YANK BOMBER BOYS IN NORFOLK –
A PHOTOGRAPHIC RECORD OF THE
USAAF IN THE SECOND WORLD WAR
Book
Written by: Peter W Bodle FRAeS
Price: £25.00Compiled from the photographic collections
of individual troops and station photographic
sections, this unusual book gives a view of
US Army Air Force operations in Norfolk. The
primary aviation fare is the Consolidated B-24
Liberator, but a scattering of other types,
US and RAF, appears, including a Bristol
Beau ghter, captioned on page 218 as a
“British medium bomber”. It is regrettable that some photographs
appear to have suffered in quality from being reproduced beyond
their scanned dimensions, rather than from being more than seven
decades old.
The captions are generally weak, but sufficient to identify
locations and the units depicted, although most readers will simply
be absorbed in the photographs. There are scenes of domesticity
and regular air eld life, as well as more harrowing images of crashed
and, in some cases, burning bombers. Those fortunate enough to
live in or around Norfolk will enjoy the possibility of spotting a familiar
air eld, pub or other location. This is a book to be dipped into at
leisure, rather than read cover to cover.
Published by Fonthill Media; ISBN9781781553565, available from
http://www.fonthillmedia.comA CENTURY OF AIR WARFARE WITH NINE (IX)
SQUADRON RAF – STILL GOING STRONG
Book
Written by: Gordon Thorburn
Price: £25.00Given IX Squadron’s century of service – it formed
as a Royal Flying Corps unit in December 1914 –
author Gordon Thorburn begins his history with a
look at the origins of bombing and airborne radio.
The unit was a pioneer in both elds.
The excellent narrative describes the
squadron’s early and inter-war history in
considerable detail, before the author embarks into an unusual
presentation of its World War Two campaign. A run through of aircraft
types and operations might be expected – IX Squadron Lancasters
may or may not have been responsible for causing Tirpitz to capsize
in an attack own alongside 617 Sqn, for example (opinions on which
unit dropped the vital Tallboy depend on which squadron personnel
one is talking to) – but instead the story is presented through the eyes
of different aircrew and groundcrew. The result is as engaging as it is
informative.
Through the Cold War, IX Squadron operated the Avro Lincoln and
English Electric Canberra, before returning to Avro with the Vulcan. The
latter gave way to the Panavia Tornado as the unit once again took on
a pioneering role, introducing the swing-wing strike aircraft into RAF
service. There are hair-raising accounts from crews involved in the
Tornado’s rst combat operations over Iraq in 1991 and coverage of
subsequent action over the Balkans, Afghanistan and Libya.
All of the many photographs are reproduced in black and white,
which is a pity given the many colour images of IX Squadron’s
operations from more recent times. Readers will notice that the Bristol
Scout shown on page 18 is a Bristol Fighter and might puzzle at Litening
being described as a radar defence pod rather than a targeting pod, but
given the extent of the book’s coverage, these are minor criticisms.
Published by Pen & Sword Aviation; ISBN1783036346, available
from http://www.pen-and-sword.co.ukFROM SPITFIRE TO METEOR
Book
Written by: Albert Horton
Price: £9.75 plus postage
Given the quality of reproduction of its black
and white photographs and inconsistent
typography, the self-published origins of this
book are immediately apparent, but neither
detracts from the excellence of its content,
which essentially comprises the memoirs of
Royal Air Force ghter pilot Albert Horton.
Horton graduated onto the Supermarine Spit re in June 1949,
after training on the de Havilland Tiger Moth and North American
Harvard. Moving on from the Merlin-engined Mk 16, he accumulated
the majority of his Spit re hours on the PR.Mk 19 and FR.Mk 18,
both of them Griffon engined. Photographic reconnaissance became
his speciality and Horton was posted to the Middle East with 208
Squadron.
His was a fascinating time, for the RAF was transitioning to jets
and he made the change from piston power to the Gloster Meteor
FR.Mk 9, gleefully noting that he ew faster in a Spit re than he was
permitted to in the Meteor. Horton gives engaging recollections of
ying in the relative freedom of the immediate post-war world and the
excitement of service life.
This is a book written by someone who was there, and his
passion for ying and the Spit re in particular, shines through.
Although it repeats a couple of photographs and would bene t from
tighter editing in places, this modest book is recommended as an
engaging, illuminating and entertaining read.
Published by Robert Davies; ISBN9781291969085, available from
http://www.lulu.comOSPREY AIRCRAFT OF THE ACES
- SPITFIRE ACES OF NORTHWEST
EUROPE 1944-45
Book
Written by: Andrew Thomas
Price: £13.99
This new title from Osprey is number 122 in its
acclaimed Aircraft of the Aces series and the
fact that it is written by RAF authority Andrew Thomas, with cover
artwork by Mark Postlethwaite and colour pro les by Chris Thomas,
all under the careful editorial guidance of Tony Holmes, will add up to
recommendation enough for many readers.
For those not familiar with Aircraft of the Aces, this would be an
excellent rst volume. Dealing with the Supermarine Spit re in its
last year of service over Northwest Europe, it abounds with artwork,
photographs and rst-hand accounts set into Andrew Thomas’s
authoritatively researched narrative. The beautifully rendered pro les - 36 altogether – illustrate Mks VB, VII, IX and XVI, and are complete
with extensive captions. An appendix detailing individual pilot scores,
a bibliography and comprehensive index round off another superb
package from Osprey.
Published by Osprey Publishing Ltd; ISBN9781782003380,
available from http://www.ospreypublishing.com
36 Aviation News incorporating Classic Aircraft November 2014XXXXXXXXXThe latest products for the
Flight Bag discerning aviation enthusiast
36_FlightBagDC.mf.indd 36 03/10/2014 14:40
http://www.aviation-news.co.uk 57THE MEN WHO FLEW THE
F-4 PHANTOM
Book
Written by:
Martin W
Bowman
Price: £25Developed for
the US Navy
as a long-range all-weather
ghter, the Phantom became
operational in 1961. The USAF
soon realised that the navy now
had an asset that was far better
than any tactical aircraft in its
inventory and promptly ordered
some. Other orders poured
in for the F-4 from around the
world.
The book concentrates
mainly on USAF and USN
use of the Phantom over
South East Asia via a series
of detailed rst-hand accounts.
The Phantom’s war began in
1965 when ghter bases were
secretly established in Thailand
to support operations against
North Vietnam. Initially they
faced opposition from MiG-
17s and -19s, plus formidable
anti-aircraft defences of Soviet
design. The guns and surface-
to-air missiles took a heavy toll
of US aircraft.
One of the most interesting
stories concerns the MiG-21s
newly acquired in 1966. The
North Vietnamese pilots now
stepped up their attacks on
ghter-bombers and a plan was
devised for Phantoms to mimic
a standard F-105 Thunderchief
formation in order to lure the
MiG-21s aloft and then destroy
as many as possible. Radio
calls, radar jamming, routes
and tactics were all carried
out ‘F-105-style’ and the plan
worked – seven MiG-21s were
shot down; almost half of the
total then available.
There is also a chapter on
RAF interceptions of Tupolev
Bears and another on the
type’s involvement in Arab-
Israeli wars. Illustrated with 72
black and white photographs.
Published by Pen and
Sword Aviation: ISBN
9781526705846, available from
http://www.pen-and-sword.co.ukX PLANES NO:4 LUFTWAFFE
EMERGENCY FIGHTERS
Book
Written by:
Robert Forsyth
Price: £12.99As Allied bombers
pulverised
Germany’s cities
and factories late in 1944, the
increasingly desperate situation
prompted the Reich Air Ministry
to launch an Emergency Fighter
competition despite already
having the Messerschmitt Me 262
jet. The speci cation was issued
to all the major German aircraft
manufacturers in the hope that
salvation could be found via a
new generation of revolutionary jet
ghters.
After initial chapters describing
the Luftwaffe’s use of the Me 262,
its limitations and the development
of more efficient engines, each
of the participating companies
has its own chapter. Three of
the contenders Blohm and Voss,
Heinkel and Junkers came up
with radical tailless designs. All
of the projects featured low drag
sweptback wings and Henschel’s
was also a delta.
The most conventional looking
aircraft was the Messerschmitt
P.1101 and the prototype was near
complete when the Allies captured
the factory at the war’s end in
May 1945. None of the other
submissions got beyond the mock-
up stage. As the author observes,
“the P.1101 probably represented
the tangible zenith of advanced
German aircraft design... for that
matter advanced design anywhere
in the world”.
No wonder the Allies seized
upon the technology. The nal
chapter – A Legacy of Design –
highlights German in uence on
such aircraft as the de Havilland
DH.108 Swallow, Bell X-5, Mikoyan-
Gurevich MiG-15 and the Saab J 29.
The text is supported by 48
black and white photographs and
six colour three-views, along with
artwork of Focke-Wulf’s projected
Ta 183 ghters attacking a B-17
formation.
Published by Osprey Publishing:
ISBN 9781472819949, available
from http://www.ospreypublishing.comLONDON CITY AIRPORT:
30 YEARS SERVING THE
CAPITAL
Book
Written by:
Malcolm
Ginsberg
Price: £25The story
of this
remarkable
airport begins with a history
of the London Docklands,
once the busiest port in the
world. By the 1970s, with the
advent of container ships,
cargo operations had moved
down river to Tilbury, and
the London Docks gradually
closed. In 1981 the London
Docklands Development
Corporation was created to
regenerate this huge now-
derelict area.
In order to demonstrate
the feasibility of a passenger
aircraft ying in and out of
this densely populated area,
Brymon Airways landed a de
Havilland Canada Dash 7 on
Heron Quays in 1982. This led
to the creation of London City
Airport and its early domination
by the Dash 7, later followed
by the BAe 146 and RJ series.
A chapter is given over to
describing all the types that
have operated here over the
years. Others cover the British
Airways New York service with
Airbus A318s, the Private Jet
Centre and the heavy landing
by a Swiss RJ100 in 2007.
A 30-year timeline sets
the airport in the context of
world events and a chapter
about the Airport Development
Plan explains how a parallel
taxiway will vastly increase
the movement rate. A remote
digital control tower using
cameras and advanced
technology is planned to be
operational in 2019, based
at Swanwick in Hampshire.
Illustrated with 160 colour
and 23 black and white
photographs.
Published by Business
Travel News Ltd: ISBN 9781,
distributed by Crecy Publishing
Ltd http://www.crecy.co.ukDOUGLAS A-1 SKYRAIDER
1945-85 (ALL MARKS AND
VARIANTS): OWNERS’
WORKSHOP MANUAL
Book
Written by:
Tony Hoskins
Price: £25Yet another
excellent book
in this series,
this time featuring an aircraft born
out of a 1944 US Navy requirement
for multi-role capability to replace
the torpedo-carrying Grumman
Avenger and the Douglas Dauntless
dive-bomber. By the time the rst
example was delivered, the war
was over but its signi cance to
aviation history came through its
involvement in later con icts in
South East Asia and Africa.
Eight chapters begin with
an overview of its development
and use by ve air arms – the
markings for all are included
among the 190 colour and 34
black and white photographs.
‘Skyraider at War’ spotlights
the Korean and Vietnam Wars,
Algerian War of Independence
and the Chad con ict, with pilot
recollections from all four. Two of
them involve well-known Skyraider
G-RADR which was operational in
Korea and later served in Africa.
The author is an aircraft
engineer and warbird restorer
who also works on maintaining
G-RADR. He is ideally placed
to describe its technicalities in
chapters entitled ‘Anatomy of the
Skyraider’, ‘Wright R-3350 Engine’
and ‘Maintaining the Skyraider’.
A chapter called ‘Skyraider
Weaponry’ details the type’s
impressive load carrying ability- 8,000lb (3,629kg) of external
bombs and rockets, in addition to
up to four 20mm in-built cannon.
This was the equivalent
of carrying a complete P-51
Mustang!
An appendix lists all 50 surviving
aircraft, of which 17 are airworthy,
and there is also a cutaway drawing
by Mike Badrocke. In addition,
there are 36 facsimile pages from
the official maintenance manual.
Published by Haynes
Publishing: ISBN 9781785211355,
available from http://www.haynes.com
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