The Albatros family of fighters were amongst the most effective aircraft employed by the Idlfieg (Imperial German Air Service) for much of World War 1, with the D.III and D.Va being flown by most of the 363 pilots who qualified as aces at some point in their often brief careers. The Albatros was the scourge of the RFC on the Western Front in 1916-17, with pilots of the calibre of von Richthofen, Boelke and Schleich cutting swathes through their opponents. Well over 4000 Albatros scouts were built between 1916 and 1918, and they were also extensively used by the Austro-Hungarians against Russian, Italian and British aircraft until war's end. Osprey's Aircraft of the Aces series combines full colour artwork, the best archival contemporary photography, and first hand accounts from aces to bring history's greatest airborne conflicts to life. Norman Franks is one of the world's leading authorities on World War 1 fighter aviation, having published some of the seminal works on the subject. He has written volume 32 'Albatros Aces of World War I' and 33 'Nieuport Aces of World War I' in 2000 and co-authored volume 40 'Fokker Dr I Aces of World War I' in 2001. Iain Wyllie was one of Britain's leading - and most prolific - aviation cover artists. A native of Northern Ireland, he trained as a naval draughtsman and became a full-time aviation artist in the late 1980s. He has been responsible for creating numerous cover artworks for Osprey Publishing's hugely successful Aircraft of the Aces and Combat Aircraft series since 1994. His artwork is synonymous with originality of subject, intricate detail and technical accuracy. Mark Styling is better known to readers of Osprey Publishing's Aircraft of the Aces and Combat Aircraft series as the profile artist for such books as Hellcat Aces of World War 2, Japanese Army Air Force Aces 1937–45 and P–61 Units of World War 2 . A full-time commercial artist, Mark works from his home in the East London suburb of Hackney. Reference Book Osprey Aircraft of the Aces #32 Albatros Aces of Worlf War 1 by Norman Franks Reference Book