Gunner: An Illustrated History of World War II Aircraft Turrets and Gun Positions

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Summary: Great book for WWII warplane enthusiasts
Review: I have to agree with the previous reviewer - the quality of the photographs of gun stations and aircraft interiors (in modern day color!) is rare and truly gives the reader a different perspective. While not presenting exhaustive histories of the different airplanes featured - it is more a "coffee table" book than a technical reference - they authors have presented an enjoyable overview of the history, characteristics of the planes, fleshed out with personal anecdotes of the gunners who served. Many rare archival documents and photographs are also featured. A good companion volume to "Cockpit" (which I also own)

Rating:
Summary: Close up !
Review: When I went through this book the first time I immediatly noticed a difference with other books of this genre. The amazing quality of the pictures in this book is stunning. Close up fotography is something special and the authors of this book have braught this up to a new level. They took pictures of planes that I've seen in real life as well and these pictures took me back to that moment. The anekdotes of World War 2 veterans make this book even more worthwile and in combination with a similar book (Cockpit) by the same authors this book is a must for airplane and World War 2 enthousiasts. Now you can try to imagine what it was like being a gunner on one of these airplanes, having only a few seconds or less to shoot down your enemy. I hope that there will be more books like these to follow because the quality is rare...