British Aircraft of World War II

by John Frayn Turner, Group Captain Sir Douglas Bader Cbe Dso Dfc (Introduction)

This unique book, now republished, was the first of its kind to be published on British aircraft of the Second World War. Aviation enthusiasts and aero-modelers can see British aircraft as they really were, through magnificently reproduced color photographs. Each of the forty-nine types of aircraft is accompanied by a brief biography together with tables of the most important marks and their specifications, engine, span, length, height, weight, crew number, maximum speed, service ceiling, normal range and armament. There is also a section on British aircraft in action, which includes accounts of outstanding exploits by the pilots of different types. John Frayn Turner, the well-known aviation author, has chosen the pictures and provided the text."

281 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1975

About the author

John Frayn Turner is a British author specializing in military history.

Reviews

[Pramod Nair · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice volume which describes the aircraft's used by the Royal Air force during the World War II with technical details, factual narratives, pilot anecdotes and rare action photographs.

The reference section of the book gives detailed technical information on the aircraft's that Royal Air force used during WWII with specs and photos. A brilliant addition to this section is the Victoria Cross entry given against some aircraft's which gives account of how and when the Victoria Cross was won in that particular Aircraft.

The Color Section of the book presents some superb and rare photographs of these WWII flying machines in full color.

The 'In Action' section of the book gives thrilling accounts of some of the great air battles which narrates the nature of fighting these aircraft's encountered. It contains narratives of such great moments of air warfare like 'The Dam-Busters' and 'Hunting the Bismarck'.

[Tony · Rating 3 out of 5]

Every aircraft type flown by the RAF during WWII is listed with very brief specs and in most cases a paragraph or two at most about the type. This section could have been fuller for most aircraft types. Of course as is usual in many books the Lancaster and Spitfire get the longest descriptive sections at the expense of other types just as worthy. The several pages of colour photos in the middle of the book are great as is the section at the end containing stories of heroism by various aircrew.