6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great book and photos, April 30, 2009
This review is from: F6F Hellcat at War (Paperback)
Graf's book is an excellent resource on the F6F Hellcat. There aren't many Hellcat books out there apart from a few thin forgettable ones that were published in the 1970's and 1980's. An exception of course is Barrett Tillman's "Hellcat." The difference between Graff's book and Tillman's is that the latter focuses only on a two-year window of the plane as it was used in WWII combat. It's definitely the thing if you want a lot of detailed information on the Hellcat's battles (and I'm a fan of Tillman's), but if you want more than page after page of chattering machine guns and legions of flaming Zeros, you should check out Graff's book.
It discusses aspects of the plane that have been ignored by virtually everyone, including why the plane was created, how it was put together, and how it was produced. It's been suggested in another review that the latter is out of place in an "At War" series. Personally, I think that a little material on the American workers who actually made the plane belongs in this type of book. American manufacturing and production efforts--along with our servicemen and women--have won us our wars. Graff tells good stories here with interesting details.
Three chapters cover the Hellcat's combat record in WWII--including its debut in 1943, the famous "Turkey Shoot" of 1944, and the kamikaze threat of 1945. There are also sections on the use of the fighter in the Atlantic and special night fighter and photo recon versions of the Hellcat.
The book is bigger than the other "At War" books. It's got about the same amount of text, but there are more and bigger photos in this book. There's a good interview with Wendy Wendorf, who became an ace in the Hellcat. It's also got some great material on the plane's post WWII use, including remote control drones used to measure atomic bombs, the Blue Angels, flying bomb attacks in Korea, Uruguay F6F's, and a discussion of the world's few remaining Hellcats. For a book of this size, though, the index could have been better. It's not very comprehensive and you have to practically use a microscope to use it.
The photographs are fantastic. Many of them I've never seen. There are lots of color shots, tons of wartime factory photos, and editorial cartoons from Grumman's newspaper--the book is full of `em. (Since Tillman's book has precious few, these images alone make the book a worthy addition to any collection on naval aviation history.)
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Very Good!, June 6, 2009
This review is from: F6F Hellcat at War (Paperback)
Not the definitive history of the F6F (that's still to be written) but a worthy addition to your aerolibrary. A good history with lots of great pictures. I especially like all the history of Grumman.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Nice photos, interesting narrative, June 26, 2010
This review is from: F6F Hellcat at War (Paperback)
If a potential buyer is looking for a detailed technical analysis of the F6F or a catalog of squadrons, carriers, task forces and campaigns, this isn't the book. There's not a table or chart included. It is a general history, an engaging and easy-to-read narrative proceeding from the founding of Grumman Aircraft to the fate of the last Hellcat in US Navy service. Historical details are supported and enhanced with many personal stories. Nicely printed on heavy coated paper, there is at least one photograph on nearly every page, many of them in color, and all of them very well reproduced.
The first 62 pages of the book cover the Hellcat's ancestry, design & development, and manufacturing. As technical as it gets, this section includes descriptions of the aircraft's structure and systems, well illustrated with photos and diagrams. The next 62 pages are the combat history, including a brief mention of Hellcats in Europe with the Fleet Air Arm. The final 26 pages cover the post-war life of the Hellcat in US Navy and foreign service, and as survivors in museums.
For those already generally familiar with the Hellcat's story, there's not a lot to offer here. It is, however, interesting to page through and look at the photos, and the narrative is a good read. For someone not familiar with the Hellcat's role in the Pacific war, and how it came to be, this book is a terrific place to start.
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