This is a study of aircraft from World War II. The book is part of a 12-volume series, which covers the production and operation of aircraft worldwide. Each volume is devoted to essays on aircraft types, their development and option, systems and equipment. As well as outlining developments, each article seeks to explain why progress was in a particular direction, emphasizing the political, strategic or economic factors that dictated that development. Moving from the general to the specific, graphs and tabular data relating to typical or significant aircraft or allied subjects are provided in each section. The series concentrates on the development of aircraft from the viewpoint of their technical development, the effect of technical development on the use of aircraft, and the effect of their usage on technical development. Contributors to this title include: E.R. Hooton, Derek Wood, Alfred Price, M.J.F. Bowyer, Group Captain Peter Hearn, Norman Friedman, Elfan Ap Rees, Les Coombes, Andrew Nahum, Captain Eric Brown and John Golley.