(Fokker) Hawker Hunter Koninklijke
Luchtmacht/Royal Netherlands Air Force English
Authors:
Tim van Kampen, Gerard Boxem, Luuk Boerman
Publisher: Dutch Profile
ISBN: 978-94-90092-26-9
Year 2018/2022, reprint
39 pages
Price around 18,00 euro.
A reprint of the previously published Dutch Profile
from 2016. Unfortunately, I do not know the first edition and therefore cannot
compare, but undoubtedly this reprint will have extra, new photos and moreover
it offers the possibility to come into possession of this Dutch Profile so many
years later.
My memory from my childhood about the Hunter is that my father took me to an
airport, probably Soesterberg AFB, we lived in Apeldoorn at the time. I was
only a toddler 6-7 years old and did not see much so was hoisted on his
shoulders by my father and saw a Hunter (he told me) landing and heard a very
loud bang! It turned out that the Hunter
had a flat tire. The pilot stayed in control of the aircraft. The next time I
saw a Hunter fly was years later while visiting the Royal Navy's Yeovilton Air
Base.
This Dutch Profile talks about the Hunters of the KLu
versions F.MK.4 and 6. Again like all others this version also consists of a
Dutch and English part where the photos continue throughout the book.
All squadrons with the Hunter, 322, 323, 324, 325, 326 and 327 are covered and
are briefly described, with fun facts and supported by photos. The Darling demo
team of 325 is also covered. The personal experiences of different Hunter
pilots give an extra dimension to the publication and of course the New Guinea
period is discussed. Luuk Boerman is again responsible for the color profiles.
At the end a complete list of all hunters and where they ended up. Interesting
to read that we could find them in India, Qatar, Jordan, Chile, Iraq, Kuwait,
and Oman.
This Dutch Profile certainly belongs in a collection
of publications about the Royal Netherlands Air Force, many interesting photos,
profiles, and the complete list of all Hunters. The history of the Hunter
within the KLu is sufficiently portrayed by the authors in the limitation they
have.
I also estimate that with the increasing availability of material, there will
still be a reissue within a number of years, a complete overview including the
trainer.
To be clear, the 2018 reprint and the 2022 reprint are identical with the
latter having a slightly different cover color.
Thanks to Dutch Profile for making this review copy
available.