This book covers Aces of the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS). It appears that Osprey will be publishing an additional volume or volumes covering naval aces of other countries. When I heard of this book, I assumed that it would probably cover Raymond Collishaw and other Sopwith Triplane pilots of Naval 10. I was pleased to find that, although Naval 10 was well covered, the history of the RNAS in WWI was surprisingly broad. When we think about British aircraft during WWI, we usually think of the Royal Flying Corps (RFC). However, we must remember that the Royal Navy was called the Senior Service. Both organizations were formed in 1912 and it appears that they both developed in parallel until they were combined in April of 1918. Seventy nine pilots of the RNAS achieved the status of Ace along with another forty seven RNAS pilots who completed Ace status while flying with the RFC.

It’s hard to think of an aircraft that has had a longer career than the Douglas A-4 Skyhawk, frequently called the Scooter. That career started in 1954 (a very good year, by the way) and continues to this very day. The design was the result of Ed Heinemann’s efforts to give the Navy the attack aircraft it wanted while making it fit on any aircraft carrier the Navy used. The maximum unfolded wingspan the Navy stipulated for carrier aircraft, 27’ 6”, determined the span of the A-4. The ability to carry the then-current Mk. 7 nuclear weapon resulted in the stalky landing gear with which we’re all familiar. The product of Heinemann’s genius was a reliable aircraft that could carry a useful weight of weapons a considerable distance while being tough enough and maneuverable enough to bring the pilot home after delivery.

This publication covers the development and acquisition of armored vehicles for the Polish army from 1919 until 1939. Each page has several period images of the miscellaneous vehicles. Included are color profiles along with some line drawings and one blueprint of a Polish tractor. Although the text is minimal, it is quite informative. One gets the sense of the lambs being lead to the slaughter inflicted by the much superior German armor in September, 1939.

Vehicles addressed include the Vickers 6 ton Mark E types A , B and E, the C6P and C6T Tractors, the C7P artillery, and recovery and combat engineering tractors. Granted, these vehicles are certainly not as well known at those of the major World War II powers, but are quite interesting in their design and performance, and provide some unique topics.

After the American Civil War, the railroad gun became a common weapon system throughout Europe. They provided a rapidly deployable heavy artillery gun that could defend a coastline or bombard enemy positions and fortifications. By the end of World War I, these guns grew in caliber and popularity. In the 1930s, Hitler initiated several programs to develop and procure more of these systems. Krupp initiated its own design and this program resulted in the" 28cm Kanone 5 Eisenbahngeschutz." The name is often abbreviated to 28cm K5 (E) (Eisenbahngeschutz means railroad gun) and 24 examples, the largest quantity of any rail gun, were produced. They were initially deployed along the English Channel to support the invasion of Britain. After this aborted event, they were deployed on all fronts to support other actions.

Prior to the outbreak of the Pacific War, the Japanese air force pilots (both Army and Navy) were some of the world’s foremost proponents of dogfighting, and the fighters they flew reflected their demand for aircraft that would give them the edge in that realm of aerial combat. Flying lightweight and agile Type 97 Ki-27 s (“Nates” to the Allies), the Japanese Army Air Force’s pilots easily outmaneuvered their opposition in the skies over China and Manchuria in the late 30s, and during the opening days of World War II, JAAF Ki-43 Hayabusas (“Oscars”) more often than not flew rings around Allied fighters over the Southeast Asian battlefields.