PV Ventura: Harpoon Units of World War II [Paperback]

Alan C. Carey (Author), Tom Tullis (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 25, 2002 | Series: Combat Aircraft (Book 34)

Osprey's examination of the PV Ventura/Harpoon Units and of their participation in World War II (1939-1945). A development of the successful Lockheed ‘medium twins’ of the late 1930s, the PV Ventura/Harpoon family of patrol bombers saw widespread service with both the US Navy/Marine Corps and the TAF and Commonwealth from October 1942 onwards. The USAAF also used surplus Venturas originally ordered by the RAF, designated B-34 Lexingtons, in the bomber training and coastal patrol roles. The final variant in this family was the larger PV-2 Harpoon, which was built to a US Navy requirement from March 1944 onwards. Used primarily in the Pacific, 470 Harpoons saw frontline service on anti-shipping and submarine patrols through to VJ-Day. This book covers each of these variants in complete illustrated detail.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Alan Carey has done a fine job in combining an operational history with personal accounts of crews operating this rather neglected aircraft. The widely contrasting opinions of the RAF and US crews make for fascinating reading - at times it's hard to believe they're describing the same aircraft. Historians will welcome the unit histories, while the photos and profiles provide a useful modellers' reference. Recommended." -Rowan Baylis, AeroScale

From the Publisher

Osprey's Combat series combines the best archival photography available with specially commissioned artworks and first hand accounts, making these books favourites amongst historians, modellers and aviation enthusiasts everywhere.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (July 25, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1841763837
• ISBN-13: 978-1841763835
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 0.3 x 9.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #399,037 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Venturas in Combat!, May 3, 2007

By 

Michael OConnor "Wordsmith" (Wausau, WI USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: PV Ventura: Harpoon Units of World War II (Paperback)

Few attempts at converting civilian airliners to the bomber role have met with success. Case in point: the Lockheed Lodestar. Developed to met a British requirement for a long range anti-submarine patrol aircraft, the modified and re-named PV-1 Ventura saw service in all theaters of war with mixed results. An improved version - the PV-2 Harpoon - had a checkered career due to technical problems. The story of these two warbirds is related in this interesting 'Osprey Combat Aircraft' volume.

Though a success in the Pacific, Med, Caribbean and Aleutians, the Ventura did not fare well over European skies. In large part, this was due to the RAF changing the aircraft's mission from patrol aircraft to daylight bomber. Nicknamed 'the pig' by RAF crews, the Ventura was faulted for inadequate armament, poor maneuverability and slow speed. Losses were heavy and the Ventura was replaced as soon as possible by Bostons, B-25s and Mosquitoes. In all other theaters the aircraft gave splendid service, being flown by numerous USAAF, USN, RAAF, RCAF, RNZAF and SAAF units. The Harpoon saw limited service at war's end due to problems with its fuel tanks, wing spars, etc.

Author Alan Carey does a fine job of relating the Ventura's war record, touching upon ops in all theaters. The amount of detail Carey packs into the 90-odd pages of text is noteworthy as is the wealth of information Carey gleaned from many Ventura aircrew.

Carey's book is illustrated with over 90 photographs, many of them rare, and 10 pages of color profiles by crack illustrator Tom Tullis.

Osprey is to be congratulated for presenting the Ventura/Harpoon story. Though some might consider the PV-1 and -2 'second stringers,' the crews that manned the Ventura and Harpoon flew some hairy missions, contributing to the final victory. Alan Carey's book is an excellent tribute to those men and their aircraft.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good PV-1 overview., November 2, 2006

By 

Phyllis Herring (Washington, DC USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: PV Ventura: Harpoon Units of World War II (Paperback)

Lockheed's Ventura was one of many unsung aircraft to come out of WW II. It served in many theaters and by many countries. There have been few books published about the aircraft so this book from Osprey Publishing is a welcome addition. It is an overview and isn't the definitive history but you will learn something about the plane.