Just picked up a fantastic reference book at Powell’s Books in Portland, OR (possibly the best bookstore in the world, by the way!). The title is GRAPHIC WAR The Secret Aviation Drawings and Illustrations of World War II by Donald Nijboer.
This amazing book contains a collection of art work created during the war for training manuals and technical manuals and has sections covering British, US, German and Russian aircraft. Each section includes line drawings, pen and ink drawings, cutaway views, exploded views, transparent views, wiring diagrams, hydraulic schematics, cockpit layouts, engines and airframes of various types and models of aircraft, both fighters and bombers. The cockpit layouts are particularly useful because they are rendered in the actual colors of the time and show much more detail than could ever be incorporated into any photograph. Just the thing for anyone someone who wants to super-detail a cockpit or an engine compartment.
It’s usefulness to modelers aside, this book also makes for engaging reading for anyone with an interest in the technical details of World War II aircraft. I look forward to many hours of pouring over the great artwork and admiring the skill of those long-ago artists who created these amazingly detailed and accurate illustrations back in the days before computer imaging, using only pen and ink, drafting tools and a good eye.
GRAPHIC WAR isn’t cheap, though – it set me back $49.95. But it’s in hard cover and printed on high-quality paper. I probably could have gotten it for less on Amazon, but the prospect of waiting several weeks for delivery was too much!