Ghosts: Vintage Aircraft of World War II

Beskrivning:

Of the 9,500 P-38 Lightnings manufactured during
World War II, only four fly today. Of the Japanese Zeros,
fighters which astounded the United States at Pearl Har-
bor, only two fly. American factories worked tirelessly to
produce over a quarter million aircraft between 1940 and
1945; some were lost in combat, others served in later con-
flicts, but most were stripped and melted down or simply
left to rust.
In GHOSTS: VINTAGE AIRCRAFT OF WORLD WAR II,
photographs by Philip Makanna capture the vitality and
grace of these restored planes bought as surplus or sal-
vaged from desert sands and ocean floors, South American
jungles and Arctic slopes.
The book opens with airplanes such as the P-40 War-
hawk and F4F Wildcat which, though outdated when the
war began, held their own in the Pacific until replacements
arrived. The classic fighters and bombers come next, the
American airplanes that fought through most of the war,
and their British, Japanese, and German counterparts—
Mustangs, Spitfires, Messerschmitts, Flying Fortresses, Kates,
Corsairs, and many more. GHOSTS concludes with planes
developed before 1945 but never tested in combat during
the Second World War: the Twin Mustang, Bearcat, Sea
Fury, and Skyraider.
Black-and-white archival photographs depict the pi-
-
lots and crew who flew these planes. Throughout GHOSTS
are fliers' stories taken from books, letters, and interviews.
Excerpts reflect both the seriousness of their mission and
the humor they needed to survive, as pilots describe what
it felt like to fly their planes in history's most destructive war.
A foreword by Chuck Yeager, the World War Il ace
who was later the first man to break the sound barrier,
reminds us of these planes' historical significance and de-
scribes how difficult the Mustang was to fly compared with
today's sophisticated jets. Also included is a reference sec-
tion with brief descriptions of each airplane, flight specifi-
cations, and three-view silhouettes.
With its unrivaled combination of photographs and
first-hand accounts, GHOSTS evokes the indomitable spirit
of the pilots who served in the Second World War and
the unforgettable planes they flew.

Flygplan