# THE DECISIVE DUEL: SPITFIRE Vs 109 by David Isby



## DavidIsby (Jul 28, 2012)

My latest book, THE DECISIVE DUEL: SPITFIRE VS. 109, published by Little, Brown, is now available in 
hardcover and paperback editions at bookstores throughout the UK, as well as from on-line sources 
including Amazon.Com.
The Decisive Duel: Spitfire vs 109: Amazon.co.uk: David Isby: Books

A "dual biography" of the British Supermarine Spitfire and the German Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter
aircraft of the Second World War, the book traces their story from their origins with their brilliant 
designers, R.J. Mitchell and Willy Messerschmitt, through the race to design and deploy them before they met in combat over Dunkirk and the Battle of Britain. Even after the decisive battles of 1940s,
advanced versions of both fighters clashed repeatedly throughout the war, until their final battles 
over the Middle East in 1948-49.

I am grateful for the opportunity of having been able to use this forum to check facts for this book. 
I think you'll like it. More information is available on the book's website at:
Spitfire vs BF109


David Isby


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## Wayne Little (Jul 29, 2012)

Cool, hope it does well....


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## Jerry W. Loper (Aug 23, 2012)

DavidIsby said:


> My latest book, THE DECISIVE DUEL: SPITFIRE VS. 109, published by Little, Brown, is now available in
> hardcover and paperback editions at bookstores throughout the UK, as well as from on-line sources
> including Amazon.Com.
> The Decisive Duel: Spitfire vs 109: Amazon.co.uk: David Isby: Books
> ...



Thanks, I'll be on the lookout for this book! A couple of questions: (1) Does it cover just the early part of the war, say, the Battle of Britain period of 1940, or the whole war going to 1945? (2) Have you read Dilip Sarkar's book, _How the Spitfire Won the Battle of Britain_?


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## DavidIsby (Nov 26, 2012)

Thanks, to answer your question, it takes both aircraft from their initial conception to their current status at Duxford air displays. I certainly used Sarkar's work as sources. Overall, good stuff, but I think his biographies (Dowding Johnson) are the best.

david isby


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## DavidIsby (Nov 26, 2012)

I am making available some 150 historical photographs on three boards at PINTEREST. I collected many more photos for THE DECISIVE DUEL than I was able to publish. These are mainly black and white photographs from the US National Archives on Second World War military aviation. 

One reason I selected PINTEREST for these photographs was the Comments function that would allow readers with more information to expand the captions.

David Isby (spitfirevsbf109) on Pinterest


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## DavidIsby (Dec 11, 2012)

Source Material | Spitfire vs BF109

I have posted some pdf 30 documents on Second World War aircraft and air warfare for downloading at the website for my book THE DECISIVE DUEL: SPITFIRE VS 109.

I hope to add some more documents soon (as soon as technical issues permit)!

David Isby


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## parsifal (Jan 30, 2017)

I think David Isby hails from a company called SPI which was a major war game design company back in the 70s and 80s. He has written over 20 books that I know of. His forum membership appears to become dormant, which is a pity


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## Airframes (Jan 30, 2017)

I was given this book as a present last year, and i'm part way through reading it (casual read, as it's heavy, and very thick !).
So far, it's turned out to be good.


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