Squadrons No.65
The ‘Eagle’ Squadrons
Nos. 71, 121 & 133 Squadrons
Philedition
S u m m a r y : |
Catalogue Number, Description and ISBN: |
Squadrons No. 65
The ‘Eagle’ Squadrons - Nos. 71, 121 & 133 Squadrons
by
Phil H. Listemann
Illustrations by Gaetan Marie
ISBN: 978-2-494471-14-6 |
Contents & Media: |
Soft-cover format, 71 pages. |
Price: |
Available online from www.raf-in-combat.com and selected retailers |
Review Type: |
First Look |
Advantages: |
An interesting treatment of the three ‘Eagle’ Squadrons and their personnel with lots of unpublished photos and useful colour images. |
Disadvantages: |
The occasional murky image due to the nature of the original. |
Conclusion: |
If this is your interest area or if you enjoy reading about individual histories of squadrons and personnel then this is a valuable book to add to to your library. Recommended. |
Reviewed by Graham Carter
This vast series of bookazines continues with this one covering numbers 71,121, and 133 Squadrons, RAF which were crewed by volunteers from the USA, certainly encouraged by Colonel Charles Sweeney, a WWI Foreign Legion leader who saw the value in that conflict of the Lafayette squadron. There were a few hiccoughs but in the end some 250 US airmen served in the three RAF squadrons named here between 1940 and 1942.
The book follows the usual pattern with a brief introduction explaining the background to the ‘Eagle’ Squadrons, followed by 28 pages on No.71 Sqn, 16 on No. 121 and 12 on No.133. Each of these sections includes details of the operations, aircraft, commanding officers, the squadron badge and some individual stories of a selection of personnel. There are also tables of claims by the pilots as well as losses of aircraft and, soberingly, crew. Interspersed in each section are personal photos and scenes at the airfields, all illustrated with colour side-views by Gaetan Marie / Bravo Bravo Aviation. There are a mix of Hurricanes and Spitfires represented here. The matte finish of the pages does mean that some photos are not as clear as they might be but many of them are from personal collections and were not always in perfect condition in the first place. They are extremely valuable nonetheless.
The volume concludes with a page of 1/48 side views of more Spitfires and a list of all 65 books in the series. Produced in Canada I believe but printed in Sydney, Australia.
If this is your interest area or if you enjoy reading about individual histories of squadrons and personnel then this is a valuable book to add to your library. Recommended. As always it is a tribute to Mr. Listemann’s dedicated research skills.
Thanks to Phil Listemann for the review sample.
Review Text Copyright © 2024 by Graham Carter
This Page Created on 10 September, 2024
Last updated
10 September, 2024
Back to HyperScale Main Page
Back to Reviews Page
|
Home
| What's New | Features | Gallery | Reviews | Reference | Resource Guides | Forum | 
