13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing, insightful retrospective of WW II aviation illustrations, November 8, 2005
This review is from: Graphic War: The Secret Aviation Drawings and Illustrations of World War II (Hardcover)
Donald Nijboer deserves high marks for the research and presentation in his detailed and in-depth book, "Graphic War: The Secret Aviation Drawings and Illustrations of World War II." His book should appeal both to WW II aviation enthusiasts and to graphic artists (especially those either interested in or plying their skills without computers).
Drawing on a wealth of historical materials from military archives, training manuals, posters, and technical diagrams, he organizes the materials into four large collections of images representing Great Britain, Germany, United States, and Soviet Union. Many drawings are elegant, detailed technical schema created by now unknown draftsmen. Depictions of how to abandon an aircraft by parachute, dinghy, or lifeboat or of strategies emergency landings and safe bombing altitudes underscore the harrowing circumstances these pilots faced. Other illustrations offer tips on using cloud cover and reminders to watch for the "Hun in the Sun."
Bright collections of aircrew clothing would not seem out of place among the hordes of Christmas catalogs that pile up every fall. An occasional dose of levity sneaks into some of the British and American graphics about safety and maintenance ("What prop?"), but the use of humor is always to emphasize the many types of danger air crews faced, including accidents.
The German and Soviet collections, to no surprise, lack any humor but contain meticulous, even overwhelming levels of detail. The progression of the war is mirrored in the technological advances in the various aircraft, as captured by the growing complexity and nuance in the later graphics.
One point to ponder is that the aircrews had to memorize and comprehend the information contained in these graphics. Hence, it was incumbent on the artists to create material that was visually interesting, detailed, accurate, and understandable.
The creative elements may be secondary to the technical intention, but aspiring graphic artists may be amazed at how effective and thorough these renderings prove to be, especially considering the limited tools and training many of these folks had. Thousands of graphic artists and technical illustrators worked feverishly to develop this largely unknown array of training guides, technical manuals, and safety materials. Mr. Nijboer does them a great service by rendering their work in a fresh light, and his interviews with British artist Peter Endsleigh Castle are fascinating and insightful.
Mr. Nijboer notes that his book is not a celebration of the darkness of war. Rather, he notes that "the artwork in this book was created for a very different purpose---to help young men win the battles and, it was hoped, survive the war."
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fascinating Set of Drawings, a Wealth of Detail, December 2, 2005
This review is from: Graphic War: The Secret Aviation Drawings and Illustrations of World War II (Hardcover)
This splendid set of drawings, most of them published here for the first time show a wealth of detail on the aircraft of World War II. The drawings were made for use in training manuals, in safety posters and other printed materials.
There are all kinds of things to be learned in this book from how to tie up a Sunderland flying boat, to ditching your Hadrian Glider at sea, the armament system of the P-61 Black Widow and the emergency exits to get out of a B-29, and a cut-away view of the Soviet V-12 engine.
The book is a large format picture book, printed about half in color. It is broken into four sections to cover drawings from England, Germany, United States and Russia. I wonder what it means when you see some of the pictures from the US and England contain bits of humor (perhaps a bit grizzley like the one labeled Watch That Prop and a cartoon figure is saying What Prop as it cuts off his head) while those of Germany and the Soviet Union are all business.
A fascinating book for any World War II aviation buff.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A recommended pick for both general collections and in-depth military holdings, January 9, 2006
This review is from: Graphic War: The Secret Aviation Drawings and Illustrations of World War II (Hardcover)
World War II students interested in in-depth detail will relish Graphic War: The Secret Aviation Drawings And Illustrations Of World War II: it offers information which until recently was classified and filed away in archives from Britain and the US to Germany and the Soviet Union. Artists on all sides played a major part in the war, creating visual aids vital to pilot training and the aviation industry as a whole. Graphic War surveys artists, drawings, and how the face of the war was transformed because of their efforts. From color cut-away craft illustration to posters, schematics, charts, and other technical works, Graphic War surveys the total impact of graphic art drawings. A recommended pick for both general collections and in-depth military holdings.
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