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SPAD VII C.1
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 | Tomasz Gronczewski and Seweryn M. Fleischer
Aviatik Productions, 166 pages, softback, ISBN 83-89532-03-4
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 | Reviewed by Colin Huston in Vol 35 No 3, Autumn 2004
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Available from many aviation book dealers, UK prices vary from £13-£18.
This is an extremely comprehensive (bi-lingual) history of one specific fighting aircraft, from its design in 1916, service development with the Allied Nations throughout WWI, then later action through civil wars worldwide, to its eventual relegation as a trainer in countries like Estonia and Brazil as late as 1928/29.
The author and publisher have to be congratulated, not only for the time and vast research involved in preparing so much detail for print (and in a foreign language) to satisfy both modellers and historians, but for encompassing the cooperation of experts from many other countries to ensure this historical accuracy – all prior to publication. Tomasz Gronczewski’s 14 pages of meticulously detailed scale drawings showing manufacturers developments and modifications, plus his 36 individual colour markings are a pure labour of love, and the book is liberally illustrated with 132 well chosen photographs. To apply the word ‘definitive’ to any monograph can be dangerous, but in this case the authors have had the foresight to create an ongoing online errata, helping to ensure that corrections to editorial and factual errors are being made available.
A perfect example of how aircraft research should be presented, this Aviatik publication is a really must have, as well as a delight to study.
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