A Legends of Warfare guide to the most iconic military flying boat ever produced. The PBY Catalina, designed and produced by Consolidated Aircraft, whose production was supplemented by that of Boeing Canada, Canadian Vickers, and the Naval Aircraft Factory, was the most widely used flying boat of all time. Developed in the 1930s, the famed patrol bomber was used around the world by the United States and its allies-the Soviets even produced hundreds of duplicates. The versatile aircraft sank U-boats, located the dreaded Bismarck, and rescued scores of downed airmen and crews of sunken ships. This volume explores the development and use of the aircraft, as well as details of its construction. This volume is profusely illustrated with almost 300 photos, many of which are in vintage colour, augmented by line drawings. AUTHOR: David Doyle is the author of over 200 books, and his military vehicle books are noted for their thorough coverage of historic equipment and his celebrated ability to locate scarce vintage imagery. SELLING POINTS: . The PBY is the most prolific military floatplane ever, with more than 3,000 produced . Many PBYs survive today and can be experienced at museums or air shows . Illustrated with hundreds of photos augmented by detailed line drawings 300 colour and b/w photographs