US Bombers of WWII

(book)

by T. Carr

By Robert F. Dorr,and published by Arms and Armour Press, London (distributed in the USA by Sterling Publishing Co., NewYork), 160pgs. including 200 photographs, $24.95 (US).

Air shows, especially those featuring past "war birds", provide a precious occasion for those of us enthralled with memories of these old planes. Although not quite old enough to have served in the military during WWII, I am old enough to vividly remember these great planes and the battles they waged and won. Even my sons find these classics awesome when they attend the air shows with me. We are fortunate enough to have an annual air show at Grenier Field in nearby Manchester, N.H. Here the B-17s, B-24s, B-25s, A-26s, TBF Avengers, PBYs, to name a few, generally make their appearance in grand style. But these shows provide only a fleeting, albeit magnificent, glance and if after 6 rolls of film we wind up with 3 or 4 good shots we consider ourselves lucky.

This is why a book such as Dorr's US Bombers is a very welcome addition to the already great volumes on the subject. I am particularly impressed with the quality of the black and white photographs and their careful reproduction in the book. They are crisp and sharp in detail and Mr. Dorr apparently exercised much care and time in their selection, not only for subject and perspective, but also quality. So often, illustrations in other books on the subject lack photographic quality.

The subject matter is well treated, technical as well as the human aspect. Every major US bomber type is discussed, including the dive bombers, and there is a chapter devoted to the less-well known aircraft. If I am to be at all critical, it is only my own disappointment at the relatively short presentation of the B-17.

In summary, I rank this volume in the top of its class and highly recommend it fo rthe serious warbird buff - or anyone desiring a compact and comprehensive single source of information. Produced as a hard-back volume, it is an especially attractive value.

Reviewing Stand

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