Osprey Publishing - Aircraft of the Aces 79 - Bristol F2 Fighter Aces of World War 1

This is the history of the best Allied fighter-destroyer of World War I and the pilots who flew it.

Numerous ace teams earned the 'Biff' grudging respect from its German opponents, as 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. This book charts the development of the plane from its inauspicious beginnings to the revised model operating with a new kind of tactics.

First-hand accounts throughout as well as combat reports give a fascinating insight into the experiences of the pilots themselves.

Chapter 1: Development and Disaster (The first F2A operations)
Chapter 2: A Scout with a Sting in the Tail (Development of the F2B and new tactics)
Chapter 3: 'Biff Boys' (Bristol aces and their exploits)
Chapter 4: Ascendancy On Other Fronts (Bristol operations in Italy, the Middle East and post-war)
Appendices: Aces; Squadrons and bases; Ace airframes; aircrew awards