Customer Reviews

Jane's Fighting Aircraft of World War II

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I have the privilege to live near a good aviation bookshop (good and a lot more expansive than Amazon :). When "Jane's Fighting Aircraft of World War II" came in "my" shop I got a look at it and regarding the average "Jane's" books, I expected a lot of true information and some interresting photos...... Wrong, you get a big book with a lot of text and a lot of not interresting Black and White photos already on the market for a long time (Photos are not so sharp)

I don't think it is a book to offer as a gift because it is big but with a very boring presentation. Only the covert look pretty good.

For fellow modeler: glance but do not buy!

(N.B. - I didn't fact-check my memory of this book which I read several years ago). This is essentially a re-print of the 1946 edition (post WW-II), and thus, contains wartime information and data. It doesn't have post-publication or modern research or data, and is thoroughly a book of its time (1946) in appearance, layout and format. The photographs are copied (looks like negatives weren't available) and as such, of mediocre quality and detail. Drawings and fonts are typical of Jane's for that period. Drawing lines are thicker and not as crisp of contemporary 3-view drawings, and data presentation are different to modern Jane's. If you view it as a re-print of a classic, the price is right; it's not a contemporary, researched book with "new findings." I would recommend it to every library or collection for its historical value. The Foward has information that modern Jane's don't include anymore. The book's companion is the "Fighting Ships of WWII" and my comments for that book are the same.

this book is a total disappointment omitting important information such as detailed description of variants and the numbers produced.

I agree with everyone on this. There are so many better reference books out there today. Printing quality is terrible.

In spite of the claim on the cover, this book is far from comprehensive. British, German, and US coverage is okay but other nations, including USSR, are covered in superficial detail at best.

It's an interesting historical artifact but there are far better reference books out there.

As I purchased it, the book was really two books, in a slipcase. One is the Jane's WWII military aircraft; the other is Jane's WWII fighting ships. Both are reprints, published in the '70s of two books published just after WWII ended. Pictures are small and muddy, but this is certainly a comprehensive overview of the military hardware of the period. Of interest to the historian or the buff. I got it for about $25 and this is the price range you should look for.