For their next 'Squadrons' book, RAF-in-Combat has chosen to group a number of fighter aircraft into one book. These were planes that either saw limited use with Commonwealth air forces, were ordered and then not delivered or rejected for various reasons.

The main player in this edition is the P-39. Early in the war, the warring powers ordered anything they thought would be useful and the P-39 was one of these. Unfortunately, both the British and French focused on the prototype when it came to performance figures. The French had capitulated before the plane was delivered so the British took them on (at least quite a few of them as when the US entered the war, many were kept by the USAAC and sent to the Pacific). The British found the plane not up to modern requirements and the lengthy process of rearming these planes or removing the guns was enough to place the final nail in the coffin. One unit, 601 Squadron did use them on ops for a brief time before they were relegated to training or as hacks. The RAAF also operated some P-39D/F version, but again, they never really saw combat.

Other types in the book are the Grumman 'Goblin' as operated by the RCAF, the Lockheed Lighting (which for some odd reason were ordered without turbocharged engines), the Vultee P-66 and the Republic P-43, which, like the recce version of the Lightning, was operated in small numbers by the RAAF.

In addition to some excellent histories of the units involved, which includes details on operations carried out by the units, there is a listing of aircraft lost to accidents, and crew members who lost their lives. 

Overall, it is a superbly researched and presented book that gives the background and operations of the types. In addition to all the great photos, some of them in color, we have the usual large color profiles we have come to expect in this series. Available both in paper and electronically for those that prefer that medium. A book I found fascinating due to the obscurity of the types and one that is bound to be a valuable reference resource in the years to come.

April 2015

Review book courtesy of www.raf-in-combat.com. Visit them for other great titles. You can get this one at this link.

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