Author Topic: Aces High Book Club  (Read 1253 times)

Offline Butcher

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Aces High Book Club
« on: April 29, 2012, 08:02:45 AM »
Was speaking to CorkyJr last night, and it made me wonder why aces high never had a book club, basically people lists what books they have or currently reading so others can get an idea what to read if they are interested.
Here's a list I just ordered or have begun reading as of lately (its not my entire list):

Samurai! the autobiography of Saburo Sakai
Band of Brothers by Stephen E. Ambrose
The Battle of the Bulge by John S.D. Eisenhower

I have ordered these books as of lately - its a little heavier tone in the Luftwaffe department, but some books are rare to come by:

Escape from the Deep: A True Story of Courage by Alex Kershaw
The Black Sheep by Bruce Gamble
Greates Fighter Missions Of The Top Navy and Marine Aces by Edward Sims
Best Little Stories from World War II by Brian Kelly
Luftwaffe Fighter Aces: The Jagdflieger by Mike Spick
The World at War 1939-45 by Reader's Digest
Eagles of the Third Reich: The Men Who Made the Luftwaffe by Samuel Mitcham
The Luftwaffe War Diaries by Cajus bekker
The World War II - 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Figures by Howard Langer
The Few by Dilip Sarkar
JG 52

Offline mbailey

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Re: Aces High Book Club
« Reply #1 on: April 29, 2012, 09:58:20 AM »
I always thought this was a great idea, that needed a Sticky somewhere  :aok
Mbailey
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Offline Butcher

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Re: Aces High Book Club
« Reply #2 on: April 29, 2012, 11:03:43 AM »
I always thought this was a great idea, that needed a Sticky somewhere  :aok

I'm hoping so too, I really would like to have it broken down into sections - with a complete list for ALL countries, however it will be non-fiction only - I have enough tom clancy if I want a thriller :P
JG 52

Offline bozon

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Re: Aces High Book Club
« Reply #3 on: April 29, 2012, 01:56:16 PM »
Catch 22
Terror in the starboard seat

The latter is a missed classic. By far the best read of any of the aircrew memoirs that I read. Unlike most of these "personal account" books, the Mosquito navigator who wrote it is a very talented writer (and a poor navigator by his claims).
I just cycle these two and occasionally read something new in between.
Mosquito VI - twice the spitfire, four times the ENY.

Click!>> "So, you want to fly the wooden wonder" - <<click!
the almost incomplete and not entirely inaccurate guide to the AH Mosquito.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGOWswdzGQs

Offline Soulyss

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Re: Aces High Book Club
« Reply #4 on: April 29, 2012, 02:11:54 PM »
I'm re-reading Catch-22 right now, one of my favorite novels.
80th FS "Headhunters"
I blame mir.

Offline PFactorDave

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Re: Aces High Book Club
« Reply #5 on: April 29, 2012, 02:54:27 PM »
Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo

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Offline Zexx

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Re: Aces High Book Club
« Reply #6 on: April 29, 2012, 03:28:56 PM »
The following site lists a lot of related reading material for this book club. Most if it deals with flight in general, but there a few that deal with specific periods of World War Two, or the Champions of Air Power: Billy Mitchell and Hap Arnold. I was looking for my own  book published by the Air Force college "Rise of Modern Air Power", but I can't find it ( so i can list author and date). While my book, and the ones listed talk about  Air Power from Theoretical terms, there are few good books that deal with specific people and squadrons... or detail the effects of Air Power in theater during World War II, so I think it deserves a mention as far as a suggested reading list goes.

here's the link:

http://www.centennialofflight.gov/essay/Air_Power/AP-OV.htm
Yes there is a Huge learning curve in flying. It starts on Take off and ends on the glide slope for landing. In short The grade arc is the difference you take between being in the sky or in a mountainside.

Offline wil3ur

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Re: Aces High Book Club
« Reply #7 on: April 29, 2012, 03:32:44 PM »
I read the Game of Thrones series as well as the 1st two books in a new series Name of the Wind.  Both were good despite me not being a fantasy fan in general.  Other than that just a bunch of random sci fi.  Ender's Game was one I hadn't read but is actually quite good and a quick read, though I thought the ending was a bit weird.
"look at me I am making a derogatory remark to the OP"


Offline shiv

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Re: Aces High Book Club
« Reply #8 on: April 29, 2012, 03:36:03 PM »
Fate is the Hunter, Ernest K Gann. Not a fighter pilot, though he did fly C47s during the war. Great stuff, read reviews here:

http://www.amazon.com/FATE-THE-HUNTER-Ernest-Gann/dp/0671636030
You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike.


Offline PFactorDave

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Re: Aces High Book Club
« Reply #9 on: April 29, 2012, 03:40:03 PM »
Ender's Game was one I hadn't read but is actually quite good and a quick read, though I thought the ending was a bit weird.

Ender's Game is a classic.  There is more to the Ender series then just Ender's Game, might want to pick up the next book.

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Offline RedBull1

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Re: Aces High Book Club
« Reply #10 on: April 29, 2012, 03:44:47 PM »
"Cat in the Hat" by Dr. Seuss - Stuck on the second page, will keep you all posted!
"There is absolutely no point discussing anything on the BBS, it's mostly populated by people who are right about everything, no one listens and everyone is just talking. People will argue over the shape of an egg." -Anonymous

Offline Soulyss

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Re: Aces High Book Club
« Reply #11 on: April 29, 2012, 04:11:52 PM »
Now that's back in the office and not typing on a silly little tablet.  Some of my favorite non-fiction titles off the 'ol shelf here...

The Flying Buccaneers - Steve Birdsall (good survey history of the 5th AF in the SW Pacific)
Fire In The Sky - Eric Bergerud  (detailed analysis of the air war in SW Pacific)
Touched With Fire - Eric Bergerud (same but for the ground war)
Guadalcanal - Richard B Frank
The First Team - John Lundstrom (US pacific air operations in the opening months of the war)
The First Team and the Guadalcanal Campaign - John Lundstrom
Beaufighters in The Pacific - N.M. Parnell (Australian Beaufighter operations in the SW Pacific)
America's Hundred Thousand - Francis Dean (a look at all the major US fighter models and their variants)
Cobra! - Bell Aircraft Coporation 1934-1946 - Birch Mathews (production history of the P-39 and P-63)
B-25 Mitchell:  The Ultimate Look - William Wolf (production history of the B-25)
The Lockheed P-38 - Warren Bodie
An Army At Dawn - Rick Atkinson (a look at Operation Torch and the battle for North Africa)
The Day of Battle - Rick Atkinson (Sicilian and Italian campaigns)


Unit Histories
Warpath Across The Pacific - Lawrence Hickey (345th bomb group, 5th AF)
Attack & Conquer - John Stanaway & Lawrence Hickey (8th FG, 5th AF)
Possum, Clover, & Hades - John Stanaway (475th FG, 5th AF)
The Eight Ballers (Eyes of the 5th AF) - John Stanaway & Bob Rocker (Photo recce P-38 squadron)
Revenge of The Red Raiders - Walter Gaylor, Don L. Evans, Harry Nelson, and Lawrence Hickey (22nd Bomb Group, 5th AF)

At last but not least, IMHO the greatest Pilot memoir written
Nanette: Her Pilots Love Story - Edwards Park



80th FS "Headhunters"
I blame mir.

Offline steely07

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Re: Aces High Book Club
« Reply #12 on: April 29, 2012, 08:47:16 PM »
Fate is the Hunter, Ernest K Gann. Not a fighter pilot, though he did fly C47s during the war. Great stuff, read reviews here:

http://www.amazon.com/FATE-THE-HUNTER-Ernest-Gann/dp/0671636030

Great book, recommended
Aces High, Wing Commander, Dickweed Heavy Bomber Group: www.dickweedhbg.com

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Offline APDrone

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Re: Aces High Book Club
« Reply #13 on: April 30, 2012, 04:07:06 PM »
Finishing up Flyboys.   WOW..  :O

Been a long time since I've done much reading, but I've gone through a lot of the ones mentioned already..
AKDrone

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Offline mthrockmor

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Re: Aces High Book Club
« Reply #14 on: April 30, 2012, 04:48:09 PM »
Panzer Commander by Col Hans Von Luck
Panzer Leader by Gen Heinz Guderian
Panzers on the Eastern Front by Gen Erhard Raus
Goodbye to all that by Robert Graves (WWI UK officer)
The Road to Serfdom by FA Hayek (Nobel prize)
McCampbells Heros by Edwin P Hoyt (Cpt David McCampbell, MOH USN, F6F pilot)

Just to name a few...

Boo
No poor dumb bastard wins a war by dying for his country, he wins by making the other poor, dumb, bastard die for his.
George "Blood n Guts" Patton