Combat Biplanes of World War II

by Peter C. Smith

Aviation and maritime historian Peter C. Smith reveals how both Allied and Axis powers used World War I era aircraft in Combat Biplanes of World War II.The era of the combat biplane is usually thought to have been between 1914 and 1938. By the outbreak of World War II, most of the advanced air forces of the world had moved on to monoplane aircraft for their front-line battle forces, both in bomber and fighter capacities. Yet despite this, many biplanes did still survive, both in front-line service and in numerous subsidiary roles, and not just as training machines but as fully operational warplanes. Thus in 1939, the majority of major European powers still retained some, albeit few, biplane aircraft. Great Britain had the bulk of such obsolescent machines, including the Gladiator, Swordfish, Walrus, Vildebeeste and Audax, while the inferior Albacore, meant to replace the Swordfish, had yet to enter service. Germany still managed to conduct missions in which biplanes like the He.50, He.51, and Hs.120 excelled. Both France and Italy had active biplanes, Mussolini’s Regia Aeronautica attaching great importance to the type as a fighter aircraft as late as 1941, while the Soviet Union also retained some machines like the Po-2 in front-line service right through the war and beyond. By the time Japan and the United States entered the war two years later, they had mainly rid themselves of biplanes but, even here, a few specialized types lingered on. Combat Biplanes of World War II describes many of these gallant old warriors, representing the author’s own personal selection from a surprisingly large range of aircraft that, despite all predictions, fought hard and well.

592 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 3, 2015

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Born Peter Charles Smith in North Elmham, Norfolk, in 1940, eldest son of Ernest & Eileen. Educated at Hamonds School, Swaffham. Married Patricia nee Ireson 1963. Two children, son Paul David and daughter Dawn Tracey.

Editor Balfour Books, Cambridge; Cape Sun, London; World War II Investigator, London.

After living in London, Kent and Cambridge now resides in a north-Bedfordshire village with his wife and Annie the Black Labby.

Reviews

[Sean Smart · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good history of this little known area of World War 2

[JD · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book detailing the combat exploit of biplanes during World War 2 where all of them were already obsolete yet some still served well into the jet age. The book does not cover all biplanes that saw combat in the War, but just the ones that saw the most, but the author states this at the start of the book. The book covers the development, specifications, distribution and careers with different air forces of all these biplanes.

[Erik · Rating 4 out of 5]

I suppose that I'm a bit of a harsh grader on this book, as this topic is very near and dear to me as a lover of the biplane. I can say that I thought Mr. Smith did a great job covering the aircraft he chose to cover. I do feel though the book is incomplete and inadequate to bear the title he chose without a (Volume 1) or similar attached. There are so many missed aircraft of significance that I cannot even make a list here as it would be rather long. I'm not even talking obscure planes... but examples such as the entire IMAM constructed aircraft of Italy (Ro-37, 41, 43, etc) and the US Curtiss SOC-Seagull and Grumman J2f Duck stick out like sore thumbs. The Japanese are poorly represented as well. There are a fair number of trainer aircraft too that probably deserve their own book.

Enough negative talk though, as the content that is included is really fine. There are some terrific photos with captions included, and a very thorough "Notes" section which adds a great deal of scholarly weight to the material. I did love seeing the less commonly discussed British biplanes found only on obscure fronts during the war, as these played vital roles holding the lines during some tough times. The "inter-war" year aircraft are simply fascinating.

The writing is generally high quality, and I did not find many issues with how the book was assembled, other than perhaps organizing the planes better by country. Mildly bothering, but not unbearable.

Overall I enjoyed the book. But why the negative star? Well, it is like a hot fudge sundae with all the trimmings... except whip cream. It just feels "wrong" missing some crucial planes with so grand a title. The lack of any apparent organization of the aircraft also hurt. I'd probably lean toward a 4.5 Stars on this, but the rounding will go down to 4 Stars due to over reach on the title. You can't make a book called "Tanks of WWII" and then only have 15 tanks in it. Same rule applies here for "combat biplanes". At least acknowledge the ones not covered, having a chapter discussing the missing planes and details (and perhaps why they are not included). The Introduction mildly discusses the topic, but is wholly inadequate in my mind. It is okay to say there was insufficient material to make book chapters out of... so long as it is true. But if I can find large Wikipedia pages on planes that are missing, it is telling me that there was simply an unwillingness to complete the book proper. -1 Star for that.

So good book, just incomplete. Hopefully he feels a little guilt and gets back to writing a volume 2 on this topic, as I'd certainly advocate buying it.

[Graham Clayton · Rating 4 out of 5]

By the outbreak of World War II, most of the advanced air forces of the world had moved on to monoplane aircraft for their front-line battle forces, both in bomber and fighter capacities. Yet despite this many biplanes did still survive, both in front-line service and in numerous subsidiary roles, and not just as training machines but as fully operational warplanes. This book gives an excellent overview of some of the most well-known biplanes that saw combat service during World War II. The aircraft chosen represent the author's own personal selection from a surprisingly large range of biplanes that saw service.

The 17 chapters are arranged in alphabetical order of manufacturer. Chapters roughly divide into two parts. The first recaps subject design, development and technical specs. The second gives a summary of operational service. This book would be of great interest to those World War II aviation buffs, who want to learn about lesser-known aircraft.