The Aviation Historian (No.26) Book Review
By David L. Veres
| Date of Review | November 2019 | Title | The Aviation Historian (No.26) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Author | multiple | Publisher | Scale Publications |
| Published | 2019 | ISBN | n/a |
| Format | 130 pages, softbound | MSRP (USD) | $19.99 |
Review
In seismic 1950 naval exercises, over 100 “Soviet” aircraft “destroyed” three “American” carriers.
Alarmed, the U.S. Navy conceived an “audacious plan to develop a worldwide striking force with its own unique portfolio of aircraft types and an extensive infrastructure largely separate from the Navy’s carrier force”. And the resulting Seaplane Striking Force (SSF) included F2Y Sea Dart, P6M SeaMaster, and R3Y Tradewind variants – with surface-support assets from reserve fleet vessels.
That’s just part of the coruscating coverage in Issue 26 of The Aviation Historian.
Contents also include:
- OUR MAN IN CALIFORNIA
- MONTROSE AT WAR
- RAF FAR EAST FLIGHT Pt 2: AUSTRALIA & ASIA
- DASSAULT’S X-FILES
- THE VISCOUNT COMES TO AMERICA Pt 3
- “PILOT WANTED, PLENTY OF RISK, GOOD PAY...”
- SON OF SEA DART
- KOMMANDO JAPAN
- 748 vs HERALD
- WINGS OVER PERU: THE CURTISS HAWK 75
The thoroughly entertaining exploits Wg Cdr James R. W. Addams – “our man in California”, his Hollywood ties and how he helped rescue the legendary T-6 trainer family – really arrested my attention.
So did part 3 of Ray Flude’s series on Axis WWII efforts “to establish viable strategic air-transportation routes” among the three member nations recaps Nazi Germany’s thankfully “squandered” opportunities with Imperial Japan.
But Amaru Tincopa’s terrific tale of Curtiss Hawk 75A-8s in Peruvian service remains my personal favorite. With Argentina’s Hawk 75Os, Peru’s examples proved the last first-line survivors of the classic “P-36” family – both variants surprisingly serving into the mid-1950s.
Fascinating facts also tincture text.
Did you also know that the celebrated pin-up artist Alberto Vargas was Peruvian? Neither did I. But at least one Peruvian Hawk 75A-8 sported a Vargas-inspired pin-up!
Photos, drawings, maps, and extended captions, annotations, and sources augment articles. And editorial commentary, readers’ letters, book reviews, and memoirs further enhance the effort.
Copies are available directly from The Aviation Historian and, in North America, from distributor Kalmbach Publications.
Roundly recommended!
My sincere thanks to The Aviation Historian for this review sample!