Osprey Publishing

US Destroyers 1942-45 - Wartime Classes New Vanguard 165

by  Dave McComb

Reviewed By  Jeff Faucett, IMPS# 43031

MSRP: $17.95 ISBN: 978-1-84603-444-2 Website: www.ospreypublishing.com The book is of typical Osprey 7-1/4" x 9-3/4" format with a gloss soft cover and 48 pages. This volume covers the three classes of destroyers entering service during World War II, primarily the Fletcher Class. Summaries of each primary action the destroyers participated in constitute the bulk of the text. Various charts also provide information pertaining to the ships assigned to each destroyer squadron, dimensions and specifications, typical armament, and armament variations. As with most Osprey offerings, the most valuable parts of this publication (from a modeling standpoint) are the drawings, photographs, and illustrations. Nice color drawings of each class in various camouflages are contained with this volume, as well as a color cutaway showing typical destroyer layout. And best of all, several black and white photographs of destroyers during construction, seas trials, and in action are spread throughout the book. With the recent release of several wartime destroyer kits, this publication comes at great time and provides a fine reference for construction of any one of these kits. If you're going to build a Fletcher, Gearing or Sumner class destroyer, you should definitely take a look at this book. Thank you to Osprey Publishing for providing the review sample.