One of various good points about this book is a pretty comprehensive bibliography which shows that books on US warplanes are not exactly in short supply. That number includes, too, several very good general or encyclopaedic works. So, what justification is there for another one? It is quite simple, really: such books are almost invariably written for the committed or expert aviation historian or enthusiast, or for those involved with the aircraft directly in different ways and at different times. But there are other audiences. I have been a student of aviation history as long as I can remember, but have hardly ever written to the aeronautical press; one of the few exceptions was about 30 years ago when I suggested it was about time we looked at all the detail we were amassing within its broader historical/political/industrial/military or whatever context. In fairness many aviation writers (and certainly all the best ones) do just that; but still they are usually writing for a specialist and informed audience.
All that gives the background to the rationale for this book. To quote its author: “Curiously, despite the well‐developed body of information available, aviation reference books have been less numerous, and less successful, in bringing information quickly and easily to the attention of casual users”. He also refers to the preponderance of works on jet and contemporary aircraft (he could have added Second World War aircraft) to the detriment of the 1914‐1939 period. This particular book “has been specifically designed to address student inquiries about specific airplane types while simultaneously possessing sufficient depth and breadth for advanced researchers” ‐ and I am pleased to conclude that he succeeds in those aims in all respects.
To start with the coverage: 327 types does not sound a lot, especially to those of us who use the various specialist works on a regular basis, but from the era of the Curtiss Jenny and DeHavilland DH4 to today’s Northrop B2 and Lockheed F117, Stealth bomber and fighter, and to tomorrow’s Lockheed/Boeing F22 (“Service dates: 2005‐”) I can find no serious omissions. Indeed, more positively, I find the selection of types both broad and deep, extending to trainers, transports, observation and utiity aircraft. The decision to exclude prototypes and experimental aircraft deprives us of such favorites as the Bell X1 and North American X15, but it is the correct decision: this is very specifically a book about aircraft serving (or having served) in numbers for operational purposes with the USAAF, USAF, USN or USMC.
The range also covers helicopters and the Waco CG4 assault glider, as well as in modern times electronic warfare and a “headquarters aircraft” (the airborne strategic control post Boeing E4B). Variants and sub‐variants of an aircraft type are all covered in the single entry for each aircraft, so such as the Lockheed P2V and C121 series must lack detail on their numerous variants, not to mention the ubiquitous Douglas C47. There is a rationale for an entry each for the North American F86 and F86D although it seems to break the pattern of the book.
No matter how widespread its use or how many variants were produced, each aircraft type receives a standard single‐page entry headed by a generous size monochrome photograph: these do not always reproduce well by lithography but wisely the author has chosen good quality clear “official” shots, many of them air‐to‐air. Brief standardised technical data is given (type, dimensions, weights, power plant, performance, armament and service dates) and the entry is completed by a descriptive and analytical narrative text.
The standardised presentation of technical data begs many questions for the expert, but allows clear and meaningful comparisons between aircraft types. But it is the narrative texts which really are the feature of this book and make it work within its criteria. These are not just brief overviews of service histories and major operations (as might have been dictated by the imposed brevity) but in every case are an attempt to evaluate the success (or failure) and significance of each aircraft, both in its own terms and in relation to its military (or political and technical) background. Generalisations there have to be, but none that I have found to leave me thinking “wrong”: dare I say, too, that for this self‐professed “expert” and for many others, the comments about background circumstances are a breath of fresh air against the mass of technical and operational detail so often given us?
So far, so very good indeed, and to complete a very successful book we have an all‐too‐brief introduction, and some appendices. The introduction was perhaps the place for a little more technical background and mention of the ultimate significance of such as the X‐craft and major prototypes, as well as a discussion of the development of armament: this is the only significant feature missing and probably merits its own appendix. The appendices list all the aircraft by their mission; again by historical period; museums in the USA and Canada where readers can actually view examples of the aircraft discussed; and a directory of aircraft journals and magazines.
All the major UK titles are included as well, of course, as the American ones:this is a welcome, and in this context necessary, feature in an American book on an American subject. This transatlantic inclusiveness extends also to the two bibliographies (one of articles and books on specific aircraft and manufacturers, the other of general titles) where UK authors feature as prominently as they deserve alongside their American colleagues (although surely it should extend just that step further to include Roger Freeman’s The Mighty Eighth?).
What we have is a reference book planned and executed to a clear purpose, whose basic texts will indeed satisfy many (probably most) casual enquiries from students and non‐experts alike, whose construction and apparatus make its information easy to consult and its texts easy to comprehend, with a bibliographic support encouraging further investigation for those who need more. Given the interest in and significance of US military aircraft on a global scale, this is suitable for any public reference collection: specialist collections will also find it a useful and interesting addition.
