The Fight in the Clouds: The Extraordinary Combat Experience of P-51 Mustang Pilots During World War II

by James P. Busha

Get as close as you’ll get to a World War II–era P-51 Mustang without flying one yourself with this spellbinding collection of tales from the men who actually flew the planes into war. The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang first started appearing in real numbers in 1943, at the climax of the Allied campaign in World War II. Able to fly long ranges, it was the perfect escort, keeping bombers protected all the way from Allied bases in Europe, the Mediterranean, and the Pacific to a variety of Axis industrial targets and military installations and back. The Mustang would go on to provide pivotal air support on D-Day, and by the end of the war, the P-51 would be responsible for nearly half of all enemy aircraft shot down . In The Fight in the Clouds , aviation writer and EAA Warbirds of America editor James P. Busha draws on interviews conducted with dozens of veteran P-51 pilots to trace the progress of war through the men’s exciting, chronologically organized experiences. You’ll
Bolstered by Busha’s own commentary and historical analysis , along with a gallery of rare black-and-white period photographs , The Fight in the Clouds offers a cockpit-seat view of one of WWII’s most celebrated aircraft and the men who bravely flew it into harm’s way.

Genres: History, Aviation, Nonfiction, World War II, Military Fiction, War, Military History

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

Jim Busha has been writing historical WWII genre articles and books for over 20 years. Utilizing over 350 personal interviews with WWII veterans from both Allied and Axis nations, Jim has written over 320 aviation articles that have been published in 16 different magazines both here in the United States, Great Britain, Germany, France, Italy, and Japan, including Smithsonian Air and Space, Flight Journal, Fly Past, Combat Aircraft, Flieger Magazine, LeFana, Klassiker, EAA Sport Aviation, Warbirds, Vintage, and others. In 2006, Jim coauthored a bookend titled The High Battleground. In 2007, Jim was presented with the Flying Magazine Bax Seat Award, given to a writer who perpetuates the Gordon Baxter tradition of communicating the excitement and romance of grassroots aviation.

After retiring from 30 years in law enforcement, Jim was hired full time at EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association), located in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, in 2014, where he is a vice president overseeing publications, membership, retail,social media, and marketing. Jim is also a private pilot, having flown for over 33 years, and currently owns and operates a 1943 Stinson L-5 in WWII livery (the aircraft type flown by Major Carpenter).

Reviews

[KOMET · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best books about the P-51 Mustang's combat service in the Second World War that I've yet read. It is full of personal accounts (inclusive of official wartime combat reports) from pilots who flew the Mustang against the Luftwaffe and the Japanese in the Pacific. The reader is liable to get a vicarious feel of being at the controls of the Mustang, be it on a bomber escort mission over Germany, braving flak while strafing an enemy airfield or troop concentration, or in the thick of a dogfight.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great collection of firsthand accounts of flying Mustangs in combat, mostly in Europe. Most of these are a blow-by-blow account of memorable sorties the pilots flew. I'm glad Busha was able to gather the recollections of so many veterans. In some cases, he was able to get accounts from multiple pilots in the same flight in a particular dogfight and it is interesting to see the same event from different perspectives.

[Deryk · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's a great book it just gets really repetitive and feels like it is saying the same story like six times I a row in the D day chapter

[Hunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty good oral history collection, but while it clearly tries to cast a wide net for experiences... It is specifically because it does that the omission of 'Tuskegee Airmen' jumps out.

[Marathon County Public Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

The North American P-51 Mustang enabled America to defeat the Axis powers in World War II. James Busha's book FIGHT IN THE CLOUDS describes many of the exciting air battles waged by P-51 pilots in the European and Pacific Theaters. Reminiscences by air aces, who downed five or more enemy aircraft, are intermingled with accounts by 'regular Joe' P-51 pilots who didn't make ace. Busha's book is a wide-ranging and compelling account of American pilots in deadly air action.

Mike O. / Marathon County Public Library
Find this book in our library catalog.

[Erik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Busha, a magazine editor for Flight Journal and EAA Warbirds, presents a nice collection of stories featuring P-51 pilots and their experiences during WWII. The book is a nice mix of first person accounts spread throughout WWII.

[Doug Tabner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not great literature, more like hanging out on a front porch with some retired P-51 pilots reminiscing about their war experiences. If you're interested in military aviation you will definitely enjoy this book.

[Dave Hoff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short stories by many P-51 Fighter Pilots telling of their love and respect for their planes. The Combat they fought & the victories they scored.

[Bruce Welton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining and informative vignettes by P-51 pilots about their planes and actions from the Second World War.