Arguably the archetypal Luftwaffe fighter unit of World War 2, JG 53 aircraft were encountered on almost every fighting front from the first day of hostilities until the last. During almost six years of near-constant campaigning, JG 53 took a steady toll of Allied aircraft in every theatre it fought over. The variety of camouflage finishes worn by its machines -winter white, desert dapple and Reich's defence black and the progression of variants are reflected in an eye-opening colour section. John Weal has spent several years researching in German archives and this, together with his personal contact with several veterans, results in an authoritative and human account of JG 53's long and eventful war.

Boasting pilots who had been blooded in the Spanish Civil War, Jagdgeschwader 53 (JG 53) 'Pik As' or 'Ace of Spades' achieved great success in the skies over France and Britain in 1940. It was infamous amongst its opponents for the quality and calibre of its aces – men such as Werner Mölders, Hans-Karl Mayer and Rolf Pingel. These aces won numerous Knight's Crosses for their exploits in 1940, credited with 258 victories, with 51 pilots being killed or captured. This study follows these pilots of JG 53 into battle, telling the stories of their victories, losses, and ultimate fate. Containing 36 profile illustrations depicting the drastic change in appearance of their aircraft over time, and complemented by thorough research, this book is a welcome addition to Osprey's popular Aircraft of the Aces series.

Boasting pilots who had been blooded in the Spanish Civil War, Jagdgeschwader 53 (JG 53) 'Pik As' or 'Ace of Spades' achieved great success in the skies over France and Britain in 1940. It was infamous amongst its opponents for the quality and calibre of its aces – men such as Werner Mölders, Hans-Karl Mayer and Rolf Pingel. These aces won numerous Knight's Crosses for their exploits in 1940, credited with 258 victories, with 51 pilots being killed or captured. This study follows these pilots of JG 53 into battle, telling the stories of their victories, losses, and ultimate fate. Containing 36 profile illustrations depicting the drastic change in appearance of their aircraft over time, and complemented by thorough research, this book is a welcome addition to Osprey's popular Aircraft of the Aces series.

Jagdegeschwader 53 - or as it was better known, the "Pik As" (Ace of Spades) Geschwader - was one of the oldest German fighter units of World War II with its origins going back to the year 1937. This first volume, of a planned three volume set, covers the early years of the Geschwader from its founding in the spring of 1937 up to May of 1942. This book appears here for the first time in English, and contains over 200 additional photos not published in the original German language edition. The book also contains revised text and maps, and aircraft line drawings, as well as updated aerial victory and loss listings. The service record of JG53 can undoubtedly be regarded as uniquely representative for the rise and fall of the Luftwaffe, with the unit seeing action on every major war front. JG53 had a considerable share in the successes achieved by the Luftwaffe in the early stages of the war in the West, and at the outset of the war in the East until mid-1942, and through the tough battles fought over the Mediterranean fronts and suffering bitter losses in the vain attempt to stop the Allied bomber-offensive against the Reich. Equipped exclusivedly with the legendary Messerschmitt Bf 109, JG 53 "Pik-As" first saw front line action in the southwest of the German Reich, where at that time the only direct border line with France was the stage for some of the first clashes with the French Armee de'l Air as well as parts of the Royal Air Force's BEF, and became the Luftwaffe's most successful unit during the so called "Phony War." When on May 10, 1940, the Wehrmacht invaded France, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, the "Pik-As" Geschwader was in the center of the action and during the six weeks of fighting in the West the Geschwader continued to prove its outstanding fighting qualities, and ranked highly amongst the top scoring Luftwaffe units when the cease-fire became effective on June 25, 1940. JG 53 later took part in the Luftwaff's foreseeably futile attempt to subdue Great Britain by ways of a strategic aerial campaign in the summer and autumn of 1940 which, although the pilots of JG 53 gave their utmost and took a heavy toll from the defending British Spitfires and Hurricanes, cost the Geschwader sad and irreplaceable losses. Given only a short time to recover and re-equip in the Reich at the beginning of 1941, and after another short period of action on the Channel Coast between April and early June 1941, the "Pik-As" Geschwader along with a majority of the Luftwaffe forces was moved to the East, where it took part in German invasion of the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941. After only a few months of service on the Eastern front at a time when the complete failure of the German war effort against the Soviet Union was just beginning to become apparent, JG 53 was withdrawn to the Reich for another short period of rest and re-equipping, though two of its Gruppen were posted to the Netherlands in the fall of 1941, where they saw comparatively little action. This changed completely when at the end of 1941 the entire Geschwader was transferred to the Mediterranean theatre of operations, where III. Gruppe was first sent to North Africa to take part in the dramatic struggle there, while the remainder of the Geschwader went to Sicily as part of the offensive forces of the Luftwaffe that were concentrated there for the planned air offensive against the British island fortress of Malta, later to be joined by III. Gruppe after its return from Africa. Iochen Prien is also the author, with Peter Rodeike, of Messerschmitt Bf 109 F/G/K Series: An Illustrated Study (available from Schiffer Publishing Ltd.).

Hitler's Eagles charts the turbulent history of the Luftwaffe from its earliest days to its downfall. At the beginning of World War II, the Luftwaffe was the world's most advanced air force. With superior tactics, aircraft and training, it cut through opposition air forces. Despite this auspicious beginning, by 1945 the Luftwaffe was a dying force. The Allies were destroying German aircraft at unequal rates, and Luftwaffe aviators were dying in their thousands in an unbalanced battle to save Germany from destruction. Once Hitler was in power, the Luftwaffe came out of the shadows and expanded under a massive rearmament programme, then embarked upon the war that would define its existence. As well as providing a detailed history of the Luftwaffe's combat experience, the book expands on its human and material aspects. Aces and commanders are profiled and aircraft are described both technologically and tactically. The book conveys all the drama of the Luftwaffe's existence with Osprey's famous aviation artwork bringing the story incomparably to life.

During the Second World War, the campaign in Italy was the most destructive fought in Europe – a long, bitter and highly attritional conflict that raged up the country’s mountainous leg. For frontline troops, casualty rates at Cassino and along the notorious Gothic Line were as high as they had been on the Western Front in the First World War. There were further similarities too: blasted landscapes, rain and mud, and months on end with the front line barely moving. And while the Allies and Germans were fighting it out through the mountains, the Italians were engaging in bitter battles too. Partisans were carrying out a crippling resistance campaign against the German troops but also battling the Fascists forces as well in what soon became a bloody civil war. Around them, innocent civilians tried to live through the carnage, terror and anarchy, while in the wake of the Allied advance, horrific numbers of impoverished and starving people were left to pick their way through the ruins of their homes and country. In the German-occupied north, there were more than 700 civilian massacres by German and Fascist troops in retaliation for Partisan activities, while in the south, many found themselves forced into making terrible and heart-rending decisions in order to survive. Although known as a land of beauty and for the richness of its culture, Italy’s suffering in 1944-1945 is now largely forgotten. This is the first account of the conflict there to tell the story from all sides and to include the experiences of soldiers and civilians alike. Offering extensive original research, it weaves together the drama and tragedy of that terrible year, including new perspectives and material on some of the most debated episodes to have emerged from the Second World War.