Aces High Bulletin Board

General Forums => Aircraft and Vehicles => Topic started by: RGJ on April 02, 2001, 09:39:00 AM

Title: 56th FG Osprey Book
Post by: RGJ on April 02, 2001, 09:39:00 AM
Just got hold of a new book by Osprey in their Aviation Elite group of books:

56th Fighter Group.

It is a very good read and I recommend it if you are interested in the 56th FG. I just found out that they where stationed just up the road from where I live:-).

Here is the ISBM number if you are interested:

ISBN 1-84176-047-1

Or look on the Osprey website:
 www.ospreypublishing.com (http://www.ospreypublishing.com)

RGJ
Title: 56th FG Osprey Book
Post by: Sancho on April 04, 2001, 03:44:00 AM
RGJ. If you're interested in the 56th FG, there's a wealth of reading material available.  That Osprey book is very nice.  Here's a few other books I'd recommend on the subject:

>
  • Bodie, Warren. Republic's P-47 Thunderbolt. Widewing Publishing. ISBN 0-9629359-1-3
    This is the book about the P-47.  If you are a jug fan, you must own this book.
  • O'Leary, Michael. Long Reach: VIII Fighter Command at War (http://www.ospreypublishing.com/titles/1855329077).  Oxford, UK: Osprey, 2000.
    During WW2, 8th Fighter Command asked it's experienced combat pilots to share their tips and tricks, their hard-earned knowledge to better educate new pilots entering combat for the first time.  A lot of their advice is suprisingly applicable to Aces High.
  • McLaren, David R. Beware the Thunderbolt! The 56th Fighter Group in World

War II[/b]. Atglen, PA: Schiffer, 1994.  ISBN 0-887-40660-2
History of the 56th FG from it's inception, through the P-51H days (56th FG was the first combat operational unit to fly the P-51H), to flying jets.  Includes day by day records of all combat actions in WW2.
[/list]

Biographies:
  • Zemke, Hubert and Roger A. Freeman. Zemke's Wolf Pack: The Story of Hub Zemke and the 56th Fighter Group in the Skies over Europe. New York: Orion, 1988.
    If you read one biography of a 56th FG pilot, this should be it.  Plenty of combat stories and interesting tales like when he pretended to be an enlisted man (he was already a full colonel) to enter a boxing match to raise his troops' morale and instill confidence in their leader--he won!  Dude was a badass in and out of the plane.  (http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/Smileys/default/cool.gif)
  • Mahurin, Walker M. Honest John. New York: Putnam, 1962.
    I found this one at alibris.com (http://www.alibris.com).  It was very well written and covers Bud's adventures in WW2 where early on he was the top ace of the Wolfpack, to Korea, where he was tortured and brainwashed as a POW of the Communists.
  • Johnson, Robert S. with Martin Caidin. Thunderbolt! The Extraordinary Story of a World War II Ace. Honoribus Press, 1999.  ISBN 1-885354-05-3
    This is also a must read... Johnson doesn't have the best writing style--kinda simple and repetitive-- but the stories he tells are simply amazing.  He got a lot of kills running down 190s and 109s who tried to dive away from him--the LW never learned!  (http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/Smileys/default/biggrin.gif)
  • Johnson, Gerald W. with John and Charlotte McClure. Called to Command: A World War II Fighter Ace's Adventurous Journey.  Paducah, KY: Turner, 1996.
    Jerry had an interesting career from his early success in WW2 to being a POW of the Germans (along with Zemke, Gabreski, and many others), to flying U2s, B-58s, and finally commanding the 8th AF in Vietnam.
  • Gabreski, Francis and Carl Molesworth. Gabby: A Fighter Pilot's Life. Atglen, PA: Schiffer, 1998.
    I haven't read this one yet... but it's next on my list.  (http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/Smileys/default/smile.gif)
(http://www.jump.net/~cs3/sigs/uns_sig.jpg)  (http://www.jump.net/~cs3)
Hell hath no fury like 8 50 cals and 18 fire breathing cylinders.
Title: 56th FG Osprey Book
Post by: RGJ on April 04, 2001, 07:28:00 AM
Thanks Sancho<S> for the information, I am looking to order them asap.

My wife say she is going to go online and shoot you down, for now I have got to go and spend more money on books and she will have to cut down on her food bill for a couple more weeks:-).

I got this book:

Johnson, Robert S. with Martin Caidin. Thunderbolt! The Extraordinary Story of a World War II Ace.

And just finished it I really enjoyed reading it the Germans did not learn about diving away did they:-).

I have got this one:

Gabreski, Francis and Carl Molesworth. Gabby: A Fighter Pilot's Life. Atglen, PA: Schiffer, 1998.

and what I have read of it, it is very good also its in Hardback, and loads of photos as well.

RGJ