Brian R. Baker
Reviews By Author
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Powering the World’s Airliners; Engine Developments From the Propeller to the Jet AgePublished:
HistoryThis book covers the development of aircraft powerplants as they relate to the airline industry, going back to the beginnings of air transportation in the twenties. The author is especially well qualified to write in this area because (1) his father was an engineer who worked on jet engine development in Germany during World War II, and later France and the United States, and (2) the author grew up with this background, and competed a Doctorate in Aeronautical Engineering at MIT, after which he worked for AVCO-Everett Research Laboratory and the Boeing Corporation, later pursuing a career teaching and doing research at the University of Washington in Seattle. The BookThe book begins with a discussion on how powerplants were developed for aircraft,… more |
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The Italian Blitz, 1940-1943. Bomber Command's War Against Mussolini’s Cities, Docks, and Factories.Published:
HistoryDuring World War II, after the Germans had invaded France, the Italians decided to get involved, and they took part in the final stages of the German assault. Once things had settled down, the Italians began expanding to the South. They had already occupied parts of Africa, but continued their advances into Greece. The British Royal Air Force had already begun their bombing offensive against the Germans, using Hampdens, Whitleys, and Wellingtons, and later found that four engine aircraft were more appropriate for long range bombing, and supplanted and later replaced these types with Stirlings, Halifaxes, and Lancasters. The problem was that the British high command had not set down basic objectives for these offensives, and major decision makers did… more |
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P-47D Thunmderbolt vs. KI-43-II Oscar: New Guinea, 1943-44Published:
HistoryThis book is part of a series of excellent Osprey Publications dealing with the history of World War II in the air. This volume deals with the conflicts between the Japanese Army, who were attempting to dominate New Guinea early in World War II, and the United States Army, who were attempting to remove the Japanese and send them back where they belonged. Several JAAF units were involved, using primarily the Nakajima Ki-43-II “Oscar” fighter, opposed by the U.S. 5th Air Force P-47D units. This story has not been told before. The BookThe book deals with the campaigns in New Guinea, and explains the development of fighter aircraft of both services. The Japanese developed lightly armed and low powered fighters which excelled in… more |
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P-40E Warhawk vs. A6M2 Zero-Sen: East Indies and Darwin, 1942Published:
HistoryThis book is part of an excellent series on the course of World War II in the air, and although it is a little more inclusive than the title implies, it covers the action between the 3rd Kokutai and the Tainan Kokutai, Japanese Navy units equipped with Mitsubishi A6M-2 Zero Sens, Mitsubishi G4M-2’s, and Nakajima C5M2 reconnaissance types and based in the former Netherlands East Indies, and the U.S. Army 49th Pursuit Group, (Later 49th Fighter Group), armed primarily with Curtiss P-40E “Warhawk” fighters, and base in Northern Australia around Darwin. The Japanese were attempting to destroy Allied installations in Northern Australia, while the Americans were attempting to defend them. In general, the Japanese were probably better trained… more |
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Single No. 17 Supermarine Spitfire IIAPublished:
This book is part of a series providing detailed information on a particular aircraft intended for scale modelers. It is not a historical account of the service life of the aircraft and does not provide a variety of color schemes for the type as by used by different units. It provides detailed six-view line drawings of the specific aircraft in three scales, plus black and white color photos of several complete aircraft (museum display survivors) and detailed photos of specific parts of the aircraft. Several drawings are included, including an excellent one of the instrument panel, and some drawings from maintenance manuals are includes. The book is not intended to be a historical coverage of the type, only a detailed reference showing specific parts of the aircraft not included… more |
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Single No. 21 Mitsubishi A6M5 Model 52 ZeroPublished:
This book is part of a series of highly specialized coverages of specific World War II aircraft types and is intended for serious scale modelers who work in 1/72, 1/48, and 1/32 scale. This book covers the Mitsubishi A6M-5 Zero 52 fighter and serves mainly as a reference for specific details of this particular aircraft type. There is little text other than the captions for photos and drawings, and only covers a few specific aircraft that have survived in museums throughout the world. In this case, the planes in the Imperial War Museum in England, and the Planes of Fame Museum in Chino, California are shown. The Chino airplane may still be flyable, and I recall seeing it flying years ago. One of the photos of it also shows the museum’s P-51D and North American O-47A in the background.… more |
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Heinkel HE-111HPublished:
HistoryThe Heinkel HE-111 was probably one of the most produced medium bombers used by the Luftwaffe during World War II, and a few ex-Spanish variants are still flying in various places throughout the world. Originally designed, deceptively to appear as a civilian airliner, in the late thirties, it went into production as a high speed medium bomber, and went through extensive modifications over the years, serving the Luftwaffe until being replaced by the more advanced Junkers JU-88’s and Dornier DO-217’s late in the war. Numerous variants were produced over the years, differing in wing platform, powerplant, fuselage arrangement, armament, and other features. The HE-111 served the Luftwaffe as a high speed medium bomber from late 1936 until production ended in 1944.… more |
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Images of War: Early Jet Fighters, 1944-1954Published:
HistoryThis book is the second in a series on jet fighter development. Their first book dealt with jet fighter development in the U.S., Britain, Germany, and Italy through the end of World War II. The text explained the backgrounds and conditions resulting in the emerging of the various designs, and the subsequent postwar developments of these aircraft. This second volume deals with the aircraft not covered in depth in Volume 1, including Germany, the Soviet Union, France, Sweden, Switzerland, Czechoslovakia, Italy, Switzerland, Argentina, and Japan. Of course, much of the jet development in Eastern Europe came about as a result of German engineering progress, while many German designers left Germany after the war to work in other countries, including the U.S., the… more |
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Meatballs and Dead Birds; A Photo Gallery of Destroyed Japanese Aircraft in World War II.Published:
HistoryThe author of this book, James P. Gallagher, was Communications Officer with the 49th Fighter Group, U.S. Army Air Forces, which operated in the Philippines towards the end of the war, and later relocated to mainland Japan with the occupation forces. Gallagher had been a prize winning photographer when he was in college, and managed to carry a camera with him throughout his military career. One problem was that he was aboard an Australian bomber flying in the Philippines when the plane went down, and he lost his camera. Fortunately, he was able to write home, and his brother located another camera and sent it to him, so he could continue his work. All of his work was done with a 120 camera. Anyone who was associated with a combat aviation unit at… more |
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The Petlyakov Pe-2. Stalin’s Successful Red Air Force Light BomberPublished:
HistoryThe Petlyakov PE-2 and PE-3 series were probably the most significant light bomber in the arsenal of the Red Army in its fight against the Nazi German invasion during World War II. Produced in numbers exceeding 11,000, the PE-2 was initially produced as a dive bomber, but during its development it also served as a standard light bomber, fighter, and reconnaissance aircraft. Its performance was closer to that of contemporary fighters than other light bombers, and its crews were awarded many citations for bravery and notable accomplishments. The plane was in mass production until the end of the war, and remained in service for a number of years thereafter. Many were exported to Poland, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, Hungary, France, and Red China. A small number survived… more |