Osprey Publishing wraps up its two-volume history of the PBY in World War with Louis Dorny's take on Catalina ops in the Pacific, #62 in their 'Combat Aircraft' series.
Consolidated's lumbering patrol bomber saw just as much action if not moreso in the PTO than their ETO counterparts. The Catalina was THE main patrol aircraft during WWII as well as the primary air-sea-rescue bird. It notched up many historic milestones in the Pacific including first USN aircraft to engage Japanese air units, first aircraft to fire on Japanese forces, first USN aircraft to down a Zero, discoverer of the Japanese fleet at Midway, etc. Whether flying in the god-awful Aleutians or over the trackless Pacific Ocean the PBY was a major player.
Given the broad canvas he has to cover, Dorny does a fairly good job of covering the action. He includes a great deal of information on squadron movements, etc. and, to be honest, I would have preferred a few more combat reports and less on adminstrative matters.
The PBY's story is illustrated with 100 black & white photographs and 11 pages of color profiles.
An interesting look at a rarely chronicled warbird!