Flying Aces: Aviation Art of World War II

by James H. Kitchens, Bernard C. Nalty

The "Ace" had become a new kind of hero by the time the skies became a primary battlefield during World War II--and the dogfights that ensued became more deeply personal than those on the ground below. These inspired paintings capture both the courage and tenacity of these men and their machines in more than seventy works, painstakingly recreated by artists in vivid detail. They tell harrowing stories of wounded Robert S. Johnson, tailed by a Luftwaffe full of deadly purpose--but without ammunition--and Germany's legendary Erich Hartmann, the first fighter pilot to down 300 enemy aircraft. Each painted by respected aviation art masters, including Stan Stokes, Robert Taylor, and Roy Grinnell, they are enhanced with archival photographs of legendary Aces and their planes and battles. It's an authoritative tribute to the men of the skies--and a great gift for any aficionado of aviation or military history.

Genres: Art

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

Reviews

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great pictures, with cool 'artist liberty' taken showing the heat of battle. There is a great variety of different country's planes - 68 prints in all. Each print has a short story with highlights of the ace using that plane.

My problems are with the book layout.
- The Table of Content has titles like: "Against the Tide" and "Gallant Company". How do I know which Ace (person) and which plane is in this shot?
- Each of the 68 prints crosses the middle of the book as they each get a double-page layout, with the print taking up maybe 1.3 pages, and the remaining 0.7 page being the story. Thus every print is compromised.
- Why aren't the prints quickly and clearly labeled: I want:
- - Names of planes in the print
- - Date and Place of the scene depicted
- The planes are mentioned at weird points in the mini-stories, as the text rambles about other planes the Ace had flown. You REALLY have to know your planes to know which of the planes being mentioned in the story is actually the plane(s) flying in the print. There is a good index in the back of the book, but that doesn't help some identify the scenes quickly that opens up this oversize book.

Great color reproductions of these paintings, but there is too much wrong in the layout of this book.

3.5* that I'll allow rounded to 4 since I LOVE these planes!

[H (trying to keep up with GR friends) Balikov · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are interested in the men and machines that determined much of the outcome of World War II, this is a good place to start. The text is brief but good and the artwork shows some of the advantages in dramatic effect that artists had over photographers.

[Chris Tschirhart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Collection of WWII Aviation Artistry.