One of the Best Books on WWII Aviation Technology

[Edward]

I strongly believe that Exploding Fuel Tanks by Richard L. Dunn is one of the most important books written about aviation during World War II and wish to advocate for its inclusion in your personal library. It is certainly worth your time and money.

The book covers the development and application of self-sealing fuel tanks and armor plating for use in Allied and Axis aircraft during WWII. Why did some nations embrace these protective features from an early date while others were slow to adopt them? Japanese and American aircraft and combat in the Pacific theater are the focus of the book but protective features in British, German and Russian aircraft are also discussed.

Below is a recent review posted at amazon.com by renowned aviation historian Barrett Tillman.

Barrett Tillman
Original, innovative, authoritative
5 out of 5 stars - July 7, 2020
"Somehow I managed to miss "Exploding Fuel Tanks" for nine years. I'd seen the title mentioned and certainly knew of Rick Dunn's reputation, but what a revelation to see the book up close. Dunn takes an "everybody knows" type of subject (Our Airplanes were better protected than Their Airplanes), dips it in high-octane fuel, wrings it out, and sets it on the historical clothes line for examination while drying.

Dunn's mix of a "rivet counter" tekkie subject combines with rare information and professional-quality insight that yields illuminating analysis. And along the way, he teaches aviation students more than a few things--but mainly he demonstrates that history is both a process and a journey, sometimes best experienced on what seems a well traveled road."

You can see a preview of the book at the author's website as well as at Amazon.com. Note - I did contribute some photos and documents for the manuscript.

Exploding Fuel Tanks: The saga of technology that changed the course of the Pacific air war
(2001)
by Richard L. Dunn
190 pages w/ b&w and color photos and diagrams - paperback
$29.95

"Exploding Fuel Tanks tells the story of air war over the Pacific in World War Two from the perspective of aircraft vulnerability. The result is surprising history with many oft repeated but inaccurate characterizations of the combatants debunked. In addition to a story about technology this book sheds new light on combat operations and the actual losses (not just claims) each side suffered."

http://explodingfueltanks.com/

https://www.amazon.com/Exploding-Fue.../dp/1450773052

[edwest2]

Thank you for bringing this book back into the light. All sides examined their aircraft that were brought down for the purpose of adding or repositioning armor to help reduce further losses. How quickly this could be done varied. And there was always a trade-off between added weight and speed.


On the ground, knocked out American tanks were examined, in place, to record how they were knocked out or disabled. These 'lessons learned' were recorded to benefit existing and future tank crews, as well as tank designers.


Best,
Ed

[Larry deZeng]

The author and I were fairly close in the threads on j-aircraft.com from 2001 to 2012 or so, and there just aren't words to say enough about him - he's truly a splendid fellow and was even a member of TOCH for many years:

"Richard L. Dunn is an independent consultant and former Senior Fellow at the University of Maryland. He conducts research in national security operations and provides advice primarily in the analysis of laws, policies, and practices that impact the effective implementation of technology in the public and private sectors. His research includes a variety of acquisition issues ranging from private-public partnerships to "contractors on the battlefield." He is a member of the editorial advisory board of the Government Contractor magazine.

Mr. Dunn retired from Government after serving as the General Counsel of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. Previously he was with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, engaged in the private practice of law, and served on active duty as a Judge Advocate in the U.S.A.F. His awards include the Presidential rank of Meritorious Executive and The Secretary of Defense Meritorious Civilian Service Award.

Mr. Dunn received a B.A. degree (cum laude), University of New Hampshire; J.D. University of Maryland; and, LL.M. (Highest Honors), George Washington University.
Mr. Dunn has published an award winning law review article (Keeping Secrets in the Campus Lab: Law, Values and Rules of Engagement for Industry-University R&D Partnerships 39 Am. Bus. L.J. 182 [2002]) and also has been published in a referred journal of military history (Reconsidering the Attack on HMAS Australia, 2 The Journal of Australian Naval History 48 [2005]). His legal articles have appeared in the Air Force Law Review, the Government Contractor, Aerospace America and other publications. Many of his military history articles are available on the internet at websites such as j-aircraft.com and warbirdforum.com.

Recently Mr. Dunn has been an invited speaker at the Naval Postgraduate School's Annual Acquisition Research Symposium (2005-2009) and contributed to a National Academy of Science research study on network science, technology and experimentation (2007) and a number of Defense Science Board reports (2008-2011)."

[Quoted from: http://explodingfueltanks.com/]

Larry deZeng

[SteveR]

Yup, a great book by an extremely knowledgeable and gifted writer.