Customer Reviews

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

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2 star:		(1)
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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.

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.

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"!

While there are hundreds if not thousands of books devoted to World War II military aviation, only a handful cover with any detail the critically important aspect of aero engine development. This is one of the few books available on this topic and Graham White generally does a good job covering in detail the principal (as well as obscure) British and American aircraft engines. White begins his book by describing some of the challenges faced by aircraft piston engine designers before diving headlong into the specific histories and technical aspects of key British and American engines. His descriptions of each engine are highly technical and he displays his talents as an engineer and mechanic in terms of his detailed description of engine parts and systems. White also brings us back to the bigger picture with vivid descriptions of the personalities who played a role in the design and manufacture of each engine as well as descriptions of the aircraft that used them.

White admits that by only covering British and American (as opposed to Axis) engines he is only telling "half" of the aircraft engine story, and one hopes that White chooses to take up the challenge of telling this other half in a future second book. In the meantime, some areas where White's book falls short include a much-needed glossary explaining the terminology he uses for those aviation buffs and historians not steeped in the field of engineering or engine mechanics. Furthermore in some cases White's descriptions of World War II aircraft can be found in sources elsewhere or are simply inaccurate-he should have stuck with what he knows well by focusing on the technical aspects of how each engine related to a particular aircraft rather than waste space discussing each aircraft's development and operational histories. Finally White's conclusion-a tirade against 21st century corporate capitalism-is too opinionated and frankly out of place in a work of this nature.

Despite these small flaws White's book remains one of the few available authoritative sources on the topic of aircraft piston engines, and is an important acquisition for anyone interested in World War II military aviation.

This is in NO WAY being disrespectful of the Holy Bible, but on my bedside table there are two books that are always there: The Holy Bible and Allied Aircraft Piston Engines of World War II. Other books, magazines, etc come and go on my bedside table, but these two are always there (unless I'm reading one of them at the time!).

I have had the book since June, 1996 (I don't memorize such things, but "6/96" IS written inside the cover by me!) and it has been used for my own personal knowledge, and to win a few bets!

It was expensive, as far as books go, but it's worth every penny.

I haven't found another reference on WWII aircraft engines so I don't have anything to compare it to, so it is one of a kind! Excellent detail on all of the engines used, history of development, aircraft they were in, nice photos and blueprints. Pricey but worth it IMHO.

They don't come much better than this. Along with his volume on the R-2800 Mr White provides fans of aircraft engines with a very good read.

A must also for automotive and racing engineers. The roots of actual racing engines and technology... 60 years ago.

This book has been highly touted, but does not live up to its hype. Any number of books are as interesting, and much cheaper. "A History of Aircraft Piston Engines" (Smith) comes to mind, as well as many of the books by Bill Gunston. Don't buy this book without seeing it first. For the same money you can get two or three other books that will together contain much more information. However, it is a very good one-volume source on the subject.