Military Model Scene

B-25J Mitchell in Combat over Pacific and CBI...

...new from Kagero, via Casemate Books

Title:  B-25J Mitchell in Combat over Pacific and CBI

Author: Marek Katarzynski

Publisher:  Kagero

ISBN:  978-83-65437-51-8

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A new paperback format book from Kagero covering the use of the B-25J Mitchell in service over the Pacific as well as CBI (China, Burma, India).  The final production variant of the Mitchell, a high proportion of the aircraft feature the solid nose rather than the glazed nose which is usually associated with this medium bomber.  These are included, just that there are a lot of the heavily armed, solid nose variants seen here.  With no less than 8x .50 cal machine guns fixed in the nose, this really gave us the match for the term 'gunship'

The text throughout (including the image captions) is provided in dual language throughout, both English and Polish.  It opens with background information.  Used by 4 different US Army Air Forces in the theatre as well as the Australian RAAF they were widely used.  Then it goes on to provide more information on each individual unit which operated the type and includes notes on the colours and markings associated with each one. These are all mixed in with a large number of archive photos which illustrate them all, and each with captions that provide yet more information.

This will be of great interest to the aviation historian while it is particularly a bit of a treasure trove for the modeller.  The photos provide lots of useful detail references and equally provide inspiration for potential diorama settings.  Also included within the book, tucked inside is a sheet of masks for painting US national markings rather than use waterslide transfers.  Then the last 21 pages of the book provide the best modellers bonus I think, a section with archive colour photos of some of the aircraft plus some pages of artwork showing detailed nose art, unit markings, and aircraft profiles.  A couple of pages even show recent pictures (2014) of a downed Mitchell now resting amidst the jungle growth that now surrounds it on Ceram (Moluki) Island in the Pacific.  It crashed apparently as it failed to clear the mountain on which it now rests.

All in all an excellent book for modellers in particular and Kagero have produced another interesting title in their SMI Library series.

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Distributed by Casemate Books, who kindly provided my review copy.

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Robin