Rescues, exciting missions and other stories about the famous Australian flying boats of the Second World War.

This is a personal history of the RAAF Catalina flying boats based in Cairns, Karumba, Darwin and Melville Bay during the Second World War, and the men who flew and maintained them.

The Catalina was the ugly duckling of combat aircraft, with a top speed less than that of a modern car. Yet it could carry enormous weights and remain in the air for up to 32 hours. From their bases on the far north coast, Australian Catalinas were able to carry out bombing raids and rescue missions as far away as the coast of China.

Details: Non-fiction, published 2002.

Format: Soft cover, illustrations (photographs), 320 pages.

Dimensions: 19.8 cm (h) x 12.9 cm (w) x 1.5 cm (d) / 230 grams.