Dann. 'Expanded Edition with more photos, updated content and 20 extra pages'. The Curtiss P-40 War hawk, a U.S. single-engine, single-seat, all-metal fighter and ground-attack aircraft, first took to the air in1939. In service throughout World War II and used by most Allied powers during the war, the P-40 was the third most-produced American pursuit plane. A total of 13,738 of the aircraft were produced by the time output ceased in November of 1944. The P-40 first saw combat with British Commonwealth forces in June 1941, even before the U.S. had entered the conflict. It was in the Pacific, however, that the aircraft became an icon. Decorated with menacing shark mouths, P-40s served as workhorse fighters of the American Volunteer Group – better known as the "Flying Tigers," who came to China in late 1941, following the withdrawal of the Soviet Volunteer Group earlier that year, as the USSR faced with the full onslaught of Nazi Germany, struggled to maintain a precarious neutrality with Japan and avoid a two-front war. Meanwhile, the P-40 was the first Allied fighter to be supplied to the Soviet Union under Lend-Lease for use against the Germans. After Pearl Harbor, the U.S. Army Air Force flew the P-40 extensively in the Mediterranean Theater and during Operation Torch and the subsequent advance northwards into Europe.  Illustrated with 168 photographs, numerous color profiles, and detailed line drawings, this volume traces the development of the various modifications of the P-40 throughout the war years and carries on with a few contemporary shots of surviving P-40s still going through their paces at airshows today. 80 pages.

Squadron Products P-40 War Hawk in Action (SC) Squadron Signal Books Model Kit

Dann, Richard

MMD Holdings, LLC

This comprehensive monograph covers the entire history of Brewster's much maligned Buffalo fighter aircraft. The book starts out with the background of the Brewster Aeronautical Corporation and the events that led to the selection of the F2A as the Navy's first monoplane fighter. Following this, each variant of the aircraft is covered in detail including all three major variants purchased by the US. Navy as well as the versions purchased by Belgium, Finland, Great Britain, and the Netherlands. Indivdual squadron histories are also included as they relate to the F2A.
Many interviews are included with pilots who flew the Buffalo, some with glowing comments on its performance, while others cast a less than stellar light on the Brewster. It is up to the reader to draw his own conclusions as to where the F2A sits in the history of modern aerial warfare. It is interesting to note that the Brewster 239, as used by the Finnish Air Force during the 1939-1945 period achieved the highest kill ratio of any fighter plane of the war with an impressive 26-1 score. Finland produced many Aces with the Buffalo, including the all-time high scoring Buffalo Ace, Hans Wind with 39 aerial kills, and followed closely by Ilmari Juutilainen with 34.
The book is lavishly illustrated with over 300 photos, many of which have never been published. This is the ultimate history of the Brewster Buffalo.

Brewster F2A Buffalo and Export Variants (Naval Fighters, 104)

History

Ginter, Steve

Military

Steve Ginter

The early 1930s was a time of great change in the field of military fighter aviation. At the beginning of the decade, the state-of-the-art in fighter manufacture was the use of traditional construction techniques of welded tube fuselages and fabric covered surfaces. Fixed landing gear and open cockpits were standard equipment. By mid-decade, the state-of-the-art was changing. Lightweight aluminum alloys were being developed that offered high strength and light weight. External bracing gave way to cantilevered aero surfaces. Enclosed cockpits, retractable landing gear and aerodynamic streamlining were becoming standard design features on civilian and military aircraft of the day. In the late 1920s, the U.S. Navy fighter market was dominated by Curtiss and Boeing with aircraft manufactured using conservative design and construction techniques that had been employed at the beginning of the decade. By the early 1930s, however, Boeing had updated their F4B/P-12 design, incorporating a stressed skin, semi-monocoque fuselage into later models of both. In the Autumn of 1929, three engineers from the Loening Aircraft Company on Long Island made the decision not to relocate to Pennsylvania during a merger. Instead, they resolved to form their own aircraft manufacturing company. Thus, Leroy Grumman, Leon "Jake" Swirbul and William Schwendler founded the Grumman Aeronautical Engineering Corporation, in December 1929. Following early successes with the FF-1/SF-1 naval aircraft, Grumman turned its attention to designing a single-seat naval fighter for use aboard the U.S. Navy's growing carrier fleet. With excellent performance attributes, the Navy purchased 55 F2F-1s. While performance of the F2F-1 were impressive, Grumman continued development, offering the Navy an improved design known as the F3F-1. With even better performance than the F2F, the Navy eventually ordered a total of 162 F3Fs in three major subvariants. Grumman's stubby F2F and F3F airplanes dominated U.S. Navy fighter squadrons from 1935 to 1941, with the final operational F3Fs relinquished to the training command a mere two months before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and surrounding facilities. The first half of this 192-page monograph covers the developmental history of the F2F and F3F. Individual aircraft histories are provided for each aircraft, listing assigned commands, mishaps and final disposition. Detailed period engineering photos show every aspect of the aircraft. This is followed by an operational history of each Navy and Marine Corps squadron that operated the F2F and F3F.

Grumman F2F/F3F and Civil Variants

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Dann, Richard. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Dann, Richard

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Dann, Richard. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Squadron Products P-40 War Hawk in Action (SC) Squadron Signal Books Model Kit

Brewster F2A Buffalo and Export Variants (Naval Fighters, 104)

Grumman F2F/F3F and Civil Variants