Spitfire vs. BF 109: Battle of Britain

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 -...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1846031907
• ISBN13: 9781846031908
• Release Date: November 2007
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (UK)
• Length: 80 Pages
• Weight: 2.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 7.3" x 9.7"

Customer Reviews

Excellent!

Very interesting. Has pics, drawins, tech info. Easy to read, and lots of info.

well balanced comparison.

Having bought many Osprey titles in the past i pretty much knew what to expect and wasn't disappointed. As with other books of theirs, there are plenty of photos to go along with the info as well as some color drawings of the aircraft. A nice feature are the ones of the interior of both planes. I also enjoyed the short biographies of several 109 and spitfire aces. As the title indicates this book only concerns itself with the battle of Britain phase of the war so only the early models of the planes are explored. The reader is given a nice background into the development of both types and will come away with a better appreciation of the strengths and weaknesses of both. Overall, a relatively short read but highly recommend.

A well-put together package

Osprey's Duel No. 5, Spitfire vs. Bf 109, is a well-put together package that combines both a high graphic quality and a penetrating level of research that underpins the author's narrative. The author, Tony Holmes, is an aviation expert well familiar with this topic and some of the pilots involved and thus succeeds in providing a great deal of credibility to this effort. The duel for supremacy between the British Royal Air Force Spitfire fighters versus the Luftwaffe's Bf 109 fighters over England in the summer of 1940 is one of the classic air campaigns in military history and this volume puts it in sharp perspective. Overall, this is an excellent volume, well worth adding even if you already have a book or two on the Battle of Britain. This volume begins with a 12-page section on the design and development of both the Spitfire and the Bf 109. A 2-page chronology that highlights key dates in the development of both aircraft is also provided. One interesting point that the author makes here is that neither Vickers Supermarine or Messerschmitt had any experience building fighters, but they both succeeded in designing and building world-class fighter planes. The author also points out that the Spitfire was a fairly complicated aircraft and took twice as long to build as a Bf 109. The author then moves into a 10-page section on technical specifications, which essentially lists the main characteristics of each variant of the Bf-109E and the Spitfire I/II. This section was good, but lacks a direct comparison between the two fighter's main characteristics, such as maneuverability and firepower. No information is provided about characteristics critical in a dogfight, such as turning rate, ability to dive, etc. Straight up comparisons between the speed of a Bf 109 and a Spitfire don't tell us much. These early sections also have four nice color plates depicting 3-way views of both fighters, as well as the internal layout of their weaponry. The section entitled `Strategic Situation' consists of nine pages that essentially lays out the conditions of the Battle of Britain. Maps depicting both British and German fighter bases are included. The following 11-page section, `the Combatants,' covers the British and German fighter pilots who fought in the Battle of Britain. A full-page profile of Flying Officer Brian Carbury (15 Bf 109 kills) and Hauptmann Herbert Ihlefeld (15 Spitfires killed) is provided, as well as discussions of British and German pilot training. Between previous combat experience in Spain, Poland and France and better pre-war flight training, the Luftwaffe fighter pilots appear to have had an edge over their RAF opponents in 1940. This section also has color plates with the interior of both plane's cockpits. The 16-page section on combat is well-written but a bit short and focuses on tactics rather than first-person accounts. As the author notes, British pre-war fighter tactics were too focused on defeating massed bomber formations.