The North American P-51 Mustang powered by the British-designed Rolls-Royce Merlin/Packard engine was, quite simply, the best long-range escort fighter of the World War Two era. Entering service in November 1943, it curtailed prohibitive losses suffered by the heavy bombers of the US Eighth Army Air Force which carried out the strategic daylight bombing campaign against the Third Reich.

The IN COMBAT series is aimed for those who would like to quickly learn about fascinating history of specific vehicle, plane or ship. Every tome consist of most important information about history, versions and service of one combat machine. Book has tens of pages in A4 format and consists of dozens of interesting photos, colour illustrations, technical drawings and maps. In every tome there is a free gift in form of masks or decals for modellers. Minimonographs IN COMBAT are the answer to many requests from our readers who asked us to make such series. Yakovlev Yak-3 is considered one of the best World War 2 fighters, invariably praised by those who flew it in combat for its remarkable performance. The Germans also treated it with respect, which is perhaps best illustrated by Generalleutnant Walter Schwabedissen’s remark: The Yak-3 was a tough nut to crack for our pilots. It outperformed our machines in speed, maneuverability and rate of climb.

This book describes in detail the camouflage and markings of the day fighters used by the Yugoslav Air Force from 1918 to 1941. Aircraft of Yugoslav, British, German, Czech and French origin are shown. This profusely illustrated book includes many historical photographs and color profiles showing the colors and markings carried by the aircraft. Detailed color notes and precise description and illustration of national markings over the period complete a book that will be invaluable to aircraft enthusiasts, historians and modelers.More than 220 historical photos and about 160 color profiles (both volumes)

40 color profiles of the famous Mirage III & Mirage 5, a French Cold-War era jet aircraft. French and foreign users are shown in variety of camouflages.

40 color profiles of the famous Ilyushin Il-2, Russian WW2 famous attack aircraft, showing variety of the camouflage and markings of different units.

This book includes compilations of the 4-view color profile, scale plans, and photo details of the single variant of the Lockheed P-38G-15-LO Lightning. Scale plans in 1/72 and 1/48 plus drawings from wartime technical manuals. Also, photos of the details are in B&W and color.

This book includes compilations of the 4-view color profile, scale plans, and photo details of the single variant of the Messerschmitt Bf 109F-4. Scale plans in 1/72 and 1/48 plus drawings from wartime technical manuals. Photos of the details are in B&W and color.

This book includes compilations of the 4-view color profiles, scale plans, and photo details of the single variant of the Mitsubishi A5M5 Model 52 Zero. Scale plans in 1/72 and 1/48 plus drawings from wartime technical manuals. Also included are photos of the details in B&W and color.

This book includes compilations of the 4-view color profile, scale plans, and photo details of the single variant of the Potez 63-11. Scale plans in 1/72 and 1/48 plus drawings from wartime technical manuals. Also included are photos of the details in B&W and color.

This book describes the operations of the Soviet Air Force along the Finnish-Soviet front during the Winter War 1939-1940. The book includes 350+ photos, most of which were never published before, 28 color profiles, and 5 maps. A must-have book for the student of Soviet aviation history

This book is a compilation of the 4-view color profile, scale plans, and photo details of the single variant of the Supermarine Spitfire IIa. Scale plans in 1/72 and 1/48 plus drawings from wartime technical manuals. Additionally, photos of the details are in B&W and color.

This latest book in the Rainbow Series covers Swedish bomber aircraft deployed during World War Two and in early 50s.Camouflage and markings on the bombers obtained from different countries are described in unparalleled detail by the well-known Finnish author Mikael Forslund.The book features many previously unpublished photographs, and exclusive color profiles created for this book by Karolina Hołda.

Fairey Swordfish was a British biplane torpedo-bomber and reconnaissance aircraft designed to operate from aircraft carriers or as a reconnaissance seaplane operating from catapult launchers. The prototype was built in 1933 at the Fairey Aviation Co. Ltd. The aircraft had its first flight in 1933, too. It had an open cabin for a three-man crew and a fixed landing gear. It was powered by a Bristol Pegasus II M (640 hp) star engine. In 1934, Fairey Aviation released a second prototype that was equipped with a 690 hp Bristol Pegasus III M3 engine. The new type could also use floats. Series production began in 1935. Fairey Swordfish Mk. I was produced in both: bomber-torpedo-reconnaissance version with a wheeled landing gear and as a floatplane. The machine had a classic tail with a horizontal stabilizer. It also had folding wings. Truss structure fuselage was used, with front covered with metal sheets. In the middle there were three uncovered tandem crew cabins. Undercarriage had a tail wheel and arresting hook under the fuselage. The aircraft was equipped with a inflatable dinghy.

Gloster Gladiator is a British fighter constructed at the Gloster Aircraft Company. The prototype was created in 1934. It was powered by a 645 HP Bristol Mercury VIS engine. Gloster Gladiator Mk I had a 8382 mm long fuselage, which consisted of four numbered sections. The first of these included the engine bed. The second front fuselage, the third – the rear fuselage, and the fourth – tail. The arrangement of instrumentation and equipment inside the truss was marked with letters or numbered from one to eight fuselage partitions corresponding to the distances between the frames. Clearly straight main panels with a span of 9845 mm were built around two Hawker steel girders. The upper and lower supports of the girders were made of rolled octagonal elements, and the wavy lining provided strong points for attaching four aerodynamically profiled transverse struts. Such wing structure was finished with light alloy ribs, stringers and steel and duralumin spreader bars.

The birth of the Ninth Squadron (Novena Escuadrilla) of the Spanish Navy Fleet Air Arm (Flotilla de Aeronaves in short FLOAN) took place in 1987 with the receipt of the first three AV-8B aircraft from McDonnell Douglas factory in St. Louis on October 6 of that year. Deliveries continued for a total of 12 AV-8B Harrier IIs (numbered 01- 901 to 01-912) commonly known as “Day Attack” to differentiate them from later models Night Attack and AV-8B+ or “Radar” Aircraft. On January 29, 1996 the first AV-8B Plus 01-914 joined the squadron. Then continued deliveries up to 01-921, which makes a total of eight AV-8B+ that greatly enhanced the operational capabilities of the squadron. On 1 October 2000 the unit received TAV-8B 01-922, which is the only two-seater with the squadron and together with the simulator allows it to be totally autonomous in the adaptation to training new pilots just graduated from the U.S Naval Aviator pipeline. On July 30, 2003 were received from the now Boeing factory in Saint Louis the first two AV-8B to be remanufactured as AV-8B+ numbered 01-923 and 01-924. On 21 November the same year the last three planes in the remanufacturing programme, 01-925, 01-926 and 01-927 were ferried to Rota Naval Sation flown by Novena Escuadrilla pilots.

Despite the favored acquisitions abroad by the VVKJ conservatives, in the early 1932 an idea to develop a modern combat airplane was initiated by two young Serbian engineers, Ljubomir D. Ilić and Kosta I. Sivčev, who were at the time employed at the Air Force Command Technical Department. They worked in secret after hours at Ilić’s apartment and designed the first entirely Yugoslav made fighter airplane, the IK-L1, which first took off on 22 April 1935. The second prototype, IK-02, construction began ten months later and the airplane took off for the first time on 24 August 1936. The first 12 series airplanes construction followed in 1937 with the last airplane entering service in February 1939. At the time of the German attack, on 6 April 1941, VVKJ could rely on eight IK-2s, which served with distinction during the short and bloody April war.