Good detailed aircraft books.

[Karnak]

I need to increase my library.

I need good books focusing on the following aircraft (in english please):

Mitsubishi A6M

Messerschmitt Bf109

Focke-Wulf Fw190

Nakajima Ki-84

Lockheed P-38

Republic P-47

North American P-51

Yakolev Design Bureau Yak series

[Guppy35]

"The Lockheed P38" by Warren Bodie

"Republic's P47 Thunderbolt" by Warren Bodie

"Mustang-Story of the P51 Fighter" by Robert Gruenhagen

"Mustang at War" Roger Freeman

"Fighting Mustang" William Hess

"The Messerschmitt 109-A Famous Fighter" by Heinze Nowarra

"The Fighting 109" by Uwe Feist,  Norman Harms & Mike Dario


Squadron Signal publications does an "in Action" series that is aimed mostly at modellers, but has lots of good photos and info.  They are done on just about every plane you can think of.  The 109 is a two part set with the first 109s through the E model in one and the F til the end of the war models in the other.

There is a "Detail & Scale" series done by Bert Kinzey that is similar with many detail interior and exterior photos.  The 38 set and the Mustang set are two books each.

There is a "Walk Around" series that can be found in most model shops and I know there is a 51 walk around and 190 walk around book.

The list goes on and on too

Dan/Slack

[MiloMorai]

Be careful with Nowarra books.

Dietmar Harmann and Willey Radinger/Wolfgang Otto have put out good books on the 190/152 and 109 respectively.

Anything by Richard Smith and Eddie Creek should be picked up. (ie. the Classic series of 4 books on the 262)

http://www.classic-books.co.uk/

The bio of Kurt Tank by Wolfgang Wagner. ISBN 0-7643-0644-8

[Glas]

One I have at home is 'The Luftwaffe Album:  Bomber and fighter aircraft of the German Air Force 1933-1945'.  There are 2 authors, Joachim Dressell and the other is called Manfred Griehl.

ISBN numer is 1-86019-978-X.

Really good book and has alot of info.

Do you want some good websites with info?  I know some specifically about Russian and Japanese planes, and the data from these is used by the devs in Freehost Warbirds to model their planes.

Glas
JG13 Lokis Kinder

[Batz]

You want tech data or pilot biographies and accounts?

109 F,G & K by Prien & Rodeike
Schiffer ISBN: 0-88740-818-4

Focke-Wulf Fw 190/Ta 152
Jäger-Jagdbomber-Panzerjäger by Manfred Griehl/Joachim Dressel
Motorbuch ISBN: 3-613-01681-8

Yakovlev's Piston-Engined Fighters by Yefim Gordon/Dmitriy Khazanov
Aerofax Midland Pub Ltd ISBN: 1857801407

Eagles of Mitsubishi
The Story of the Zero Fighter by Jiro Horikoshi
Univeristy of Washington ISBN: 0-295-95826-X

Nakajima Ki-84a/b Hayate
In Japanese Airmy Air Force Service by Richard Bueschel
Schiffer ISBN: 0-7643-0149-7

Go with AHT for the US stuff.

others

Nightfighters, Hunters of the Reich by David P Williams
Tempus Publishing ISBN:0-7524-2027-5

Notes of An Aircraft Designer by Alexander Yakovlev
University Press of the Pacific ISBN: 0898755492

Soviet Combat Aircraft of the Second World War:
Single Engined Fighters by Yefim Gordon/Dmitri Khazanov
Midland Publishing; ISBN: 1857800834

[brady]

Karnak I highly recomend this book to cover you imeadate US fighter neads, it is without doubt the best single source on the subject, I have several single books on the US fighters above but this one colective book is far better then them all combined:

http://www.schifferbooks.com/military/aviationwwii/0764300725.html

Americas Hundred Thousand: U.S. Production Fighters of World War II
by Authors: Francis H. Dean
Released: 01 January, 2000
ISBN: 0764300725



This Schiffer Publishing as a decent series on Japanese planes:

http://www.schifferbooks.com/military/aviationjaprus/index.html

  Buschell did a prety good job howeaver his production number's on the Ki 84 C are totaly wrong.

 On the Above link you will also find good stuff on Ruisan planes and Luftwaffe planes to add to what has been listed above.

 I asume you have Francliions Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific war???:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/087021313X/102-0809160-7094550?v=glance

[Guppy35]

Originally posted by MiloMorai
Be careful with Nowarra books.

I confess, thats a bit of a notalgic choice for me as the first two 'big' purchases when I started to build my WW2 aviation library way back when were both Harleyford Publications.  One was Nowarra's on the 109 and the other was the Bruce Robertson book on the Spit.  1963 an 1960 printing dates so they aren't the most up to date.

But both still are worth it and I'd consider the Robertson book on the Spit still top of the list, despite many others that have followed.

The Schiffer books are pricey but good.  I've got many of the group histories that have been published through Schiffer, including that mamoth work on JV44 as well as all the 38 Group histories such as the 8th FG and 475th.

It can get to be a real addiction adding to the home library

Dan/Slack

[MiloMorai]

I agree Dan, the Nowarra and Green where some of my early books. They were 'pricey' for there day. Still lots of good, lets say,  'stuff' in them, but should be double checked.

[Karnak]

Thanks for the replies.  I'll get some of these as money allows.

Batz,

I am looking for technical data.  Pilot accounts are good too, but right now I am focused on tech data.

[Vermillion]

Karnak,

As mentioned the single best book for the planes listed would be America's Hundred Thousand (AHT).

Yefim Gordon's books, whether the compliation on Soviet Fighters, or the seperate books on Yak's or La's are both quite good.

Japanese technical books are hard to find,  but I agree that Francillons book is the best single source.  However, he too has some errors in his data.