This is the history of the best Allied fighter-destroyer of World War 1 and the pilots who flew it. Nicknamed "Biff" by the pilots, the Bristol F2 Fighter enjoyed extraordinary success over the Western Front in the final 18 months of the war. However, it had an inauspicious debut, as an entire flight of F2As was wiped out by von Richthofen's Jasta 11. A new improved F2B was soon delivered to the front which functioned in an entirely different manner. The crews operated the plane not as a standard two-seater, but as a single-seat with a "sting in the tail" in the form of a rear gunner with a Lewis machine gun. Numerous ace teams earned the "Biff" grudging respect from its German opponents. This book charts the development of the plane from its unpromising beginnings to the revised model operating with a new kind of tactics. Moreover, the numerous first-hand accounts and combat reports give a fascinating insight into the experiences of the pilots themselves.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
Great Book:
I would have given the book 5 stars if there was more detail information on how the plane was create and where was the Vicker machine place on the front part of the plane. The book doesn't state whether the Vicker machine gun was on the left side, right side, or on top of the engine. I look at the pictures, but I couldn't find where the gun was place. There was also no information on the strength and weaknesses of the airplane compare to those of the German and Austrian fighter planes. Finally, there was no... more info
Bristol Two-Seater Aces in Action!:
Intended as a 1917 replacement for outdated British reconnaissance aircraft, Bristol's two-seater F2 aircraft possessed tremendous potential that could turn it into a tiger if proper air-fighting tactics were used. Numerous RFC/RAF crews who flew the F 2A/B as if it was a single-seat fighter with a stinger in its tail became aces over France, Italy and Palestine. Author Jon Guttman relates their exploits in this volume, #79 in Osprey's 'Aircraft of the Aces' series. The Bristol fighter racked up quite... more info
