airclassicsnow.com 91
of the New Guinea and Netherlands
East Indies guide the reader to key
locations where the bombers oper-
ated. This is followed by a Technical
Notes section showing armament,
aircraft access, and other equipment
for the A-20A as well as the A-20G-20
(equipped with a Martin 250CE upper
turret) and later models. A tail fin iden-
tifier chart leads the chapter on mark-
ings, which is followed by the meat
of the book — an accounting of each
squadron arranged by bomb group.
Within these chapters are numerous
wartime photos, nose art photos, and
color profiles with separate nose art
renderings.
The book closes with information
on the author’s involvement in the
recovery of A-20G The Hell’N Peli-
can II. Claringbould discovered the
bomber in 1974 and it was recovered
by the Royal Australian Air Force in- Today, the Havoc is restored and
displayed at the Aviation Heritage Cen-
ter, RAAF Amberley, Queensland. As a
side note, Claringbould’s story of the
discovery and recovery of The Hell’N
Pelican II was the subject of his 1996
book Helluva Pelican, which can be
tracked down on various used book
sales sites.
Titles in this series examine:
Vol.1 — Japanese Army Fighters, V.2
— Japanese Army Bombers, V.3 —
Allied Medium Bombers, V.4 — Al-
lied Fighters F4U Corsair series, V.5
— Japanese Navy Zero Fighters, V.6
— Allied Fighters Bell P-39 and P-400,
V.7 — Allied Transports C-47s, V.8 —
Japanese Floatplanes. Each is highly
recommended.
AC
inality, seeking out restored examples
that are as close to the WWII factory
delivery configuration as possible.
This book focuses on the Mk. IX
and Mk. XVI Spitfires — with the main
difference between the two marks be-
ing engine configuration. Mk. IX’s were
powered by Rolls-Royce Merlin 61, 63,
63A, 66, and 70 engines (ranging from
1565 hp to 1720 hp among other differ-
ences) while the Mk. XVI was delivered
with the Merlin 266 engine (low-alti-
tude, Packard-built Merlin 66).
Examining the Spitfire from sub-
types through subassemblies is accom-
plished through a series of excellent
taxiing, flying, and detail photos. In
addition to cockpit shots, extensive
detail photos show the Merlin engine
installation, inside the aft fuselage, and
a number of photos comparing the
various wing installations of the Mk. IX
and Mk. XVI. Each photo is accompa-
nied by a lengthy, informative caption.
Printed on high gloss paper with an
eye-pleasing graphic design, a hallmark
of the Duke Hawkins series, this book
is an enjoyable tribute to Britain’s ulti-
mate fighter of WWII.SOUTHWEST PACIFIC
COLORS AND MARKINGS
Michael John Claringbould’s pro-
lific accounts of war in the Southwest
Pacific have branched out into the col-
ors and markings of the aircraft flown
in the conflict with the Pacific Profiles
title. Aircraft from both sides are show-
cased in, to date, eight volumes. Each
features a nice selection of wartime
photos with detailed captions and color
aircraft side profiles. Squadron insignia
are also presented in full color.
Looking at Pacific Profiles, Vol. 3 –
Allied Bombers: Douglas A-20 Havoc
Series, Southwest Pacific, 1942-1944,
the book begins with nice color mapsbubble canopies, gun sight changes as
the fighter became more mature, and
instrument layout, to name some of the
many areas covered in detail. There’s
also a great description with photos of
the early Corsair’s bombing window in
the cockpit floor.
As a side highlight, on page 22 there
are two photos of FG-1A BuNo 14092
with a bubble canopy as flown later
on the R-4360-powered F2G Corsairs.
This is interesting as 14092 was one of
nine aircraft retained by Goodyear’s
Flight Test Department. This group of
nine aircraft were given various F2G
modifications, however, they were never
complete conversion packages and were
not redesigned to XF2G models. The
majority of images of 14092 show it with
the bubble canopy and R-4360 engine,
so the small detail of a photo showing
this Corsair with a bubble canopy and
R-2800 engine is just one more point il-
lustrating the level of detail in the book.
Corsair Cockpits concludes with
a manufacturer’s serial number/Bu-
reau Number reference guide for the
Dash-1s built by Vought, Goodyear, and
Brewster, along with the finish specifica-
tions for the aircraft. This book deserves
study by every Corsair enthusiast, and
will hopefully serve as a model for more
titles along these lines. The level of
unique information and the use of color
artwork makes this a tremendous value
at $35.
SPITFIRES EXPOSED
The Duke Hawkins series of illus-
trated books now spans more than 30
titles and with the introduction of Su-
permarine Spitfire Mk. IX & Mk. XVI:
World War II Thoroughbred puts the
first of the “Duke Hawkins Classics” se-
ries in the hands of readers. Authored
by Robert Pied and Nicolas Deboeck,
this lavishly illustrated book examines
the iconic Spitfire with an eye to orig-
Please note, the Challenge Aviation
Book Club strives to present volumes
that are sometimes difficult to find. Our
exacting system of reviewing makes
sure that readers are presented with
books that will form a valuable and
informative part of any aviation library.
Many of the books that we review
are available for purchase through
advertisements in this magazine. A
note to authors: If you have a book
that you would like reviewed then
please call 818-700-6868.REVIEW RATING SYSTEM
A Must for Every Aviation Library
Excellent
Good, Solid Work
Interesting, but Flawed
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