Avonmore Books | Pacific Profiles: Volume Eleven
Reviewed by Kevin Williams
Publisher: Avonmore Books
Author: Michael John Claringbould
Publishing Date: 2023
ISBN: 978-0-645-70043-5
Pages: 108
Now that I have a growing familiarity with the series, they're very well presented, all printed on nice quality gloss stock, with quite a few very nice illustrations of chosen and representative subjects, along with several black & white and occasional color photos as well. Following a format that's already a proven success, this volume just adds to the overall wealth of data that proceeded it in the previous 10 volumes.
This particular book (Volume eleven in this ongoing series), depicts yet another of the more rather well known USAAF Pacific combatant aircraft, specifically the ubiquitous Curtis P-40 Warhawk, and it’s chock full of representative material; plenty of ground shots, variations in painting schemes, as well as showing the incredible wear on the finishes of these Pacific birds, as well as (naturally enough) plenty of color profile drawings. Concentrating on the New Guinea theater (1942-45), this book takes an in-depth look at these warhorse aircraft. The P-40, while not necessarily a top-of-the-line aircraft, nonetheless served with great distinction through most of the war, and most certainly playing its part in the overall allied effort.
Much in the way of primary reference material is listed here, including squadron records, color slides and movies, maintenance logs, diaries, wreck site inspections and factory specifications. P-40s represented in this volume are the E, N, M and F, so quite good coverage.
P-40s, being stalwart subjects amongst modelers, are well represented here and I'm particularly pleased with the real "at work" type of photos presented, both black & white, as well as a spattering of color shots, again, many of which capture the spirit of the surface battering that these aircraft were subject to. Large scale modelers are not at all limited in this area, there being a fair few kits of 1:32 P-40's, with the Hasegawa examples probably being the best of the lot, though perhaps somewhat elusive these days.
This work, being dedicated once again to the South & Southwest Pacific (1942-1945 time-frame) arena, offers up some worthwhile coverage of quite a number of Warhawks in that theater; a great wealth of information to add for those that seek information regarding these types of aircraft working from those environments.
Typical Photo/Illustration Quality to be Found Throughout
To me, the high point of this volume, is the overall appeal of the subject matter, combined with numerous interesting facts about the campaigns in the Pacific, all packaged in a smooth, attractive presentation.
I'll have to say that, to me, this book is very good value, given the overall intensity of the content.
Even if you have just a passing interest in the Pacific air war, you can’t go wrong with the purchase of this book and you may just become a fan, as I most certainly am.
(Not a selling point, as such, but the cover has a nice tactile "feel" to it, reflecting, in my opinion, a dedication to overall quality of presentation that I very much like.)
On a scale of 1 to 10, I’d rate this book as a solid 10, no question about it.
My review copy compliments of Casemate Publishers. Many thanks to Casemate, it's truly an outstanding reference book for the Pacific theater of war in general, and the wonderfully interesting and truly iconic workhorse that was the Curtis P-40 Warhawk specifically, really top-notch stuff.
© Kevin Williams 2024
This review was published on Monday, February 05 2024; Last modified on Sunday, February 25 2024