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The Wildcat in WWII
Tillman is THE expert on WWII fighter history and has written extensively on the aircraft, pilots, battles, and dramatic stories of these true American heroes.
270 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 1983
32 people want to read
About the author
Barrett Tillman
118 books64 followersBorn a fourth-generation Oregonian, descended from American pioneers, Revolutionary War Patriots, Pilgrims (e.g. Priscilla Alden) and Pocahontas, Tillman was raised on the family wheat and cattle ranch. His younger brothers include a breeder of exotic animals and a Rhodes Scholar. In high school he was an Eagle Scout[citation needed], won two state titles as a rudimental drummer, and was a champion speaker and debater. Tillman was first published in 1964 at age 15 and graduated from the University of Oregon in 1971 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism.
Like his father, a Navy trained pilot in World War II, Tillman developed an early passion for aviation and learned to fly at age 16. Over the next several years he flew a variety of vintage and historic aircraft, including a pre-WW II Navy trainer and a restored dive-bomber. The latter became the subject of his first book, The Dauntless Dive Bomber of World War II, published in 1976. It established the format for many subsequent books, operational histories of U.S. Navy aircraft.
After college Tillman worked as a freelance writer until 1982 when he founded Champlin Fighter Museum Press in Mesa, Arizona, publishing out-of-print and new titles on military aviation.
In 1986 he moved to San Diego to become managing editor of The Hook, quarterly journal of the Tailhook Association. He remained in that position for three years before deciding to focus full time to writing fiction. His first novel was published in June 1990. Warriors[1] depicted a Mideast air war and became an immediate best seller when Iraq invaded Kuwait two months later.
Tillman's next two novels appeared in 1992: The Sixth Battle, (written with his brother John) which captured a wide following among computer war gamers; and Dauntless, intended as the first in a trilogy. It was followed by Hellcats, nominated as military novel of the year in 1996. He has also published original fiction in the Stephen Coonts anthologies, Combat and Victory.
Tillman remains active as a magazine writer. He is a regular contributor to The Hook, Flight Journal, and several firearms publications. He has also reported from Africa for Soldier of Fortune magazine.
Tillman is a former executive secretary of the American Fighter Aces Association.[2]
-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barrett_...
Like his father, a Navy trained pilot in World War II, Tillman developed an early passion for aviation and learned to fly at age 16. Over the next several years he flew a variety of vintage and historic aircraft, including a pre-WW II Navy trainer and a restored dive-bomber. The latter became the subject of his first book, The Dauntless Dive Bomber of World War II, published in 1976. It established the format for many subsequent books, operational histories of U.S. Navy aircraft.
After college Tillman worked as a freelance writer until 1982 when he founded Champlin Fighter Museum Press in Mesa, Arizona, publishing out-of-print and new titles on military aviation.
In 1986 he moved to San Diego to become managing editor of The Hook, quarterly journal of the Tailhook Association. He remained in that position for three years before deciding to focus full time to writing fiction. His first novel was published in June 1990. Warriors[1] depicted a Mideast air war and became an immediate best seller when Iraq invaded Kuwait two months later.
Tillman's next two novels appeared in 1992: The Sixth Battle, (written with his brother John) which captured a wide following among computer war gamers; and Dauntless, intended as the first in a trilogy. It was followed by Hellcats, nominated as military novel of the year in 1996. He has also published original fiction in the Stephen Coonts anthologies, Combat and Victory.
Tillman remains active as a magazine writer. He is a regular contributor to The Hook, Flight Journal, and several firearms publications. He has also reported from Africa for Soldier of Fortune magazine.
Tillman is a former executive secretary of the American Fighter Aces Association.[2]
-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barrett_...
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 2, 2021
When the Grumman Company started the F4F Wildcat project in 1936, it was a successor to their F3F, a highly maneuverable carrier based biplane- and was intended to stay the two wing course- but the Navy was looking over at events in Spain and China- and needed more speed and more firepower than a biplane could deliver.. So the project was redesigned with a single wing that could support the new wing-mounted guns that were to dominate WWII skies. The enclosed cockpit was sort of new- and so was the folding undercarriage- crank operated by the pilots. The first Government contract went to the Brewster Buffalo- an unsuccessful aircraft - but the Navy began to warm to the F4F- just in time. The Wildcat was what the US Navy was mainly flying as a fighter/interceptor when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor- and Grumman had done a good job. Barrett Tillman, an aerial Historian of the first rank, tells the tale of the little Fighter that held off the Japanese Zero, and fought the first five Carrier battles in the great Pacific War. Of course, he also tells the tail of a fighter that could handle French, Italian, and German fighters in Europe, submarines in the deepest Atlantic, and then make a last extra appearance in the Pacific in 1944 at the Battle of the Leyte Gulf. Barrett is telling the story of an aircraft- but he's also telling the story of the American Military learning to fight a war with new technologies, so radar and fighter control methods are developing at the same time. It is a compelling story- told with a mastery of the material and a flair for the anecdote that makes this author one of the stars of the Naval Institute Press's series on naval warfare and carrier campaigns. A good and engaging read.
The Wildcat could NOT dogfight with a Zero. If it had to- it would be reliant on its rugged construction to take it home after taking hits. But properly trained and drilled, the Wildcat flyers could fly defensive maneuvres that kept bringing anyone chasing one flyer into the guns of his wingman and vice versa. It was a good diving gun platform, with a heavy radial engine, and the hefty firepower of 4-6 .50 Caliber M2 machine guns was a danger to rip the flimsier Japanese aircraft apart if a Marine or Navy aviator had a penchant for deflection gunnery. So Pacific Wildcat Pilots learned to be as deadly as their foes. The British Loved the plane the moment they began to get them through purchase, delivery of orders originally for France and Greece when they were occupied, and of course Lend-Lease, calling it first the Martlet and then finally the Wildcat as well. Barrett also tells the story of the "Wilder Wildcat" the FM-2, a later version of the aircraft produced under license by General Motors, a Wildcat with more horsepower and maneuvrability that was needed when it was realised that the Wildcat's Big Carrier Successor, the F6F Hellcat, was too large to fly a lot of them from the myriad of Escort and "Jeep" Carriers proliferating on every front. It was these Wildcats, flying from the "Taffy" Light Carrier Groups that held off the Japanese surface battle group bearing down on the Leyte invasion fleet at the battle of the Leyte Gulf. Since my father was sitting in one of those transports waiting to come ashore on D+9, I certainly owe a debt of gratitude to this legendary airframe. I certainly enjoyed the book.
There are few adult themes in this book- and not much graphic injury description, so this ia a good book for a junior reader over about 10/11 years with an interest in History or Aeronautics. For the Gamer/Modeler/Military enthusiast- this is as good as book can be without colour illustrations. The Gamer gets alot of combat description- but more importantly discussion of sortie types and defensive fighter direction that will be sure to add nuance to Blood Red Skies/Aces High scenarios/campaigns. The tick tock of the Guadalcanal battle is very instructive. The Modeler gets a lot of Build/Diorama ideas, especially the big section of b/w photos of the aircraft on every front. The Military enthusiast gets a master aviation writer telling the story of one of the legendary fighters of WWII- in rich and nuanced prose- supported by a lot of facts and quotes. I think this is a great book for a WWII newb to get fully informed- but a book with nuggets of goodness even for an experienced Aviation reader.
The Wildcat could NOT dogfight with a Zero. If it had to- it would be reliant on its rugged construction to take it home after taking hits. But properly trained and drilled, the Wildcat flyers could fly defensive maneuvres that kept bringing anyone chasing one flyer into the guns of his wingman and vice versa. It was a good diving gun platform, with a heavy radial engine, and the hefty firepower of 4-6 .50 Caliber M2 machine guns was a danger to rip the flimsier Japanese aircraft apart if a Marine or Navy aviator had a penchant for deflection gunnery. So Pacific Wildcat Pilots learned to be as deadly as their foes. The British Loved the plane the moment they began to get them through purchase, delivery of orders originally for France and Greece when they were occupied, and of course Lend-Lease, calling it first the Martlet and then finally the Wildcat as well. Barrett also tells the story of the "Wilder Wildcat" the FM-2, a later version of the aircraft produced under license by General Motors, a Wildcat with more horsepower and maneuvrability that was needed when it was realised that the Wildcat's Big Carrier Successor, the F6F Hellcat, was too large to fly a lot of them from the myriad of Escort and "Jeep" Carriers proliferating on every front. It was these Wildcats, flying from the "Taffy" Light Carrier Groups that held off the Japanese surface battle group bearing down on the Leyte invasion fleet at the battle of the Leyte Gulf. Since my father was sitting in one of those transports waiting to come ashore on D+9, I certainly owe a debt of gratitude to this legendary airframe. I certainly enjoyed the book.
There are few adult themes in this book- and not much graphic injury description, so this ia a good book for a junior reader over about 10/11 years with an interest in History or Aeronautics. For the Gamer/Modeler/Military enthusiast- this is as good as book can be without colour illustrations. The Gamer gets alot of combat description- but more importantly discussion of sortie types and defensive fighter direction that will be sure to add nuance to Blood Red Skies/Aces High scenarios/campaigns. The tick tock of the Guadalcanal battle is very instructive. The Modeler gets a lot of Build/Diorama ideas, especially the big section of b/w photos of the aircraft on every front. The Military enthusiast gets a master aviation writer telling the story of one of the legendary fighters of WWII- in rich and nuanced prose- supported by a lot of facts and quotes. I think this is a great book for a WWII newb to get fully informed- but a book with nuggets of goodness even for an experienced Aviation reader.
January 4, 2022
excellent history of the F4F Wildcat. My copy is autographed by Joe Foss, Jim Swett, Jeff DeBlanc and Robert Galer, all of whom won the Congressional Medal of Honor flying the F4F during WW2.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews