 out of 5]

First published in 2007, 'Spitfire vs Bf 109 - Battle of Britain' is number 5 in the popular Osprey Duel series of mainly military aviation titles. As the title easily suggests, this volume looks at the respective merits of the best fighter aircraft in use by the RAF in 1940, and the best fighter aircraft in use by the German Air Force in 1940. The focus is on conflict during the Battle of Britain, on which subject a vast amount has been written over the years, as have books about these two aircraft types. This means that there is nothing new here, merely a decanted rehash of previous books including, in some parts, the perpetuation of myths or misconceptions that have arisen before. Nonetheless, and interesting of short read which does its best to cram a lot into a very short book.

[Steven Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the duels during the Battle of Britain was the combat between the Messerschmitt Bf 109 and the Briish Spitfire. This book discusses the combat between these two fighters. bAmong issues covered are design and development, technical specifications, the combatanats. . . . The book closes with a discussion of the Battle of Britain and how the planes fared against one another. A nice addition to the Duel Series from Osprey Publishing.