Warbird Restoration and Recovery Books

[Noha307]

In creating an Amazon wishlist of aviation history books, I've noticed two distinct categories of books start to appear. The first are those that profile the adventuristic search and recovery of warbirds around the world. These are often not focused on an individual aircraft, but an anthology of stories about multiple efforts which may or may not all be related. The other category is much easier to define: books that profile the restoration of a single airframe. So, once again, "I created a list because I got tired of keeping track of stuff"™:

Recoveries & Hunting

• Hoffen, Gavin. Restoration Force: Grass Roots Preservation of Civilian and Military Aircraft by Enthusiasts Worldwide. London: Grub Street, 2021.
• Hoffman, Carl. Hunting Warbirds: The Obsessive Quest for the Lost Aircraft of World War II. New York: Ballantine Books, 2001.
• Lyssenko, Taras C. The Great Navy Birds of Lake Michigan: The True Story of the Privateers of Lake Michigan and the Aircraft They Rescued. Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing, 2019.
• Martin, W. W. So I Bought an Air Force: The True Story of a Gritty Midwesterner in Somoza’s Nicaragua. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Two Harbors Press, 2013.
• Page, Gordon R. Warbird Recovery: The Hunt for a Rare WWII Plane in Siberia, Russia. New York: iUniverse, 2005.
• Soplata, Wally. The B-25 in the Backyard: My Father’s Historic Airplane Sanctuary. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, 2020.
• Veronico, Nick. Hidden Warbirds II: More Epic Stories of Finding, Recovering, and Rebuilding WWII’s Lost Aircraft. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Zenith Press, 2014.
• ———. Hidden Warbirds: The Epic Stories of Finding, Recovering, and Rebuilding WWII’s Lost Aircraft. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Zenith Press, 2013.
• Wiesman, Hans. The Dakota Hunter: In Search of the Legendary DC-3 on the Last Frontiers. Havertown, Pennsylvania: Casemate Publishers, 2015.
• Yagen, Gerald. Bravo Zulu: My Search to Save Classic Warbirds. Carmel, California: Silicon Valley Press, 2022.

Individual Restorations

• Bean, David J. The Restoration. First. Cypress, California: Ho Logos Press, 2002.
• Black, Guy. DH9: From Ruin to Restoration. London: Grub Street, 2019.
• Ellis, Guy. WK275: The Restoration and Preservation of the Last Supermarine Swift F4. London: Grub Street, 2017.
• McLaughlin, Jerome J. B-17 Flying Fortress Restoration: The Story of a WWII Bomber’s Return to Glory in Honor of the Veterans of the Mighty Eighth Air Force. Sonoita, Arizona: Dudley Court Press, 2016.
• Meikle, Nick. Malloch’s Spitfire: The Story and Restoration of PK350. Havertown: Casemate, 2014.
• Morris, David. The Time-Capsule Fighter: Corsair KD431. Second. Stroud: The History Press, 2019.
• Saunders, Andy. Spitfire Mark I P9374: The Remarkable Story of How a Unique Aircraft Returned to Flight. London: Grub Street Publishing, 2012.
• Saunders, Andy, and Roy Palmer. Sopwith Pup N6161 Reborn. London: Grub Street, 2015.
• Smith, Paul. Saving A Grasshopper. Trafford Publishing, 2013.
• Vacher, Peter. Hurricane R4118: The Extraordinary Story of the Discovery and Restoration of a Battle of Britain Survivor. Havertown: Grub Street Publishing, 2010.
• Wagner, Sharon Wells, and Steve Wagner. Forgotten Widow. Aperture Press, 2010.

Anyone have any more suggestions?

[Matt Gunsch]

Black 6: The Extraordinary Restoration of a Messerschmitt Bf 109
The Forgotten Bomber: The Story of the Restoration of the World's Only flying Blenheim
P-38 Lightning: Restoring a Classic American Warbird

[kalamazookid]

I highly recommend:

Spitfires and Polished Metal, by Graham Moss and Barry McKee
P-51 Mustang Restored, by Paul Coggan
Restoring Museum Aircraft, by Robert Mikesh

[Paul Stroud]

David Morris - Corsair KD431; Preserving the time capsule fighter revisited. (The History Press/FAA Museum ) 2019

*ignore, just saw it in the OP

[Xrayist]

So I Bought an Air Force by W.W. Martin

Sorry, saw this was already posted....

[Thomas_Mac]

I enjoyed Home is the Halifax
https://www.abebooks.com/9781906502775/ ... 502773/plp

[denys jones]

Recoveries and Hunting

Frozen In Time by Mitchell Zuckoff 2013 Harper

Individual restoration

Spitfire Return to Flight by Brendon Deere 2010 ITL Aviation
The Whole Nine Yards by John King 2002 Reed Publishing

[Lynn Allen]

The Last of the Wild Horses by Dick Phillips, a must have for P-51 intel...

[JDK]

On your 'Individual restorations', both the Vacher Hurricane book and Morris' Corsair book have two editions, significant updates of fact, if not major changes in content for both. Important to be aware of. See link below for details.

I have a shelf, more than 50 books, mostly consisting of what I've called 'Aircraft Biographies'. Histories (partial, or complete) of one surviving aircraft some including restorations, some definitely not ('Lady be Good' books). There's probably at least another couple of dozen individual Spitfire aircraft histories I've not bothered with so far.

Not included are listings books such as the various editions of Spitfire / Mosquito / Mustang Survivors, which I have elsewhere (I also have several other sets of books covering global listings by type or area or organisation) or organisation / collection books.

For my 'Aircraft Biographies' listing, link, then take the L/H dropdown menu to select that collection: https://www.librarything.com/catalog/VintageAeroWriter

Attachments

[JDK]

Black 6: The Extraordinary Restoration of a Messerschmitt Bf 109

Russ Snadden's book I would say is an essential in the field. Much missed, I think of his trenchant take often.

The Forgotten Bomber: The Story of the Restoration of the World's Only flying Blenheim

Another in two versions;
The Forgotten Bomber: The Story of the Restoration of the World's Only Airworthy Bristol Blenheim, 1991

Substantially revised:
Spirit of Britain First 1996.

P-38 Lightning: Restoring a Classic American Warbird

Enjoyed seeing a couple familiar forum members faces appear in this!

[Noha307]

One I came across recently: Rescuing Doc by Dave Franson

[old iron]

There was the wonderful "Famous Aircraft of the National Air and Space Museum" series, that was discontinued just as the SPAD XIII and Enola Gay restorations were being done, a decision that I will never understand:

1: Excalibur III (P-51C), Robert Mikesh, 1978.
2: Aeronca C2, Jay P. Spenser, 1978.
3: P-80 Shooting Star (prototype), E.T. Wooldridge, Jr., 1979.
4: Albatros D.Va, Robert Mikesh, 1980.
5: Bleriot XI, Tom D. Crouch, 1982.
6: Bellanca C.F., Jay P. Spenser, 1982.
7: de Havilland DH-4, Walter J. Boyne (then NASM Director), 1984.
8: Nakajima "Irving", Mikesh and Tagaya, 1985.

[bomberfan]

Chuck Cravens wrote a great book on the restoration of P-51D Sierra Sue II called Combat Vet P-51, The History of Sierra Sue II, WWII Survivor.

Dan Patterson also wrote a short book about the restoration of B-17G Shoo Shoo Baby.

[bomberfan]

Double post

[JohnB]

Dan Patterson also wrote a short book about the restoration of B-17G Shoo Shoo Baby.

Shoo Shoo Baby, A Lucky Lady of the Sky By Don Patterson and George Merva. Patterson Productions, 1988.
Interior photography make it a must have for anyone making one of the new detailed B-17 kits.

Mosquito Survivors by Stuart Howe.

Vought F7U-3 Cutlass by Tommy Thompson and Alfred Casby.
There is excellent information on Casby's ongoing restoration.

And of course Final Cut by Scott Thompson. B-17 survivor and restoration histories.

And while not a warbird, an important piece of Boeing history in a little known book...
The Model 40 The history of the Boeing Model 40 and the birth of Boeing airliners by Mike Labels and Addison Pemberton. Forward by William Boeing, Jr. Chester River Press, 2012.
How Pemberton and a corps of volunteers returned to the air an example of the first Boeing airliner which had crashed in 1929 and spent decades on an Oregon mountaintop.