Mating the Spitfire fuselage with the 2,000 hp Griffon engine produced a series of long-nose Spits which were superb fighting machines. The development of the Mk XII, XIV and XXI Spitfires and the exploits of those Commonwealth aces who flew them are the subject of this fine Osprey title, #81 in their 'Aircraft of the Aces' series.

Developed to counter the FW 190, the Mk XII, introduced in April 1943, was optimised for low-level work, soon becoming a major player in the RAF's efforts to stop 'tip-and-run' and V-1 attacks on England. (Twenty-eight long-nose Spit pilots became V-1 aces). In January 1944 the Mk XIV, intended for high and low fighter ops, began flying combat. A year later, the radically redesigned Mk XXI entered frontline service.

Various squadrons - 41, 91, 130, 350, 610, etc. - flew these potent fighters and author Andrew Thomas, one of Osprey's more entertaining authors, does a good job of relating the many combats these units had. By war's end some 14 pilots claimed five kills or more in Griffon-powered Spits. It was surprising to me how many of these pilots became aces in the final days of the Third Reich.

The book is illustrated with over 90 black and white photographs and eight pages of gorgeous color profiles by Chris Davey. Davey's artwork highlights just how radically the classic Spitfire silhouette was changed over the course of three years!

In short, Thomas' book is a nicely written introduction to a number of Spitfire pilots whose exploits aren't that well-known and to various Spitfire models which were among the best of the breed. Recommended.

Does not go into as much detail of the construction, performance, and handling characteristics as I would have wished. Does show cockpit layouts and compares the actual combat record of the plane during all phases of WWII.