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WHERE EAGLES CLASHED WITH FALCONS - MALTA 1942
This book offers a coherent and concise comparison of the relative merits and deficiencies of 2 of the finest fighter planes to see combat during the Second World War. The Spitfire V (the most widely produced progeny of the family of Spitfires whose outstanding combat performance against the Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain during the summer and autumn of 1940 ensured its legendary status) arrived in Malta at a very crucial time in the war when a British defeat in the North African/Mediterranean Region seemed all but certain. Malta was the lynch pin that helped to keep Britain in the war.
On the Axis side, there was the Macchi C202 Folgore, the creation of the great Italian aeronautical engineer Dr. Mario Castoldi. From the time of its initial combat deployment with the Regia Aeronautica in the Spring of 1941 to its commitment (in larger numbers) in the Siege of Malta the following year, the C202 went head-to-head against the Spitfire V in some of the deadliest aerial combat clashes of the war above the Mediterranean.
Like the other books of the Osprey Duel Series, this one is rich in photographs and illustrative diagrams of both aircraft. The aviation enthusiast who delights in tales of derring-do will love this book. And even if the reader has only a general interest in the Second World War, "Spitfire V vs C202 Folgore: Malta 1942" (77 pages) can be easily read in the course of a few hours.
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