MSRP: 12.00 €
53 pages
Web Site: raf-in-combat.com

Every WWII air force had its hard luck unit. For the American B-17s bombing Fortress Europa, it was the 100th Bomb Group (the "Bloody Hundredth")¹; for the Imperial Japanese Naval Air Force it was the 4th Kokutai². The Royal Air Force offers several candidates, but a good case can be made for No. 263 Squadron. During the evacuation of Norway in June 1940, the pilots of No.263 successfully landed their Hurricanes on board HMS Glorious without mishap and without any arrestor gear. But soon after this extraordinary feat of piloting, Glorious was blown out of the water by the guns of the DKM Scharnhorst; only three members of No.263 survived. Then, the resurrected squadron was assigned to fly the new Westland Whirlwind twin-engine fighter. From July 1940 through November, 1943, it was the fate of No.263 (joined by No.137 from October 1941 through June 1943) to fly the Whirlwind in combat. Of the 116 airframes built, 55 were lost on operations and 34 were destroyed in accidents, a staggering 77% casualty rate in which 46 pilots lost their lives. They had precious little to show for their sacrifice: 5581 sorties total (averaging 155 per month, or little more than 5 per day), mostly dangerous but unglamorous attack missions against airfields, trains, flak batteries, and coastal shipping. Aerial victories were few; in three years of fighting, Whirlwind pilots claimed only 9 confirmed destroyed, 2 probably destroyed and 18 damaged. By any account, the Whirlwind was a service failure.

This failure was no fault of the brave pilots or RAF tactics. Instead, as Crawford & Listermann point out, the Whirlwind was designed to fulfill the category of twin-engine, long-range bomber interceptor and escort fighter. But like the German Bf-110, French Potez 630, Italian CR.25, Japanese Ki-45, and American P-38, the British found that the concept of a twin-engine heavy fighter did not work in practice, unable to hold its own against single-engine fighters - at least over Europe. Worse for the Whirlwind, Rolls-Royce abandoned development of the troublesome Peregrine engine, thus limiting production of the fighter to 116 (of 400 ordered). I've often wondered why the RAF never fitted the Whirlwind with Merlins, like they did with the Kittyhawk, Beaufighter, and Mustang. Crawford & Listermann convincingly argue that the combination of the failed heavy fighter concept, an awkward airframe with limited development potential, and most of all the availability of the excellent DeHavilland Mosquito all sealed the fate of the Whirlwind. Indeed, the wonder was that it was ever issued to operational squadrons at all.

Despite its chequered operational history, Crawford & Listermann clearly value the unique airplane, and they put together a concise and highly readable book with English text throughout. Printed in small (6 11/16" X 9 5/8") format on quality glossy paper, this thin (53pp) volume is packed with detailed lists of factory deliveries, squadron use, claims and losses, and the squadron assignment of every airframe built. The text is accompanied by one color and 44 B&W photos as well as eight excellent color left-side profiles by Malcolm Laird, each with enlarged details. Unfortunately for the modeler, completing the camo remains guesswork, as no right-side, top, or bottom views are offered, nor are the unique tactical markings such as the Operation Starkey wing stripes illustrated.

But as one could surmise from the first two paragraphs of this review, the real strength of this volume is the detailed history of the Whirlwind, from development through training through grueling operations. This is a real page-turner.

Recommended enthusiastically.

See raf-in-combat.com for more information on this book as well as the other three volumes of the Allied Wings series:

• No. 1: Supermarine Spitfire XII
• No. 2: Martin Marauder I
• No. 3: Northrop BT-1