Corsair Aces of World War 2

Osprey Aircraft of the Aces #8

by Mark Styling

The speed with which the Corsair was rushed into service as a land-based fighter obliged the pilots to learn on the job. The aircraft soon proved to be superior to the Japanese Zero and played a major part in the destruction of Japan's elite air forces in the South Pacific. Later, in an effort to counter the Kamikaze threat, the Corsair was once again hurriedly pressed into service; this time in its originally intended role as a shipboard fighter. This versatile aircraft saw service with the US Navy and Marines, the British Fleet Air Arm and the RNZAF. Most of the 4FU pilots who recount their experiences within these pages considered it to be the best all-round fighter in the Pacific theatre.

Genres: History, Military Fiction, Military History

100 pages, Paperback

First published November 13, 1995

Reviews

[Robert Hepple · Rating 4 out of 5]

Published in 1995, 'Corsair Aces of World War 2' is number 8 in the popular 'Osprey Aircraft of the Aces' series of aviation books. This volume looks at the F4U Corsair. A potted development summary is followed by some fine details of the experiences of Aces in different theatres of operations, but naturally the bulk of this is centred on the USN and USMC in the Pacific, but with some basic coverage of use by UK's FAA and New Zealand. AS well as being written by a very good aviation historian, this volume benefits from being one of the earlier volumes in the series which, generally means that it far better illustrated than later volumes. Opinions may differ, but I found that the superb selection of photos made an impression.

[John Somers · Rating 3 out of 5]

12/20.

[Marc · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Corsair is hands down my favorite fighter of World War II, so I might be a little biased in my review. This books provides a very broad overview of the Corsair and the men who flew it in World War II, with several first-hand accounts of action against Japanese aircraft. I was pleasantly surprised to find this book also contained chapters on the Royal Navy's use of the Corsair, as well as the Royal New Zealand Air Force's.

Since this is one of the earliest books in Osprey's Aircraft of the Aces series, it just scratches the surface of the Corsair's service. Units such as VMF-214 (The Black Sheep) and VF-17 (The Jolly Rogers) get a bit more ink than others, but since the book is only 96 pages long, one can't expect details on every unit. The color plates are very nice, but since the U.S. Navy and Marines tended to not decorate their planes very much, they tend to all look fairly similar.

Pick up Walter Musciano's "Corsair Aces", Barrett Tillman's "Corsair" and Bruce Gamble's "Swashbucklers and Black Sheep" for greater details about the legendary Corsair.