Military Model Scene

Title: B/EB-66 Destroyer Units in Combat
Author: Peter E. Davies
Publisher: Osprey Books
ISBN: 978-1-4728-4507-8

Number 137 in the Combat Aircraft series from Osprey, this one considers the interesting career of the twin-engined B/EB-66 Destroyer, which served in both the US Navy and the USAF. A 96-page soft-cover book presented in the usual style of this popular book series. Developed in the 1950s it served on through most of the Cold War period and during an interesting time as new technology was developed.
The B-66 was originally designed to be a nuclear bomber, as the Skywarrior in US Navy service. The book takes the story from the design through to service in the US Navy though the bomber role was no longer needed by the early 1960s. It found new roles as a reconnaissance aircraft and also an electronic counter-measures platform. From those early stages the EB-66 went on to the distinctive 3-colour camouflage of South East Asia, and it went to war in Vietnam. Working with many other aircraft types, they provided the electronic detection and jamming that helped protect the attack aircraft in the package, such as the F105 Thunderchief and the B-52 'Buff'. It was a constant development battle, as each side tried a new development to defeat each other. The radars from missiles such as the SA-2 and AAA battery radar, plus new arrivals such as the man-portable SA-7. It even includes the story of the rescue operation for Lt Col 'Gene' Hambleton, the sole survivor of an EB-66 crew shot down in 1965, known by their callsign of 'BAT-21'. In addition to the good collection of archive photos, in both colour and black & white, there are 10-pages of first-class colour profiles, which I am sure will inspire a few modellers to want to try one.
I enjoyed reading this one, and with plenty on the operation of the EB-66 in the Vietnam War, one I especially liked.
Thanks to Osprey for our review copy.

Robin