Aces, Warriors and Wingmen

Aces, Warriors and Wingmen
Author: Wayne Ralph
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 289
Release: 2008-09-11
Genre: History
ISBN: 047015814X

A celebration and a tribute to the warriors of the air who as young men served their country with unselfish devotion. Hear their words. Join these young Canadians in combat. AN EXCERPT FROM THE ACCOUNT OF GROUP CAPTAIN RAYNE SCHULTZ, 410 SQUADRON. It was heading home very fast, a Junkers 188, in thin cloud, well out over the North Sea. We hit it badly, and it was flaming, two-three hundred yards [of] flames streaming behind... my navigator, being a serious-minded individual said, "Let's get in closer and take a good look at it, as it is a different type of aircraft and I can report on it when we get down." So I closed in, which was the stupidest thing I ever did.... The mid-upper gunner was not dead; he was sitting inside of the flames. The next thing I saw the gun traversing down toward us. I broke as fast as I could, but he put forty to forty-four 13mm cannon shells into us. I had pistons blown out of one engine and the constant speed unit blown out in the other. We were going to bail out! We jettisoned the door and the navigator was halfway out when the chap came back from the Ground Control Intercept (GCI) and said, "There is a Force 9 to 10 sea and we will never be able [to rescue] you." So we brought that aircraft back to Bradwell Bay and I can tell you it near flew again. My navigator was wounded, bleeding from the face. I could see the engines running red hot, one was actually running on molten metal... the whole thing glowing inside. The air bottles were shot away and I had no brakes for landing. The Mosquito was in ribbons.

Race of Aces

Race of Aces
Author: John R Bruning
Publisher: Hachette Books
Total Pages: 534
Release: 2020-01-14
Genre: History
ISBN: 0316508640

The astonishing untold story of the WWII airmen who risked it all in the deadly race to become the greatest American fighter pilot. In 1942, America's deadliest fighter pilot, or "ace of aces" -- the legendary Eddie Rickenbacker -- offered a bottle of bourbon to the first U.S. fighter pilot to break his record of twenty-six enemy planes shot down. Seizing on the challenge to motivate his men, General George Kenney promoted what they would come to call the "race of aces" as a way of boosting the spirits of his war-weary command. What developed was a wild three-year sprint for fame and glory, and the chance to be called America's greatest fighter pilot. The story has never been told until now. Based on new research and full of revelations, John Bruning's brilliant, original book tells the story of how five American pilots contended for personal glory in the Pacific while leading Kenney's resurgent air force against the most formidable enemy America ever faced. The pilots -- Richard Bong, Tommy McGuire, Neel Kearby, Charles MacDonald and Gerald Johnson -- riveted the nation as they contended for Rickenbacker's crown. As their scores mounted, they transformed themselves from farm boys and aspiring dentists into artists of the modern dogfight. But as the race reached its climax, some of the pilots began to see how the spotlight warped their sense of duty. They emerged as leaders, beloved by their men as they chose selfless devotion over national accolades. Teeming with action all across the vast Pacific theater, Race of Aces is a fascinating exploration of the boundary between honorable duty, personal glory, and the complex landscape of the human heart. "Brings you into the cockpit of the lethal, fast-paced world of fighter pilots . . . Fascinating." -- Sara Vladic"Extraordinary . . . a must-read." -- US Navy Captain Dan Pedersen"A heart-pounding narrative of the courage, sacrifice, and tragedy of America's elite fighter pilots." -- James M. Scott"Vivid and gripping . . . Confirms Bruning's status as the premier war historian of the air." -- Saul David

Wingmen

Wingmen
Author: Ensan Case
Publisher: Lethe Press
Total Pages: 382
Release: 2014-07
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1590215745

First published in 1979 by Avon books, this World War II novel, with overtones of From Here to Eternity, was a precursor to the gay romance genre. Jack Hardigan's Hellcat fighter squadron blew the Japanese Zekes out of the blazing Pacific skies. But a more subtle kind of hell was brewing in his feelings for rookie pilot Fred Trusteau. While a beautiful widow pursues Jack, and another pilot becomes suspicious of Jack and Fred's close friendship, the two heroes cut a fiery swath through the skies from Wake Island to Tarawa to Truk, there to keep a fateful rendezvous with love and death in the blood-clouded waters of the Pacific.

Spitfire Wingman from Tennessee

Spitfire Wingman from Tennessee
Author: James Haun
Publisher: Col. James R. Haun
Total Pages: 647
Release: 2011-03-16
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 0979000246

E-Book Edition of SPITFIRE WINGMAN FROM TENNESSEE, which is the autobiography of a self-taught aviator who flew virtually every military aircraft (except jets) during the years 1939 to 1960. Col. Jim Haun, 1911-2001, with unusual honesty and wit, allows a "back door glimpse" into the USAF at the highest levels of command, including the Presidential Air Fleet in Washington, D.C. He flew fighters in WWII, transports in India, the Berlin Airlift, Japan and the Far East - eventually becoming Chief Pilot of the Military Air Transport Service. After retirement he built a stunt biplance in his garage and wowed audiences with "death-defying" performances. Col. Haun concurrently taught hundreds to fly, many later becoming airline captains and one, even became an instructor in the supersonic Blackbird.

Aces & Wingmen

Aces & Wingmen
Author: Danny Morris
Publisher: Neville Spearman (Jersey) Limited
Total Pages: 498
Release: 1975
Genre: History
ISBN:

Aces Against Japan II

Aces Against Japan II
Author: Eric Hammel
Publisher: Daniel Hammel
Total Pages: 313
Release: 2020-12-05
Genre: History
ISBN:

ACES AGAINST JAPAN II The American Aces Speak Eric Hammel Leading combat historian Eric Hammel comes through again with an engrossing new collection of thirty-eight first-person accounts by American World War II fighter aces. Coupled with a clear overview of America’s far-flung air war against Japan and a clear appreciation of the burgeoning industrial might backing the American war effort, Hammel’s detailed interviews bring forth the most thrilling in-the-cockpit experiences that World War II’s fabled Army, Navy, Marine, and Flying Tiger aces have chosen to tell. Ride with 2d Lieutenant Jack Donalson as he downs three Zeros over Luzon on the second desperate day of World War II in the Philippines. Share three lonely air battles over Burma and China with Flying Tiger aces RT Smith, Dick Rossi, and Joe Rosbert. Hear the cry of victory as 2d Lieutenant Don McGee survives yet another encounter with Zeros over embattled Port Moresby, New Guinea, in his substandard P-39 Airacobra. Feel your heart beat with anxiety as an injured Ensign Ed Wendorf races against time to land his damaged Hellcat aboard the USS Lexington before he bleeds to death. And thrill to the hunt as Pearl Harbor veteran 1st Lieutenant Frank Holmes seeks personal revenge against Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto on one of history’s most important and most thrilling fighter missions. The American Aces Speak series is a highly charged five-volume excursion into life and death in the air, told by men who excelled and triumphed in aerial combat and lived to tell about it. In sum, it is an emotional rendering of what brave airmen felt and how they fought in the now-dim days of America’s living national history. These are America’s eagles, and the stories are their own, in their very own words. Critical Acclaim for The American Aces Speak Series The Book World says: “Aces Against Japan is a thunderous, personal, high-adventure book giving our ‘men in the sky’ their own voice” Book Page says: “Eric Hammel’s book is recommended reading. It is a must for any historian’s bookshelf.” The Library Journal says: “No PR hype or dry-as-dust prose here. Hammel allows his flyers to tell their stories in their own way.Exciting stuff aviation and World War II buffs will love.” The Friday Review of Defense Literature says: “Aces Against Japan is replete with individual heroism and personal feats that almost defy comprehension.A thoroughly enjoyable foray into the cockpits of World War II fighter pilots.” The Providence Sunday Journal says: “A treat that deftly blends a chronology of the Pacific War with tales that would rival a Saturday action matinee.” Infantry Magazine says: “If you would like to read one book that will give you a broad overview and yet a detailed look at what a fighter pilot’s air war was likethis is the book.” The Bookshelf says: “Hammel is one of our best military historians when it comes to presenting that often complex subject to the general public. He has demonstrated this facility in a number of fine books before [Aces Against Germany] and now he does so again. Not to be missed by either buff or scholar.”

Fighters

Fighters
Author: Edwards Park
Publisher: Legacy Words
Total Pages: 234
Release: 1990
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780934738651

Traces the history of American, British, French, German, Japanese, and Soviet fighter planes and their pilots from World War I to the present.

A6M Zero-sen Aces 1940-42

A6M Zero-sen Aces 1940-42
Author: Nicholas Millman
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 97
Release: 2019-04-18
Genre: History
ISBN: 1472821459

The Mitsubishi A6M Zero-sen was Japan's Spitfire. In continuous development and operational service from the time of the Sino-Japanese war in 1940 to the end of the Pacific War in 1945, it is held in almost mythical awe, similar to Britain's legendary fighter aircraft. At the time of its operational debut the fighter's design features offered the revolutionary combination of an all-round vision canopy, cannon armament and a jettisonable drop tank giving it phenomenal range. Together with the flying and tactical proficiency of superbly trained pilots, this made the Zero-sen a true strategic fighter, spearheading Japan's offensive in the Pacific. It was also the mount of a plethora of successful and flamboyant naval aces engaged in both sea and land campaigns. This volume covers the use of the A6M2 variant from its debut in China to the Solomons Campaign, and also tells the story of the A6M2 fighter aces of the 4th and Tainan Kokutai.

The German Aces Speak

The German Aces Speak
Author: Colin D. Heaton
Publisher: Zenith Press
Total Pages: 375
Release: 2011-11-15
Genre: History
ISBN: 1610597486

DIVDIVFor the first time, four German WWII pilots share their side of the story./divDIV/divDIVFew perspectives epitomize the sheer drama and sacrifice of combat more perfectly than those of the fighter pilots of World War II. As romanticized as any soldier in history, the WWII fighter pilot was viewed as larger than life: a dashing soul waging war amongst the clouds. In the sixty-five-plus years since the Allied victory, stories of these pilots’ heroics have never been in short supply. But what about their adversaries—the highly skilled German aviators who pushed the Allies to the very brink of defeat?/divDIV/divDIVOf all of the Luftwaffe’s fighter aces, the stories of Walter Krupinski, Adolf Galland, Eduard Neumann, and Wolfgang Falck shine particularly bright. In The German Aces Speak, for the first time in any book, these four prominent and influential Luftwaffe fighter pilots reminisce candidly about their service in World War II. Personally interviewed by author and military historian Colin Heaton, they bring the past to life as they tell their stories about the war, their battles, their lives, and, perhaps most importantly, how they felt about serving under the Nazi leadership of Hermann Göring and Adolf Hitler. From thrilling air battles to conflicts on the ground with their own commanders, the aces’ memories disclose a side of World War II that has gone largely unseen by the American public: the experience of the German pilot./div/div

The Wingman Adventures Volume Two

The Wingman Adventures Volume Two
Author: Mack Maloney
Publisher: Open Road Media
Total Pages: 1730
Release: 2018-10-23
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1504056582

Hawk Hunter is America’s best hope—in the bestselling military adventure series by “the best high-action thriller writer out there today, bar none” (Jon Land). With nearly a quarter million copies sold, this high-octane series features Hawk Hunter, a fearless fighter pilot who saves the not-so-distant-future United States from the brink of all-out anarchy. Thunder in the East: The Soviet sneak attack crippled America, breaking the US into warring factions ruled by dictators, thugs, and thieves. In the western territories, democracy has survived—thanks to Maj. Hawk Hunter, the greatest fighter pilot of his time, and the Pacific American Air Corps. After narrowly stopping a Soviet ground invasion, Hunter vows to restore his beloved country—and he will begin by reclaiming Football City, formerly known as St. Louis, until it was captured by a criminal army from New Chicago. Only Hunter can break through its walls and lead his army onward to reclaim Washington, DC. The Twisted Cross: A new threat has emerged from the south. An army of neo-Nazis has seized control of the Panama Canal, and they’re armed to the teeth. Their hateful ideology may be decades out of date, but these jackbooted killers have firepower that is state-of-the-art. They’re going to need it . . . because the Wingman is coming. The Final Storm: The Soviet Union had nearly been defeated when the vice president of the United States revealed himself as a traitor. He deactivated the defense grid just long enough for the Russians to strike, reducing America to a battle-scarred wasteland. Fighter pilot Hawk Hunter rebuilt the country one dogfight at a time. Now he’s headed for the vice president’s compound in Bermuda, backed by a team of commandos, to bring America’s greatest traitor to justice, dead or alive. Freedom Express: After fighting off the Red Army invasion, Maj. Hawk Hunter and what remained of the country’s armed forces spent years rebuilding their nation. Only one territory was left deserted: the Southwest, now known as the Badlands. To reestablish the overland route between the eastern and western regions, a train of modern pioneers is sent across the desert. The train makes it safely, but when it arrives in Los Angeles, every passenger on board has vanished. To bring the fight to the bandits, Hunter trades in his F-16 for his own specially designed locomotive: a super-fortress on rails. The new Wild West is about to be tamed—Wingman-style.