Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: cav58d on May 23, 2017, 05:37:01 PM
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Looking for some recommendations on books.
I've read A Higher Call, Flyboys, Dumb But Lucky, Jimmy Stewart: Bomber Pilot, I flew for the fuhrer, Hartmann's book, and like five or six others who's names are just not coming to me right now.
Would anyone else care to add some of their must reads? Thanks!
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Scramble by Tom McNeil, 1000 Destroyed by Grover Hall, Two Man Air Force by Phillip Kaplan, The Star of Africa, Flying Start by Hugh Dundas, and that's all I can name from the top of my head.
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Messerschmitts over Sicily by Johannes Steinhoff.
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The Other Battle*
Shattered Sword*
Samurai!
The First and the Last
Stuka Pilot
Yeager
Into the Teeth of the Tiger
Fate is the Hunter
Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo
Tale of a Guinea Pig
The Gray Eagles (Fiction)
*Impossible to put down.
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Of Course you ask this right after I packed all my books for our upcoming move!!!
An Ace of the Eighth - Norman Fortier
Woodbine Red Leader - George Loving
Mustang Ace - Robert Goebel
God is My Co-Pilot - Robert Scott
Jimmy Stewart: Bomber Pilot - Starr Smith
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Ilmari Juutilainen - Double Fighter Knight
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The Wrong Stuff, by Smith (personal tale of life as a B-17 pilot in 8th AF)
The Few, by Kershaw (The first Americans in the Battle of Britain)
Masters of the Air, by Miller (8th AF, stories from strategic to tactical, awesome)
Unbroken, by Hillenbrand (B-24 crewman, incredible tale of survival)
Fighter Pilot, by Olds (autobiography of Robin Olds)
JG26: Top Guns of the Luftwaffe, by Caldwell (daily history of JG 26)
The First and the Last, by Galland (Galland's tale)
Zemke's Wolfpack, by Freeman (P-47's, Zemke, Johnson, Gabreski)
Top Guns, by Foss and Brennan (excellent collection from pilots)
Samurai, by Sakai (Saburo Sakai's story)
Midway, by Fuchida and Okumiya (Midway and a lot more by guys who were in the action)
Intrepid, by White and Gandt (detailed stories of USS Intrepid)
FLAK, by Veitch (stories from RAF, RAAF, RNZAF pilots)
Baa, Baa Black Sheep, by Boyington (Pappy's tales)
Aces High, by Yenne (about Bong and McGuire)
A Dawn Like Thunder, by Mrazek (detailed stories of VT-8)
America's Hundred Thousand, by Dean (nonfiction detailed info on all US WWII fighters)
The Lockheed P-38 Lightning, by Bodie (awesome nonfiction book on the P-38)
The Wild Blue, by Ambrose (B-24 stories)
Flying Through Midnight, by Halliday (interesting tales of a C-123 special-ops pilot -- this one is not WWII, though)
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Air Combat Over the Eastern Front and Korea ISBN 978-1-84415-735-8
A Soviet fighter pilot remembers
Sergei Kramarenko https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergei_Kramarenko
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The Wrong Stuff, by Smith (personal tale of life as a B-17 pilot in 8th AF)
The Few, by Kershaw (The first Americans in the Battle of Britain)
Masters of the Air, by Miller (8th AF, stories from strategic to tactical, awesome)
Unbroken, by Hillenbrand (B-24 crewman, incredible tale of survival)
Fighter Pilot, by Olds (autobiography of Robin Olds)
JG26: Top Guns of the Luftwaffe, by Caldwell (daily history of JG 26)
The First and the Last, by Galland (Galland's tale)
Zemke's Wolfpack, by Freeman (P-47's, Zemke, Johnson, Gabreski)
Top Guns, by Foss and Brennan (excellent collection from pilots)
Samurai, by Sakai (Saburo Sakai's story)
Midway, by Fuchida and Okumiya (Midway and a lot more by guys who were in the action)
Intrepid, by White and Gandt (detailed stories of USS Intrepid)
FLAK, by Veitch (stories from RAF, RAAF, RNZAF pilots)
Baa, Baa Black Sheep, by Boyington (Pappy's tales)
Aces High, by Yenne (about Bong and McGuire)
A Dawn Like Thunder, by Mrazek (detailed stories of VT-8)
America's Hundred Thousand, by Dean (nonfiction detailed info on all US WWII fighters)
The Lockheed P-38 Lightning, by Bodie (awesome nonfiction book on the P-38)
The Wild Blue, by Ambrose (B-24 stories)
Flying Through Midnight, by Halliday (interesting tales of a C-123 special-ops pilot -- this one is not WWII, though)
"Shattered Sword" totally debunked Fuchida's book. You should check it out.
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Shattered Sword author Jonathan Parshall did a great prez to the National WWII Museum Organization on youtube that discusses his book: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23vL8AvqbDc
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Shattered Sword author Jonathan Parshall did a great prez to the National WWII Museum Organization on youtube that discusses his book: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23vL8AvqbDc
I gotta' see that.
I read their book almost without stopping. It was THAT good. Took me less than 48 hours.
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Lady Be Good B24
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"Shattered Sword" totally debunked Fuchida's book. You should check it out.
I'll check it out. Thanks for the recommendation.
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Some wonderful titles have been listed here.
Here's a few more:
The Cold Blue Sky
Shot at and Missed
Doorknob Five Two
Mission to Berlin
Doomed at the Start
Lucky 666
Hell's Angels
Lancaster Target
Fire in the Sky
Reach for the Sky
The Savage Sky
I have a fairly large collection ( over 1400 ) of WWII books, primarily related to the air war.
My kids tell me that nobody uses books any more, and that once I'm gone the whole batch will be in a yard sale for a quarter apiece....LOL.
I still enjoy spending an evening in my favorite chair with a cup of coffee and a book.
My Kindle is OK, but it just isn't the same.
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I'll check it out. Thanks for the recommendation.
Let us know what you think. I am confident you'll love it.
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Shattered Sword author Jonathan Parshall did a great prez to the National WWII Museum Organization on youtube that discusses his book: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23vL8AvqbDc
I really dont remember Fushido saying that attack aircraft were on the decks of the carriers, most of all Akagi. I seem to remember him saying CAP zero's were either being launched or recovered on the decks and the attack planes were being rearmed below decks.
A few things I'd like to say. 1, the Japanese were notorious with hiding facts in order to save face. Some, like me, would call it Lie'ing. They weren't worried in distorting history, in fact to this day they aren't. I have a cousin who teaches in Hiroshima and believe me they have their own version of WW2 thats far different from our own. The Midway attack itself was covered up from the public with a pack of lies for the duration of the war. The survivors were basically prisoners at a remote location for months afterwards and forbidden to speak about Midway for the duration as well. To them anything that saved the Nation Family from disgrace could never be a Lie.
2, For being pioneers of the fast carrier strike group they really wern't very good at it. Their fire fighting and damage control was very poor. The pace of their carrier sorties was not good. For instance the fact they couldnt warm up engines below decks was a serious design flaw.
3, Nagumo was simply the wrong guy to command even a bathtub ship. OTW to Pearl the guy almost had a nervous break down. He didn't like Yamamato and he didnt believe in fast carrier strike force doctrine. Or in Yamamato's plans or strategic vision. Of all the fools to be put in command of Kido Butai he was the biggest they could pick. Maybe someone else can tell me how he got the command, I have no doubt it was a relic of Japans feudalistic past that put him there but he was just a terrible commander.
Anyway I'm reading Target Tokyo by James Scott again. Its always amazed me how 16 two engined bombers with small bomb loads could change the course of human history so much. But again this was Showa era Japan and a air attack on the homeland at that time just shocked the heck out of them.
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I really dont remember Fushido saying that attack aircraft were on the decks of the carriers, most of all Akagi. I seem to remember him saying CAP zero's were either being launched or recovered on the decks and the attack planes were being rearmed below decks.
I read Fuchida's book decades ago. The take I got from it was the saving face thing. "We were moments away from launching a crippling attack when bad luck got us."
The question then arises what he meant by "we" and by "decks". Hangar decks? Flight decks?
Parshall and Tully take Fuchida to task. In the end, it doesn't much matter. They may or may not be correct about his motive, but their research on this topic has dramatically shifted the view of what took place.
Good comments on your part even though I didn't quote them.
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Devotion. It's Korea but they're flying Corsairs off the USS Leyte and I liked the book.
Forever Flying should be on the list if it's not already mentioned. Bob Hoover.
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I read Fuchida's book decades ago. The take I got from it was the saving face thing. "We were moments away from launching a crippling attack when bad luck got us."
The question then arises what he meant by "we" and by "decks". Hangar decks? Flight decks?
Parshall and Tully take Fuchida to task. In the end, it doesn't much matter. They may or may not be correct about his motive, but their research on this topic has dramatically shifted the view of what took place.
Good comments on your part even though I didn't quote them.
I do find it interesting that overall, the Battle of Midway didn't really matter on the outcome. Japan woke the sleeping giant - the United States industrial capacity for production was many times that of Japan, and then it just became a war of attrition. Winning Midway gave them more options to change the pace with the sinking of the IJN carrier fleet but it didn't change the outcome of the war. Neither if the USN carrier group had of been in the Pearl Harbour at the time.
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I do find it interesting that overall, the Battle of Midway didn't really matter on the outcome. Japan woke the sleeping giant - the United States industrial capacity for production was many times that of Japan, and then it just became a war of attrition. Winning Midway gave them more options to change the pace with the sinking of the IJN carrier fleet but it didn't change the outcome of the war. Neither if the USN carrier group had of been in the Pearl Harbour at the time.
Yep. In 1943 we, U.S., built over sixty aircraft carriers of all types. Japan only two. Game over right there.
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Shattered Sword arrived today and I'm deeply immersed in it now. Fabulous stuff, the Pacific side.
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"Nanette" by Edwards Park. Best dammed WW2 fighter pilot book ever and I've read most of em :)
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Shattered Sword arrived today and I'm deeply immersed in it now. Fabulous stuff, the Pacific side.
My brother!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! RIGHT ON!!! :cheers:
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"Nanette" by Edwards Park. Best dammed WW2 fighter pilot book ever and I've read most of em :)
Gotta' mark this one down.
Also Clostermann's THE BIG SHOW. I liked it.
STUKA PILOT may be my fav autobiography though. The perspective of the war in the East he gives is unmatched.
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STUKA PILOT may be my fav autobiography though. The perspective of the war in the East he gives is unmatched.
If you believe it.
- oldman
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If you believe it.
- oldman
Yep. Not a fan of Rudel
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If you believe it.
- oldman
I do believe it.
I don't believe in his Nazism. But I believe what he wrote in the book is factual. From the perspective of a warrior it is damned good.
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Already Shattered Sword book has shot down a lot about Yamamato from the Japanese movies about him, "not that I believe movies at all". In fact I'm very cynical about war movies. But the movies portrays Yamamato as a good family man who was uninterested in fame and fortune when the actual gacts were he loved 'hoing with Geisha's and boozing a lot and his own kids barely knew him because he was almost never home.
Also he self promoted himself all the time as well as cultivated a personality cult in the IJN to further his idea's. As well he loved the cash and benefits that came with higher rank, the Japanese military at the time was very rank conscious and a lot of perks came with each star sewn on.
So the reality was he was like almost every other general or Admiral in every other nations Military service including Japan. Almost all had mistress's, almost all loved the booze and party's, almost all loved the good stuff that came with rank.
I watch movies to be entertained. I read books to learn. Movies of actual events are notoriously full of beans.
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Picked up Shattered Sword myself today, great so far.
A great but not frequently reviewed book is "A Thousand Shall Fall" by Murray Peden, which is strange as many well known authors and critics have lauded it as one of the best books on the night bombing campaign in Europe written. The Amazon page reviews speak for themselves, as do those who wrote forwards/review clips/etc for the print copies of the book. Very well written book, a lot of insight into the Sterlings, Fortress, and Lanc bombers, as well as some really specific missions like early ECM stuff which the author did.
Shattered Sword is a somewhat newer book on this subject, probably one of the reasons why I hadn't heard of it until this thread, truly truly excellent so far about 1/4 way through. I have it in both print and epub, if anyone wants to borrow it PM me, well worth the read IMO, and good timing too, as the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Midway is in a week.
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Picked up Shattered Sword myself today, great so far.
It only gets better. Glad you picked it up.
A great but not frequently reviewed book is "A Thousand Shall Fall" by Murray Peden, which is strange as many well known authors and critics have lauded it as one of the best books on the night bombing campaign in Europe written. The Amazon page reviews speak for themselves, as do those who wrote forwards/review clips/etc for the print copies of the book. Very well written book, a lot of insight into the Sterlings, Fortress, and Lanc bombers, as well as some really specific missions like early ECM stuff which the author did.
I will try that one. If you want to read the "Shattered Sword" of the night bomber/fighter war in Europe pick up "THE OTHER BATTLE"--written by a guy who was in Lancs in the RAF. He did some amazing research and writes on the totality of the night war on both sides--evolution, countermeasure, evolution, countermeasure--from beginning to end with the knowledge of someone who lived through it. Outstanding all the way.
Shattered Sword is a somewhat newer book on this subject, probably one of the reasons why I hadn't heard of it until this thread, truly truly excellent so far about 1/4 way through. I have it in both print and epub, if anyone wants to borrow it PM me, well worth the read IMO, and good timing too, as the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Midway is in a week.
Right on brother. :) :salute
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But I believe what he wrote in the book is factual.
Well, then, enjoy!
As you go through it again, though, you might ask yourself: Is there any third-party confirmation for all the (very many) brags...?
- oldman (I fought off the Russian army with my bare fists, too bad all the witnesses are dead...) (no, really!)
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Well, then, enjoy!
As you go through it again, though, you might ask yourself: Is there any third-party confirmation for all the (very many) brags...?
- oldman (I fought off the Russian army with my bare fists, too bad all the witnesses are dead...) (no, really!)
German and Russian records certainly substantiate his claims well within reason. I see absolutely nothing outrageous in what he said happened.
There is not one scholar of merit that has cast doubt upon Rudel's war record or heroism.
Looks to me like someone is a tad jealous--or driven by an agenda. The guy was a true believer Nazi. That's not good. But he was a brave warrior and his perspective on the events of the Eastern Front--micro- and macro-level--is enlightening to say the least.
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German and Russian records certainly substantiate his claims well within reason.
News to me! Could you give me some citations please?
- oldman
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News to me! Could you give me some citations please?
- oldman
Yeah, I could.
How about you provide some instead? You're the one casting aspersions on his record. Prove it.
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Shattered Sword author Jonathan Parshall did a great prez to the National WWII Museum Organization on youtube that discusses his book: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23vL8AvqbDc
Watched this one and another that is about an hour long. Good stuff. Thanks for sharing.
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How about you provide some instead? You're the one casting aspersions on his record. Prove it.
OK. You can start here, there are links to other threads:
https://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=172571
- oldman
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OK. You can start here, there are links to other threads:
https://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=172571
- oldman
Already read it. Speculation. Not facts.
Try again.
:salute
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I always knew the IJN and IJA wasnt exactly friendly but I never knew the IJA only used their own transports for operations. The level of distrust and lack of cooperation was unbelievable between the two services. I can only imagine the USMC , USA,and USN distrusting each other so much they refused to sail with each other.
Also their arrogance was off the charts. I suppose they deserved to feel a certain amount after those months of basically doing what they wanted when they wanted. Hitting Pearl, grabbing Singapore, sinking the RNs best BBs, raging thru the Phillipines and Burma, but still they were way to contemptuous of their enemy. Like Hitler with Russia.
The entire Midway scheme was fundamentally flawed from the very beginning. Say they only grabbed Midway? well now what? They had Hawaii to deal with while having a very long supply/communication line to keep open. And since Hawaii produced squat for food even if they had been able to grab that, which is very doubtful, then once again they had a hugely extended supply line and not the shipping or convoying assets to keep it going.
Those USN flat tops were the ONLY target worth going after but very few saw it and none in the army. Then, and I knew this but not the extent, they bled off so many resources to go after the Aleutians. No wonder the falsehood came out that the Aleutians was a feint because there was nothing to be gained by attacking them. These two operations used more fuel then an entire year of IJN operations prior.
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Already read it. Speculation. Not facts.
Try again.
I'm sorry, but that's not how the game is played! You challenged me, I responded. Now it's your turn!
- oldman (seen that bid-against-yourself gambit tried many times)
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I'm sorry, but that's not how the game is played! You challenged me, I responded. Now it's your turn!
- oldman (seen that bid-against-yourself gambit tried many times)
You failed.
Zero facts. No evidence.
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You failed.
Zero facts. No evidence.
:rofl
You crack me up Vraciu. :D