The Images of War series has become one of the most popular series of military history with its fantastic selection of rare images, supported by concise text by leading authors. This series addition is particularly enjoyable, authored by one of the leading military history aviation authorities. – Most Highly Recommended.
NAME: Images of War, The Vought F4U Corsair, Rare Photographs From Wartime Archives FILE: R3145 AUTHOR: Martin W Bowman PUBLISHER: Pen & Sword BINDING: soft back PRICE: £14.99 GENRE: Non Fiction SUBJECT: WWII, World War II, World War 2, World War Two, Second World War, naval aviation, USN, USMC, shipboard operation, radial engine, heavy firepower, underwing ordinance, 'Winkle' Brown. FAA, Indo China, Korea ISBN: 1-52670-588-5 PAGES: 121 IMAGE: B3145.jpg BUYNOW: tinyurl.com/se4o9o7 DESCRIPTION: The Images of War series has become one of the most popular series in military history with its fantastic selection of rare images, supported by concise text by leading authors. This series addition is particularly enjoyable, authored by one of the leading military history aviation authorities. – Most Highly Recommended. In the opening stages of war for the US, following the Japanese pre-emptive attack on the US Pacific Fleet anchored in Pearly Harbour, the US naval aviators found the Japanese Zero an unpleasant surprise. The Zero had limited firepower and little protection for its pilot, but it was highly manoeuvrable in dog fights, could carry a worthwhile bomb load for ground and ship attacks and had good range, essential in the expanse of the Pacific and the world of carrier task groups. USN Wildcat pilots began to get its measure by developing tactics which concentrated on Wildcat strengths and Zero weaknesses. This was welcome, but the real need was for fighters that could introduce many more advantages over the Zero and other Japanese combat aircraft. US aviation industry offered the Hellcat and the Corsair. The Hellcat was a logical develop from the Wildcat by the same manufacturer, Grumman, and removed the weaknesses of the Wildcat while introducing new strengths. Naval aviators converted to the new aircraft with ease and rapidly began to change the balance of power in the Pacific air war. The Corsair introduced some dramatic improvements but also suffered some teething problems and rapidly developed a reputation as a 'widow maker' when pilots failed to master its performance and characteristics. This resulted in a reluctance by USN to employ it aboard ship and meant that its early operational days were concentrated on the USMC who found it an excellent and highly effective fighter and ground attack aircraft, operating it from island airstrips. Then the redoubtable 'Winkle' Brown of the Fleet Air Arm successfully took the Corsair aboard British carriers including the very much smaller escort carriers. He was also to make the first landings of the Sea Mosquito and the first generation jet fighters and deserves his place, unlikley ever to be equalled, in the Guiness Book of Records as the World's leading test pilot. His success encouraged a reappraisal of the Corsair as a USN carrier aircraft. As always, the experienced author has created an enjoyable to read study, well researched and nicely written. There are many first rate images, as is to be expected of this series, but there is also a wealth of information in the text. The story is not confined to WWII, where it covers Corsair service with the USN, USMC, RN/FAA, RNZAF, but also its continuing service after WWII, French Indo-China and in Korea.