Schiffer Military History

Secret Aerospace Projects of the US Navy The Incredible Attack Aircraft of the USS United States 1948-1949 Vol. 1

by Jared A. Zichek

Reviewed By Benjamin Guenther, IPMS #20101

MSRP: 14.50 Euro, approx $59.99 ISBN: 978-0-7643-3229-6 Hard Cover 11" x 8 1/2", 232 pages, over 200 bw images Review copy courtesy of Schiffer Publishing LTD. Website: www.schifferbooks.com The best summation can be found in the Introduction when the author writes, "This book, the first in a series that will provide a detailed examination of US Navy aerospace projects from the 1920s through the 1960s, tells the story of some of the most radial attack aircraft ever designed to operate from an aircraft carrier… This book focuses primarily on the aircraft proposals connected with the USS United States." There you have it. Using the resources of the National Archives the author has efficiently mined the Record Groups for the primary sources; the contractors submitted proposals to the BuAer specifications for a long range carrier-based heavy attack aircraft and for a long range special attack aircraft. The book is a visual feast, while the publisher listed over 200 B&W images, if you count illustrations, 3-views, cross-sectional views, exploded views, detail structural drawings, charts, graphs, carrier spotting diagrams and model pictures then I came up with 460. Text includes 17 chapters. Chapter one starts by outlining the differences between the Air Force and Navy on the intended use of nuclear weapons and how the large flush deck carrier evolved. Chapter two defines BuAer Specification 111 with the following chapters devoted to the seven manufacturers and their eight proposals. Chapter 11 outlines BuAer Specification 115 with the remaining chapters covering the four manufacturers and their five proposals. Unfortunately, on April 23, 1949 the USS United States was cancelled. The Heavy Attack Class survived by becoming smaller, lighter and by operating from CVB-41 class carriers. Douglas Model 593-8 won the contract and constructed two XA3D-1 (Skywarrior) prototypes. No winner for Specification 115 was ever made. What is wonderful is the full gambit of designs displayed by the various manufacturers; from the normal to the unconventional to the out right bizarre. With the wealth of information presented one could make many "what if" models. The author and publisher should be commended for the hard work in collecting, arranging and publishing this book. If this is an example of what is to come, then this series will be most welcomed. This is a highly enjoyable book and I recommend it to anyone interested in this period or subject. My thanks to Schiffer Publishing for a chance to review this book.