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Lords of the Sky: Fighter Pilots and Air Combat, from the Red Baron to the F-16
The New York Times bestselling author of Viper Pilot and retired USAF F-16 legend Dan Hampton offers the first comprehensive popular history of combat aviation--a unique, entertaining, and action-packed look at the aces of the air and their machines, from the trailblazing aviators of World War I to today's technologically expert warriors flying supersonic jets.
One of the most decorated fighter pilots in history, U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel (Ret.) Dan Hampton goes back 100 years to tell the extraordinary stories of the most famous fighter planes and the brave and daring heroes who made them legend. Told in his acclaimed high-octane style, Lords of the Sky is a fresh and exhilarating look at the development of aviation for history and military buffs alike.
One of the most decorated fighter pilots in history, U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel (Ret.) Dan Hampton goes back 100 years to tell the extraordinary stories of the most famous fighter planes and the brave and daring heroes who made them legend. Told in his acclaimed high-octane style, Lords of the Sky is a fresh and exhilarating look at the development of aviation for history and military buffs alike.
640 pages, Paperback
First published February 18, 2014
179 people are currently reading
1148 people want to read
About the author
Dan Hampton
21 books167 followersU.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel (Ret.) Dan Hampton flew more than 150 combat missions during his twenty years (1986–2006) as a Wild Weasel fighter pilot. For his service in the Iraq War, Kosovo conflict, first Gulf War, and elsewhere, Colonel Hampton received four Distinguished Flying Crosses with Valor, a Purple Heart, eight Air Medals with Valor, five Meritorious Service Medals, and numerous other citations. He is a graduate of the USAF Fighter Weapons School, USN Top Gun School (TOGS), and USAF Special Operations School. A recipient of several awards for tactical innovation, Hampton pioneered air-combat tactics that are now standard, and he was named his squadron's Instructor Pilot of the Year six times. Hampton served on the Air Combat Command staff in Langley, Virginia, during the 1999 Kosovo War and designed the NATO campaign that destroyed the Yugoslav army's air defenses around Sarajevo. A graduate of Texas A&M University, he has published articles in The Journal of Electronic Defense, Air Force Magazine, and Airpower magazine, as well as several classified tactical works for the USAF Fighter Weapons Review.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 98 reviews
August 28, 2016
The cover of this book initially drew me in because the F4U Corsair is my favorite plane of World War II. A book about the history of fighter pilots? Count me in! Hoping for stories of fabled (and maybe not so fabled) air aces through the years, I was greatly looking forward to reading this. Unfortunately, I didn't get what I hoped for.
The author does a very good job of explaining the evolution of aerial combat and how both man and machine have changed from the early days of World War I to modern times. Along the way he gives very clear examples of various elements of aerial combat (aka dogfighting) and the hows and whys of flight. Being a former combat pilot, Dan Hampton clearly knows his stuff when it comes to flying.
However, the book had way too much information which didn't relate to aerial combat or fighter pilots. It seemed to me as if there was just as much information on various aspects of the different wars, such as political negotiations and ground campaigns, as there was about actual aerial combat. Whole chunks of all the conflicts are missing, with World War II in the Pacific being completely absent after the Battle of Midway. As for the "Lords of the Sky" themselves, well only a few are covered in any detail, probably less than ten to any great degree. Some are only shown in photographs and not mentioned in the text at all. When the narrative switches to the Vietnam War, Hampton ratchets up his expertise quite a bit and really lays it on thick with the fighter pilot jargon. Having read many books on aerial combat over the years, I was familiar with many of the terms, but the average reader might have a hard time keeping track of the action (I was lost a few times myself). While there is a glossary of terms, who wants to thumb back and forth when reading about a strike on a SAM site near Hanoi?
I found this book to be interesting, and I did learn a few things along the way. However, the narrative bounced around too much and got bogged down in all sorts of extraneous information. Overall, I'd say it was a good book that never really got off the ground.
The author does a very good job of explaining the evolution of aerial combat and how both man and machine have changed from the early days of World War I to modern times. Along the way he gives very clear examples of various elements of aerial combat (aka dogfighting) and the hows and whys of flight. Being a former combat pilot, Dan Hampton clearly knows his stuff when it comes to flying.
However, the book had way too much information which didn't relate to aerial combat or fighter pilots. It seemed to me as if there was just as much information on various aspects of the different wars, such as political negotiations and ground campaigns, as there was about actual aerial combat. Whole chunks of all the conflicts are missing, with World War II in the Pacific being completely absent after the Battle of Midway. As for the "Lords of the Sky" themselves, well only a few are covered in any detail, probably less than ten to any great degree. Some are only shown in photographs and not mentioned in the text at all. When the narrative switches to the Vietnam War, Hampton ratchets up his expertise quite a bit and really lays it on thick with the fighter pilot jargon. Having read many books on aerial combat over the years, I was familiar with many of the terms, but the average reader might have a hard time keeping track of the action (I was lost a few times myself). While there is a glossary of terms, who wants to thumb back and forth when reading about a strike on a SAM site near Hanoi?
I found this book to be interesting, and I did learn a few things along the way. However, the narrative bounced around too much and got bogged down in all sorts of extraneous information. Overall, I'd say it was a good book that never really got off the ground.
December 30, 2014
Hampton set out to write a comprehensive history of the fighter pilot, starting out strong with long, detailed sections on WWI and WWII. I didn't question anything he said in those sections, but when I got to the Korean and Vietnam War sections, eras about which I have some knowledge, I began picking up on errors, omissions, and some oddly sloppy writing, all of which have me questioning what I read in the WWI and WWII sections. By the time I got to the final chapters on the Gulf wars, I felt Hampton was doing a slapdash, rushed, incomplete job, and almost wish he'd stopped with WWII.
Among the errors: calling the piston-engined B-29 a "big jet," mislabeling A-26s as B-26s, describing infrared heat-seeking missiles as homing in on hot carbon dioxide, saying the Navy initially called the F-4 Phantom II the F-110A Spectre (that was the early USAF designation, not the Navy's). He doesn't talk about the Russian MiG-15 pilots in Korea, a couple of whom scored more kills than our own top F-86 aces. He barely mentions the North Vietnamese MiG pilots. Describing the first shoot-down of a USAF fighter over North Vietnam, he switches between first-person and third-person viewpoints -- one moment you're in the cockpit with the pilot and GIB as they ingress the target area; then a god-like narrator, using passive voice, announces that one of the jets in the four-ship has been hit; then you're back in the cockpit as the front-seater pulls the ejection handles.
Hampton skips the eight-year Iraq/Iran war, which produced at least one Iranian F-14 ace. He doesn't mention the air war in Kosovo or the years American and allied fighter pilots spent policing the no-fly zone imposed on Iraq after the first Gulf war. While he goes into detail on some methods used to control airborne fighters, he unaccountably ignores AWACS. I expected him to at least mention some of the more notorious blue-on-blue friendly fire shootdowns, but he didn't. He never brought up the battle between the strategic bombing and fighter factions for control of the USAF, or anything at all about the F-15 and A-10, two key aircraft from his own time in the USAF (he flew F-16s). I took some personal offense at that, since my own aircraft, the F-15 Eagle, is the top air superiority fighter ever produced. In history. And while he mentioned some of the Soviet women fighter pilots of WWII, there's not one word about today's women, who've been flying fighters in and out of combat since the mid-1990s.
The errors and omissions in the second half are jarring. The book seemed well-researched until the Korean War, and then felt rushed and incomplete. I now think another book on fighter pilots -- The Unsubstantial Air: American Fliers in the First World War, by Samuel Hynes, which I recently read and reviewed here on Goodreads -- does a better job conveying the fighter pilot experience and mentality, and for two reasons. One, Hynes, unlike Hampton, spends more time explaining what fighter pilots believe in and how they behave in the air and on the ground. Two, Hynes confines himself to a single era, WWI -- now that may strike you as a limitation, but as an experienced fighter pilot myself I was struck by how little fighter pilots have changed from 1917 to the present day -- and by keeping to one era, Hynes wasn't forced to pick and choose what to include or exclude from his narrative.
Again, I think Hampton should have stopped with the end of WWII. To keep up with his book's strong start, it should end there, and perhaps continue into the jet age in another volume entirely. Based on the strength of the first half of Hampton's history, I'm giving his book an overall 3-star rating.
Among the errors: calling the piston-engined B-29 a "big jet," mislabeling A-26s as B-26s, describing infrared heat-seeking missiles as homing in on hot carbon dioxide, saying the Navy initially called the F-4 Phantom II the F-110A Spectre (that was the early USAF designation, not the Navy's). He doesn't talk about the Russian MiG-15 pilots in Korea, a couple of whom scored more kills than our own top F-86 aces. He barely mentions the North Vietnamese MiG pilots. Describing the first shoot-down of a USAF fighter over North Vietnam, he switches between first-person and third-person viewpoints -- one moment you're in the cockpit with the pilot and GIB as they ingress the target area; then a god-like narrator, using passive voice, announces that one of the jets in the four-ship has been hit; then you're back in the cockpit as the front-seater pulls the ejection handles.
Hampton skips the eight-year Iraq/Iran war, which produced at least one Iranian F-14 ace. He doesn't mention the air war in Kosovo or the years American and allied fighter pilots spent policing the no-fly zone imposed on Iraq after the first Gulf war. While he goes into detail on some methods used to control airborne fighters, he unaccountably ignores AWACS. I expected him to at least mention some of the more notorious blue-on-blue friendly fire shootdowns, but he didn't. He never brought up the battle between the strategic bombing and fighter factions for control of the USAF, or anything at all about the F-15 and A-10, two key aircraft from his own time in the USAF (he flew F-16s). I took some personal offense at that, since my own aircraft, the F-15 Eagle, is the top air superiority fighter ever produced. In history. And while he mentioned some of the Soviet women fighter pilots of WWII, there's not one word about today's women, who've been flying fighters in and out of combat since the mid-1990s.
The errors and omissions in the second half are jarring. The book seemed well-researched until the Korean War, and then felt rushed and incomplete. I now think another book on fighter pilots -- The Unsubstantial Air: American Fliers in the First World War, by Samuel Hynes, which I recently read and reviewed here on Goodreads -- does a better job conveying the fighter pilot experience and mentality, and for two reasons. One, Hynes, unlike Hampton, spends more time explaining what fighter pilots believe in and how they behave in the air and on the ground. Two, Hynes confines himself to a single era, WWI -- now that may strike you as a limitation, but as an experienced fighter pilot myself I was struck by how little fighter pilots have changed from 1917 to the present day -- and by keeping to one era, Hynes wasn't forced to pick and choose what to include or exclude from his narrative.
Again, I think Hampton should have stopped with the end of WWII. To keep up with his book's strong start, it should end there, and perhaps continue into the jet age in another volume entirely. Based on the strength of the first half of Hampton's history, I'm giving his book an overall 3-star rating.
May 22, 2018
Dan Hampton is a F-16 pilot and author, who offers an entertaining, if flawed look at the elite brotherhood of fighter pilots, starting from the First World War and moving through the 2003 Invasion of Iraq. The style intersperses novelist accounts of combat with historical sketches, and analysis of changes in aircraft and tactics.
The book starts well enough, with Roland Garros using an machine gun shooting through the armored propeller of his Morane-Saulnier scout to destroy a German scout plane. Soon, famous aces like Boelcke and Lanoe Hawker were dueling over the trenches, and planes began getting faster and more heavily armed. The first section, on the Great War and aerial mercenaries in the interwar era, is a delight, joyfully written and comprehensive. The basic qualities of the lords of the sky are laid out. Excellent flying skills, good gunnery, confidence and aggressiveness, and some qualities of leadership to train and command aerial armies.
But as Hampton gets closer to the present day, the quality declines. WW2 is the Battle of Britain, Midway, and the tales of Nazi super-ace Hans-Joachim Marseille and female Soviet ace Lilya Litvyak. Post-WW2, we have Korea, Vietnam, the Yom Kippur War, and then Desert Storm and Iraq II. Hampton gets lost in jargon, and doesn't clearly get across what air combat with guided missiles, electronic warfare, and a hostile integrated air defense environment is like.
And then there are the errors. The B-29 is not a "large jet", an elementary mistake. In the description of the forces on an airplane in flight, lift counteracts drag, and thrust counteract weight, which a basic force diagram shows is nonsense. While it's impossible to give a complete history of air combat in a single volume, at 623 pages, this book feels both too long, and also incomplete.
The book starts well enough, with Roland Garros using an machine gun shooting through the armored propeller of his Morane-Saulnier scout to destroy a German scout plane. Soon, famous aces like Boelcke and Lanoe Hawker were dueling over the trenches, and planes began getting faster and more heavily armed. The first section, on the Great War and aerial mercenaries in the interwar era, is a delight, joyfully written and comprehensive. The basic qualities of the lords of the sky are laid out. Excellent flying skills, good gunnery, confidence and aggressiveness, and some qualities of leadership to train and command aerial armies.
But as Hampton gets closer to the present day, the quality declines. WW2 is the Battle of Britain, Midway, and the tales of Nazi super-ace Hans-Joachim Marseille and female Soviet ace Lilya Litvyak. Post-WW2, we have Korea, Vietnam, the Yom Kippur War, and then Desert Storm and Iraq II. Hampton gets lost in jargon, and doesn't clearly get across what air combat with guided missiles, electronic warfare, and a hostile integrated air defense environment is like.
And then there are the errors. The B-29 is not a "large jet", an elementary mistake. In the description of the forces on an airplane in flight, lift counteracts drag, and thrust counteract weight, which a basic force diagram shows is nonsense. While it's impossible to give a complete history of air combat in a single volume, at 623 pages, this book feels both too long, and also incomplete.
January 20, 2019
A good history book, not limited to fighter aircraft. It also records more than any average person would need to know about fighter, and other, aircraft. The author is very knowledgeable, writes clear and concise prose and has a great sense of history himself. You can sure hear the fighter pilot in him. My grandkids picked out this book for me, as a Christmas book. It was a good read!
December 10, 2015
I wish I could give 3 1/2 stars. I really wanted to love this book. Certain parts of this book were great and others felt rushed and wanting. The first part on WW1 air combat was excellent. The chapters on WW2, the greatest air war of all time, were in many cases well written but there were many grammatical and technical errors. Ignoring the air war in the Pacific after the Battle of Midway was in my opinion a huge mistake. The Korean War chapters were a fun read and very interesting. The later part of the book felt rushed and the author (a former combat pilot) went real heavy on the technical and pilot jargon. Overall it was a good read, I wish the author would've broken the book into two, or expanded it but if you enjoy reading about air combat it's worth a read.
April 24, 2025
Very good book! I picked up this book due to a recent fascination with the Red Baron in conjunction with being unable to find any readily available books on the man. This book talked about much more than the Red Baron, however, and ended up being one of the most thorough books I’ve ever seen. 520 pages of readable content, pictures placed in the middle for each era of fighter pilots, 2 appendices, maps, and a bibliography. It was a tour of the history of fighter pilots, the planes they flew, and the engineering involved, and it offered a deep dive into the history of 5 major wars the US has been involved in since WWI (the author is American). Unreal stuff!
September 8, 2023
This is the second book I've read by Lt Col (Ret) Dan Hampton, an accomplished USAF fighter, weapons school, and Top Gun graduate, and author of NUMEROUS books on aviation. Hampton is a decorated aviation hero in his own right (4 DFCs for starters...), and I've really come to enjoy his writing style! "Lords of the Sky: Fighter Pilots and Air Combat, from the Red Baron to the F-16" is a thrilling exploration of the world of fighter pilots and aerial combat. Hampton brings a wealth of personal experience and expertise to the subject matter. While the book is undeniably engaging and filled with exciting anecdotes, it also has its shortcomings that should be considered in a critical review. One of the book's strengths is its vivid and detailed accounts of historic aerial battles. Hampton's descriptions of dogfights, such as those involving the Red Baron and the Flying Tigers, are gripping and immersive. He effectively conveys the fear, adrenaline, and tactics involved in aerial combat, making it accessible even to readers with limited knowledge of aviation. Hampton's firsthand experience in modern fighter aircraft adds authenticity to his narratives, and his passion for the subject matter is palpable throughout the book. However, it is not without its flaws. One major issue is its uneven coverage of different eras of aviation history. While the book promises to cover fighter pilots and air combat from World War I to the modern era, it devotes a disproportionately large amount of space to World War I and II and relatively little to later conflicts. This leaves the reader with an incomplete picture of the evolution of fighter aviation. Furthermore, the book occasionally suffers from a lack of critical analysis. Hampton tends to romanticize the life of a fighter pilot and rarely delves into the ethical and moral complexities of warfare from the perspective of those who fly the planes. While the bravery and heroism of fighter pilots are undeniable, a more balanced examination of the costs and consequences of their actions would have added depth to the narrative. Another drawback is the occasional disjointedness of the book's structure. It frequently jumps back and forth between different time periods and conflicts, which can be disorienting for the reader. A more linear and organized approach to storytelling would have made the book easier to follow. Despite these shortcomings, "Lords of the Sky" is an enjoyable read for anyone interested in aviation history and the experiences of fighter pilots. It successfully captures the excitement and danger of aerial combat and offers valuable insights into the world of those who take to the skies in defense of their nations. Readers should approach it, however, as a starting point for further exploration of the subject matter rather than a comprehensive and critical examination of the topic.
February 24, 2020
This book covers a lot of territory, from WW1 to Iraq in 2003. Lots of interesting stories and facts of different planes, their development and the pilots that flew them. Hampton even includes a lot about the matching ground wars to keep all the fighting in context. Not overly in depth because it covers so large a time span but a great primer to interest one one more in depth books.
January 11, 2019
Engaging history of fighter pilots. Interesting take on how wars are waged, won and lost from the standpoint of fighter aircraft and pilots.
November 4, 2019
An acclaimed "Viper" Pilot himself, Dan Hampton in this racy read provides a ringside view of the origin and continuing evolution of the Fighter Jet and the aviators handling them. From an era of piston powered lumbering but able winged wonders to the current day sleek killer machines, the Fighter has captured the imagination of both soldiers and scientists in equal measure. The superiority of a tactical airspace advantage, although evident by the end of the First World War, was only accorded its rightful place of honour during World War II. The formidable German Airforce, the 'Luftwaffe' ran absolute riot against a hapless combat force strung forth by the Allies. Innovative technology, ingenious methods of manufacture and the inordinately fortunate participation of the United States of America in the bloody War, ultimately tilted the scale of balance as the Luftwaffe was routed, trumped and literally shot out of the English, France and Russian skies.
Dan Hampton traces with wonderful eloquence the advent and origin of the fighter beginning with the exploits of the French Ace, Roland Garros flying a Morane Saulnier L. In a systematic manner, the author traces the development of the fighter aircraft in tandem with the emergence of aviation technology. Fokker Eindeckers, The Royal Aircraft Factory SE-5s; Sopwith Snipes; Polikarpov I-16s; Stukas; Messerschmidts; Spitfire MK 1s; MiGs; Mirages; and the F-16s all make resounding appearances. For the entranced reader, it is a virtual display of fly past by these powerful machines as they strafe the grounds of Berlin, Tokyo, Vietnam, Basra and Baghdad.
The highlight of the book however, is the description of the unbelievable exploits of some of the grand aces flying their toys. The merit of honour of the German Ace Hans-Ulrich Rudel runs like a riotous imagination right out of an adventure epic. Digest this:
Combat Missions: 2,350;
Kills: 519 tanks; 4 trains; 1 battleship, 2 cruisers; 1 destroyer, 800 miscellaneous vehicles and >150 artillery pieces:
Decorations: Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Golden Oak Leaves
Hans-Joachim Marseiller arguably the greatest combat pilot ever since the Red Baron was an incorrigible playboy, who in addition to falling foul on a regular basis with his superiors shot down English planes for sheer fun. A stupendous record of 18 downed fighters in a mere 10 minutes stands unbroken and unparalleled! This Lord of the Sky was a mere 23 when a combat downed him and put him perennially to rest. He lies interred in the soil of Libya at Tobruk with a single philosophical and apt word adorning his tombstone, "Undefeated".
This book by Hampton not only celebrates the lives of many an immortal soul that has sacrificed his/her (the case of the famous women squadron of the Russian fighters) life for the betterment of the world, but also demonstrates in precise detail the utter futility and purposelessness that is frequently resorted to by man to annihilate his fellow species.
"Lords Of The Sky" - Soars high on elegant wings!
Dan Hampton traces with wonderful eloquence the advent and origin of the fighter beginning with the exploits of the French Ace, Roland Garros flying a Morane Saulnier L. In a systematic manner, the author traces the development of the fighter aircraft in tandem with the emergence of aviation technology. Fokker Eindeckers, The Royal Aircraft Factory SE-5s; Sopwith Snipes; Polikarpov I-16s; Stukas; Messerschmidts; Spitfire MK 1s; MiGs; Mirages; and the F-16s all make resounding appearances. For the entranced reader, it is a virtual display of fly past by these powerful machines as they strafe the grounds of Berlin, Tokyo, Vietnam, Basra and Baghdad.
The highlight of the book however, is the description of the unbelievable exploits of some of the grand aces flying their toys. The merit of honour of the German Ace Hans-Ulrich Rudel runs like a riotous imagination right out of an adventure epic. Digest this:
Combat Missions: 2,350;
Kills: 519 tanks; 4 trains; 1 battleship, 2 cruisers; 1 destroyer, 800 miscellaneous vehicles and >150 artillery pieces:
Decorations: Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Golden Oak Leaves
Hans-Joachim Marseiller arguably the greatest combat pilot ever since the Red Baron was an incorrigible playboy, who in addition to falling foul on a regular basis with his superiors shot down English planes for sheer fun. A stupendous record of 18 downed fighters in a mere 10 minutes stands unbroken and unparalleled! This Lord of the Sky was a mere 23 when a combat downed him and put him perennially to rest. He lies interred in the soil of Libya at Tobruk with a single philosophical and apt word adorning his tombstone, "Undefeated".
This book by Hampton not only celebrates the lives of many an immortal soul that has sacrificed his/her (the case of the famous women squadron of the Russian fighters) life for the betterment of the world, but also demonstrates in precise detail the utter futility and purposelessness that is frequently resorted to by man to annihilate his fellow species.
"Lords Of The Sky" - Soars high on elegant wings!
November 10, 2014
Dan Hampton takes on a big subject by authoring a one volume history of air fighters from WWI to the 2003 invasion of Iraq. He provides "you were there" descriptions of representative combat flying in all eras and the gives the history of aircraft development and how fighters played a role in the different wars. Hampton provides some interesting details about the characteristics of the various best known planes without getting too technical for general readers. He also explains the evolution of tactics as plane designs advanced. The flying careers of many of the famous aces from the wars are included. You can tell Hampton has a lot of passion for these planes and the men (and in a few cases USSR women) who flew them.
Although, not a youth level book, the topic may attract many teens with an interest in this subject. Parents should be aware that the language can be rough in spots as the author realistically portrays the fighter pilot experience in combat.
Although, not a youth level book, the topic may attract many teens with an interest in this subject. Parents should be aware that the language can be rough in spots as the author realistically portrays the fighter pilot experience in combat.
January 26, 2017
A brilliant work, with exhaustive research, incredible insight representing a complete history of the greatest fighter pilots. Clearly, the author (a fighter pilot himself), had in mind a work to be studied in every flight school across the globe. While the technical details, airplane model specifications and/or technological descriptions may be a bit lengthy in this volume, I found the stories, personal histories and battle details quite engrossing.
February 16, 2017
Being the kind of guy who can spend hours at places like The National Museum of The United States Air Force I loved this book. It is handy to do Internet searches on the planes mentioned in the book to get a better feel for them. I really enjoyed the descriptions of action in this book. Overall a really good read.
November 29, 2015
A great history of air combat, managing to be both encyclopedic and flowing. Col. Hampton's extensive research clearly shows. For anyone interested in the military or in aviation, this is a great read.
March 10, 2015
Bien escrito, entretenido de leer, entra en historias menos conocidas y esquiva las más conocidas. Ni una palabra de Saburo Sakai pero habla de Boelcke, Marseille y Livia Litvak. Bien ahí.
July 25, 2019
Lords of the Sky: Fighter Pilots and Air Combat, from the Red Baron to the F-16 by Dan Hampton recounts the history of fighter aircraft and fighter pilots from before WW 1 through the Second Gulf War, told by an actual fighter pilot. It unfolds chronologically about the way you would expect it to. Each period is introduced with a dramatic reenactment of a combat engagement told from the pilot’s perspective. I suspect these were fun for the author to write, but I found them to be a little too jargon-filled and overly macho. Perhaps the author truly captured the attitude of the combat pilot, but the language here seemed stilted to me. Also, the author spent a lot of time on the progress of various battles on the ground which, although providing some context for the air war, may have been a bit too much of a distraction.
My biggest takeaways from this book were fascinating historical nuggets that I did not know about, but the author throws out along the way. Did you know that famous actress Hedy Lamarr wasn’t just a pretty face? She was granted a patent for frequency-hopping radio communication that became a mainstay in electronic warfare. I found out that Henry Ford sent Hitler $50,000 each year on his birthday and that General Motors had a subsidiary in France that sold parts to the Luftwaffe. Also, the Swedish company that owned a ball bearing factory that was targeted in the disastrous Schweinfurt daylight bombing raid also had a factory in the US that shipped ball bearings to Germany via Central American ports. Also, the author goes into a good bit of detail on the exploits of Soviet fighter pilot Lydia Litvyak. Hollywood, if you are looking to make a film about a gorgeous and courageous woman who is reputed to have faked her combat death and slipped out of the Soviet Union only to be found buried there decades later, here is your story! (I know, it hasn’t been featured in a comic book so it will never get made.)
I would have liked to have seen a little more representation of the Pacific Theater of WW2. But overall, especially if you like this sort of thing, you will enjoy this book. I'd say 3-1/2 stars.
My biggest takeaways from this book were fascinating historical nuggets that I did not know about, but the author throws out along the way. Did you know that famous actress Hedy Lamarr wasn’t just a pretty face? She was granted a patent for frequency-hopping radio communication that became a mainstay in electronic warfare. I found out that Henry Ford sent Hitler $50,000 each year on his birthday and that General Motors had a subsidiary in France that sold parts to the Luftwaffe. Also, the Swedish company that owned a ball bearing factory that was targeted in the disastrous Schweinfurt daylight bombing raid also had a factory in the US that shipped ball bearings to Germany via Central American ports. Also, the author goes into a good bit of detail on the exploits of Soviet fighter pilot Lydia Litvyak. Hollywood, if you are looking to make a film about a gorgeous and courageous woman who is reputed to have faked her combat death and slipped out of the Soviet Union only to be found buried there decades later, here is your story! (I know, it hasn’t been featured in a comic book so it will never get made.)
I would have liked to have seen a little more representation of the Pacific Theater of WW2. But overall, especially if you like this sort of thing, you will enjoy this book. I'd say 3-1/2 stars.
August 2, 2019
Dan Hampton compiles a lot of different accounts of fighter pilots, of all nations, from the invention of flight to modern day. In between the accounts, there is a lot of background information and historical context. Since I’m a aviation enthusiast, I thought it was a great book. There are some complaints I have with it though.
What I liked: The book switches back and forth from narrating battles, to providing historical or technical context, and it does it very well. The accounts it provides are very detailed, as well entertaining. The author cites many sources and knows what he’s talking about, as he was a fighter pilot himself.
What I didn’t like: One should know before reading this, that this isn’t a ‘comprehensive history of aerial combat’. This book focuses on the pilots who flew their planes, and then the planes, tactics, and wars. the author focuses on one or two pilots from each conflict (except for WWI and II, where he talks about a lot more pilots). So it sometimes feels lacking. There is sometimes too much context, and not enough aerial combat. When talking about the invasion of Poland in 1939, and the Yom Kippur war of 1973, it seems that the author writes more about the politics of the war and not enough about the flying. Lastly, the main thing I disliked about this book was that it did not meet my expectations. I judged the book by its cover, literally. The cover shows a US Navy F4U Corsair shooting down a Japanese A6M Zero. Since the F4U and the F6F Hellcat had a combined 7000+ enemy kills between them, I thought they would have more time dedicated to them. Also, during the battle of the Philippine sea, over 400 Japanese planes were shot down in what became known as the “great Mariana’s turkey shoot”. You’d think that these big battles and planes would be worthy enough to have a section dedicated to them, but you’d be wrong. The pacific theater of the war was what interested me going into this book, and I was disappointed. The pacific theater isn’t mentioned much after 1942, and the F6F And F4U are only an afterthought in later chapters. I realize this isn’t a problem with the book, just with my expectations. Personally I’d give this book 3.5 stars, but I don’t think it deserves 3 stars, so I gave it 4.
I liked this book, and I’d recommend it to any aviation or military history enthusiast. Just be warned, if you’re looking for the Air battles of the Pacific theater, you won’t find them here.
What I liked: The book switches back and forth from narrating battles, to providing historical or technical context, and it does it very well. The accounts it provides are very detailed, as well entertaining. The author cites many sources and knows what he’s talking about, as he was a fighter pilot himself.
What I didn’t like: One should know before reading this, that this isn’t a ‘comprehensive history of aerial combat’. This book focuses on the pilots who flew their planes, and then the planes, tactics, and wars. the author focuses on one or two pilots from each conflict (except for WWI and II, where he talks about a lot more pilots). So it sometimes feels lacking. There is sometimes too much context, and not enough aerial combat. When talking about the invasion of Poland in 1939, and the Yom Kippur war of 1973, it seems that the author writes more about the politics of the war and not enough about the flying. Lastly, the main thing I disliked about this book was that it did not meet my expectations. I judged the book by its cover, literally. The cover shows a US Navy F4U Corsair shooting down a Japanese A6M Zero. Since the F4U and the F6F Hellcat had a combined 7000+ enemy kills between them, I thought they would have more time dedicated to them. Also, during the battle of the Philippine sea, over 400 Japanese planes were shot down in what became known as the “great Mariana’s turkey shoot”. You’d think that these big battles and planes would be worthy enough to have a section dedicated to them, but you’d be wrong. The pacific theater of the war was what interested me going into this book, and I was disappointed. The pacific theater isn’t mentioned much after 1942, and the F6F And F4U are only an afterthought in later chapters. I realize this isn’t a problem with the book, just with my expectations. Personally I’d give this book 3.5 stars, but I don’t think it deserves 3 stars, so I gave it 4.
I liked this book, and I’d recommend it to any aviation or military history enthusiast. Just be warned, if you’re looking for the Air battles of the Pacific theater, you won’t find them here.
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June 27, 2022 As a former fighter pilot, the author has unreserved admiration for fighter pilots. In the modern in the current age, a fighter pilot needs to be a perfect physical specimen capable of enduring G-forces while concentrating on instruments and absorbing a flood of information while making life-critical decisions.
Hampton starts in the early days of flight and the wood and fabric planes of World War I.
While he covers the development of fighter planes, he misses some basic explanations. How did the engineers coordinate the firing of a machine gun so it could go through the propeller without chopping off the blades?
What was behind the development of the metal-body single wing fighters that appeared in World War II. How did they mount a cannon that fired through the propeller hub?
Also, somewhat annoyingly, Hampton refers to the common German fighter plane as the Bf109 when it has always been known as the "Me109," the Messerschmitt, because it was developed by the Bavarian Aircraft Factory that was re-named Messerschmitt AG. Hampton said he used BF "for simplicity" while flying in the face of historical usage.
Hampton often takes a politically neutral stance on the pilots, admiring their skill while glossing over what they fought for. But there are exceptions. Most egregious is what he writes about the German ace Hans-Joachim Marseilles, who shot down 158 allied planes, killing dozens of pilots. Hampton describes Marseilles as "A man who personally opposed everything the Nazis stood for," and that "He fought for Germany, not for National Socialism or Hitler." What a lot of nonsense. If you fought for Germany in World War II, you were fighting for Nazi dominance of Europe and Russia. Hampton writes of Marseilles' death, "The world was a grayer place without him." No, it wasn't, the world was safer.
And finally, Hampton fictionalizes the experience of pilots in the jet age, going so far as to describe thoughts and facial expressions while quoting radio communications verbatim. It's entertaining, but imagined by the author.
Hampton's other major sin is fictionalizing the action from inside the cockpit of modern fighter jets.
Hampton starts in the early days of flight and the wood and fabric planes of World War I.
While he covers the development of fighter planes, he misses some basic explanations. How did the engineers coordinate the firing of a machine gun so it could go through the propeller without chopping off the blades?
What was behind the development of the metal-body single wing fighters that appeared in World War II. How did they mount a cannon that fired through the propeller hub?
Also, somewhat annoyingly, Hampton refers to the common German fighter plane as the Bf109 when it has always been known as the "Me109," the Messerschmitt, because it was developed by the Bavarian Aircraft Factory that was re-named Messerschmitt AG. Hampton said he used BF "for simplicity" while flying in the face of historical usage.
Hampton often takes a politically neutral stance on the pilots, admiring their skill while glossing over what they fought for. But there are exceptions. Most egregious is what he writes about the German ace Hans-Joachim Marseilles, who shot down 158 allied planes, killing dozens of pilots. Hampton describes Marseilles as "A man who personally opposed everything the Nazis stood for," and that "He fought for Germany, not for National Socialism or Hitler." What a lot of nonsense. If you fought for Germany in World War II, you were fighting for Nazi dominance of Europe and Russia. Hampton writes of Marseilles' death, "The world was a grayer place without him." No, it wasn't, the world was safer.
And finally, Hampton fictionalizes the experience of pilots in the jet age, going so far as to describe thoughts and facial expressions while quoting radio communications verbatim. It's entertaining, but imagined by the author.
Hampton's other major sin is fictionalizing the action from inside the cockpit of modern fighter jets.
August 2, 2017
Let's discuss the three stars it did get and then the two it didn't.
Dan Hampton's ability to bring air combat to life as though you were right there in the pilots seat is unmatched. No doubt from his own extensive experience as a pilot. I enjoyed the books technical evaluations of the earliest combat aircraft and the human aspect of combat in the air. We see these pilots as complex, contradictory, sensitive and brutal all at the same time. I also enjoyed that the book covered pilots from countries like Germany, Russia, Israel and Egypt.
Now, for the negatives. I have read other books by the same author of much higher quality. This book couldn't seem to make up its mind what it was going to be. The book seemed to shift personalities about four times. Then there are the grammar and spelling mistakes. At least a dozen, from misspelled words to sentences that clearly mis-spoke because of a missing word, and periods obviously misplaced within the middle of a sentence. Whatever the editor got paid it was too much. There were also slight congruency / technical mistakes. Within several pages the P-40 could turn inside a BF109, then later BF109's actually dive inside allied defensive formations because they can out turn the P-40. During the chapters on Korea, B-29's are referred to as "big jets". I find it very difficult to believe that a guy like Dan Hampton who eats and breathes aviation would make that mistake.
Overall I enjoyed the book, and if military aviation is your thing then you will as well. Just enjoy each chapter / story on its own because the next one may not have anything to do with it.
This book had six star potential but somehow fell short.
Dan Hampton's ability to bring air combat to life as though you were right there in the pilots seat is unmatched. No doubt from his own extensive experience as a pilot. I enjoyed the books technical evaluations of the earliest combat aircraft and the human aspect of combat in the air. We see these pilots as complex, contradictory, sensitive and brutal all at the same time. I also enjoyed that the book covered pilots from countries like Germany, Russia, Israel and Egypt.
Now, for the negatives. I have read other books by the same author of much higher quality. This book couldn't seem to make up its mind what it was going to be. The book seemed to shift personalities about four times. Then there are the grammar and spelling mistakes. At least a dozen, from misspelled words to sentences that clearly mis-spoke because of a missing word, and periods obviously misplaced within the middle of a sentence. Whatever the editor got paid it was too much. There were also slight congruency / technical mistakes. Within several pages the P-40 could turn inside a BF109, then later BF109's actually dive inside allied defensive formations because they can out turn the P-40. During the chapters on Korea, B-29's are referred to as "big jets". I find it very difficult to believe that a guy like Dan Hampton who eats and breathes aviation would make that mistake.
Overall I enjoyed the book, and if military aviation is your thing then you will as well. Just enjoy each chapter / story on its own because the next one may not have anything to do with it.
This book had six star potential but somehow fell short.
October 19, 2023
This book is beautiful on the outside and a load of steaming mumbo jumbo trash on the inside. It is entirely misleading, so let me just say this is a book about war first and foremost. The book is carried by details of dates, tactical movement, battles, numbers, names, and strategy. After all of that, there is a book about pilots who gave their all in those wars.
I was expecting a book about fighter pilots. I was hoping to learn about some of the more influential fighter pilots in history and how they evolved alongside aviation. I was hoping to learn about how the planes were developed to fit the needs of the pilots and the missions. I was hoping to hear about some badass flights and some historical aviators doing their thing tearing up the sky. Was there a taste of this in there? Yes. But it is smashed in between so much other technical mind-numbing information that I couldn’t tell you now who did what or where for who unless I went back to find the page.
This book feels like it was written without direction. Like the author pulled out a sticky note and wrote, “Intro: why I am writing this book; Body: stuff about combat aviation; Conclusion: Idk, just wrap it up fast,” and then he just started writing. As other reviewers have mentioned, there was very little time spent on things that should have had spotlights, like Pearl Harbor or Midway or the Battle in the Pacific. And then the final section on the jet age? What the hell? It felt like I wasn’t even reading the same book. The author completely changed tactics and styles. Good thing I’m a pilot or I would have tossed this book out the window for being so frustrating.
I was expecting a book about fighter pilots. I was hoping to learn about some of the more influential fighter pilots in history and how they evolved alongside aviation. I was hoping to learn about how the planes were developed to fit the needs of the pilots and the missions. I was hoping to hear about some badass flights and some historical aviators doing their thing tearing up the sky. Was there a taste of this in there? Yes. But it is smashed in between so much other technical mind-numbing information that I couldn’t tell you now who did what or where for who unless I went back to find the page.
This book feels like it was written without direction. Like the author pulled out a sticky note and wrote, “Intro: why I am writing this book; Body: stuff about combat aviation; Conclusion: Idk, just wrap it up fast,” and then he just started writing. As other reviewers have mentioned, there was very little time spent on things that should have had spotlights, like Pearl Harbor or Midway or the Battle in the Pacific. And then the final section on the jet age? What the hell? It felt like I wasn’t even reading the same book. The author completely changed tactics and styles. Good thing I’m a pilot or I would have tossed this book out the window for being so frustrating.
January 28, 2024
if you are not interested in the ground operations during the wars as well as the evolution in the skies, i would not recommend this book as it had many sections devoted to that and not many about the air battles raging in the skies. however, as a history buff not only for the aviation but also combat on the ground, i found it an enjoyable read. it had many thrilling accounts from different fighter pilots throughout history, from the first reconnaissance planes with pistols, to those flying jets over iraq in the early 2000s. i particularly enjoyed reading about hans joachim marseille, an extraordinary german ace in north africa during the second world war.
however, hampton glosses over the contributions women have made as fighter pilots. he mentions a singular female pilot in ww2, but then refuses to mention them again. he completely misses that there have been women fighter pilots frequenting the skies, especially in the last decades.
i take some personal offence to this, as hampton also dehumanizes women several times in this book, referring to them as nothing but toys for the men. this marks the book at 3 stars for me.
however, hampton glosses over the contributions women have made as fighter pilots. he mentions a singular female pilot in ww2, but then refuses to mention them again. he completely misses that there have been women fighter pilots frequenting the skies, especially in the last decades.
i take some personal offence to this, as hampton also dehumanizes women several times in this book, referring to them as nothing but toys for the men. this marks the book at 3 stars for me.
July 31, 2018
One feels blessed to come across good books and then there are some of those books that leave an afterglow after you have read them. Lords of the sky is one of those books.
The book charts out the history of air combat across nine decades. From fragile open cockpit and fabric covered airplanes to jet powered fighters capable of supersonic speed, from aerial gunnery to weapons that stagger the limits of imagination, the narrative is seeped with stories of men, on the ground and off the ground. It was through their trials and success that a journey of biblical proportions has been covered since the day of first air combat.
This is the story of evolution, of change the way we make war and yet one thing remains the same...fighting spirit of the fighter pilot.
Superb read..highly recommended for all aviation enthusiasts and a must for all engaged in the profession of arms academically or otherwise.
The book charts out the history of air combat across nine decades. From fragile open cockpit and fabric covered airplanes to jet powered fighters capable of supersonic speed, from aerial gunnery to weapons that stagger the limits of imagination, the narrative is seeped with stories of men, on the ground and off the ground. It was through their trials and success that a journey of biblical proportions has been covered since the day of first air combat.
This is the story of evolution, of change the way we make war and yet one thing remains the same...fighting spirit of the fighter pilot.
Superb read..highly recommended for all aviation enthusiasts and a must for all engaged in the profession of arms academically or otherwise.
March 25, 2018
Si te gusta la historia militar y en concreto la de los pilotos de caza, este libro es muy, muy recomendable. Está escrito por un propio piloto de caza (Dan Hampton, veterano de la Guerra del Golfo y de la Guerra de Irak), y sorprende lo bien que escribe. Hampton repasa la historia de las máquinas y de los hombres que las pilotaron (también de algunas mujeres, como las pilotos soviéticas de la Segunda Guerra Mundial), explicando el entrenamiento, las tácticas, los avances tecnológicos y los principales protagonistas en conflictos como las dos Guerras Mundiales, la Guerra Civil Española, Corea, Vietnam, las Guerra del Yom Kippur o las guerras de los EE.UU en el Golfo Pérsico. Hay que destacar el detalle dedicado a la Primera Guerra Mundial, hasta tal punto que "Lords of the sky" sirve también como breve historia de la PGM.
December 23, 2018
Excellent research and compilation by the author. A wonderful read not only about the legendary aviators but it also gives a clear insight into the political and geographical scenario of the nations in conflict since the last century. For me, initially it was bit dragging specially the initial chapters of great war because of the too much unnecessary information written down..Similarly, in the combat portion over Iraq, one gets lost and couldn't carry on with the author... However, most portions were interesting...
May 12, 2022
0.5/5
I thought this book was pretty awful. I heard great things about Viper Pilot, and with a title, Lords of the Sky I was excited to read about pioneers of dogfighting and flying throughout combat since it has existed. Coming from a pilot who loves to read about flying, Dan Hampton did a pretty poor job on this one.
Over half of the book is spent ad nauseam on ground battles in a pretty boring writing style. When he talks about air battles, great. But you’ll have to read through 50 pages of filler pages to get to the few pages spent on flying. Yawn🥱
I thought this book was pretty awful. I heard great things about Viper Pilot, and with a title, Lords of the Sky I was excited to read about pioneers of dogfighting and flying throughout combat since it has existed. Coming from a pilot who loves to read about flying, Dan Hampton did a pretty poor job on this one.
Over half of the book is spent ad nauseam on ground battles in a pretty boring writing style. When he talks about air battles, great. But you’ll have to read through 50 pages of filler pages to get to the few pages spent on flying. Yawn🥱
January 27, 2018
Dan Hampton does a great job of capturing the history of fighter pilots from the beginning of aerial combat through the present day. I loved how he incorporated particular pilot stories from history and with the broader context of what was happening in the corresponding ground and/or sea battles. Well researched, Lt. Colonel Hampton also has the advantage of having flown combat missions himself. Can't wait to read his book 'Viper Pilot'.
September 25, 2022
Fantastic read that covers 90 decades of fighter aviation and the conflicts that defined and shaped it. Helps if you are a pilot but engaging for any military aviation enthusiast. Maybe too in depth if you only have a passing interest, but very brief in other regards such as the personal stories of the aces and heros that played pivotal roles at various points in history. Still, great primer with actuate technical descriptions without being boring. Highly recommend!
May 8, 2020
If you like aircraft, war and history then this book is GREAT. It is like reading a well produced documentary. Dan writes in such a smooth and informative way. He Tells you about great pilots while informing you of the context of the battles. One of my all time favourite books. I'm an Aircraft engineer so I may be a little bias towards aircraft.
February 22, 2024
This book is not exactly what a reader would imagine. Much more general military history than anticipated. The worst part for me was the sudden change in writing style in part 4. The book suddenly becomes a string of profanity laced anecdotes. It's a very drastic shift. I agree that the book seemed like it was rushed to completion after WWII.
November 23, 2019
A survey of the various eras of air combat by a seasoned combat pilot. Hampton provides a lot of technical detail abut the aircraft of the various eras, which may or may not be your cup of tea. Interesting and informative.
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