Osprey Aircraft of the Aces 43 : P-40 Warhawk Aces of the MTO

This book details the colourful experiences of the elite P-40 pilots of the USAAF's Desert Air Force and Twelfth Air Force in the North African and Mediterranean theatres during World War 2. Thrown into action in the wake of the Torch landings in late 1942, and desperately short of combat experience, the 'green' American pilots flying the obsolescent P-40F suffered terribly at the hands of seasoned German fighter pilots flying superior Bf 109Gs and Fw 190As. However, those that survived learnt quickly, and a handful of Warhawk pilots succeeded in making ace by the time the Axis forces surrendered in North Africa. The action then shifted to Sicily and Italy, and the P-40 remained in service until mid-1944 - despite the advent of much better P-47 and P-51 fighters. A total of 23 aces were created flying P-40s in the MTO, and they are all featured within this unique book - the fourth in the Aces series on the venerable Curtiss fighter. Text by Carl Molesworth with illustrations by Jim Laurier.