Osprey's primary Luftwaffe author/artist, John Weal has written and/or illustrated six titles in the Aircraft of the Aces series dealing with German aircraft/pilots, plus supplied artwork for a further ten books in the list. Possessing one of the largest private collections of original German-language literature from World War 2, his research is firmly based on this huge archive. Based in Berkshire, UK, this is his sixth book in the Aviation Elite Units series.

JG 51 were one of the Luftwaffe's top wartime fighter units, yet their story has never been told in English. The unit's history encapsulates the fortunes of the Luftwaffe's fighter arm as a whole - the heady successes of the early months, the steady attrition and the growing strength of the opposition during the mid-war years, and the final chaos and collapse of the last days. But it is perhaps the details of the pilots who served with the unit that sets JG 51 apart. During the course of the war it numbered more Knight's Cross winners among its ranks than any other. And it is their stories - their successes, exploits and eventual fates - which brings this history to life.