Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: Melvin on March 28, 2011, 03:56:44 PM
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I think I'm gonna order a new book or two this week.
My primary interest this time around will be the European theater.
I'd like some suggestions regarding first hand accounts from fighter pilots, bomber pilots and armor units.
Thank you in advance.
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"The Lucky Ones" - Erik Dyreborg
Not WW2 ETO but a great read:
"Fighter Pilot" - Robin Olds
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The last three I've read: (I've read "Thunderbolt!" about 10 times now)
"Thunderbolt!" - Robert S. Johnson
"The Big Show" - Pierre Clostermann
"JG26: Top Guns of the Luftwaffe" - Donald L. Campbell
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Masters of the Air:America's Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air War Against Nazi Germany ------Donald Miller http://www.amazon.com/Masters-Air-Americas-Against-Germany/dp/0743235444
The Few: The American "Knights of the Air" Who Risked Everything to Fight in the Battle of Britain -------Alex Kershaw
http://www.amazon.com/Few-American-Knights-Everything-Britain/dp/0306813033
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It's a Pacific theater book, but "Unbroken" by Laura Hillenbrand is one of the best I've ever read. It's the story of a B-24 crew that got lost at sea and eventually were captured. Amazing read.
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'Serenade to the Big Bird" by Bert Stiles. Written in 44, it's the best, in the moment account of a B-17 co-pilot written.
"Wing Leader" J.E. "Johnnie" Johnson. Still the best of the RAF fighter pilot biographies.
Not an ETO book, but the best Fighter Pilot book ever "Nanette", by Edwards Park. He was a P39, P47 pilot in the PTO. If I had to choose one book in all of my collection to survive with and lose the rest, it would be that one.
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"Those Who Fall" by John Muirhead.
About a B-17 Pilot who was stationed in Italy during the 1943-1944 time frame.
Very interesting read with striking detail. I was also able to pull some historic facts from it.
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Anything by Cornelius Ryan (The Longest Day, A Bridge Too Far, The Last Battle) or Stephen Ambrose (Band of Brothers, D-Day, Citizen Soldiers) is good. John Keegan is a favorite of mine, but his scope is all of military history. A cool fact/trivia book is Dirty Little Secrets of World War II by James Dunnegin
When I was in my "German planes are cool phase" as a kid, I read Stuka Pilot, (Rudel) and The Luftwaffe War Diaries,(Bekker.)
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Winged Victory
http://www.amazon.com/Winged-Victory-Army-Forces-World/dp/0375750479
really good and informative read
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Good book about BOB is "The Few". Written about the few RAF pilots that faced the Luftwaffe eyeball to eyeball.
Good book about the Strategic Bombing effort from USAAF perspective is "Air Force Spoken Here". A Biography of Ira Eaker which starts at his early days in WWI. A lot of insight into the strategy, the commanders from various countries and the issues faced and how they were dealt with.
Later,
KayBay
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One of the first books that I got, the one that sort of jump started this whole crazy obsession of mine was "To Fly & To Fight" written by "Bud" Anderson and Joseph Hamelin. It covers his days as a cadet, two combat tours in the P-51, on through his days as a test pilot and combat tour in Vietnam. I've worn out that book reading it, even had to re-glue the binding once or twice.
There's a preview on Col. Anderson's website, you can read the first chapter.
http://www.cebudanderson.com/ch1.htm (http://www.cebudanderson.com/ch1.htm)
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A Dawn Like Thunder
It's about US Navy's Torpedo Squadron 8. Very good read, albeit chilling.
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'Serenade to the Big Bird" by Bert Stiles. Written in 44, it's the best, in the moment account of a B-17 co-pilot written.
"Wing Leader" J.E. "Johnnie" Johnson. Still the best of the RAF fighter pilot biographies.
Not an ETO book, but the best Fighter Pilot book ever "Nanette", by Edwards Park. He was a P39, P47 pilot in the PTO. If I had to choose one book in all of my collection to survive with and lose the rest, it would be that one.
stiles died while in a p47 if i remember correctly. he switched to the the 47 late in the war.
me personally just got done reading "Sweet Pea, the story of the USS PORTLAND" my grandfather was on this shiip, it was in almost every major naval battle in the Pacific, had 11 torpedos fired at her and only 1 connected and damaged her.
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Clifford the Big Red Dog... :D............................ .... band of brothers :aok
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Clifford the Big Red Dog... :D............................ .... band of brothers :aok
Hey man, don't diss Clifford :cool:
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The Longest Winter by Alex Kershaw is an excellent read.
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I grew up reading Clifford, he thee Anti-Barney
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I grew up reading Clifford, he thee Anti-Barney
:aok
:rofl
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The Bomber Boys by Travis L. Ayres
anybody know some good WW2 aircraft (bomber/fighter/attack...) books that fall more into the "historical fiction" genere? Couple of examples I've read in the past like this have been Rifles for Watie, Soldier X and Fallen Angels. Most of the time when I go to a book store I find a lot of biographies and history books, but very few novels.
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A Question of Honor by Lynne Olson. Awesome read about the 303 sqd.
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The Bomber Boys by Travis L. Ayres
anybody know some good WW2 aircraft (bomber/fighter/attack...) books that fall more into the "historical fiction" genere? Couple of examples I've read in the past like this have been Rifles for Watie, Soldier X and Fallen Angels. Most of the time when I go to a book store I find a lot of biographies and history books, but very few novels.
As for novels, Piece of Cake (Battle of Britain mostly) by Derek Robinson is excellent. He did a few others too - A Good Clean Fight is about a P40 squadron in North Africa, and Goshawk Squadron about a WW1 squadron.
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A Question of Honor by Lynne Olson. Awesome read about the 303 sqd.
:devil