Introduction

There have been many books published on the Vought F4U Corsair over the years, so why, you might ask, has another one appeared? The reason is that this is not only a comprehensive history of the development and combat career of the Corsair, but it is also a very complete modelers’ guide to all Corsair kits in 1/32, 1/48, and 1/72 scale. I don’t know why they left out 1/144, as there has been at least one kit issued in this scale. In any event, this is a really complete history of the type, and it explains the developmental problems and how they were solved, with the Corsair evolving into not only an outstanding fighter but also a highly effective close support aircraft, with a production life beginning in 1941, and continuing until 1952, when the last Corsair, an F4U-7, was rolled out of the Dallas plant.

“This is #177 in the New Vanguard Series which explores the design, development, operation and history of the machinery of warfare through the ages.”

So says the tag line of Osprey’s advertising copy, and it is a fair description of the contents of this volume. The author, Richard Doherty, has a number of books to his credit, the most notable of which are about the reconnaissance corps which used the Humber car during the Second World War.

From Vietnam to the present day, and many conflicts in between, the M108/M109 and its many variants have been the backbone of the Field Artillery’s axiom, “Shoot, Move, and Communicate.” It’s presence on any field of battle has provided the ground commander with unparalleled, timely fire support throughout many years, and continues to this day.