Allied Aircraft Piston Engines of World War II: History and Development of Frontline Aircraft Piston Engines Produced by Great Britain and the united (Reference) [Hardcover]

Graham White (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1995 | ISBN-10: 1560916559 | ISBN-13: 978-1560916550

While it took the demands of two World Wars to bring aviation into acceptance by the general public, it was a relative handful of engineers, entrepreneurs, and pilots who positioned the technology and resources necessary to make aviation one of the deciding factors in ending World War II. This book attempts to illuminate some of the historically significant technical developments that were incorporated into World War II aircraft engines that directly contributed to the execution and tactics of the war.

Although numerous books have been published on all of the more common World War II aircraft and several books have been published on engines, rarely have the two been brought together.

Allied Aircraft Piston Engines of World War II offers an interesting look at the technology that was so important to eventual Allied victory. The book is organized into separate sections on British and U.S. aircraft piston engines. Aircraft engines detailed in the book include: Rolls-Royce - Merlin, Griffon, Peregrine, Vulture; Bristol - Poppet Valve Engines, Mercury, Pegasus,Sleeve Valve Engines, Hercules, Taurus, Centaurus; Napier - Rapier, Dagger, Sabre; General Electric Turbosuperchargers; Pratt and Whitney - R-1340 Wasp, R-985 Wasp Jr., R-1535 Twin Wasp Jr., R-1830 Twin Wasp,R-2000, R-2800 Double Wasp, R-4360 Wasp Major; Allison - V-1710, V-3420; and Wright Aeronautical Corporation - R-1820 Cyclone, R-2600 Cyclone 14, R-3350 Cyclone 18, R-4090.

This book also includes chapters on: Aircraft Engine Requirements (fuels, charge heating, radiator development, lubrication, and more); and Hyper Activity and Other Near Misses.

An enjoyable, informative book for aeronautical engineers, aircraft enthusiasts, WWII veterans and buffs, and historians.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Definitive books on the subject seem to appear about once in a generation. This is one of those." -- SpaceNews

"Everything you need to know about the aero-engines that won the war between the covers of one volume." -- Rolls-Royce Heritage Trust

"Provides a fascinating look at the development of all the great aircraft piston engines." -- Air Fan International

About the Author

Though born in England, Graham White has spent most of his life in the USA. A mechanical engineer by profession, White now negotiates and writes contracts for IBM. White has had a lifelong interest in aviation and its history, and in particular, the piston engines of World War II. He has collected and restored several of these engines to exhibition condition and working order in his own workshops. He is also an avid collector of the classics of engineering and aviation literature, and an active member of the Society of Automotive Engineers.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 442 pages
• Publisher: Society of Automotive Engineers Inc (August 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560916559
• ISBN-13: 978-1560916550
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 7.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #595,758 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great book for an engine or aircraft buff, January 30, 1998

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Allied Aircraft Piston Engines of World War II: History and Development of Frontline Aircraft Piston Engines Produced by Great Britain and the united (Reference) (Hardcover)

The title of the book says it all. This is a richly detailed book describing the development and internal workings of the Allied aircraft piston engines of World War II. It was not written for the novice - an underlying understanding of how internal combustion engines work is required, as well as some historical background on the aircraft the engines were used in. With this in mind, the book serves as a rich dessert for anyone interested in either piston engines or World War II military aircraft. Besides the fine technological details and engineering drawings, the book goes into the details of how the mating of certain engines with certain airframes resulted in aircraft with a certain look or performance (or, sometimes, underperformance). For example, the P-38's did not do as well in Europe as they did in the Pacific, mainly because of the Army's insistence on keeping the Allison engine with its troublesome turbosupercharger instead of switching to the Merlin engine. The Army's obsession with the turbosupercharger also resulted in the oversized P-47. The P-51 happened almost by accident - it was the result of a private design by North American and a field modification by the RAF - mating a perfect airframe with the better Merlin engine. Although it was eventually ordered by the thousands by the US Army Air Force, it was never written into any official specs.

I would have liked to have seen a companion section (however brief) on German and Japanese aircraft engines as well.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The ultimate book for aero-gearheads., January 30, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Allied Aircraft Piston Engines of World War II: History and Development of Frontline Aircraft Piston Engines Produced by Great Britain and the united (Reference) (Hardcover)

I used this book to setle a few bets at work. As an aircraft mechanic currently working on large radials, I found Mr.Whites in depth mechanical discription and historical evolution of high powered piston engines facinating. I especialy liked the chapter on prototypes that didn't go into production. If you like history "geared" towards the mecahanical aspects of aviation, this books for you.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great! - Could Have Been Better., December 4, 2001

By 

Earl Swinhart (LIVERMORE, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Allied Aircraft Piston Engines of World War II: History and Development of Frontline Aircraft Piston Engines Produced by Great Britain and the united (Reference) (Hardcover)

This books treatment of the technical aspects of WWII aircraft engines is nothing short of fantastic! Mr. White appears to be very knowledgeable (right down to the nuts & bolts level) in the development of these engines and their service histories. His use of contemporary references adds great authority to the work.

My only criticisms are that Mr. White puts emphasis on some of the relatively obscure engines of British manufacture while neglecting some of the more important subjects.
Also (in my opinion), he unfairly downgrades the performance of the Allison V-1710. He seems to attribute its' lackluster performance in such craft as the P-39 Airacobra to a shortcoming of the engine itself, while virtually ignoring the fact that some blockhead in the military saw fit to eliminate its' supercharger. And there is little emphasis placed on the spectacular performance of the same engine (with supercharger) in the P-38 Lightning.

Having said that; except for these shortcomings, I would rank this book amongst the 2 or 3 best books ever written on the subject! You cannot be well informed on this subject until you read "Allied Aircraft Piston Engines of WW II"!