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Unsung Eagles
The nearly half-million American aircrewmen who served during World War II have almost disappeared. And so have their stories. Award-winning writer and former fighter pilot Jay A. Stout uses Unsung Eagles to save an exciting collection of those accounts from oblivion. These are not rehashed tales from the hoary icons of the war. Rather, they are stories from the masses of largely unrecognized men who in the aggregate actually won it. They are the recollections of your Uncle Frank who shared them only after having enjoyed a beer or nine, and of your old girlfriend s grandfather who passed away about the same time she dumped you. And of the craggy guy who ran the town s salvage yard; a dusty, fly-specked B-24 model hung over the counter. These are everyman accounts that are important but fast disappearing. Ray Crandall describes how he was nearly knocked into the Pacific by a heavy cruiser s main battery during the Second Battle of the Philippine Sea. Jesse Barker a displaced dive-bomber pilot tells of dodging naval bombardments in the stinking mud of Guadalcanal. Bob Popeney relates how his friend and fellow A-20 pilot was blown out of formation by German antiaircraft fire: I could see the inside of the airplane and I could see Nordstrom's eyes. He looked confused and then immediately he flipped up and went tumbling down. The combat careers of 22 different pilots from all the services are captured in this crisply written book which captivates the reader not only as an engaging oral history, but also puts personal context into the great air battles of World War II. Lt. Colonel (Ret.) Jay Stout is a former Marine Corps fighter pilot who flew F-4 Phantoms and F/A-18 Hornets during a military career from 1981 to 2001. A graduate of Purdue University, he has also written FORTRESS PLOESTI, FIGHTER GROUP and THE MEN WHO KILLED THE LUFTWAFFE . REVIEWS Jay Stout has written one of the finest tributes to the fighting men of the greatest generation, concentrating not on the famous aces whose actions are well known, but on the ordinary man who rose to greatness when the situation demanded it. The author s deep research and innate writing ability merge to make this book a must for every aviation library. Walter Boyne, former director of the National Air & Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution, and best-selling author. --------- Through the recollections of airmen whose deeds were largely unrecognized, Jay Stout--a veteran fighter pilot himself--gives the reader a real understanding of who these men were and what they did in answer to their nation's call. --Tom Ivie, author of Patton's Eyes in the Sky, and 352nd Fighter Group ---------------- "Finally, a serious aviation historian has written an exciting book about the unheralded heroes who fought World War II from the sky. This book--in which the veterans tell their own stories--is a long overdue tribute. Most highly recommended." --Bob "Punchy" Powell, World War II fighter pilot and author of, The Blue Nosed Bastards of Bodney --------------- Jay Stout writes smart, interesting books because he's always on the lookout for interesting people to interview, and he always asks them interesting and unusual questions born of his own curiosity. Unsung Eagles is smart, interesting, well written and pleasantly unusual. It will take you off the beaten track, Eric Hammel, author of Aces against Japan Unsung Eagles offers a rare cockpit perspective of World War II in the air. Jay Stout s anthology features an extraordinary variety of accounts from airmen--many now deceased that will become more valuable as the generation that fought the greatest air campaigns of all time continues to depart the pattern. Barrett Tillman, Author of Whirlwind: The Air War Against Japan, 1942-1945 An incredible work that captures the true voices of America's World War II flyers before they are gone forever. Stout through the eyes of these unsung eagles gracefully navigates us through stormy skies and whirling dogfights in a way that is enthralling, heartbreaking, and sometimes funny but never boring." Michael Franzak, author of A Nightmare's Prayer: A Marine Harrier Pilot's War in Afghanistan
320 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2013
315 people are currently reading
203 people want to read
About the author
Jay A. Stout
23 books32 followersJay A. Stout is a retired Marine Corps fighter pilot. An Indiana native and graduate of Purdue University, he was commissioned during June 1981 and was designated a naval aviator on 13 May 1983. His first fleet assignment was to F-4S Phantoms at MCAS Beaufort, South Carolina. Following a stint as an instructor pilot at NAS Chase Field Texas from 1986 to 1989, he transitioned to the F/A-18 Hornet. He flew the Hornet from bases on both coasts and ultimately retired from MCAS Miramar during 2001.
Aside from his flying assignments, he served as the executive officer of 1st Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company, and in a variety of additional assignments with various staffs around the world. During his twenty-year career he flew more than 4,500 flight hours, including 37 combat missions during Operation Desert Storm.
Following his military career Stout worked for a very short time as an airline pilot before being furloughed after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. He subsequently flew for the Kuwait Air Force for a year before returning to the States where he now works for as a senior analyst for a leading defense contractor.
Lieutenant Colonel Stout's writing has been read on the floor of the U.S. Senate and has been published in various professional journals and newspapers around the nation. Works published while he was on active duty addressed controversial topics (women in the military, the MV-22 Osprey, effectiveness of the AV-8B Harrier, etc.) and took viewpoints that were often at odds with senior military leadership. Nevertheless, his cogent arguments and forthrightness contributed considerably to his credibility. Indeed, his expertise is widely recognized and he has made many appearances as a combat aviation expert on news networks such as Fox, Al Jazeera and National Public Radio.
Aside from his flying assignments, he served as the executive officer of 1st Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company, and in a variety of additional assignments with various staffs around the world. During his twenty-year career he flew more than 4,500 flight hours, including 37 combat missions during Operation Desert Storm.
Following his military career Stout worked for a very short time as an airline pilot before being furloughed after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. He subsequently flew for the Kuwait Air Force for a year before returning to the States where he now works for as a senior analyst for a leading defense contractor.
Lieutenant Colonel Stout's writing has been read on the floor of the U.S. Senate and has been published in various professional journals and newspapers around the nation. Works published while he was on active duty addressed controversial topics (women in the military, the MV-22 Osprey, effectiveness of the AV-8B Harrier, etc.) and took viewpoints that were often at odds with senior military leadership. Nevertheless, his cogent arguments and forthrightness contributed considerably to his credibility. Indeed, his expertise is widely recognized and he has made many appearances as a combat aviation expert on news networks such as Fox, Al Jazeera and National Public Radio.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
July 6, 2020
Great collection of stories of different pilots from America flying and fighting in World War 2. I have read the three books of "Airmen Behind the Medals" which is about British and Commonwealth pilots, and this is just like an American version of that. What makes this book great is that it focuses on the ordinary men of the air forces and covers a broad spectrum of airplanes and theatres. Highly recommended World War 2 aviation reading.
September 10, 2021
Audible.com 11 hours 28 min Narrated by Traber Burns B+
A collection of stories from pilots of all branches of service fighting on different continents and islands and even the sea during the Second World War. Stout's interviews are so personal giving a little background history on each man, telling how he became a pilot and the planes he flew, reliving memorable days of fighting, and concluding with his life after the war. Not one of these men claim to a hero but rather that the heroes were those men who fought and did not live to return home. They did not claim to have better skills but agreed that each successful flight was evidence of the capriciousness of fate. The stories take the listener from pre-US war "Men Wearing Other Uniforms " to the conclusion of the war in the Pacific.
8/13/21 Just bought this as a used book for my 12 year old grandson who is enthralled with WW II. He just came down with Covid; home school now for two weeks; hope the book arrives before he has to go back to real school. 9/10/21 He loves the personal stories about these pilots.
A collection of stories from pilots of all branches of service fighting on different continents and islands and even the sea during the Second World War. Stout's interviews are so personal giving a little background history on each man, telling how he became a pilot and the planes he flew, reliving memorable days of fighting, and concluding with his life after the war. Not one of these men claim to a hero but rather that the heroes were those men who fought and did not live to return home. They did not claim to have better skills but agreed that each successful flight was evidence of the capriciousness of fate. The stories take the listener from pre-US war "Men Wearing Other Uniforms " to the conclusion of the war in the Pacific.
8/13/21 Just bought this as a used book for my 12 year old grandson who is enthralled with WW II. He just came down with Covid; home school now for two weeks; hope the book arrives before he has to go back to real school. 9/10/21 He loves the personal stories about these pilots.
August 5, 2015
I received a free Adobe Digital Editions copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley, this has not compromised my ability to write an honest and critical review of the book.
6/12 - First thought - antiaircraft (found in the introduction on page 7) - shouldn't there be a hyphen in there somewhere? It doesn't look right.
I like that Stout has come right out and said that not all 'heroes' of war were/are heroes in their everyday life and that in some cases he refused to pursue interesting stories because of the contemptibleness of the 'hero' of the story. Some books/movies/tv shows do place halos over war heroes heads, when it's often not deserved - just because he saved a man's life doesn't mean he won't go home, drink and drive and kill another man in a crash. To be continued...
A few hours later - Well, they say you learn something new everyday. I just learned that men tend to 'hang' down one pant leg or the other and that when having a pair of suit pants tailored for you the tailor needs to know which side you hang so as to add a little extra fabric for propriety and comfort's sake. I guess it's the equivalent of a lot of women having one breast slightly bigger and/or differently shaped than the other. To be continued...
15/12 - This has earned its fourth star over the last 20 pages. Stout is able to mix the exact right amount of military detail with action-filled anecdotes. The names of all the different planes flown by all the different units fly right by me - I wouldn't know an F2F biplane if it bit me, but I can tell a generic biplane from a bomber or a fighter. So when Stout says bomber I see a big, heavy, slow-flying plane with two exposed propellers and little tufts of cloud floating below it; when he says fighter I see a little manoeuvrable jet thing with guns on its short wings; when he says biplane I see a plane with paper wrapped wings made of balsa wood, an exposed cockpit and those giant fixed wheels that always seemed to cause the plane to bounce during landing. So you see, while I'm not an authority on the differences between a P-40 and a Ki-27, I do have some idea. Despite not really taking in all the different plane titles I'm really enjoying the details Stout injects into the story to place each personal anecdote into proper context, so we know why each pilot was where they were and why they were doing what they were doing and what was going on around them in the larger scheme of things.
At the beginning of the book, Stout talks about the fact that these stories are not about the celebrated heroes of WWII, but of the everyday airmen who fought just as hard as the famous ones. To me, it doesn't matter that the men I'm reading about weren't taking part in a famous battle, or aren't famous themselves, what they did during their war was still just as life-threatening. The men who died during the Doolittle raid are just as dead as Neil Martin is, a mostly unknown man who was shot down during the first time the Flying Tigers saw action on December 23rd, 1941, in an air battle that has no name, but was just as important for those involved and their families. I mean no disrespect to any of the airmen who lost their lives during the war, but it doesn't make sense to me to put some of these brave men on pedestals just because they died in one battle instead of another, and Stout is one of the few who seems to understand that - I applaud him for that. To be continued...
6/12 - First thought - antiaircraft (found in the introduction on page 7) - shouldn't there be a hyphen in there somewhere? It doesn't look right.
I like that Stout has come right out and said that not all 'heroes' of war were/are heroes in their everyday life and that in some cases he refused to pursue interesting stories because of the contemptibleness of the 'hero' of the story. Some books/movies/tv shows do place halos over war heroes heads, when it's often not deserved - just because he saved a man's life doesn't mean he won't go home, drink and drive and kill another man in a crash. To be continued...
A few hours later - Well, they say you learn something new everyday. I just learned that men tend to 'hang' down one pant leg or the other and that when having a pair of suit pants tailored for you the tailor needs to know which side you hang so as to add a little extra fabric for propriety and comfort's sake. I guess it's the equivalent of a lot of women having one breast slightly bigger and/or differently shaped than the other. To be continued...
15/12 - This has earned its fourth star over the last 20 pages. Stout is able to mix the exact right amount of military detail with action-filled anecdotes. The names of all the different planes flown by all the different units fly right by me - I wouldn't know an F2F biplane if it bit me, but I can tell a generic biplane from a bomber or a fighter. So when Stout says bomber I see a big, heavy, slow-flying plane with two exposed propellers and little tufts of cloud floating below it; when he says fighter I see a little manoeuvrable jet thing with guns on its short wings; when he says biplane I see a plane with paper wrapped wings made of balsa wood, an exposed cockpit and those giant fixed wheels that always seemed to cause the plane to bounce during landing. So you see, while I'm not an authority on the differences between a P-40 and a Ki-27, I do have some idea. Despite not really taking in all the different plane titles I'm really enjoying the details Stout injects into the story to place each personal anecdote into proper context, so we know why each pilot was where they were and why they were doing what they were doing and what was going on around them in the larger scheme of things.
At the beginning of the book, Stout talks about the fact that these stories are not about the celebrated heroes of WWII, but of the everyday airmen who fought just as hard as the famous ones. To me, it doesn't matter that the men I'm reading about weren't taking part in a famous battle, or aren't famous themselves, what they did during their war was still just as life-threatening. The men who died during the Doolittle raid are just as dead as Neil Martin is, a mostly unknown man who was shot down during the first time the Flying Tigers saw action on December 23rd, 1941, in an air battle that has no name, but was just as important for those involved and their families. I mean no disrespect to any of the airmen who lost their lives during the war, but it doesn't make sense to me to put some of these brave men on pedestals just because they died in one battle instead of another, and Stout is one of the few who seems to understand that - I applaud him for that. To be continued...
March 21, 2018
From teacher, farmer, truck driver mechanic
There were probably almost as many different civilian professions as there were squadrons of these civilians turned fliers during WW II, and all of them were unsung heroes just "doing their job" and serving their country. Most of the officers on the bridges of naval ships were reserves, but the entire business came together to win the war.
There were probably almost as many different civilian professions as there were squadrons of these civilians turned fliers during WW II, and all of them were unsung heroes just "doing their job" and serving their country. Most of the officers on the bridges of naval ships were reserves, but the entire business came together to win the war.
September 24, 2022
Listened to this book twice as I repointed my chimneys. All I could think of was how nice to hear fellow pilots lay out facts without regular emotions of earth walkers…. Plus how I will suggest this to all the fellow pilots on Facebook if I ever get back on.
Very enjoyable
Very enjoyable
October 8, 2020
Unsung Eagles: The True Stories America's Citizen Airmen in the Skies of World War II by Jay Stout is the story of the common men who answered the call of duty. Stout is a retired Marine Corps Aviator who flew F-4 Phantoms and later F-18 Hornets. A graduate of Purdue University he was commissioned in June of 1981 and retired a Lieutenant Colonel in 2001. With 4,500 flight hours and thirty-seven combat missions missions in Operation Dessert Storm, Stout knows his aviation.
Unsung Eagles gave me three surprises. First, looking at the cover I thought another book about the Army Air Corps in Europe. It's not. Stout covers both theaters and Army, Navy, and Marine pilots. Second, I thought its going to cover famous raids. Again, no. The book covers a wide variety missions and none that stood out as famous air battles or bombing missions. The third surprise came after the realization of the first two surprises. Who would write about the “average Joe” pilot? Who else but a Marine. Of course, I am a bit biased in that last statement.
Unsung Eagles does what few war time books have done. It highlights the men who joined the war to fight. Men who left their homes and families and signed up, not the professional airmen. Many joined, and when the war was over quietly went on back to the civilian world leaving the military behind. These are the men whose uniforms are put away deep in a closet and never talk about the war except when prodded after a few beers. Twenty-two such pilots have their stories told in this fast paced history. The stories told, show all sides of the war from good deployments with plenty of support to cannibalizing planes to keep as many flying as possible. One absolutely amazing story is of a USAAF bomber pilot found himself flying in the dark behind two Japanese bombers and followed them in their landing pattern. The Japanese mistakenly assumed that the American was one of their own and proceeded to land. As the Japanese landed the American dropped his bombs on the Japanese planes and runway.
Unsung Heroes tells some fine stories of American pilots who you probably never heard of, flying missions that aren't in very many history books, but still were very important in the Allied war effort. There were over a half million aircrewmen who served in World War II. This is a staggering number, it is more than twice the number of Marines serving when I was on active duty. Unsung Eagles is an outstanding history, and a personal history too. It is a reminder that not everyone who flew is recorded in history and that many who served then and now made important contributions that few will ever know about. Very well done. Semper Fi, Colonel.
Unsung Eagles gave me three surprises. First, looking at the cover I thought another book about the Army Air Corps in Europe. It's not. Stout covers both theaters and Army, Navy, and Marine pilots. Second, I thought its going to cover famous raids. Again, no. The book covers a wide variety missions and none that stood out as famous air battles or bombing missions. The third surprise came after the realization of the first two surprises. Who would write about the “average Joe” pilot? Who else but a Marine. Of course, I am a bit biased in that last statement.
Unsung Eagles does what few war time books have done. It highlights the men who joined the war to fight. Men who left their homes and families and signed up, not the professional airmen. Many joined, and when the war was over quietly went on back to the civilian world leaving the military behind. These are the men whose uniforms are put away deep in a closet and never talk about the war except when prodded after a few beers. Twenty-two such pilots have their stories told in this fast paced history. The stories told, show all sides of the war from good deployments with plenty of support to cannibalizing planes to keep as many flying as possible. One absolutely amazing story is of a USAAF bomber pilot found himself flying in the dark behind two Japanese bombers and followed them in their landing pattern. The Japanese mistakenly assumed that the American was one of their own and proceeded to land. As the Japanese landed the American dropped his bombs on the Japanese planes and runway.
Unsung Heroes tells some fine stories of American pilots who you probably never heard of, flying missions that aren't in very many history books, but still were very important in the Allied war effort. There were over a half million aircrewmen who served in World War II. This is a staggering number, it is more than twice the number of Marines serving when I was on active duty. Unsung Eagles is an outstanding history, and a personal history too. It is a reminder that not everyone who flew is recorded in history and that many who served then and now made important contributions that few will ever know about. Very well done. Semper Fi, Colonel.
October 15, 2024
I enjoy histories compiled from the recollections of ordinary people. Svetlana Alexievich is the queen of this style, and while Mr. Stout won't be lining up behind Ms. Alexievich for the next Nobel prize, he's quite good. Of course memories are selective and fade with time, and the stories are no doubt colored by the self images of the tellers, but still they provide a unique perspective that you can't get from studying flight logs or physical evidence that might be more objective, but that misses important nuances that you can only get from a personal point of view. Plus, the fliers were interesting people, and their stories often have moments of high drama.
These men were elite in some ways. Most of them had college degrees or at least couple of years of college. They had to be nearly perfect physical specimens, and they were selected from a huge group of applicants who wanted to fly. On the other hand, they were simple guys, without a lot of pretense. Some of them had a bit of ego about their flying skills and their kill counts, but the stronger impression is that they were just doing their job for their country.
One of the recurring themes is how the pilots felt about the different planes that they flew. Some of the planes were complete dogs and some, particularly later in the war, were wonders of modern technology. As you might expect, the pilots would sometimes fall in love with a plane that worked well for them though it might seem to have little to recommend itself in terms of performance or reliability.
There was certainly close comradeship between the fliers, but in the end flying a fighter is mostly a one man show, so I never got the sense of super close blood brother type relationships that you always get in infantry stories.
These men were elite in some ways. Most of them had college degrees or at least couple of years of college. They had to be nearly perfect physical specimens, and they were selected from a huge group of applicants who wanted to fly. On the other hand, they were simple guys, without a lot of pretense. Some of them had a bit of ego about their flying skills and their kill counts, but the stronger impression is that they were just doing their job for their country.
One of the recurring themes is how the pilots felt about the different planes that they flew. Some of the planes were complete dogs and some, particularly later in the war, were wonders of modern technology. As you might expect, the pilots would sometimes fall in love with a plane that worked well for them though it might seem to have little to recommend itself in terms of performance or reliability.
There was certainly close comradeship between the fliers, but in the end flying a fighter is mostly a one man show, so I never got the sense of super close blood brother type relationships that you always get in infantry stories.
February 7, 2018
I thought this was a well written collection of stories. The author covers a large number of pilots who used a variety of planes, though most of the stories are based on fighters and small to medium bombers (there are a few stories of the B-24/B-17's, but not many). What I appreciate most is that these stories were gathered by the author through interviews with veterans themselves. Because the stories are told by the pilots you tend to get more of their viewpoint rather than those of commanding officers, etc. who weren't as close to the action. I found the vast amount of stories entertaining and because it is a collection of short stories I found I could read one or two stories, put the book down and come back later and read a couple more--perfect for those bit-sized chunks of time we sometimes have.
April 19, 2024
I love memoirs, bios, non-fiction, war stories, drama, friendships, heroism for the right reasons, and war aviation. This book rang all my bells and blew all my whistles! It is a collection of non-fiction short bios of common young men in WWII aviation, many enlisting before Pearl Harbor was bombed. Many started via civilian pilot training programs designed to find and train the best young men out there. The author follows each one from early interest to the epilogue of their post-service years. The men tell of their hopes, fears, gaffes (many hilarious, some tragic) and their war struggles and victories. This audioreader took on just the hint of an accent with each new character/chapter. It is excellent. With every putting down of the book, I was eager to pick it up again.
October 31, 2018
I enjoyed it. It's real history and it tells the stories of several guys who flew fighters and bombers in WWII against both the Japanese and the Germans. These aren't the stories of the top aces everyone has heard about countless times, these are more ordinary guys who still sweated and bled and fought for their lives. Most of them won Distinguished Flying Crosses so they were heroes, just not the ones you've likely heard of before. I found their stories fascinating, particularly when they included little details of what it was like to fly the various warplanes used in the war. It's not a small book but it is a quick read if that makes any sense.
April 9, 2022
Unsung Eagles: True Stories of America's Citizen Airmen in the Skies of World War II, by Jay A. Stout (2013, audiobook 11.5 hours). A great collection of war stories from mostly unheralded fliers from WWII. Unlike so many other books, this includes fairly raw and unvarnished tales of ordinary men doing often extraordinary things. Thoroughly enjoyed the wide variety of backgrounds, experiences, and post-war lives of the fliers.
April 28, 2024
This is a great collection of stories from WWII pilots in all branches of the armed forces in all major theaters of the war. Locations include China, the Pacific Islands, the Philippines, North Africa, Britain Italy, the Balkans, and Germany. It includes fighter pilots who flew bombers, fighters, and reconnaissance planes. Stout does a great job presenting their stories and showing the human beings flying the planes.
March 11, 2018
Heroism comes in soldiering on every day against overwhelming odds
True stories told from the soldier's point of view and embellished with an historian's eye, putting each in context. Great addition to the chronological day by day books. Perfect for those who like shorter stories. Easy to read intermittently.
Linda Donaldson
True stories told from the soldier's point of view and embellished with an historian's eye, putting each in context. Great addition to the chronological day by day books. Perfect for those who like shorter stories. Easy to read intermittently.
Linda Donaldson
July 16, 2018
A wonderful look at our citizen heroes.
Well-written and interesting, this book illuminates and provides an intriguing cross-sectional look at the young men who pulled themselves up out of the Great Depression by their bootstraps, strapped on a flying helmet and helped America win the greatest war ever fought. Even before the space program, they were of the right stuff.
Well-written and interesting, this book illuminates and provides an intriguing cross-sectional look at the young men who pulled themselves up out of the Great Depression by their bootstraps, strapped on a flying helmet and helped America win the greatest war ever fought. Even before the space program, they were of the right stuff.
January 4, 2018
A great read if you appreciate true hero stories - especially of WWII Pilots.
Hit some stories where I knew or knew about the Unsung Eagle or Wingman and many I didn't, but knew the history of the combat area. Found it hard to put down.
Hit some stories where I knew or knew about the Unsung Eagle or Wingman and many I didn't, but knew the history of the combat area. Found it hard to put down.
January 24, 2018
So real!
I couldn't put the book down. From the start this book had me. Mr Stout does a outstanding job of write the true stories of the young brave men that took to the air to help keep this country free.
I couldn't put the book down. From the start this book had me. Mr Stout does a outstanding job of write the true stories of the young brave men that took to the air to help keep this country free.
February 5, 2018
Unsung Heroes
A wonderful book detailing different planes ,the fighter pilots who flew life and death missions to an the war to end all wars. Courage under enemy fire and definite chance they might go down in f!lames.
A wonderful book detailing different planes ,the fighter pilots who flew life and death missions to an the war to end all wars. Courage under enemy fire and definite chance they might go down in f!lames.
March 5, 2018
The book is well written and explains a lot about different aircraft used during WWII and has very nice pictures. The author makes you feel sad when they tell of times when airmen are lost, especially when they are killed after being captured.
March 18, 2018
Very interesting
Its almost unbelievable that 18 and 19 year olds could be trained and sent out to fight a war in big bombers and fast fighters against older and more experienced men and WIN.
Its almost unbelievable that 18 and 19 year olds could be trained and sent out to fight a war in big bombers and fast fighters against older and more experienced men and WIN.
March 29, 2018
Some of America's pilots in WWII
As a Marine fighter pilot veteran of the Viet Nam war I found the stories and anecdotes in the book quite plausible and accurately described. They were very interesting and unembellished. I would enthusiastically recommend this book to anyone.
As a Marine fighter pilot veteran of the Viet Nam war I found the stories and anecdotes in the book quite plausible and accurately described. They were very interesting and unembellished. I would enthusiastically recommend this book to anyone.
June 23, 2018
Fine account of those selected out of many by their friends and neighbors to serve their country in time of great need.
Because of accounts like this we know somewhat of their sacrifices. We know too, the inhumanity of America's enemies at that time.
Because of accounts like this we know somewhat of their sacrifices. We know too, the inhumanity of America's enemies at that time.
July 19, 2018
Interesting
A collection of relatively brief but sufficiently detailed stories of a variety of pilots flying different types of planes in all American theaters of war during the Second World War. An enjoyable read which was also informative.
A collection of relatively brief but sufficiently detailed stories of a variety of pilots flying different types of planes in all American theaters of war during the Second World War. An enjoyable read which was also informative.
August 29, 2018
A good read. I always wanted to fly. At 10 yrs old when W
W II ended I knew about all the planes of U.S, Britain, Germany and Russians. At 83 still interested in reading about those who flew them.
W II ended I knew about all the planes of U.S, Britain, Germany and Russians. At 83 still interested in reading about those who flew them.
October 18, 2018
Good read!!!
An excellent descriprrion of the efforts of the citizen soldier. The trials and tribularions of the draftees and the reluctant pillot. This was an eye:-opener for a mere obsserver ot the action. Thoroughly interesting!
An excellent descriprrion of the efforts of the citizen soldier. The trials and tribularions of the draftees and the reluctant pillot. This was an eye:-opener for a mere obsserver ot the action. Thoroughly interesting!
November 10, 2018
Great stories, easy to read
This book is a great collection of firsthand accounts that are well written and give some new insight and perspective to someone who is new too or has read a lot of history on the era.
This book is a great collection of firsthand accounts that are well written and give some new insight and perspective to someone who is new too or has read a lot of history on the era.
November 20, 2018
Like No Other War Stories
These short stories will provide new education and perspective that adds more of the human element to the war stories. I am so grateful for stumbling across this book.
These short stories will provide new education and perspective that adds more of the human element to the war stories. I am so grateful for stumbling across this book.
February 10, 2022
Excellent book--especially to read in chapters
The stories are excellent, providing not just insight about the planes and the flying but also about the people and the times. Book can be read chapter by chapter, in no particular order and with delays between readings.
The stories are excellent, providing not just insight about the planes and the flying but also about the people and the times. Book can be read chapter by chapter, in no particular order and with delays between readings.
January 22, 2018
An amazing read of the sacrifices the youth of those days made to preserve our country and its freedoms. I wonder if the youth of today would respond to defend their country?
March 1, 2018
Nice short tales of individual valour
A collection of exploits of individual service to the US war effort. Common citizens taking on efforts we now consider heroie.
A collection of exploits of individual service to the US war effort. Common citizens taking on efforts we now consider heroie.
March 15, 2018
Real stories
A genuine, down to earth but exciting book that breathes life into the stories of WWII heroes beyond those usually known.
A genuine, down to earth but exciting book that breathes life into the stories of WWII heroes beyond those usually known.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews