Report of Joint Fighter Conference: NAS Patuxent River, MD, 16-23 Oct. 1944

A must for the World War II fighter buff, this book is a fascinating look into the minds of U.S. and British engineers, company and NACA test pilots, and Army and Navy/Marine Corps combat pilots, and presents their late 1944 views of then-current and possible future fighter aircraft. This report is an official verbatim transcript of the proceedings of a Joint Fighter Conference held at the U.S. Navy’s Patuxent River test center for eight days in October 1944, and includes frank discussion on the operational and technical capabilities of the P-39, P-47, P-51, P-38, Corsair, Hellcat, P-61, YP-59, Mosquito, Spitfire, and other Allied aircraft, as well as the Japanese Zero. Participants include: Charles Lindbergh, Lloyd Child, Allen Chilton, Lt. Peter Twiss, Maj. Thomas Lanphier, Jack Woolams, Boone Guyton and scores of others. This conference is believed to be the last of several conducted in wartime in an effort to promote cross-talk between manufacturers, military servicearms, and Allies, in order to obtain the best possible fighter aircraft.