Fighter Pilots: Eyewitness Accounts of Air Combat from the Red Baron to Today's Top Guns

by Jon E. -Editor Lewis

MEET THE INFAMOUS RED BARON AND LIVE TO TELL THE TALE!

Twenty-seven fighter pilots, from World War I to the Gulf War, offer first-hand accounts of the twentieth century's most furious air battles. Each chapter is drawn from the books, memoirs, and articles written by the famous men who flew and fought them, men such as:

Manfred von Richthofen, the infamous Red Baron, World War I's greatest ace. "Captain Eddie" Rickenbacker, America's World War I ace whose incredible exploits became a Hollywood film. Claire Chennault, to organize the legendary Flying Tigers and took on Japan's mighty air force in the darkest days of World War II. "Pappy" Boyington, who went from the Tigers to the "Black Sheep" squadron of blunt, boisterous, but deadly air warriors. Chuck Yeager, another American World War II ace, who became the first test-pilot to break the sound barrier. Anton Fokker, the Dutch founder of Fokker Aircraft, who invented the "interrupter gear" that allowed a machine gun to fire through the propeller-and made fighter pilots possible.

Besides the explosive accounts of aerial combat, you'll find stories of capture and interrogation, of leaping out of flaming planes and recovering from wounds, and of searching for the desperate pleasures of R&R to help forget it all.

Genres: Aviation

492 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Harron68 · Rating 4 out of 5]

History of aviation by way of military aircraft, fighters in particular. Many excerpts from WWI early days well into jet planes. Told by the fliers themselves, often published after they died days, weeks or months later in combat, readers can learn a little about what emotions and thinking went on during dogfights. I especially gravitated to WWI stories, where inventing strategies and cooperation between allied pilots became standard. Four well earned stars for almost going back into the planes next to the fliers.