Slingshot Warbirds: World War II U.S. Navy Scout-Observation Airmen.Neufeld, William. Slingshot (networking, business, tool, product, protocol) Slingshot - CSK Software's real time financial server for the Internet. Slingshot allows the delivery of real time market data across the Internet and private intranets quickly, cheaply and securely. Warbirds: World War II U.S. Navy Scout-Observation Airmen. McFarland & Company, Inc., Box 611, Jefferson, NC 28640. 2003. Ill. 239 pp. $45. A welcome account of a little known group of intrepid aviators Well-known aviators People largely known for their contributions to the history of aviation While all of these people were pilots (and some still are), many are also noted for contributions in areas such as aircraft design and manufacturing, navigation or , this book describes the experiences of the crews who flew Curtiss SOCs and Vought OS2Us from cruiser catapults. Often lost in books that focus more on the glamorous carrier-based fighter and attack squadrons, these crews faced many of the same challenges--flak, Zeros, weather--while flying slower, meekly meek adj. meek·er, meek·est 1. Showing patience and humility; gentle. 2. Easily imposed on; submissive. armed aircraft, such as the SOC, the last U.S. Navy biplane biplane, aircraft, typically of early design, having two sets of wings fixed at different levels, especially in a vertical stack with the fuselage included between them. See airplane. to see combat. The photographs are fairly good, though a few are well known. The text could have benefited from a knowledgeable editor to maintain writing style and to cull cull the act of culling. Called also cast. odd turns of phrase, misnomers and typos that occasionally change the author's meaning. An example: Marine legend General H. M. Smith's sobriquet was "Howlin' Mad," not "Hollerin Mad." The author also indulges in presenting somewhat unprofessional opinions that detract from detract from verb 1. lessen, reduce, diminish, lower, take away from, derogate, devaluate << OPPOSITE enhance verb 2. what is ultimately an interesting read and rare historical account. He often makes long analytical comments that detract from his main topic, such as his account of the Marianas Turkey Shoot. But there is excellent research here, and I was surprised to see just how much action these crews experienced, sometimes maneuvering with Japanese Zeros and German Messerschmitts, and even managing to shoot down some of these interceptors. The details of the 1942 Aleutian campaign, operations in the Pacific and the invasions of Europe add a lot of interesting history. There are even a few descriptions of the role of the Curtiss SC-1, which was supposed to replace the SOC and OS2U very late in the war, but didn't. The activities of VCS-7 and VCS-8, Navy squadrons that respectively flew British Spitfires and American Mustangs during the European invasions, also receive coverage. Although selling at a rather steep price, this book fills a long-standing void in the overall history of American Naval Aviation Naval aviation is the application of manned military air power by navies. Maritime aviation is the operation of aircraft in a maritime role under the command of land based forces such as RAF Coastal Command or United States Coast Guard. . |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion