Customer Reviews

Bombers: From the First World War to Kosovo

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This book starts in 1914 at the beginning of WWI and runs through some of the very latest bomber aircraft. So the reader would naturally expect very little mention of the American effort prior to about 1942.

But the book appears to be about how the Brits (almost single-handedly) won WWI, WWII and most other conflagrations since. The reader is confronted with page after page of pictures of such duds as Halifax and Hampden bombers, with fairly minute details about them. Then, (sprinkled amongst the Bristol Blenheims and Fairey Battles) a few pictures of the B-26, B-17 and one or two of the B-29.

The research is equally dismal, at least as far as the American contribution. Specifications on the few American aircraft author David Wragg does mention leaves much to be desired. His details on some of the American bombing missions both in Europe and the Pacific are equally disappointing.
One of the most famous names of the Battle of Midway was pilot Ensign George Gay. Mister Wragg repeatedly refers to Gay as "Ensign Gray".

The book is fairly entertaining if you want to read about (mainly) British contributions to aerial warfare, and you don't care about the accuracy of his references to American accomplishments.