Wildcat Aces of World War 2

Osprey Aircraft of the Aces #3

by Barrett Tillman

Arguably the most important piston-engined single-seat fighter design ever to see service with the US Navy and Marine Corps, the aesthetically inelegant F4F Wildcat achieved much acclaim during its bloody frontline career. Thrown into combat at Coral Sea, Midway and Guadalcanal, the handful of Wildcat units of the Navy and Marine Corps took on large numbers of fighters and bombers and came out victorious. On the European front, the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm also put the fighter to effective use from escort carriers, protecting Atlantic convoys from Luftwaffe attacks.

Genres: Military Fiction, Aviation, Naval History

100 pages, Paperback

First published April 25, 1995

About the author

Born 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_...

Reviews

[Robert Hepple · Rating 4 out of 5]

Published in 1995, 'Wildcat Aces of World War 2' is number 3 in the 'Osprey Aircraft of the Aces' series of aviation books. In the usual format, a well illustrated text details the operational history of the Wildcat carrier fighter, naturally concentrating on the aces that arose during those operations. Much of this is of course about the Pacific theater, but other theaters of war are not neglected. Great read.

[John Somers · Rating 3 out of 5]

12/20. Read as part of https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

[Martin Koenigsberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book, not just because it is about one of my father's favourite WWII aircraft, but because I learned so much about this type I did not already know, a rare treat since I have been a WWII enthusiast for over 50 years. The F4F Wilcat was the US Carrier borne fighter at the start of WWII, so all the pivotal defensive battles of the period, such a Coral Sea, Midway, and Guadalcanal featured this type. Slower in a climb, and less maneuverable than the Japanese"Zero"/"Oscar" types it faced, its higher speed in dives and armoured cabin, as well as massive firepower (6-8 .50 Caliber Machine Guns)- made it a formidable fighter in dogfights. Barret Tillman, the author, uses the Classic 100 page Osprey format to deliver history, unit histories, lots of B/W pics with notes and a great colour plate section in the middle that gives you a plethora of choices to model aircraft from the US and Royal Navies and US Aircraft from both Theaters of War.

Actually the best part about this book is the awesome content beyond the classic 1942/1943 battles for which this aircraft is iconic. For it turns out that at the Samar Sea in 1944, the little "Taffy " Escort carriers were carrying the later Wildcat, the FM -2, Wildcat with advances that made it more like a Hellcat the F6F type that followed the Wildcat in first line service. Wildcats, FM-2s and the british Navy Wildcat, the "Martlet" all did very impressive service in the Atlantic! Lots of escort carrier work against U-boats was done by both navies in the type, and much of the original "Torch" air cover was provided by US Navy Wildcats. The book gives you lots of this content that I think will really make this a more important aircraft of the war than most people recognise.

A GREAT choice for a junior reader who's developing an interest in Naval Air Power, Aircraft, or WWII generally. For the Gamer/Modeller/Military Enthusiast- this is precisely why we love Osprey. If you game , naval convoy games, carrier games, or Island invasion games, or model those genres, this book is a wonderful source of information. There are even two plates of uniforms of pilots/staff that would be associated with the type, for the diorama dudes to get ideas. A strong recommendation for fans of the genre.