I can't think of any enthusiast who doesn't like the C-47/R4D/DC-3. When it comes to the top ten most important aircraft ever built, it has to be somewhere in that list. Even today, over 70 years since the flight of the first one, there are C-47s still flying, an amazing feat considering that the last one was built 60 years ago.

This latest Osprey book covers C-47/R4D operations in the ETO and in the Med. One reads all the time about the more exciting parts of WWII aviation; the fighters and bombers. Rarely does one get to read about some of the more mundane-seeming aircraft such as transports. Yet, without these aircraft, the ability to wage war would be exceedingly difficult. They are called upon to provide logistic support to forward areas and to drop paratroops in the early stages of a major battle.

What's more, the C-47 was not supplied with armor plating or self sealing fuel tanks. They carried no defensive weaponry other than the rifles of the troops in the cabin. They were not fast and tended to fly in rather large formations. They flew in all sorts of poor weather and during the night with only rudimentary navigation aids. Many of their pilots were not as well trained as one would like and in many cases, the first time they carried paratroops or flew night formation was during combat!

The book covers all the 'biggies' (North Africa, Sicily, Overlord, Southern France, Market Garden) as well as a number of smaller operations that I'd not heard of before, but were just as important. All written in a very readable form and one that really draws you in. The author also covers the US Navy's use of the R4D in this theater, though ETO/MTO wasn't an area where the Navy was heavily involved.

Included in this book as with all of Osprey's titles are a goodly number of color profiles, something that all modelers really enjoy seeing.

Overall, this has to be one of Osprey's more interesting titles and one that I know you will enjoy reading.

Available in bookstores and hobbystores, everywhere, through Osprey Direct (866 620 6941; info@ospreydirectUSA.com) or at http://www.ospreypublishing.com/.

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