Author Description

The history of interwar US Navy aircraft colors and markings is one of numerous aircraft types and frequently-changing identification colors and markings. However, it has been 35 years since a serious attempt to identify these changes has been made, and much of what was previously written is incomplete, inconsistent and inadequate. This was not due to poor scholarship but to a lack of access to the original source documents that tell the full story. Noted author and researcher Dana Bell has now taken the first step to correct that situation in his new book Rivet Counter Guide #2. In this book Bell concentrates on the often-ignored aircraft assigned to battleships and cruisers, presenting a fresh examination of the topic and many startling revelations. The 72-page monograph includes: – Full-color presentations of aircraft squadron insignia – Sixty color illustrations and 105 black-and-white and color photos. – Full-color artwork of representative aircraft by aviation artist Tom Tullis – A totally new explanation of Battle Fleet’s 1925-26 marking system – A new examination and explanation of experimental markings from 1925 thru 1930 – The first-ever review of the Navy’s odd 1927-28, 3-squadron, 3-aircraft-types assignment system. – A full explanation of the yellow-wing evolution of SOC Seagull markings – Histories of period battleship and cruiser divisions, include the fuselage codes for all assigned aircraft from 1925-41 While there are still some holes left to be filled in the information available, Bell's research presents the most comprehensive and colorful guide to this period to date. Anyone with an interest in interwar US Navy aircraft colors and markings - or just in very colorful aircraft - should get this book!