Scale Aircraft Drawings (Volume II: World War II), 1991, 1991

Document Type: Publication (Historical Study).

Purpose: Informational.

Authority: Author Expertise.

Document Number: Air Age Scale Aircraft Drawings series, Volume II: World War II (dated 1991).

Scope: This book "from the publishers of Model Airplane News", is subtitled "Scale Drawings, Rare Photographs, and Historical Data on Popular WW II Aircraft." It was written by Peter M. Bowers and published in 1991 by Air Age, Inc. for readers interested in military aviation history, especially model builders.

From the Introduction: "This book...covers 37 representative WW Il airplanes. Some are prewar service models that served at the beginning of hostilities but were soon replaced, while others are more modern types that, with continual upgrading, were able to serve until the end. It's interesting that very few of the models that originated after the onset of the war actually saw combat.

Some of these drawings were made during the war when data was scarce or even restricted, but they're as accurate as possible under the circumstances. In fact, artist William Wylam drew some of them so well that the U.S. Army took him to task for being too accurate in depicting designs that were still classified. As a result, he deliberately included minor discrepancies in some subsequent drawings, notably the vertical tail of the B-29. Some of these discrepancies are mentioned in the text that accompanies each airplane; each includes a brief history and details of the plane's development and operational use.

With modelers in mind, I carefully selected the photos from my collection, and they combine the best views of the airplanes' structural detail and markings."

Contents: Includes articles about: - Avro Lancaster - Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress - Boeing B-29 - Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina - Consolidated B-24 Liberator - Curtiss P-40 D-E-F Kittyhawk - Curtiss SB2C Helldiver - Douglas Boston/Havoc/A-20 - Douglas A-26 Invader - Douglas C-54 Skymaster - Fairchild PT-19, PT-23, PT-26 - Fiat CR 42 Falcon - Focke-Wulf 190A - Gloster Gladiator - Grumman F4F Wildcat - Grumman TBF Avenger - Grumman F6F Hellcat - Hawker Hurricane - Kawasaki Ki 61 Tony - Lockheed Hudson - Martin PBM Mariner - Martin B-26 Marauder - Messerschmitt Me 109 - Messerschmitt Me 262 Swallow - Mitsubishi A6M Zero - Mitsubishi G4M Betty - Nakajima Ki-84 Frank - North American P-51B Mustang - Northrop P-61 Black Widow - Republic P-47 Thunderbolt - Stearman Kaydet - Supermarine Spitfire - Vega Ventura - Vought SB2U Chesapeake/ Vindicator - Vought OS2U Kingfisher - Westland Lysander - Westland Whirlwind