One of the reasons the US did so well in WWII is not because of superior equipment, but because of logistics. It was able to keep troops suppied. It was able to provide spare parts to fix equipment that needed repair. It was also able to bring in needed troops in a fairly timely manner. This was possible not only due to a fairly large fleet of transport ships, but due to having one of the best cargo aircraft of the war and having it in the numbers that were needed.

Of cource, I'm talking about the C-47 and derivatives. Not only was the type a huge success in the civil aviation market (many aviation historians point at the plane as being what got US airlines into profitability), but it was widely used in its military cargo version as well. The type was suppied in varioius numbers to all Allied countries and continued to serve well after the war was over.

As with anything American transport units had to be formed, crews trained and then transferred into theater. Initially, the SWPA/SOPA was able to rely on both USAAF and USMC cargo units that were already extant and in some cases (the Philippine based units) already in theater. Others crews came from Australian and Dutch civil airlines and a number of early US crews were also highly experienced airline crews. Operations in the Solomons and New Guinea were hazardous at best with the threat of enemy fighters, quickly developing inclement weather and the distances often involved. Maintenance in theater was also fairly basic, though ground crews did a superlative job maintaining and repairing planes. Eventually a fairly large number of transport groups were formed with many moving north after the Japanese were removed from New Guinea. The book also covers Australian, Dutch, and New Zealand units.

Each of these units are covered in greater or lesser detail, depending on how long they operated in theater. Each section shows the squadron's common markings and colors (such as they were) along with a number of great photos and profiles based on those photos as you can see by the example provided on the left. Each full color profile provides information on that particular aircraft. No lengthy pilot stories or background history on this as it concentrates on the aircraft and units involved in the conflict. In addition to photos and profiles, you are provided an introductory section on the plane and the theater of operations as well as some nice art work, the latter spread throughout the book.

It all makes for a superb reference book for the modeler and enthusiast and well worth the price of admission. I very much like this series and look forward to each new volume. Most highly recommended.

August 2022

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