America's Fighting Planes

I STUMBLED ACROSS a copy of this book, America’s Fighting Planes, in the second-hand bookstore of my local library. I was immediately struck by the vivid graphics the author had created to illustrated these World War II airplanes. These images, and the author’s informative text, provide a comprehensive look at what air power looked like as our country met its greatest military challenge. As the conflict was still very much in the balance in 1943 when this book was published, I imagine it must have been some comfort to an American reader then to know that we were developing such a large, effective arsenal of planes that could help end the war.


After reading the book I decided it deserved a wider audience. This in turn led me to the idea of creating an eBook edition. I tried to keep to the text formatting and overall layout of the original print edition as much as possible. I did have to crop the images slighting in order for them to work effectively in this new format.


I hope you enjoy this edition of this book as much as I did the original. As you read through it, I would ask you not to only think of the incredible technology that lay behind these planes; but also all the great sacrifice the American World War II generation endured to create, manufacture, maintain, and fly these extraordinary machines.


Michael Kelley

Publisher

Kelley Consulting Services