Military Model Scene

Title: F4F Wildcat
Author: Edward M. Young
Publisher: Osprey Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-4728-5486-5

Dogfight 9 from Osprey Publishing, 'South Pacific 1942-43'. An 80-page soft-cover book.
The story is spread over 6 chapters, starting with one that describes the Wildcat in action in August 1942, in action against the Japanese around Guadalcanal in the Solomons Islands. Then it goes back to setting the scene, and how America and Japan found themselves at war in the Pacific. Path to Combat comes next, setting out how US pilots were trained, before getting to the detail of the F4 Wildcat as a weapon of war, and then the art of war, which explains their fighter tactics. The second half of the book is then devoted to the story of the F4 in use by US Navy and US Marine units in action around Guadalcanal and the Solomons, centred especially on Henderson Field, the US airfield on Guadalcanal. There are lots of stories of combat, accompanied by archive photos and the fine ribbon diagrams and battlescene artwork, with artwork supplied by 3 illustrators in this book, Gareth Hector, Tim Brown and Jim Laurier. Veteran accounts give more than just the series of events, but also how they felt at the time.
The Wildcat was largely withdrawn from service by the end of 1943, replaced on the fleet carriers by the new Hellcat. That wasn't the end for the F4 though, as they continued to serve on the smaller Escort carriers, including those of the Royal Navy, where it was known as the Martlet. The story of the Wildcat in the South Pacific, specifically around the Solomons and with the Cactus Air Force at Henderson Field, is interesting reading.
Thanks to Osprey Books for the review copy.

Robin