Novembers releases from Osprey include two Aircraft of the Aces books from WW1 and WW2, and a Air Vanguard book on the Snub-nosed Kittyhawks and Warhawks.

Curtiss P-40 - Snub-nosed Kittyhawks and Warhawks
Air Vanguard 11
Author: Carl Molesworth
Illustrators: Richard Chasemore Adam Tooby
About this book
An improved version of the Allison V-1710 engine gave rise to the Curtiss H-87, which began life in 1941 as the P-40D and featured a completely redesigned fuselage. The shorter and deeper nose of the new fighter gave it a decidedly snub-nosed appearance compared to the earlier P-40 models. Curtiss continued to tweak the H-87 for the next two years in the search for better performance, but the last major version, the P-40N, was only marginally faster than the first. In the process, Curtiss even tried an engine change to the Packard Merlin in the P-40F and L but to no avail. What the late model P-40s lacked in speed and service ceiling, they traded for maneuverability, durability and availability. Their niche became fighter-bomber operations, and they fought on fronts as varied as the arctic wastes of the Aleutian Islands and Iceland, the steaming jungles of the South Pacific and the barren deserts of North Africa. P-40s were a common sight in the skies over Burma and China, Sicily and Italy, and western Russia as well. By the time production ceased in 1944, Curtiss had produced nearly 14,000 P-40s.
Contents
Introduction
Design and Development
Technical Specifications and Variants
Operational History
Conclusion
Bibliography and Further Reading
Paperback; November 2013; 64 pages; ISBN: 9781780969121

Aces of Jagdgeschwader 3 `Udet'
Aircraft of the Aces 116
Illustrator: John Weal
About this book
Jagdgeschwader 3 may not have the same immediate resonance as some of the more famous Luftwaffe fighter units, such Jagdgeschwader 2 `Richthofen', but it is arguably the archetypal German fighter formation of World War 2. Not only did it participate in every campaign fought by the Luftwaffe (with the exceptions of Poland and Norway), it flew every major variant of the two legendary German wartime fighters, the Messerschmitt Bf 109 and the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 - starting with the Bf 109E in 1939 and ending with the Fw 190D-9 `Long-nose' in 1945. And, during the course of the hostilities, it numbered among its ranks more than 70 Knight's Cross winners (a total exceeded by only one other Jagdgeschwader). The wealth and variety of detail afforded by such a background - which includes the historic battles of Britain, Stalingrad, Kursk, Normandy, the Ardennes and Berlin - provides an ideal framework upon which to portray the multitude of stories, exploits and ultimate fates of the many aces themselves, from the now unknown trio who achieved their first five kills during the Blitzkrieg in France in the late spring/early summer of 1940 to the nearly two-dozen highly acclaimed and lauded `centurions' who flew with JG 3.
Contents
1939-40 - Early offensives
1941-44 - The Eastern Front
1944 - D-Day and Bloodletting over the Reich
1945 - The War is Lost
Appendices
Paperback; November 2013; 96 pages; ISBN: 9781780962986


Aces of Jagdstaffel 17
This German World War I fighter squadron led by a Blue Max recipient didn't include the Richtofen (the Red Baron), but it's range of colorful characters was nonetheless impressive.

Aircraft of the Aces 118
Author: Greg VanWyngarden
Illustrator: Harry Dempsey
About this book
Initially formed to assist in the defence of the city of Metz against French bombing raids, Royal Prussian Jagdstaffel 17 would go on to become one of the most distinguish German fighter units of World War 1. Its first victory was scored by the pilot whose story is inextricably interwoven with that of his unit - the `Blue Max' recipient Julius Buckler. He was largely responsible for inspiring the unit's unique Esprit de Corps, expressed in its famous and unique `battle-cry' of `Malaula!' Indeed, in its final days the unit gained the nickname Zirkus Buckler, or the `Buckler Circus'. Besides Buckler, Jasta 17 boasted such aces as Karl Strasser, Alfred Fleischer and Christian Donhauser. In addition, the roster included colourful characters like the successful Jewish airman Jakob Wolff, who at over 48 years of age was the oldest German fighter pilot of the war. The story of this illustrious unit is told with many first-hand accounts by Buckler, Fleischer and others, as well as dozens of rare archival photos of the unit's beautifully decorated fighter aircraft.
Contents
In Defense of Metz
Fighting the French
Over Flanders
Cambrai
The Imperial Battle
Defensive Struggles
Appendix - Roster of Jasta 17 Aces - Awards made to Jasta 17 airmen - Colour plates commentaries
Paperback; November 2013; 96 pages; ISBN: 9781780967189