NEWS
New and Available for Preorder
This upcoming release explores the Civil Air Patrol’s coastal patrol operations during the early months of World War II. Formed in December 1941, the organization relied on civilian volunteers who flew their own aircraft along the Eastern Seaboard in search of German U‑boats. As the mission expanded, many of these privately owned planes were adapted to carry armaments, becoming a key part of America’s early coastal defense.
The book documents each unit involved in the wartime coastal patrol — their bases, capabilities, volunteer strength, and notable actions — along with every known aircraft loaned to the effort, its owner, and its operational role. The result is a detailed account of the civilian aviators who stepped forward and took on dangerous missions in service to the nation.
It’s set to arrive on June 22nd, but readers can secure a copy today.
Shooting Stars on the shelf!
More than 23 years in preparation, at last here is a comprehensive and authoritative account of these legendary first-generation jet combat aircraft that describes their extensive, lengthy but obscure service in Latin America. Extensively illustrated and with detail to item level use, this long-awaited monograph from the highly respected AE stable will prove both entertaining and highly informative to both students of the subject and "T-Bird" enthusiasts everywhere.
We’re very pleased to finally have this handsome volume available for purchase.
Price: NOK 400 /Approx. USD: ~$42 (International orders do not include local VAT, custom duties and/or taxes in your country.) Last Flight of the North American A-27
Back in 2009, when Specialty Press published NORTH AMERICAN'S T-6: a Definitive History of the World's Most Famous Trainer I made a concerted effort to try to track down information on the 10 elusive Siamese North American NA-69's which were seized in the Philippines while enroute to Siam and which, after some confusion, became A-27's in U.S. Army Air Corps service there, having never served a day anywhere else.
These were amongst the most potent of the NA-16 series, with a larger engine, three-blade prop, four 7.7mm guns (two over the nose and one in each wing) and ordnance capability. They were, in effect, fast, armed reconnaissance and light attack aircraft.
The Philippine Air Depot reportedly overhauled the 10 aircraft and re-armed them with standard USAAC .30 caliber guns and A-3 bomb racks.
While conducting research in the records of the USAF Historical Research Agency on an entirely unrelated subject, I came across a post-war, day-by-day reconciliation of Far East Air Force aircraft activity on Reel K1004 that was pieced together from a combination of surviving records and interviews with surviving airmen.
To my surprise, there were two previously unknown A-27 sorties that I had not documented in the book cited above, and in the interests of due diligence, I would like to add them to the record, if I may.
On 26 December 1941, an A-27 flew an armed reconnaissance mission from Nielson Field but crashed on return to base, although it is not clear if this was as the result of battle damage or not. The fate of the crew was not mentioned.
Then, to my surprise, the last known A-27 was flown on the night of 17 January 1942, when one flew from Bataan to Del Monte Field where it also crashed on landing, possibly due to a total blackout of the field. Again, the fate of the crew was not mentioned.
The photo at left is one of the aircraft in the PI not previously published, marked as "153" over "4M0". This serial is curious, as it does not bear any resemblance to the serials issued by Wright Field for the 10 A-27's (41-18890 to 41-18899) or the NAA manufacturers serial numbers and thus must be regarded as a local Field Number assigned by the operating unit, probably the 2nd Observation Squadron of the 4th Composite Group.