Description: Country by country, aircraft by aircraft, this magnificently huge and visually splendid encyclopedia presents all the planes that waged deadly battle in the skies during World War II. Through a combination of large-size contemporary color and original black-and-white photography of these major craft (both on the ground and flying high), the ever-changing strategies and course of the air war 1939-1946 emerges, accompanied by each plane's specifications, speed, size, history, and the clashes in which it participated. Some, like the Supermarine Spitfire and the P-51 Mustang, were among the most superb fighters of all time; others, woefully inadequate, endangered their pilots. As each side struggled to gain the advantage, these craft became more sophisticated, their technology constantly tested, improved upon, and refined yet again. The comprehensive and international coverage extends from the awe-inspiring Boeing B-29 Superfortress to the Japanese Yokosuda MXY-7, used to devastating effect in the infamous kamikaze suicide missions.

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