This is an excellent introduction to the bombers used by the States in WW2 with excellent narrative to accompany the detailed drawings and pictures of the craft in question. I can't say how accurate this all is but as an introduction it's hard to beat. Recommended..

"American Bomber Aircraft of World War II: 1941-1945," written by Edward Ward and published by Amber Books (who were kind enough to provide me with an ARC for this review) is an example of the kind of books which used to be, somewhat patronizingly, categorized as coffee table books. However, that generalization doesn't do justice to a jewel of a book useful to hobbyists, military enthusiasts, and general readers fascinated with history and aviation. This slim book is organized by type of aircraft and chronology, greatly increasingly its value as a reference tool. In addition, it is copiously illustrated with period photographs, beautiful color plates, and occasional line drawings. For me, however, the truly delightful part of this book (I read it in less than a day) is the text which hits major technical highlights of the different aircraft under consideration (including both USAAF types and Naval and Marine Aviation. The author, for example, frequently relates not just the raw statistics, but things like how the aircrew and foreign markets regarded the aircraft under consideration, and he doesn't pull any punches. I found myself actually laughing out loud at the epithets applied to some of these aircraft and keenly interested in how crew views sometimes diverge significantly from historical reputations. Many of the aircraft here are quite familiar to aficionados of military aviation; nonetheless, it isn't hard to pick out nuggets of information that I had never really considered before. Most people have heard of the major types here (planes like the B-17/B-24/B-29/B-25 and Naval types like the Dauntless and Avenger), but many other less known types that also played important roles in the war are also discussed, particularly as they might have performed in the foreign markets. To be clear, this is not anything like a comprehensive operational history or anything of the sort, but as a kind of accessible technical introduction to U.S. military aviation in the bombing and scouting roles it is unsurpassed.. It belongs in every public library and would be useful, even at the high school level (for modelers and the like).

A well-done composition of US military bomber aircraft during WW2. The information is well presented and the graphics are stunning. A great guide for the air enthusiast!

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.