On Target Special: The Battle of Britain Camouflage & Markings 1940
By Matt Bittner
Authors: Peter Scott and Gary Madgwick
Publisher: The Aviation Workshop Publications Ltd
ISBN: 978-1-904643-36-1
Binding: Softcover
Pages: 168
The latest On Target Special from The Aviation Workshop is this book on the Battle of Britain. In it you'll find everything you need to know about camouflage of aircraft that flew not only during the Battle of Britain, but also the time leading up to it.
The book is divided into "time frames":
- Overview to the Battle of Britain
- The Phoney War
- Blitzkrieg! The Invasion of France and the Low Countries
- Battle of Britain Phase 1: The Channel Battles
- Battle of Britain Phase 2: Adlerangriff the initial assaults against the airfields
- Battle of Britain Phase 3: Fight for survival
- Battle of Britain Phase 4: The change of tactics
- Battle of Britain Phase 5: Night Blitz
- The Regia Aeronautica in the Battle of Britain
- Bomber Command and Coastal Command in the Battle of Britain
- The Fleet Air Arm in the Battle of Britain
- Britain Alone
Each section starts off with a brief, historical summary of that "time frame". Following that will be what this book is all about - camouflage. Each section outlines how the colors and markings changed during each time frame.
There are numerous color profiles, exactly what you expect in a book on aircraft camouflage. Each type that ever flew and/or fought during The Battle of Britain has a profile associated with it. While the majority of these profiles are just one fuselage side, there are a few that show all aspects of the aircraft. In addition there are overhead shots showing how the "typical" schemes looked like. Excellent. The last page also has color "chips" on it. Since these are reproduced via printing, I wouldn't consider them "the source" for what the colors look like, instead treating them as a "good start".
I have only two complaints. First is very minor. I personally would have liked to seen city names on the only map of the UK in the book. That map shows group boundaries, sector stations and and fighter command aerodromes. For those without a command knowledge of where the cities of the UK are in relation, it would have been nice to include.
My second complaint is a little more substantial. There are numerous references to "other pages" within the text. For example, on page 106 the text talks about the colors for RAF Bomber Command Night bombers, and how the upper surfaces were to be finished in the 'A' and 'B' schemes. It then points you to color profiles on how those schemes looked on various aircraft - including bombers - on pages 18 and 19. However, those color profiles are actually on pages 20 and 21. Sure, it's not a huge problem in the scheme of things, but when the entire book is this way, it can get annoying.
Conclusion
Even with those two annoyances I can whole-heartedly recommend this book. As a reference on camouflage of aircraft - all aircraft, regardless of nationality - during The Battle of Britain it's a mandatory reference. Excellent book, all 'round.
My thanks to The Aviation Workshop for sending the book to review.