The United States certainly lived up to its “Arsenal of Democracy” nickname during World War II, rapidly ramping up to deliver a vast array of armaments ranging from pistols to aircraft carriers to all corners of the world. The American aviation industry in particular turned out aircraft in the thousands for use by Allied nations, and this book provides an absolutely superb accounting of such exports, with in-depth lists of serial numbers, a detailed look at the mechanics of the Lend-Lease system and the British and French Purchasing Commissions worked, and several hundred high quality photographs, including many unique and lesser known types. There are far too many to list entirely, but highlights include:
A P-59 supplied to the RAF for evaluation
A Guatemalan P-26 Peashooter
Close up of a Vickers S-gun installation in the nose of a Fortress IIA
A lineup of RAAF Brewster Buffalo, and a shot of a/c AS430 (originally intended for Belgium) in the hands of the A&AEE
An RCAF Liberator fitted out postwar as a transport
A Royal Navy SO3C Seamew
An SBD-3 at Boscombe Down
An A-26C under evaluation by the RAF
The front cover is really attractive, featuring a painting by Keith Woodcock showing a Coastal Command Liberator, RAF Mitchells and A-30 Baltimores at Montreal during the war years.
Christopher M. Reed