No comments about The Sting of the Luftwaffe: Schnellkampfgeschwader 210 and Zerst¿rergeschwader 1 "Wespengeschwader" in World War II.

1 comments about Straight Down!: The North American A-36 Dive-Bomber in Action.

1. At last, someone takes on the task of recording the history of the A-36 and those who flew her. Peter C. Smith has assembled in this volume accounts from the designers, builders, and pilots of this little-known offshoot of the P-51 family as well as an impressive selection of photos. From the design and construction, through training stateside and deployment in the Mediterranean and China-Burma-India theaters of operation, the author's narrative links the recollections of those who made history in this machine. He also addresses the many falsehoods that have somehow become accepted as fact regarding the combat use of the A-36, and properly points out that this is the aircraft that kept the Mustang alive as an Air Corps project. Overall, Mr. Smith displays a command of the subject that puts him above many of the other writers of aviation history, and I would have rated this a five-star effort if he didn't have several mis-identified photos of P-51B Mustangs labelled as A-36 Apaches. If this sounds like nit-picking, than feel free to cross out the four stars above and replace it with a full five. I have been a die-hard A-36 fan for many a year, and this is the best book thus far on this amazing dive bomber.

3 comments about DOUGLAS A-4 SKYHAWK: Attack and Close-Support Fighter Bomber.

1. This volume is one of the best and most complete monographs in a single volume on a post-WWII military jet. It is well written and misses no aspect of the Skyhawk's long and varied military career or the details of its engineering and operation with a multitude of air arms. The history starts in in the early 1950s and continues to virtually today. The descriptions of its superb design and build, that made the "Scooter" a favorite with pilots for 50 years, is all here. The book reads well, is informative and I found it free of noticeable mistakes. The artwork of 20 color profiles, in many of its various plumages, by Dave Windle, is amongst the best in this kind of volume anywhere. The many photos, primarily color, are also excellent. I highly recommend this book to all with an interest in post-War military aircraft or just fans of great airplanes.



2. I like books with engineering details, and this one is fairly good on that front. Also has a lot of information on the different deployments, as well as countries that have deployed the A-4.



3. I bought this book after reading a review in the May/June 2007 Naval Aviation News. It is one of the finest single-aircraft monographs I have seen in a long while. The book is very inclusive of every air arm around the world which has used the Skyhawk and has equal coverage of development, production and operational history. The illustrations are of high quality, with many color photographs and numerous excellent color profiles. The tabular data on production history and surviving Skyhawks in the 21st century is very useful. This book is highly recommended for anyone interested in naval aviation history and the Skyhawk in particular.

2 comments about Intruder: The Operational History of Grumman's A-6.

1. The Intruder was the first aircraft I worked on, and I have always been impressed by it. This book covers the chronology of the aircraft in tremendous detail, from concept to Viet Nam, the Persian Gulf, and retirement. Squadron histories are detailed from the command's beginnings, not just their Intruder years. Many quotes from Intruder pilots and B/Ns add first person color to the technical detail. Includes a summary of all Intruder losses, both combat and operational, and a model/buno reference.
   
   I intended on buying the book for historical purposes and to flip through on occasion - I surprised myself by reading it cover to cover. There are a few gramatical errors, but they don't detract from the content. If you have any interest or connection to the Intruder, this book makes a good addition to your library.



2. With the mighty Intruder's departure from carrier decks, the US Navy put itself out of the deep strike business. Therefore, the Morgan brothers' excellent treatment of the A-6 is doubly valuable, not only as a detailed history of the aircraft, but the 70-year legacy it represented in dedicated attack aviation. Therefore, anyone interested in the Grumman "bomb truck" need look no further for an authoritative, detailed account of one of the significant aircraft in naval aviation history.

4 comments about Convair B-36 Peacemaker.

1. Mr. Jenkins has captured the history of the Peacemaker and its many variants in an easy to read 100 pages of text and rarely seen photographs.

   The descriptions of the many systems of the B-36 are easy to understand and are supported with photos and drawings. The details provided of the many experimental versions of the aircraft give a rare glimpse of the state of development of military aviation during the 1940's and 1950's.

   Because of the extreme secrecy that surrounded this aircraft during its service with SAC, very little was known about it publicly. Mr. Jenkins has done a superb job of bringing back to life an almost forgotten aircraft - an aircraft that is responsible for all of us being alive today. I hope that he will someday consider writing an even broader book about the Peacemaker and its' many contributions to present day aviation and to the preservation of world peace through strength.

   This book is a "must read" for every student of aviation history.




2. This book allow a history of one of the most controvertial bomber, the B-36. The book explain the evolution of this "monster" whit a singular name "Peacemaker", irony?. The B-36 servered to the future evolution of the bombers, and servered to the platform for a lot of experiments about new technologies.



3. Considering this book is only 104 pages long it contains an incredible amount of data. This is an update from the original version of this book that I saw many years ago - it has a few more pages and is printed on much better (glossy) paper. It also has many new photographs. If you only want to spend $20 on a B-36 book, this is the one to get. If you want to spend double that amount, buy Magnesium Overcast by the same author - almost 300 pages of every detail you would ever want to see on the B-36, C-99, and B-60.



4. Convair B-36 "Peacemaker"
   Warbird Tech Series Volume 24
   By Dennis R. Jenkins
   Reviewed by Ned Barnett
   
   Renewed interst in the B-36 has made this fine volume even more useful and relevant - and the release of 1/144th scale Peacemaker kits add a further incentive for modelers (as well as aviation history buffs) to revisit this remarkable little 100-page book.
   
   The B-36 served operationally for just 10 years, from 1948 to 1958 - it was slow for it's time, cruising at just 250 mph, but the Peacemaker flew so high that it was largely invulnerable for most of it's career. With an unrefueled combat range of 10,000 miles, missions of 40 hours were not uncommon - though they must have been butt-busters of monumental proportions. This book - from Specialty Press's excellent Warbird Tech series - does an excellent job of capturing the sheer enormity of this remarkable huge aircraft, known with irony and a bit of affection as "Magnesium Overcast." The war-winning atomic bomber, the B-29 Superfortress, looked like a Piper Cub when parked in the B-36's shadow (which Convair and the Air Force did a lot, for PR purposes).
   
   It also captures the details, with sketches of the turrets and engine installations, close-up photos of cockpits and bomb bays and low-slug auxiliary jet engines. It should come as no surprise that the B-36 was frequently modified to fulfill special missions - perhaps most amazingly as an aircraft carrying an operational nuclear reactor (which did not power the plane, but only tested airborne radiation shielding). At least one B-36 was modified as an all-jet YB-60, intended as a competitor to the Boeing B-52 but - at a top speed roughly 100 mph less than the B-52 - too little, too late.
   
   The book has a relative few color photos - most B-36s weren't all that colorful - but the author found a color shot of a gaudy B-36 used to drop test atom bombs over Nevada and the Pacific - this one looks like a cross between a circus wagon and an 8th Air Force "formation ship." Modelers who see this photo will absolutely want to figure out a way to build it. However, what it lacks in color it makes up for with line drawings - many from documents created by Convair and the Air Force for Peacemaker crews and ground crews - that really make this aircraft come to life.
   
   Whether you like military technology and aviation history or whether you're a modeler looking for reference material and interesting ideas, the Warbird Tech Convair B-36 "Peacemaker" is a book you'll want to add to your personal library.

2 comments about Luftwaffe Fighters & Fighter-Bombers over the Far North.

1. I am quite pleased with this book. I am a student of the Luftwaffe and the Finnish Air Force in World War II. This is a valuable addition to the body of work available on this theater of operations. I could not put it down and burned a good night of much needed sleep to get through it. There was material here on Heinrich Ehrler, Muller and Weisenberger that I had not been privy to before and I found the unit history of JG 5 to be thorough. And for me, there is a wealth of information about my favorite prop plane of all time...the BF 109. Now I am going to sit down and go through it a second time and enjoy it even more. This book is highly recommended!



2. For those interested in the lost war of the north, this book fills the need for Luftwaffe students and modelers - of which I am both. A rarely discussed subject to begin with is treated to scholarly efforts which pay off handsomely. Highly recommended to Luftwaffe history and modelers. I hope a "second" volume is possible. The pictures and explanations are superb and where unsure of information, the authors are candid and clear. A "10" out of "10". I have over 60 Luftwaffe and WWII Aviation reference books in my growing library; this is a most welcome addition.

3 comments about Fw 190 Sturmbocke vs B-17 Flying Fortress: Europe 1944-45 (Duel).

1. My discounted copy of this new 'Duel' title arrived today - at this price these titles are worth getting. The Osprey 'preview' image from this volume depicting JG 300 pilots Loos & Dahl boring in on the 303rd BG over Bitburg, 15 Aug 44 appaeared on a number of web-sites pre-publication and my 11-year old thinks its pretty decent - I have to agree this type of computer-art beats the usual dreary battle scene 'painting' in these titles even if the Fw 190's are too close together and the rear B-17 gunner wouldn't be firing a stream of tracer. Whether I can actually persuade my son to read any of the text will be another matter altogether. There seems to be rather more words here than in previous 'Duel' titles starting with a chronology that curiously ends on 2 December 1944. The themes of FW 190 as 'bomber killer' over Germany are explored and there are chapters on the design and devlopment of both types with technical specifications and cutaway artworks, before the author moves on to outline the strategic situation in the European air war. Again. This is a 'Duel' volume - author & publisher should have looked at presenting a couple of the larger air battles over Germany in detail - rather than devoting pages to a strategic overview. There is no chronological account - there isn't the space in this book's 80 pages for anything more than a cursory overview. I particularly liked the B-17 artwork illustrating the various fighting compartments and there are some personal accounts of coming under fire from German fighters. There is a full page colour artwork of the FW 190 cockpit and more artwork depicting the Sturm fighter closing on a bomber Pulk from astern. Photos are small and a little dark and have all been published elsewhere, which is disappointing. Bizarrely the text goes on to discuss the Sonderkommando Elbe ramming Bf 109s of April 1945. There is no detail at all on the huge bomber battles that took place over Germany during late December 1944 and early January 1945.
   
   Some of the text I've read seems curiously to focus on Walther Dahl of JG 300 - there are several pictures of him and his Fw 190s and a full page profile. While acknowledging that his autobiography "Rammjäger" was 'colourful' the book repeats all the old chestnuts regarding his supposed 128 victories and his huge accumulation of bomber kills - for which the authors of the two volume JG 300 history quoted in this book's bibliography found little or no evidence of course. There is a full page given over to a listing of leading Luftwaffe B-17 'killers'. There are two pages devoted to a bibliography entitled 'Further Reading' which includes German-language titles that I somehow doubt will be of interest to the average Duel -series purchaser.
   
   As for the timeline ending on 2 December as already mentioned, that has to be a typo, and should read 24 December, which was the date of IV.(Sturm)/JG3's last big success in the West. Otherwise the book itself is a very selective look at various aspects of the daylight bombing campaign focusing on training, the machines, the men. Nothing to do with the author I doubt, but this is a title assembled to fit a tightly outlined format and as such doesn't work very well at all for me.



2. The heavily armed and rugged Fw 190 was a B-17 crewman's worst nightmare. Moreso than its Bf 109 stablemate, the 'Butcher Bird' had the firepower and staying power to decimate 8th AF B-17 and B-24 units especially those lacking fighter escort. The combats fought between Fw 190s and B-17s are the subject of this 2009 Osprey release, the latest in their 'Duel' series. Over the years Robert Forsyth has written several wonderful Luftwaffe histories; unfortunately his latest effort misses the mark.
   
   Though the idea of pitting the Fw 190 against the B-17 appealed to me initally, I had misgivings about the appropriateness of the match-up. Pitting a P-51 against a Bf 109, for instance, is valid, both aircraft having pluses and minuses in a dogfight. In a Fw 190/B-17 combat however, there was/is no comparison. The Fort always functioned as a clay pigeon albeit a well-armed clay pigeon!
   
   While Forsyth checked off all the squares in the established Duel format, the book doesn't jell into a comprehensive, cohesive whole. He does detail each aircraft's development and design, the training received by its pilot/aircrew, tech specs and so on.
   
   My problem lies in the 'Stategic Situation,' 'Combat,' 'Statistics and Analysis' and 'Aftermath' sections. Some of the material in the first section seemed to fit better in the second and vice versa. As regards the Combat section, there were a number of engagements where Fw 190s caught unescorted B-17 units and did great execution: 6 March 1944, Berlin; 12 May 1944, Brux; 28 Sept. 1944, Magdeburg; 2 Nov. 1944, Merseburg; etc. Had Forsyth used a straight chronological approach focusing on some/all of those combats, his narrative would have been more apropos to the Duel 'who won?' bottom line. Then too, the Stats/Analysis section was too confusing for my simple mind; too much 1:8 of this and 3.6 of that. The Aftermath coda wasted space on Bodenplate, Kommando Elbe and YB-40s, all of which added little to the main topic.
   
   The book's artwork though was a definite plus. The colorful cockpit and tail turret diagrams, armament views and attack formations were interesting and helpful. Gareth Hector's combat scene of JG 300 '190s closing in on 303rd BG Forts was eye-catching. And Jim Laurier's cover artwork, especially the JG 4 scene, was simply magnificent.
   
   So, while the Fw 190/B-17 idea sounds good, for it to succeed, you really need a sharply focused narrative that separates air combats from air campaigns. And, to do justice to such a match-up probably required more than the standard Duel 80-page format. As is, Fw 190 STURMBOCKE VS B-17 FLYING FORTRESS, EUROPE 1944-45 has an unfinished, or perhaps more accurately, a poorly focused feel to it. Great cover art though!



3. This book is nothing more than a collection disparate facts and many grainy old photos and drawings. The actual experiences of German and American crews were far and few between. In all good conscience, I cannot recommend this book to the serious student of the WWII air war (1944-45) over Europe.

1 comments about The B-45 Tornado: An Operational History of the First American Jet Bomber.

1. My father and father in law were both in the USAF assigned to the bases and aircraft involved in this time period. I was along for the ride as a rather impressionable young man making my way through grade school and high school at the time, but I do remember the aircraft.
   This book helped fill in the blanks.The author covers not only the aircraft itself but the histories of the units involved, the air crews , the ground crews and the major commands.The infighting between SAC and TAC made you wonder if the USAF really did know what they were doing. I don't think he left any thing out. The comments from the crew members in the air and on the ground really bring it home.
   As he points out the B-45 is hardly covered in aviation history and few people have heard about. This book changes that.This book isn't for the casual aircraft picture book crowd as it get's into the aircraft, the history, the politics and the day to day aspects of the B-45.
   One suggestion, don't pass on the foot notes as they add quite a bit more to the story.
   .

4 comments about Strike from the Sea: U.S. Navy Attack Aircraft from Skyraider to Super Hornet, 1948-Present.

1. This is wonderfully comprehensive and well written history of U. S. Navy attack aircraft and aviation over the past 60 years. The evolution of all the significant first-line planes and those that didn't quite make the grade and those that simply never left the drawing board is all presented in extremely readable and interesting fashion by Mr. Thomason. The quality and uniqueness of the photos and illustrations is excellent. The explanations of the differences, improvements, development of the aircraft and their weaponry is the best on the subject I've ever seen. A truly exceptional aviation volume, well above the usual offering. It expertly handles a complicated subject with great skill and accuracy. A fascinating and unique book, which I would unhesitatingly recommend to anyone interested in the subject matter. Additionally, Amazon is offering it at a very attractive price.



2. Just as good as "U.S. Naval Air Superiority", Thomason's previous book. Lots of insight into the development of modern strike aircraft, and plenty of information about the blind alleys (A2U Attack Cutlass, for example). Also a lot of information about the little-known money pit/procurement disaster, the General Dynamics A-12. Excellent pictures and first-rate text. Authorative and informative; highly recommended.



3. I hesitate to write a review at this point, as I haven't finished it yet, but.........this is good. Very, very good. Enough background information to satisfy almost anyone. A perfect companion to his US Naval Air Superiority, but covering a longer time period.
   You get the feeling that the work that went into this meant something, and the results are worth it. A touch of humour in what could be a dry subject in other hands. Also obvious personal knowledge of the people who were involved.
   Production stanadrds are high, most photos I haven't seen published prior to this, and the side excursions into related (non attack) aircraft and or problems illuminate the subject. Having read many books over the years, every page tells me something I hadn't known before.
   What's he going to write next?



4. The book is thorough, comprehensive, very well written, accurate. A "must-have" for any one interested in carrier aviation.

2 comments about Cold War Peacemaker: The Story of Cowtown and the Convair B-36.

1. What, another book about the B-36? It's not exactly aviation's best-known subject--not like the North American P-51 Mustang or the Lockheed P-38 Lightning, for example--but Convair's huge intercontinental-range strategic bomber has gotten its fair share of press in the last decade or so. There's Meyers K. Jacobsen's superb 400-page magnum opus "Convair B-36: A Comprehensive History of Americas Big Stick" (1997), Dennis R. Jenkins' short but useful "Convair B-36 Peacemaker" (1999) (Volume 14 in the Specialty Press Warbird Tech Series) and his outstanding, heavily illustrated "Magnesium Overcast" (2001), among others. Now comes "Cold War Peacemaker." Do aviation enthusiasts really need another book about the big rumbling aerial behemoth?
   
   If you don't have any or all of the other books mentioned, it's a no-brainer decision. Pick up a copy of "Cold War Peacemaker" immediately. It's a fascinating, detailed history that covers virtually every aspect of the bomber's design, development, flight test, production, deployment, variants, upgrades, operations--literally everything you'd want to know about the thundering Peacemaker. Its superbly illustrated with hundreds of sharp black-and-white photos and line drawings, plus a 19-page color section. As a bonus, the 30-page Chapter 1 relates the history of Fort Worth and describes the rise of the aviation industry in "Cowtown," a subject on which the other books are silent. Here's the complete Table of Contents:
   
   Chapter 1--Cowboys to Cockpits: Aviation Comes to Fort Worth (Page 16)
   Chapter 2--Consolidated B-36: A True Intercontinental Bomber (46)
   Chapter 3--The Bleeding Edge: 1940s High Technology (108)
   Chapter 4--Conflict Unfinished: A Chilly Peace and a Cold War (128)
   
   But then there are some great Appendices:
   
   Appendix A--The First Wide-Body: The San Diego Built XC-99 (176)
   Appendix B--Unworthy Competitor: The All-Jet YB-60 (184)
   Appendix C--Dream Unrealized: Atomic-Powered Aircraft (192)
   Appendix D--Completely Different: Track Landing Gear (200)
   Appendix E--Stillborn Concept: Pratt & Whitney VDT Engines (208)
   Appendix F--Ahead of Its Time: Bell GAM-63 Rascal (212)
   Appendix G--Bizarre Concept: Parasites and Other Coupling Ideas (220)
   
   The authoritative narrative and crisp photos (with detailed captions) in these sections are sure to make any airplane geek salivate. Plus there are nine pages of detailed endnotes that cite sources and expand on the main text.
   
   Okay, so you should definitely buy "Cold War Peacemaker" if it's to be your only B-36 book. But what if, like me, you already have the other books mentioned, or even more? Should you add this one to your collection? Well, I'm such a fan of the B-36 that I simply had to have this volume in my aviation library, and I never regretted buying it. I suspect most other aviation buffs will feel the same. Even if you already own some B-36 books, there's no reason not to buy "Cold War Peacemaker." Although much of the story and many of the photos have appeared elsewhere, there's enough new material in it to make it a must-have. Its great stuff, and I recommend it highly.



2. The "Cold War Peacemaker: the Story of Cowtown and Convair B-36" is about an amazing longrange bomber that bridged the gap between the propeller and jet ages during the early years of the Cold War. Huge and somewhat awkward looking, the aircraft ultimately employed both pusher props and jet engines. This plane was an intimidator and when it flew overhead its strange sound vibrations rattled china in more than a few cabinets. It sent a strong message to the Soviet Union intended to prevent nuclear war. The B-36 in its variations was a remarkable aircraft technologically. And even amidst all of the contemporary advances in the aerospace industry, the innovative solutions to engineering challenges that came to fruition in the B-36 are still impressive. Authors Don Pyeatt and Dennis Jenkins have succeeded in publishing a comprehensive history of the B-36 that deserves acclaim. Whether you are a casual aviation enthusiast or a seasoned historian, this book is worth the purchase price. Packed with amazing photos, diagrams, and myriad details in its appendices and endnotes, the monograph is history at its best.
   
   It is suggested that readers also watch the movie, "Strategic Air Command," starring the B-36 and Jimmy Stewart. Produced for the general public to promote the USAF and airpower during the Cold War, it is really quite good. Best of all, you'll hear and see the B-36 in all its glory.