Freeman, Roger. American Eagles, volume 2: P-38 Lightning Units of the Eighth and Ninth Air Forces. Crowborough, UK: Classic Publications, 2001

ISBN 1-903223-17-2
80 pages

Acknowledgements; photos; color profiles; sidebars

   After the first volume in this "American Eagles" series (itself a sub-set, apparently of both "USAAF Colours" and "Classic Colours") by Tony Holmes, Roger Freeman takes the authorship of the second volume. Despite that change, the new volume maintains much similarity: relatively short chunks of text (such as "Ninth Air Force Camera Lightning Colours" and "Natural Metal Finish") and many sidebars ("Combat Reports") heavily interspersed with photos of pilots, aircraft, and details of markings along with gorgeous color profiles by Chris Davey. As usual, Classic's sense of layout and design remains impeccable.
   Distributed in the US by Specialty Press.

Gordon, Yefim and Keith Dexter. Red Star, volume 3: Polikarpov's I-16 Fighter, Its Forerunners and Progeny. Hinckley, England: Midland Publishing, 2001

ISBN 1-85780-131-8
128 pages

Introduction; Prologue; photos; tables; charts; line drawings, color plates

   Like the "American Eagles" title, Gordon and Dexter's Polikarpov's 1-16 Fighter is also part of a series, this one from Midland Publishing. The format is roughly the same as "American Eagles," but—despite being half again as long—the I-16 volume contains about as much (or even less) text. The balance comprises a great many black and white photos scattered throughout the book, six pages of line drawings, and almost twenty pages of color profiles. Whereas "American Eagles" concentrates more on colors and markings, "Red Star" devotes far more attention to design, production, and combat operations. Although certainly no ugly duckling, in terms of physical appearance—which means a great deal for this kind of book—the "Red Star" series suffers in side-by-side comparison with the elegantly laid out "American Eagles" books.
   Distributed in the US by Specialty Press.

Michulec, Robert. Luftwaffe at War: Luftwaffe Aces on the Western Front. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 2002

ISBN 1-85367-486-9
72 pages

Photos

   Here we have the nineteenth in the long-running "Luftwaffe at War" series from Stackpole and Greenhill. While most of the other books in the series deal with an individual aircraft type on a specific front during the war, and feature photos of the aircraft in question, this volume looks at the pilots themselves rather than their machines. Like the others, however, this book follows the format of about four pages of introductory text, a gallery of color photos, and then pages of black and white snapshots with captions. Again, a credible, workmanlike effort, but one that does not compare well to the more inspired work from Classic.
   Published in the UK by Greenhill Books.

Brown, Kenneth T. Marauder Man: World War II in the Crucial But Little Known B-26 Marauder Medium Bomber. Pacifica, CA: Pacifica Press, 2001

ISBN 0-935553-53-3
256 pages

Foreword; photos; diagrams; Epilogue; Acknowledgments; Glossary and Guide to Abbreviations; Bibliography

   Marauder Man is a departure from the three titles above. Rather than a photo-intensive study of aircraft and airmen, this is the memoir of an American flyer in Europe at the end of the war. Brown was a Quaker who served originally as a B-26 bombardier and then lead navigator, racking up forty-three combat missions. His book is more than just a memoir, offering as it does quite a bit of information about the B-26 itself and its part in the war, but the bulk of the book concentrates on Brown's missions (lots of flak, lots of bombs dropped, lots of close calls) and the wider milieu of combat flying with the 391st Group in late 1944 and 1945. Those interested in photos and markings and statistics should have a look at P-38 Lightning Units, Polikarpov's I-16 Fighter, and Luftwaffe Aces; those interested in the human face of air warfare should read Marauder Man.

   All of these books are available from online booksellers, local bookshops, or directly from the publishers.
   Thanks to the publishers for providing these review copies.