One of
the most widely used British aircraft of WWII is the Hawker Hurricane. Though
history has pushed the Hurricane into second or even third place among British
planes after the Spitfire and Lancaster, the truth is that the Hurricane bore
the brunt of Britain's war against the Luftwaffe for the first year. This was
much due to the plane being available in greater number, easier to build than
the Spitfire and able to take a lot of damage. Its armament was also quite
impressive for the time with eight rifle caliber guns, enough to handle the
opposition. As time went on, the Hurricane was up-gunned with cannon and was
quite effective in the ground attack role, one that it held until the Typhoon
was able to reach unit service.
As part of their Planes and Pilots series, Histoire and
Collections has focused on this epic British fighter. Now this isn't a simple
history book, but one that has literally hundreds of superbly drawn full color
profiles of the Hurricane. It includes every conceivable color scheme and
markings option that was carried during its career.
Each variant of the aircraft has a historical section with
period photos to help illustrate it. It is then followed by many pages of color
profiles, each profile giving information on the time, unit and other facets of
that particular aircraft. In addition to the RAF and FAA usage of the plane
(yes, Sea Harriers and CAM ship planes are also covered), there is a section on
use of the Hurricane by foreign nations along with the expected profiles. There
is also a section on ace's planes, the various camouflage schemes used as well
as line drawings showing the differences between the variants.
In all, it makes for an outstanding book for both the buff
and the modeler alike. A book that will provide a lot of inspiration. One that I
can easily offer my highest recommendation.
November 2010
Review book courtesy of
Casemate Publishing, where you can order your copy of this and many other superb books
and DVDs.
If you would like your product reviewed fairly and quickly, please contact
me or see other details in the Note to
Contributors.