Characteristics:

A-4 format, hard cover, 320 pages, 438 pictures (with 19 in color), 4 maps, 102 color profiles, 35 scale plans and profiles( 1/72 and 1/48), 35 color sketches, French text and English captions.

The Brewster Buffalo represent a typical WWII aircraft with controversial service life. Designed by an American firm, it didn’t leave a “nice souvenir” in the US NAVY and US MARINES ranks, but allowed Keni Hans Wind to claim 39 kills in Finland during the war against the Soviets!. The author, Jean-Louis Couston, with the assistance of Michel Ledet (from Avions Magasine, Lela presse) provide a complete history of this amazing aircraft, after its superb study on Flying Tigers’s P-40. With the characteristics above, you’ll appreciate quickly that this volume is an in depth study, and certainly the most complete at this date on the subject. Despite the French language is used, the English captions will help the readers to get information.

This volume is divided in two parts, the first 2/3 cover the history of the Buff, and the last 1/3 area, the description of the airplane itself. Seven different air forces used (or have ordered) the airplane; USA, Finland, Belgium, Netherlands, UK, New Zealand, and Japan (captured planes). The history is developed in this order, with the nationality marking  printed on right pages margins that serve as index , when you see the book from side. The book start with the origin of the program with experimental XF series and service in the VF-2, VF-3, VMF211/221 with the main engagement in Midway in 82 b/w pictures and 28 profiles and upper views. I notice that the 1/48 Tamiya kit bright decoration VF-2 is printed, as the amazing experimental Barclay trials, and overall grey tone, that could support weathering in good effect. The Finnish AF is from far the greatest user of the tiny fighter, and the aspect is well cover too (53 pages, 90 pictures(10 in color), 30 color profiles), with beautiful temporally winter scheme and retractable and non retractable skis gears. The buffalo survive the war and serve with small national roundels in place of the well-known inverted blue swastikas. A failed home made derivative, called “Humu” and powered with a Shvetsov M-63 is reviewed too. Belgian government also tried to equip its AF with 40 buffalo (339B type) to replace the old Fairey Fox, but none were delivered in time. 39 airplanes not yet delivered were redirected to the UK, where the FAA  used them in SEA, the RAF evaluation was so negative for an European theatre employment .The Netherlands (close to Belgium on a map), use it with its orange triangle national markings in SEA with so and so success against Japanese AF near Sumatra, Borneo and Java. The 35 pages devoted to these unknown Far East fights show here the very sharp study, where other authors would have simply talk on five pages. The next chapter deal with the other important user, England, who enlisted the EX-Belgian aircraft in Fleet Air Arm squadrons on ground, as the Belgian specifications had required the deletion of the tail arresting hook. 54 pages, 91 b/w pics and 26 color profiles display the operations from desert in North Africa, Creta, Middle and far –East, Singapore, Malaysia along with the new Zealand forces. Australian AF also used this type and 11 pages show 14 pictures about them. Japan captured some aircrafts that have been evaluated but not used. Oh, my god, this is only the end of the first part of the book!

The second one concentrates on the airplane itself; that modellers will appreciate. You start with  charts (14 pages) that give you info on 509 airplanes  built; c/n, type, user, buAer, remark, affectation, register nb, pilot (when known), service date. (hard to be more exhaustive). 22 pages follow with a mix of 35 1/72 and 1/48 drawings(+ 4 view plans) of XF2A1/F2A1/B-239/XF2A2/F2A2/B-339-B/C/D/E/F2A3/339-23/HUMU. A board at the end give a comparison of all the type. Technical aspect depict the anatomy (fuselage, cockpit, wings, engine, armament…) with the help of 43 very clear factory line production photos and author sketches dispatched on precious 46 pages. The point of view of the pilots and the top score listing recall us that these machines, as beautiful as they were, are nothing else than heavy aluminium stocks without pilots and mecanicals to get them to life! After this literal passage, let’s come back to color with the final aspect devote to camouflages and markings of these fleets. The text explain all these aspect for all users we review above, with circled figures that redirect you to 35 L/R upper/under sides drawings giving color, special markings, victories, emblems…contained in the last 34 pages, close by a painting of the author depicting a combat at dawn over Rangoon. As you can see, this new book about the Buffalo is certainly the most comprehensive and detailed today. Highly recommended to historians, modellers and fans of the nicknamed “the flying barrel”.

February 2005

 Available directly at  Lela Presse:  http://www.avionsbateaux.com/

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