Nose Art of the Fifth Air Force - David Vincent

 

Every now and then, as you know, I'll feature something here that is somewhat adjacent to the RAF and Commonwealth aircrew experience during the Second World War. Case in point, the latest massive work from David Vincent, the Australian historian responsible for Catalina Chronicle, Mosquito Monograph and, of course, one of the most important Australian aviation works, The RAAF Hudson Story (Volumes 1 and 2). The Fifth Air Force grew out of the ashes of the Far East Air Force, setting up its headquarters in Australia in early 1942. At the end of a long, and sometimes threatened, supply chain, it eventually grew into the powerful air force we are most familiar with, perhaps best known for its jungle fighters and low-level strafers. A number of Australian aircrew did, however, fly with the American units to help fill shortfalls in gunners and copilots, for example (they have been sadly underappreciated and unacknowledged over the decades since the war, but that is a different story currently being addressed). 

As the Fifth's units expanded, and the Allies progressively went on the front foot, so too did the American servicemen's ability to decorate their aircraft with more and more extensive artwork, the most famous of which, of course, is featured on the front cover of Nose Art of the Fifth Air Force, a book that is phenomenal, massive, authoritative and peerless.

More than just a collection of photos and captions, the author has explored the origins and evolution of nose art within the Fifth Air Force. He applies this approach to popular designs across multiple airframes/units/periods but also how a piece of art changed on an airframe, sometimes evolving with a change of regular crew or crew chief, modifications necessitated by damage or new equipment, or even being completely replaced. Threads have been pulled and rabbit holes followed since he began collecting Fifth Air Force images in the early 2000s (more than 1,100 feature in the book).

As a book on artwork, the human element has not been forgotten with several of the better-known artists profiled. Here, too, are nice personal details with quotes from the men themselves or family members.

It's the analysis that surprised me the most, though. I should have known, given the author's work on the benchmark-setting and aforementioned RAAF Hudson volumes; he gets beneath the skin (pun intended) of where this art came from, why it was used, what it meant and its impact over the decades. This is an art gallery and historical document you can hold in your hands (briefly, as it's bloody heavy!).

ISBN 978-0-76436-921-6

The RAAF Hudson Story Book Two - David Vincent

I would like to introduce you to a friend. This friend has been my constant companion for the past three-plus years. As you’d expect, this friend is reliable and can pick me up when I am a bit lost or trying to escape. Always there with the answers and a source of inspiration when I want to know how things should be done. May I present The RAAF Hudson Story Book Two by David Vincent.

This book has been, until recently when a second pair of little hands became very mobile, on my bedside table since it arrived in the mail. We were living a mere seventy kilometres from the world’s only flying Hudson when this book entered my life and, quite frankly, I was, and remain, rather enamored by this aircraft. From some angles on the ground it is a somewhat portly machine, with a deep fuselage born of an increased internal capacity inherited from its civilian predecessor, the Lockheed 14 Super Electra, yet it is all style and there is more than a hint of its art deco predecessors. In the air … it is a somewhat portly machine but it just flows. Even the lumps and bumps that only the military can bring to an aircraft design cannot hide the curves. The wings taper to a point that seemed impossible thirty feet closer to the fuselage. Thank goodness for straight leading edges. The tail is something that could only come from Lockheed. Watching a wingover well past ninety degrees just adds to this aircraft’s appeal.

The Hudson was a machine that was there at the start. Like the Blenheim, it wasn’t the best thing for the job but, in reality, who could have envisaged just what it would have to do before it was needed to be done? The Hudson was there and it did what was asked of it until something better, designed or improved from the lessons learned, came along. Even then, when the Bostons and Mitchells and Beaufighters were on hand to take over, the Hudson soldiered on. It flew sorties against the Germans bearing down on Dunkirk, it hunted U-boats and snooped around Norway for enemy shipping. In Australia, where it was the RAAF’s only modern bomber at the start of the war, it patrolled shipping lanes and was in action against the Japanese in Malaya before Pearl Harbor was attacked. For quite some time it was the RAAF’s sole means of hitting Japanese targets with any semblance of strike power. It was inadequate against Japanese fighters (what early Allied aircraft wasn’t?) but its crews had a stout ship at their command and they, in turn, were stout of heart.

The book. Yes, the book. The whole reason for waxing lyrical above. I have said, several times in the past, that I use the book in hand as a benchmark. Well, The RAAF Hudson Story Book Two is what I use to measure everything against. It made me go out and buy Book One not because I could afford it (or, more correctly, had remembered I hadn’t bought it yet) but because it didn’t seem right not to. Lightning (snigger) can hit twice as it turns out but Book Two is a further refinement. Obviously, it is not the full story.  The rest, of course, is in Book One. Book Two is 420+ pages of RAAF Hudson operations in Australia and areas to the north-west and north-east (i.e. New Guinea etc). These were the final operational areas needing to be covered after Book One so Book Two then continues with the Hudson’s work as an air ambulance and transport (ideal work given its airliner roots) before concluding with its extensive post-war career. If a Hudson did it and it’s relevant to this book, it is in this book. I have spent hours, when not reading ‘properly’, just leafing through and stopping at whatever caught my eye. Often, it was just an interesting photo, easily the most arresting thing on a page, and an awe-inspiring caption. I can count on one hand, maybe two, the number of captions that have less than 35 words. Many have more than 150. That’s the sort of detail this book provides. I’m shaking my head now, and grinning wickedly, at the thought of it.

David Vincent’s pedigree is without question. The man who brought us Mosquito Monograph and Catalina Chronicle – both still sought after books – took more than ten years to bring Book Two into the world. It’s pages packed with text, two columns per page, hundreds of photos, reams of endnotes, and a narrative that is as much analytical as it is informative, combine to create a robust and all-encompassing history that I know will never see its equal. Should there be more written about the Hudson? Of course there should be. Will anything new come to light? Most definitely but whoever finds it will have the Vincent Hudson books within easy reach and will have smiled every time they caught their eye. These books aren’t life-changing, they are life-fulfilling. They are big, they need to be, and they are heavy, and they may even crush you if you read them lying down in bed (I know these things!), but they need to be. To leave these books wanting more is just not going to happen. They need to be bending your shelves now if they’re not already. Nowhere will you find a type history more readable or satisfying. And, well, it’s RAAF Hudsons. Enough said.

ISBN 978-0-9596052-3-5

The Hudsons are almost here

If you haven't got in touch with David Vincent about The RAAF Hudson Story - Book Two, I heartily recommend you do it now so you can take advantage of his pre-publication offer. I've just seen some photos of how the finished book should look and, if anything, it presents even better than Book One.

Email David - do it now! djvincentATchariot.net.au.

The Hudsons will be worth the wait

I had an email from David Vincent last month saying the introduction and first chapter of his new book, The RAAF Hudson Story - Book Two, have been sent to the designer for completion. The remainder of the book is ready and David is very excited with the result. The one thing holding David up at the time of the email was having to prepare 150 photo captions for chapter one.

David mentioned there will be a pre-publication offer coming out this month and the intention is to have the book in readers' hands before Christmas. If you are interested in the second instalment of this very important Australian work drop David a line on djvincentATchariot.net.au.

On the subject of new books Peter Wheeler's Kiwis Do Fly has just arrived and it is superb. Max Lambert - author of the brilliant Night After Night - is also working on a book about New Zealand fighter pilots. Due out next year it will certainly be one to keep an eye out for.

I apologise for no reviews of late. Things have been a bit hectic. I'm afraid it will be the end of October before the next review is posted.

The Hudsons are coming, the Hudsons are coming!

Further to news of the publication of Book Two of The RAAF Hudson Story reported on ABR earlier, I received an email from author David Vincent confirming he was hoping for a July release. He is currently tying up loose ends and can see the light at the end of the tunnel (yikes, I'm in love with cliches) but "the project seems never-ending ... [however] the delays in completion have allowed for some additional 'new' photos plus the most detailed text on the subject to date." David added if the book missed July it would certainly be out in August.

Book Two will have just four chapters - Operations North Western Area, Operations North Eastern Area, Transports and Air Ambulances and Post-war Survivors - but, as David says, "some new ground has been covered or at least some old ground dug over really well!" If Book One is anything to go by, Book Two will be a masterpiece. While referencing the still unread Book One recently I was amazed at the detailed analysis given to the lead-up to war with the Japanese and the involvement of the RAAF Hudsons in finding the elusive invasion fleet. Superbly researched and written, it was an education to say the least.

Details regarding pricing etc will be forthcoming at a later date (when I know, you’ll know). If you would like to express interest in a copy of Book Two, please email David on djvincentATchariot.net.au (replacing the AT with @).

The wait is almost over - The RAAF Hudson Story Book 2

A short while ago I received news that David Vincent's second volume of The RAAF Hudson Story will be published in July 2010. Excellent news indeed and certainly waited for in excited anticipation.

The first book is superb. I have yet to do anything but reference it in parts but plan to have it reviewed in the first half of 2010. Mind you, at the rate I'm reading (or not reading) at present, it could be 2100 by the time I get to it!

Hope everyone had a good Christmas and is looking forward to the new year.

All the best

Andy