Carl Molesworth, a resident of Mount Vernon, Washington, USA, is a former newspaper and magazine editor now working as a freelance writer and editor. A graduate of the University of Maryland with a bachelor of arts degree in English, Molesworth served as an enlisted man in the United States Air Force in 1968-72. He has been researching and writing about fighter operations in World War II for nearly 30 years. His nine previous titles include three books in Osprey's Aircraft of the Aces series, two in the Aviation Elite Units series and one in the Duel series. Jim Laurier is a native of New Hampshire. He graduated with honours from the Paiers School of Art, Connecticut, in 1978 and has worked as a freelance illustrator ever since, completing assignments in a wide variety of fields. Jim has a keen interest in military subjects, both aviation and armour, and is a Fellow member of the American Society of Aviation Artists, the New York Society of Illustrators and the American Fighter Aces Association.