RAF FE2b At War
By Chris Banyai-Riepl
Windsock Datafile #147
Author: Paul R. Hare
Publisher: Albatros Publications
ISBN: 978-1-906798-15-4
Binding: Softcover
Pages: 40
Interest in the RAF FE2b has experienced a recent surge due to the construction of two flying replicas in New Zealand and the nicely restored night bomber at the RAF Museum. This interest in full-sized examples has led to an expansion of available historical documents, which has led Albatros Publications to revisit the subject. Given that the first Datafile on the FE2b came out in 1989, that's quite a few years of new research, and this new At War title takes advantage of all that to create a very thorough examination of the type.
In the interests of full disclosure, I have to say that I have never been a big fan of the pusher aircraft. I don't know why, but aesthetically I have always preferred those planes with complete fuselages and the propeller up front. However, having read through this book, I think I need to reassess that bias, as the story of the FE2b is quite fascinating. The more I read about the aircraft, the more the plane grew on me, and now, that staggered cockpit, high tailplane, and rounded wingtips has become more and more attractive.
The text, if not already apparent, is excellent and provides a great balance between development and operational history. The latter particularly interested me, as reading about the FE2b in action really drove home how quickly things changed during the war. Initially a successful counter to the Fokker Scourge in 1916, the FE2b soon was outclassed by more modern designs. One historical point of the FE2b that I did not know was that the plane was the mount of Richthofen's first confirmed combat victory. Flown by 2nd Lt. LB Morris and Lt. T Rees, 7018 of 11 Squadron was shot down on September 17, 1916, starting the career of undoubtedly the most famous WWI pilot.
In addition to the written text, this book compiles an impressive collection of photographs, both in color and in black and white. The color photos are detail photos of the restored and replica aircraft, which will be of immense use to the modeler, while the period photos help illustrate the markings worn by the FE2b. Further accenting that are the color profile illustrations, which cover seven different aircraft. As usual, the center section includes nicely detailed drawings in 1/72, 1/48, and 1/32 scales.
For those caught up in the new interest in the RAF FE2b, this new Datafile will be an excellent addition to the reference library. My thanks to Albatros Publications for the review copy.