Spitfire VC vs A6M2/3 Zero-sen: Darwin 1943 - 93

Just weeks after Pearl Harbor, Darwin was mauled by a massive Japanese attack.

Without a single fighter to defend Australian soil, the Australian government made a special appeal to Britain for Spitfires.

A year later the Spitfire VC-equipped No 1 Fighter Wing, RAAF, faced the battle-hardened 202nd Kokutai of the IJNAF, equipped with A6M2 Zero-sens, over Darwin.

This was a gruelling campaign between evenly matched foes, fought in isolation from the main South Pacific battlegrounds.

Pilots on either side had significant combat experience, including a number of Battle of Britain veterans.

Fully illustrated with detailed full-colour artwork, this is the gripping story of two iconic aircraft facing off against each other above Australia.