By Tommy H. Thomason

Monday, December 18, 2023

Naval Fighters Number 116: Boeing F4B and Export Variants by CAPT Richard Dann

There aren't too many meticulously researched, in-depth books about U.S. Navy airplanes that served before World War II. Dana Bell's Painting the Fleet is one. Steve Ginter has published some in his Naval Fighters Series, including Richard Dann's excellent monograph on the Grumman F2F/F3F,  reviewed by Barrett Tillman on Amazon:

 Steve Ginter's "Naval Fighters" series has long been one of the industry standards, maintaining a consistently high quality of research, writing, and illustrations. That's certainly true of Richard Dann's latest contribution, detailing Grumman's prewar biplane fighters, the F2F and F3F predecessor of the F4F Wildcat.

If anybody wants more information on the F2F and F3F, he should call Tom Cruise because it appears to be Mission Impossible. Aside from the authoritative text covering both designs, Dann includes a micro view of the air frames by Bureau of Aeronautic's number, tracing the service history and usually ultimate fate of each. "Rivet counters" will appreciate the close-up photos, factory drawings, and descriptions of construction and modifications.

Aside from fleet coverage, the book addresses the biplane fighters' movie appearances and civilian use. And warbird enthusiasts will welcome a single-source reference of the examples preserved in museums across the country.

Dann's latest one for Steve is the equal of his F2F/F3F book: