Publication Number 6095
ISBN-13 978-0-89747-556-3
ISBN-10 0-89747-556-9
MSRP: $16.99 from Andy's Hobby Shop, Glendale, AZ
Web Site: www.squadron.com

Flying boats and amphibians used by the Navy during World War II have received scant coverage in "enthusiast" publications in recent years, mainly because their task has been primarily patrol, rescue, and other less glamorous roles. Squadron Signal has attempted to rectify this situation with a paperback covering the major types of these aircraft that served during the war. This was not meant to be an in-depth study of these types, as the book is only 80 pages long, but the selection of photos and text is effective in giving the novice reader and enthusiast a basic background in the subject.

The author goes back to the twenties and thirties to relate the origins of these types, especially those aircraft that entered service well before the war. Even a few "impressed" types, such as the Boeing 314 and Sikorsky S-42, are included, as these were essentially civilian aircraft acquired by the Navy for transport duties. The author alludes to "seaplanes" as separate types (probably meaning floatplanes), but only flying boats and fuselage-hull combination amphibians are included. Excluded are the pure floatplane types operated by the Navy, such as the SOC, SO3C, OS2U, etc., as well as the prototypes of the SB2C, TBD, and F4F that were tested but not adopted.

The book is arranged in order of manufacturer, and after an interesting and informative description of the company's origins, a series of photos and color drawings follows, illustrating the major types. The types produced by each manufacturer are then described in order of their entry into service. Given the Navy's system of designating aircraft according to their builder rather than designer, a few types seem to have duplicate entries, but there is no repetition of coverage. Not only production aircraft are covered. There are a few prototypes and "one-offs" included as well, although one, the Columbia XJL-1, the monoplane J2F-6 replacement, is missing. To their credit, however, Squadron does cover the floatplanes in its "In-Action" series, so this text could serve as a supplement.

Types described and illustrated include the Boeing 314, XPBB-1, and PB2B; Consolidated P2Y, PBY, Model 31 (XP4Y-1), and PB2Y; the Douglas RD Dolphin; the Grumman JF, J2F, J4F, and JRF; Hall PH and XPTBH-1; Martin M-30 Clipper, M-162, PBM, and JRM; Naval Aircraft Factory PBN; and Sikorsky S-43, JRS, XPBS-1, VS-44A and S-42.

In general, the book gives an adequate coverage of the types and their operational use. Eight color pages of profiles drawings will be useful for modelers, and a color drawing on the front cover and three color photos on the back cover are also very welcome. There is a lot of material here that would be useful for modelers, as most of these aircraft are well represented in kit form, especially in 1/72 scale.

The book does have its issues, however. A little more careful research and proofreading would have solved these. The book states that the Boeing 314 flying boat used the wings of the "Boeing B-19" bomber, when, actually, it should have been the XB-15. The B-19 was, of course, built by Douglas. When the author discusses the Douglas RD "Dolphin", he states that "the RD-series craft were not amphibians; although the main gear retracted, it was not strong enough to support the aircraft for a landing on a runway." Most photos of these aircraft show them on land, and I have a photo taken by my father about 1936 of a civil Dolphin at Detroit City Airport. That's a long way from water, and I'm sure that they didn't land it wheel- up on the grass and then jack it up to lower the gear. All other sources I have list the airplane as a true amphibian. In addition, they list the Grumman JF-1 serving in the Navy until 1965. Also, a photo on page 51 shows a pair of J2F-6's at NAS Whidbey Island, WA, in 1945. The fuselage stars are painted over, and the explanation is that they were defaced in order to deny enemy gunners an aiming point. A more logical explanation would be that they had been declared surplus, and were awaiting disposition. A number of J2F-6's were sold to civilian operators after the war, and these were most likely two of them. CAA records show that 7 J2F's were on the Civil register in 1949, and I recall photographing several of them in the middle fifties.

Another inaccuracy states that "Consolidated was purchased in 1943 by Vultee Aircraft, and the new combined company was called Consolidated Vultee, or Convair" Actually, Jerry Vultee had been killed in a plane crash, and his company was absorbed by Consolidated during the war, with the Vultee management team resigning. Otherwise, would have it become Vultee-Consolidated? Or, Vulcon?

Perhaps the worst problem in the Sikorsky section is a statement that "the Japanese liked the S-42 design so much that they stole the design technical plans and construction drawings when a delegation was visiting the Short Aircraft Factory in England. The Kawanishi H6K, Type 97 Allied code named Mavis, bore an uncanny resemblance to the Sikorsky S-42 when it first appeared in Japanese naval service in 1936". Exactly why the British firm had copies of the Sikorsky plans is not explained, but I would think that such fairy tales, similar to the Japanese Mitsubishi A6M "Zero" fighter being a copy of the Hughes Racer, have long been abandoned in the light of more recent research.

Nevertheless, it is an interesting book, and if you can overlook the inaccuracies, it is probably worth the price. The photos are well reproduced, and the color drawings are up to Squadron-Signal's usual standards. Many of the photos appear to have never been published before. Unfortunately, although the book is copyrighted 2008, it does not appear in the last three Squadron monthly catalogs, but may be available from them on line. I obtained the book from Andy's Hobby Shop, in Glendale, near Phoenix, AZ.

Recommended.