Classic Warbirds #7

Ventura Publications

Malcolm Laird editor

reviewed by Steve Jantscher

Classic Warbirds are a series of soft cover books specializing in Australian and New Zealand subjects, but not limited to those areas. Each issue is approximately 64 pages long, in a 7x9.5 inch format, with many black and white photographs and line drawings, and some superb color profiles. The layout and photograph reproduction is first class, making these volumes very good value for the money. The articles are well written, including voluminous picture captions.

In issue number seven the articles are again varied, but of uniformly excellent quality. The first two chapters tell the stories of two different pilots, both New Zealanders, Squadron Leader Jeff West, (who tells of Douglas Bader's last mission), and Wing Commander Warren Schrader, both Spitfire pilots, with many never before seen photographs. These stories are quite refreshing. After that is a gallery of some seven photographs of Spitfires in USAAF service. These are new photos brought to hand as a result of the first two Ventura Classic Warbird issues, dedicated to American Spitfire Camouflage and Markings. Following that are fifteen heavily annotated photographs of Japanese aircraft in end of the war "surrender" paint schemes. Once again this is a nice article with great photographs. Finally the last two articles cover two aircraft in Australian service, the Boomerang and the B-24. Included are eighty nine black and white and some seven color close-ups of a modern Boomerang reconstruction, and six pages of color profiles.

Over all, this is a fine example of the Class Warbirds magazine series, and will appeal to anyone whose interests fall on the subject matter presented.