Portrait of an Air Force The Royal New Zealand Air Force 1937 – 1987 by Geoff Bentley and Maurice Conly, Published by Grantham House, 1987. 1st Edition, Hardcover, Pgs 200, b&w + colour pictures throughout, Maps, appendices, bibliography, glossary, index (General, Squadrons, Aircraft).

Condition: Book is in good overall condition. Dust jacket has some edge creasing at top rear, faint signs of edge in a few other places including top right front corner. Boards good, show faint rubbing at base of spine and bottom corners. No markings 2inscriptions within, clean and tidy throughout.

This book was produced to celebrate 50 years of the Royal New Zealand Air Force. It is unique in that as well as many black and white photos it has been illustrated by artist Maurice Conly. The interpretive skills of Maurice Conly produce some near photo like paintings of the Royal New Zealand Air Force in action. The textual content is well researched and accurately records the founding development and activites of the Royal New Zealand Air Force in War and Peace time. Chapters include: The Years of Indiference, The Influence of Bettington and Salmond, Cochrane the Arcitect, Prewar Expansion under Saunders, A Call to arms, No. 75 Squadron in Europe, The RNZAF in South-East Asia 1941-42, The New Zealand Squadrons in the Royal Air Force, Preparations for a Pacific War, Action in the Pacific, Neutralisation of Rabaul, ‘Dumbo’, Final Stages of the Pacific Campaign, With the Occupation Forces in Japan, Germany and Malaya, Postwar Restructuring, A New No. 75 Squadron, No. 14 Squadron in Cyprus, A Decade of Change, Operations in Antarctica, The Malayan Emergency and Confrontation with Indonesia, The Morrison Touch, Service in Vietnam, Hail and Farewell, The Global Odysseys of No. 40 Squadron, A New Shape for the ATC, Updating the Orions and Skyhawks, With the Multi-National Force and Observers in the Sinai, Perspectives and Prospects