Download or read book 365th Fighter Squadron in World War II written by Kent Miller and published by Schiffer Pub Limited. This book was released on 2006 with total page 199 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The 365th Fighter Squadron was part of the much-traveled 358th Fighter Group. Beginning combat with the 8th Air Force, traded to the 9th Air Force, and later assigned to the First Tactical Air Force, the 365th flew from bases in England, France, and ultimately Germany itself. As with many tactically oriented outfits, the squadron did not run up a huge score against enemy aircraft, yet, claims from strafing and bombing of a multitude of targets were impressive. This book presents the 365th's day-to-day operations and is interspersed with quotes from the group and squadron records, Missing Aircrew Reports, and the men themselves. In addition, an exhaustive appendix and nearly two hundred photographs give readers a look into the combat activities of this long overlooked Army Air Force unit.
Download or read book Hell Hawks written by Robert F. Dorr and published by Zenith Press. This book was released on 2010-05-01 with total page 356 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Hell Hawks sets a new standard for histories of the tactical anti-war in Europe. Veteran authors Bob Dorr and Tom Jones combine masterfully crafted veteran interviews with the broader picture of the air war fought by the Thunderbolt men. You gain a new appreciation of just how tough their deadly task was, and the courage needed to fly close air support against the Nazi fighters and flak. This outstanding book raises the bar on aviation history as it brings alive the true story of an aerial band of brothers." - Colonel Walter J. Boyne, National Aviation Hall of Famer, former director of the National Air & Space Museum, and best-selling author Hell Hawks! is the story of the band of young American fighter pilots, and their gritty, close-quarters fight against Hitlers vaunted military. The "Hell Hawks" were the men and machines of the 365th Fighter Group. Beginning just prior to D-Day, June 6, 1944, the groups young pilots (most were barely twenty years old and fresh from flight training in the United States) flew in close support of Eisenhowers ground forces as they advanced across France and into Germany. They flew the rugged, heavily armed P-47 Thunderbolt, aka the Jug. Living in tents amid the cold mud of their front-line airfields, the 365ths daily routine had much in common with that of the G.I.s they supported. Their war only stopped with the Nazi surrender on May 8, 1945. During their year in combat, the Hell Hawks paid a heavy price to win the victory. Sixty-nine pilots and airmen died in the fight across the continent. The Groups 1,241 combat missions -- the daily confrontation of sudden, violent death -- forged bonds between these men that remain strong sixty years later. This book will tell their story, the story of the Hell Hawks.
Download or read book Air Force Combat Units of World War II written by Maurer Maurer and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on 1961 with total page 520 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book No Glamour no Glory written by Anthony J. Kupferer and published by . This book was released on 1989 with total page 330 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Long Campaign written by John William Lambert and published by . This book was released on 1982 with total page 204 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Our Might Always written by James William Marshall and published by Schiffer Publishing. This book was released on 2014-05 with total page 560 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A two-volume set detailing the history of the USAAF and USAF 355th Fighter Group, the 355th Tactical Fighter Wing, and the 355th Fighter Wing.
Download or read book Vampire Squadron written by William H. Starke and published by . This book was released on 1985 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Combat Squadrons of the Air Force World War II written by Maurer Maurer and published by . This book was released on 1969 with total page 856 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This collection of squadron histories has been prepared by the USAF Historical Division to complement the Division's book, Air Force Combat Units of World War II. The 1,226 units covered by this volume are the combat (tactical) squadrons that were active between 7 December 1941 and 2 September 1945. Each squadron is traced from its beginning through 5 March 1963, the fiftieth anniversary of the organization of the 1st Aero (later Bombardment) Squadron, the first Army unit to be equipped with aircraft for tactical operations. For each squadron there is a statement of the official lineage and data on the unit's assignments, stations, aircraft and missiles, operations, service streamers, campaign participation, decorations, and emblem.
Download or read book The Fighting 33rd Nomads During World War II written by James E. Reed and published by . This book was released on 1987 with total page 400 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The 421st Night Fighter Squadron in World War II written by Jeff Kolln and published by Schiffer Pub Limited. This book was released on 2001 with total page 203 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As one of seventeen night fighter squadrons established during the course of World War II, the 421st Night Fighter Squadron carried the war into the night skies over the battlefields of the Southwest Pacific when most other fighter squadrons remained on the ground. In the squadron's years of service they would be based in a number of places ranging from New Guinea, Leyte, and finally ending up as an "Occupational" squadron in Japan after the war. The 421st NFS would be credited with thirteen kills, three damaged, one probable, and a number they simply never received credit for. On February 2, 1945 the 421st NFS would finally be deactivated and overnight become the 68th Fighter Squadron (All Weather). The history of the 421st however, would by no means end there. The 421st would again rise in later years as the 421st Tactical Fighter Squadron and fight in the skies of Vietnam, and later be one of the first squadrons flying in Operation Desert Storm â true to its tradition the 421st would fly night missions over Iraq.
Download or read book The Great Rat Race for Europe written by Joey Maddox and published by Xlibris Corporation. This book was released on 2011 with total page 295 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Great Rat Race for Europe: Stories of the 357th Fighter Group (Sortie One) tells the true stories of the Yoxford Boys of the 357th Fighter Group; arguably the best Army Air Force fighter group in the European Theater during World War Two. Aces Kit Carson, Bud Anderson, Johnny England, Pete Peterson, Chuck Yeager and others from this elite group of "tigers" eventually became famous after the war, while other Yoxford Boys just melted back into the scenery that was the American post war years. Those were the lucky ones as scores of these brave, young American lads flying their P-51 Mustangs into combat against the Luftwaffe never saw home again as the result of this epic air war over Europe. Their stories are all here including Leonard "Kit" Carson's account of The Great Rat Race which helped to break the back of the Luftwaffe (from his fantastic book Pursue and Destroy), the strange and sad end of decorated fighter ace Dittie Jenkins who safely returned from his last mission against the Nazis only to be killed while celebrating with an impromptu air show over Station 373 at Leiston, and the first hand account of life in a Stalag Luft (prisoner of war camp) with Colonel Henry Spicer, the irascible commanding officer of the American section of the POW camp (and one-time 357th Fighter Group Commanding Officer) who drove the German officers to the brink with his rock solid spirit of rebellion and the love and admiration of his men. Fly into weather so thick that the ducks are walking with Pete Peterson, one of the leading aces of the Group, as he walks you through a hair-raising landing on Leiston Field with zero visibility and three inexperienced pilots on his wing. Then 357th fighter pilot Joe Shea recaptures the common boredom ridden hours and terror stricken moments faced by replacement pilots of the Group during their first combat missions, including Shea's account of his last encounter, eyeball to eyeball, with a German pilot in an Me-262 jet fighter as it slid over his wing and lined up perfectly in his gun sight. Relive the greatest (as well as the worst) days of the 8th Air Force's first long range Mustang fighter outfit in short stories written by the pilots of the 357th Fighter Group, their families, and this author in this collection of memories and tall tales of the famous Yoxford Boys.
Download or read book The Western European and Mediterranean Theaters in World War II written by Donal Sexton and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2011-10-06 with total page 583 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Western European and Mediterranean Theaters in World War II is a concise, comprehensive guide for students, teachers, and history buffs of the Second World War. With an emphasis on the American forces in these theaters, each entry is accompanied by a brief annotation that will allow researchers to navigate through the vast amount of literature on the campaigns fought in these regions with ease. Focusing on all aspects surrounding the U.S. involvement in the Western European and Mediterranean theaters, including politics, religion, biography, strategy, intelligence, and operations, this bibliography will be a welcome addition to the collection of any academic or research library. Routledge Research Guides to American Military Studies provide concise, annotated bibliographies to the major areas and events in American military history. With the inclusion of brief critical annotations after each entry, the student and researcher can easily assess the utility of each bibliographic source and evaluate the abundance of resources available with ease and efficiency. Comprehensive, concise, and current—Routledge Research Guides to American Military Studies are an essential research tool for any historian.
Download or read book WWII Victories of the Army Air Force written by Arthur Wyllie and published by Lulu.com. This book was released on 2005-09-01 with total page 511 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is the definitive work on World War II fighter pilots of the Army Air Force. It lists all 80 Fighter Groups that had pilots who achieved aerial victories. The pilots within each group are listed in alphabetical order listing their rank, serial number, squadron and the number of victories earned while assigned to that squadron. The book lists 7,299 pilots who achieved at least a partial victory credit from the Air Force.
Download or read book Misconceptions about the Tuskegee Airmen written by Daniel Haulman and published by University of Georgia Press. This book was released on 2023-02-15 with total page 148 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Once an obscure piece of World War II history, the Tuskegee Airmen are now among the most celebrated and documented aviators in military history. With this growth in popularity, however, have come a number of inaccurate stories and assumptions. Misconceptions about the Tuskegee Airmen refutes fifty-five of these myths, correcting the historical record while preserving the Airmen’s rightful reputation as excellent servicemen. The myths examined include: the Tuskegee Airmen never losing a bomber to an enemy aircraft; that Lee Archer was an ace; that Roscoe Brown was the first American pilot to shoot down a German jet; that Charles McGee has the highest total combat missions flown; and that Daniel “Chappie” James was the leader of the “Freeman Field Mutiny.” Historian Daniel Haulman, an expert on the Airmen with many published books on the subject, conclusively disproves these misconceptions through primary documents like monthly histories, daily narrative mission reports, honor-awarding orders, and reports on missing crews, thereby proving that the Airmen were praiseworthy, even without embellishments to their story.
Download or read book Hell Hawks written by Robert F. Dorr and published by Zenith Press. This book was released on 2010-11-10 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Hell Hawks sets a new standard for histories of the tactical anti-war in Europe. Veteran authors Bob Dorr and Tom Jones combine masterfully crafted veteran interviews with the broader picture of the air war fought by the Thunderbolt men. You gain a new appreciation of just how tough their deadly task was, and the courage needed to fly close air support against the Nazi fighters and flak. This outstanding book raises the bar on aviation history as it brings alive the true story of an aerial band of brothers." - Colonel Walter J. Boyne, National Aviation Hall of Famer, former director of the National Air & Space Museum, and best-selling author Hell Hawks!is the story of the band of young American fighter pilots, and their gritty, close-quarters fight against Hitlers vaunted military. The "Hell Hawks" were the men and machines of the 365th Fighter Group. Beginning just prior to D-Day, June 6, 1944, the groups young pilots (most were barely twenty years old and fresh from flight training in the United States) flew in close support of Eisenhowers ground forces as they advanced across France and into Germany. They flew the rugged, heavily armed P-47 Thunderbolt, aka the Jug. Living in tents amid the cold mud of their front-line airfields, the 365ths daily routine had much in common with that of the G.I.s they supported. Their war only stopped with the Nazi surrender on May 8, 1945. During their year in combat, the Hell Hawks paid a heavy price to win the victory. Sixty-nine pilots and airmen died in the fight across the continent. The Groups 1,241 combat missions -- the daily confrontation of sudden, violent death -- forged bonds between these men that remain strong sixty years later. This book will tell their story, the story of the Hell Hawks.
Download or read book The Army Air Forces in World War II Men and planes written by and published by . This book was released on 1948 with total page 920 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book P 47 Thunderbolt vs German Flak Defenses written by Jonathan Bernstein and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2021-10-28 with total page 81 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Since the end of World War 2, the tactical air war over Europe has been largely overlooked by historians and authors alike in favour of analysis of the higher profile strategic bombing campaign. Involving just as many aircraft as the daylight heavy bombing campaign, the fighter-bombers (principally of the Ninth Air Force) wreaked considerably more havoc on German ground forces. Indeed, Thunderbolt units undertaking such missions effectively complemented the strategic campaign, ensuring the defeat of Nazi Germany. P-47 pilots paid a high price to achieve this victory, however, as the German flak arm was well equipped (nearly a quarter of all war-related production was devoted to anti-aircraft weaponry) with weapons of various calibres to counter tactical air power's low to medium altitude threat. The USAAF four numbered air forces that saw action over the European continent suffered significant fighter-bomber losses to flak. The principle fighter-bomber from the summer of 1944 through to VE Day was the P-47D, with both dedicated ground attack units and squadrons that had completed their bomber escort tasking seeking out targets of opportunity across occupied Western Europe. While heavy-calibre anti-aircraft fire was intended to both shoot down enemy aircraft and force bombers to drop their ordnance sooner or from higher altitudes, thus reducing bombing accuracy, low-altitude flak batteries put up a virtual 'wall of steel' for enemy fighter-bombers to fly through. Damaging a low-flying fighter-bomber made it easier for other flak gunners to track, engage and destroy it. Innovations like lead-computing gunsights gave gunners a higher probability of intercepting low-altitude fighters. Conversely, the appearance of air-to-ground rockets beneath the wings of P-47s gave pilots better standoff range and a harder-hitting punch when dealing with low and medium altitude flak units. This volume analyses the tactics and techniques used by both P-47 fighter-bomber pilots and German flak gunners, featuring full-colour illustrations to examine the Allied tactical air power in Europe from 1943 and how German defences were overpowered by the air threat.