I’ve always liked modern Russian/Soviet aircraft and have several in the works (Su-27, MiG-31, MiG-21). Seeing the opportunity to review this pilot figure sounded like a prime chance to add a little spice to one of them (whenever I get them finished!). Though this particular figure is listed as a Su-27 pilot, my research showed that the uniform and gear is applicable to pilots of most other modern Russian fighter and attack aircraft.

When I first inquired about reviewing “Shadow Over the Atlantic”, I assumed it would be of a similar format many of Osprey’s “Combat Aircraft” or “Aircraft of the Aces” softcover series of books. It turned out this is a hardback book, and is a much more in-depth volume than those from the standard Osprey series. I am a huge fan of those softcover books, but they always leave me wanting more!

“Shadow Over the Atlantic” is a detailed history of Fernaufklärungsgruppe (FAGr) 5, which operated Ju290 aircraft on long-range reconnaissance missions over the Atlantic

DavidDoyleBooks.com (Schiffer Publishing) out of Memphis TN, has just announced a new offering in the widely held ‘Legends of Ground Warfare’ series, called ‘M40 Gun Motor Carriage and M43 Howitzer Motor Carriage in WWII and Korea’, by popular author David Doyle. Anyone familiar with Mr. Doyle’s previous work will recognize this authoritative combination, and this latest release won’t disappoint.

M40 Gun Motor Carriage comes as a hardcover, 9.5inch square book, following the format of Mr. Doyle’s previous ‘Legends’ volumes, containing high-resolution images printed on heavy, high quality stock paper. Like most of his other works, Mr. Doyle’s M40 is comparatively priced, and a great value.

The book opens with a table of contents and a brief, two-page introduction to the various vehicles covered in the book, as well as a comparison chart of the two main types; the M40 155mm Self- Propelled Gun (SPG), and the M43 8-in. Self-Propelled Howitzer (SPH).

David Doyle’s latest book is one of the initial entries into a new series called ‘Legends of Warfare’ with entries in Ground, Naval, and Aviation. The first Ground book is focused on the Panzerkampfwagen IV, the first Naval book is on the USS Yorktown (CV-5), and the first two Aviation books are on the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk (#4) and Douglas TBD Devastator (#3). The first and second in the series (Wayne Mutza’s Bell 47/H-13 Sioux Helicopter is #1 and David Doyle’s Grumman F4F Wildcat at #2) are scheduled to release later this year.

David Doyle’s latest book continues to expand on Squadron Signal’s long standing In Action series that initiated back in 1971.This is a completely updated and expanded edition over Squadron’s earlier Aircraft In Action number 25, a 50-pager on the Lightning by Gene B. Stafford that was published in 1976. That first release was followed by Squadron’s In Action number 109, a 58-pager on the Lightning by Larry Davis that was published in 1990. A third release came in 2011 from David Doyle with 72 pages as Squadron In Action number 1222. This 2017 release adds an additional eight pages and includes many new photographs.