Scale Aviation Modeller International — February 2018

Latin America @ War No. 4

Brazilians at War

Brazilian Aviation in the Second World War

AUTHOR: Santiago Rivas

PUBLISHER: Helion & Company

ISBN 978-1-911512-58-5,

FOR M AT: 112pp softback

I

have previously read of

the Brazilian ground

troops involved in the

Italian campaign of the

Second World War, but not the

aviation contribution, nor the

anti-submarine effort in the

Atlantic. Thus, I found this

a very interesting read on a

relatively obscure subject.

The book opens with a well-

detailed history of military aviation

in Brazil, starting in 1912. The

differing aircraft types used are

illustrated with some 270 photos,

which, beginning in pre-war

days, included US, British, French,

German, and Italian designs.

In 1941, the Brazilian Air Force

was inaugurated as a separate arm,

all the while acquiring a variety

of more modern aircraft. With the

US entering the Second World War

in 1941, Brazil was drawn into the

allied camp, and patrol missions

were managed jointly with the

United States, looking for Axis

submarines that were sinking cargo

vessels. As throughout the book,

the aircraft involved are profusely

illustrated, and quite a few rarely

seen types are shown, such as the

B-18 Bolo, Vultee Vengeance, Martin

Mariner, and Focke-Wulf Weihe.

The engagements with enemy

submarines are listed and the

success rate charted, with several

action photos of the targeted

U-boats included. US-operated

aircraft stationed in Brazil are also

covered, including US Navy Blimps.

Part Three covers operations

with the Brazilian Expeditionary

Force, which arrived in Italy with

a reconnaissance unit equipped

with the Piper L-4H, supporting

the 1st Brazilian Infantry Division

by flying missions correcting

fall-of-shot for the artillery. Also

sent to Italy was the 1st Grupo de

Aviacao de Caca, (1st fighter Group),

which trained with the USAAF

and was initially equipped with

the P-40. On arrival in the United

States, they re-trained on the P-47

that they would use in combat.

As with the previous section, the

missions flown by the Brazilians are

described in detail, and supported

by many photos of the aircraft,

both airborne and undergoing

maintenance. The centrefold section

of the book has colour artwork of

many of the aircraft types, and

also some colour photos from Italy,

including squadron insignia and

maps. The last section consists

of spreadsheets of operations,

results, P-47 Thunderbolt serials

and histories, a list of German

and Italian submarines operating

in Brazilian waters, and lastly,

a list of Brazilian ships lost.

A thoroughly enjoyable read

and recommended. My thanks to

Casemate for supplying the review

copy http://www.casematepublishing.co.uk

Paul Middleton

Gone But Not Forgotten

Defunct British Airlines Since 1945

AUTHOR: Alan Phillips

YEAR: 2017

PUBLISHER: Fonthill Media Ltd

ISBN: 978-1-78155-627-6

FOR M AT: 128 pp softback

T

his small volume is a

very interesting survey

of a selection of British

airlines that have ceased

operating since the Second World

War. This could be for many

reasons, such as such as financial

problems or takeover by a larger

airline. After a brief introduction,

the airlines covered are shown

in a contents list, which extends

over two pages. The main part

of the book then proceeds in

alphabetical order, with each

airline’s history described and

illustrated with photographs.

They range from the large (e.g.

BOAC), through the larger regional

airlines (e.g. Air Anglia), to the

smaller ones (e.g. Yeadon Airways).

The list includes many famous

names, as well as many others

that may be unfamiliar because

they operated in only one region

with a limited route network.

As the reader would expect, the

photographs, both monochrome

and colour, show a selection of

the aircraft that these airlines

operated. These include the “usual

suspects”, like the Comet, DC-3, or

Viscount, to less-publicised types

like the Airspeed Consul or Vickers

Viking. Even the more familiar

and frequently-photographed

types are often shown here in

less well-known liveries.

There is a treasure trove of

inspiration for the civil aircraft

modeller in this volume, and for

those with even a passing interest

in British civil aviation, it will also

prove a worthwhile purchase.

My thanks to Fonthill Media

Ltd for supplying the review copy.

MJC

Monograph Special Edition

Dornier Do 22

AUTHOR: Djordje Nikolic

PUBLISHER: Kagero,

ISBN: 978-83-65437-61-7,

FOR M AT: 180pp Hardback

T

his is a brilliant

monograph on a single

aircraft, the Dornier

Do 22. Only 29 examples were

built in Germany, but it was

used by the Yugoslav, Greek,

and Finnish Air Forces. The

design was a two-seat high

wing monoplane with either

fixed undercarriage or floats.

The author starts with a

complete history of Dornier-

Werke, covering its earlier

designs, and includes photos of

the factory sites in Germany and

Italy. Next, the development,

design, and trials of the prototype

Do 22 are covered in detail, with

plenty of photographs, notes,

and the negative points in the

reports and recommendations.

Moving to the production

model, there are lots of photos

showing both the interior and

exterior of the aircraft. There

are also sketches of components

and annotated photos from

the technical manual. There

is so much information here

that you could scratch-build a

model with a complete interior!

Continuing on to their service

life, copious photographic

coverage and descriptions show

the use of the Dornier in the air

forces of Yugoslavia, Greece and

Finland, and the escape of several

Greek and Yugoslav aircraft to

Egypt after the German invasion.

The last section of this

impressive book is made

up of data charts and flight

logs, rank comparison, part

numbers, and even the factory

painting instructions. I was very

impressed that this section even

included instructions for the

exact dimensions of the swastika

used on the Finnish aircraft.

Planet Models, X-otic 72,

and Alpha have all produced

kits of this aircraft, and anyone

wishing to improve on these kits

will be helped by the inclusion

of 1/24 and1/32 scale plans

as separate insert sheets.

For the fan of really obscure

aircraft, this will be an

interesting read; for the model-

maker trying to improve a kit,

it is essential. Recommended!

My thanks to Casemate for

supplying this copy for review

http://www.casematepublishers.co.uk

Paul Middleton

BOOKS & MEDIA

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