French Aces of World War 2 (Osprey Aircraft of the Aces No 28)

Rating:
Summary: Informative and intriguing
Review: As with the other superlative books in Osprey's "Aircraft of the Aces" series, this work is a truly excellent resource for World War 2 buffs and aviation historians. Ketley has done a wonderful job in his portrayal of the often-neglected French fighter pilots of the Second World War. His exhaustive research gives the book a true sense of authenticity and accuracy; the author's meticulous attention to detail is commendable. Ketley's work is instrumental in educating the English-speaking audience about the exploits of the Armée de l'Air. What makes this book truly laudable is the author's fair and balanced approach to the subject matter. Ketley strives for objectivity; he provides equal and in-depth coverage to both the pre- and post- Armistice periods. He gives us the whole picture, in essence. The activities of both the Vichy and Free French air forces and their pilots (as well as the pre-1940 Armée de l'Air) are chronicled in a clear, unfettered fashion. The exploits of the famed Normandie-Niemen regiment in the Soviet Union are of particular interest. The colour plates depicting examples of the various aircraft flown are simply marvelous. The numerous vintage black and white photos, many of them quite rare, are a formidable supplement to these. The technical data provided is equally fascinating. We get a good perspective on various machines used in battle by French fighter pilots, including the Morane-Saulnier MS.406, the Dewoitine D.520, and the American-built Curtiss Hawk. Overall, an excellent and highly-recommendable book!

Rating:
Summary: VERY WEAK
Review: I have read about twelve books in the Oxprey Aircraft of The Aces series. I can state for sure: this is the worst I've read so far.

Rating:
Summary: Good but not perfect book
Review: This book is another one in Osprey's "Aircraft of the Aces" series. Like the others, French Aces of World War 2 contains a great deal of information, some of which is hard to find elsewhere. It has the usual collection of excellent illustrations, particularly color prints. For the most part, the book is very well written. However, as is the case in much of the rest of the series, proofreading and editing are slack; obvious typos and grammatical mistakes can be found. In addition, the book is ten pages too long. The author's list of some of the most important French aces could have been shortened by half. Those two reservations aside, French Aces of World War 2 is well worth having for anyone interested in the exploits of French pilots.

Rating:
Summary: TOTALLY UNBALANCED. DISAPPOINTING ...
Review: This book lost almost all his credibility. Why ? How, in a book called "FRENCH ACES OF WW II", the writer dedicates only five lines ( that's right, five lines !! )to the greatest of them all, Pierre Clostermann of the RAF ?!! ( according to French official sources quoted by the author himself ). It seems that the writer want to avoid the controversy surrounding Clostermann scores: the British ( for whom he flew during all his career in WW II ) credit him with between 11 and 15 air victories, and the French give him 33 !! Ohter than this, the book doesn't even mention Rene Mouchotte, a great leader of the first Free French squadrons in RAF - numbers 340 and 341 ( although he was not an ace ). Weird distribution of topics, because Frenchmen in the RAF have only six pages to their credit ...It seem the writer got completely lost in the vast ammount of information he probably had, and the result was this catastrophic, disappointing book !!!

Rating:
Summary: TOTALLY UNBALANCED. DISAPPOINTING ...
Review: This book lost almost all his credibility. Why ? How, in a book called "FRENCH ACES OF WW II", the writer dedicates only five lines ( that's right, five lines !! )to the greatest of them all, Pierre Clostermann of the RAF ?!! ( according to French official sources quoted by the author himself ). It seems that the writer want to avoid the controversy surrounding Clostermann scores: the British ( for whom he flew during all his career in WW II ) credit him with between 11 and 15 air victories, and the French give him 33 !! Ohter than this, the book doesn't even mention Rene Mouchotte, a great leader of the first Free French squadrons in RAF - numbers 340 and 341 ( although he was not an ace ). Weird distribution of topics, because Frenchmen in the RAF have only six pages to their credit ...It seem the writer got completely lost in the vast ammount of information he probably had, and the result was this catastrophic, disappointing book !!!