The Illustrated Directory of Fighting Aircraft of World War II

Rating:
Summary: Nice refference book
Review: Although the book doesn't cover EVERY 2ndWorld War era warplane, it does a great job in its descriptions and provided information on most of the important aircraft, as well as some obscure and over-looked ones used by both the Axis and Allies. Very useful and its small physical size is a plus. Recommended for anyone looking for a good refference on WW2 warplanes.

Rating:
Summary: Not bad, but not all-inclusive
Review: I am holding this book in my hands right now. It's a great reference book with more aircraft than I ever thought existed. It covers aircraft from all countries with a bomber section in addition to its fighter section.

Rating:
Summary: my opinion
Review: I think this book is fantastic.The book tells you about american,british,soviet union,german,italian,and japaneese planes.This book also tells you about bomber planes of all the countries.The book has some real pictures and it also shows colorful illustrations.

Rating:
Summary: A very pleasant and informative read
Review: I was pleasantly surprised to discover that this book, "The Illustrated Directory of Fighting Aircraft of World War II" by Bill Gunston, had actually 479 pages and not just the mere 96 that is erroneously described here! The first two sections(Allied and Axis respectively)focuses on fighters and are categorized by nation and each includes an introduction. Each aircaft includes specs and narration of its development and service history. The third section covers, alphabetically by manufacturer, bombers of all nations . Unfortunately not every aircraft of the war is found in this book including the Russian IL-2 Shturmovik and U.S. made torpedo bombers of which one is curiously shown on the back cover. Nontheless almost every one of the aircraft the book does portray includes black/white and/or color photographs , planview line drawings/silhouettes, and (thankfully) color illustrations to show off unique aircraft camouflage (esp. colorful paint jobs of the Japanese variety). This handbook provides a very good balance between technical and casual reading on the more popular(and some not so popular such as the British Whirlwind, the German He-177 Greif, and various Japanese twin-engined fighters)aircraft of World War 2. Overall a very pleasant and informative read on a good collection of fighters and bombers of the second world war.

Rating:
Summary: A very pleasant and informative read
Review: I was pleasantly surprised to discover that this book, "The Illustrated Directory of Fighting Aircraft of World War II" by Bill Gunston, had actually 479 pages and not just the mere 96 that is erroneously described here! The first two sections(Allied and Axis respectively)focuses on fighters and are categorized by nation and each includes an introduction. Each aircaft includes specs and narration of its development and service history. The third section covers, alphabetically by manufacturer, bombers of all nations . Unfortunately not every aircraft of the war is found in this book including the Russian IL-2 Shturmovik and U.S. made torpedo bombers of which one is curiously shown on the back cover. Nontheless almost every one of the aircraft the book does portray includes black/white and/or color photographs , planview line drawings/silhouettes, and (thankfully) color illustrations to show off unique aircraft camouflage (esp. colorful paint jobs of the Japanese variety). This handbook provides a very good balance between technical and casual reading on the more popular(and some not so popular such as the British Whirlwind, the German He-177 Greif, and various Japanese twin-engined fighters)aircraft of World War 2. Overall a very pleasant and informative read on a good collection of fighters and bombers of the second world war.

Rating:
Summary: UNBALANCED, INCOMPLETE
Review: This is a book with an appealing cover and is of the 'pocket' book variety. However, I find 3 serious flaws with it: 1) This book is divided into sections by aircraft type and nationality. There is, for instance, a section on British fighters. But there is no section on single engine bombers/attack aircraft for allied nations. This means you won't find the Fairey Swordfish, Ilyushin IL-2 Sturmovik, Douglas Dauntless, Curtiss Helldiver, or Grumman Avenger mentioned in the book !! (There is a picture of an Avenger on the back cover, though !!) On the other hand, there is a section on Axis light attack aircraft, so planes like the Stuka and the Judy are covered. 2) The shape of the book is rather vertical in nature, and since this is a small book, the majority of the pictures are cut in half by the bookbinding! I find this ruins the esthetic lines of the plane which is pictured. It just doesn't make sense to make a vertical book about a subject (airplanes) which lies horizontally when photographed. Nice pictures but bad format, say I. 3) Finally, the book has no index or overall table of contents. Instead, each section (about 10) has its own mini- table of contents. This means that you end up spending time thumbing through the book to find the right section and then the right plane you're looking for. (Unprofessional, but it helps hide the fact that some planes are missing.)

The author does a fine job, however, covering obscure British and German warplanes. Here are some of these planes: Westland Whirlwind, Blackburn Skua, Bachem Ba-349,Blohm und voss BV40, BV155, FW-187, HE-100, HE-112,HE-280, HS-123, HS-129, HS-132, JU-388, ME-263, ME-328. I don't recommend this book for serious aviation enthusiasts (unless they like obscure German aircraft), but it's fine for those with a casual interest. Those interested in the Pacific Air War should steer clear of this book!

I haven't been able to find the PBY Catalina yet. I would appreciate if another reviewer could let me know if it's actually in the book.

Rating:
Summary: UNBALANCED, INCOMPLETE
Review: This is a book with an appealing cover and is of the 'pocket' book variety. However, I find 3 serious flaws with it: 1) This book is divided into sections by aircraft type and nationality. There is, for instance, a section on British fighters. But there is no section on single engine bombers/attack aircraft for allied nations. This means you won't find the Fairey Swordfish, Ilyushin IL-2 Sturmovik, Douglas Dauntless, Curtiss Helldiver, or Grumman Avenger mentioned in the book !! (There is a picture of an Avenger on the back cover, though !!) On the other hand, there is a section on Axis light attack aircraft, so planes like the Stuka and the Judy are covered. 2) The shape of the book is rather vertical in nature, and since this is a small book, the majority of the pictures are cut in half by the bookbinding! I find this ruins the esthetic lines of the plane which is pictured. It just doesn't make sense to make a vertical book about a subject (airplanes) which lies horizontally when photographed. Nice pictures but bad format, say I. 3) Finally, the book has no index or overall table of contents. Instead, each section (about 10) has its own mini- table of contents. This means that you end up spending time thumbing through the book to find the right section and then the right plane you're looking for. (Unprofessional, but it helps hide the fact that some planes are missing.)

The author does a fine job, however, covering obscure British and German warplanes. Here are some of these planes: Westland Whirlwind, Blackburn Skua, Bachem Ba-349,Blohm und voss BV40, BV155, FW-187, HE-100, HE-112,HE-280, HS-123, HS-129, HS-132, JU-388, ME-263, ME-328. I don't recommend this book for serious aviation enthusiasts (unless they like obscure German aircraft), but it's fine for those with a casual interest. Those interested in the Pacific Air War should steer clear of this book!

I haven't been able to find the PBY Catalina yet. I would appreciate if another reviewer could let me know if it's actually in the book.

Rating:
Summary: GOOD REFERENCE WORK !
Review: This is a good book for brief reference about WW II aircraft, including numbers produced, fronts in which the aircraft flew, nations that utilized the plane. About pilots, nothing. It's an extremely technical book.

Rating:
Summary: Aircraft of World War II - a graphical feast
Review: You can't beat the price for a very well made book like this. This covers American, Italian, german, french, russian and japanese aircraft and more. I use this book often when I'm working on my website and I highly recommend it. C. Jeff Dyrek