Full Description
The United States Army Air Force (USAAF) came into its own during World War II, building some of the premier fighters of the era. American Fighter Aircraft of World War II is a detailed guide to all the fighter aircraft types deployed by the USAAF and US Navy from 1941 to 1945. Organised chronologically, this book includes all-time greats, such as the highly- adaptable P-51 Mustang bomber escort, the carrier-based F6F Hellcat - which outperformed the legendary Japanese A6M Zero fighter - and the Lockheed P-38 Lightning, with its distinctive twin-boom design; as well as lesser-known types, such as the Boeing P-26 Peashooter, the high-altitude Republic P-43 Lancer, and the Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star, the USAAF's only operational jet fighter during the war. The entries are accompanied by exhaustive captions and specifications. The guide is illustrated with profile artworks and three-views, as well as two-page dynamic artworks of some of the more famous aircraft in service, such as the P-40 Warhawk ground-attack variant, the twin-engined P-61 Black Widow night-fighter, and the robust P-47 Thunderbolt fighter-bomber. Illustrated with more than 100 authentic artworks with accurate markings and camouflage, American Fighter Aircraft of World War II is an essential reference guide for modellers and military aviation enthusiasts.
Contents
Contents:
Introduction
Early-War Fighters • Curtiss Hawk III • Curtiss-Wright CW-21 Demon • Boeing P-26 Peashooter • Seversky P-35 • Curtiss P-36 & Hawk Model 75 • Republic P-43 Lancer • Bell P-39 Airacobra • Curtiss P-40 Warhawk
Late-War Fighters • Vultee P-66 Vanguard • North American P-51 Mustang • Republic P-47 Thunderbolt • Supermarine Spitfire • Bell P-63 Kingcobra
Heavy Fighters • Bell YFM-1 Airacuda • Bristol Beaufighter • de Havilland Mosquito • Douglas P-70 Havoc • Lockheed P-38 Lightning • Northrop P-61 Black Widow
Naval Types • Brewster F2A Buffalo • Grumman F4F Wildcat • Grumman F6F Hellcat • Grumman F7F Tigercat • Grumman F8F Bearcat • Vought F4U Corsair
Jet Aircraft • Bell P-59 Airacomet • Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star • Ryan FR-1 Fireball
Index
