Download or read book Marine Corps Aces written by Peter B. Mersky and published by . This book was released on 1994 with total page 4 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Time of the Aces written by U. S. Naval Reserve Mersky and published by CreateSpace. This book was released on 2013-12 with total page 44 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down several enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The actual number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an "ace" has varied, but is usually considered to be five or more. The few aces among combat aviators have historically accounted for the majority of air-to-air victories in military history. The Marine Corps aces fought some of the hardest battles of World War Two in the Pacific, most notably the grinding struggle for Guadalcanal, where the few pilots of the 'Cactus Air Force' saved the beachhead from Japanese counter-attacks. The Marine fliers also figured in the drive up through the Solomons, and achieved many great successes in late 1943 and early 1944, when, equipped with powerful F4U Corsairs, men like Pappy Boyington and Robert Hanson drove the Zeros from the skies of the Northern Solomons. This book recounts the Marine Operation in the Pacific and references specific subjects, such as aircraft, personalities, and campaigns.

Download or read book Time of the Aces written by Peter B. Mersky and published by . This book was released on 1993 with total page 48 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book America s Few written by Bill Yenne and published by Osprey Publishing. This book was released on 2022-01-25 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Using the parallel stories of Gregory "Pappy" Boyington and Joseph "Smokey Joe" Foss, the two top-scoring US Marine Corps fighter aces of all time, this fascinating new book explores US Marine Corps aviation over the South Pacific. America's Few delves into the history of US Marine Corps aviation in World War II, following the feats of the Corps' top-scoring aces in the skies over Guadalcanal. Marine Corps aviation began in 1915, functioning as a self-contained expeditionary force. During the interwar period, the support of USMC amphibious operations became a key element of Marine aviation doctrine, and the small force gradually grew. But in December 1941 came the rude awakening. Within hours of Pearl Harbor, heroic Marine aviators were battling the Japanese over Wake Island. In the South Pacific, the aviators of the US Marine Corps came out of the shadows to establish themselves as an air force second to none. In the summer of 1942, when Allied airpower was cobbled together into a single unified entity – nicknamed "the Cactus Air Force" – Marine Aviation dominated, and a Marine, Major General Roy Geiger, was its commander. Of the twelve Allied fighter squadrons that were part of the Cactus Air Force, eight were USMC squadrons. It was over Guadalcanal that Joe Foss emerged as a symbol of Marine aviation. As commander of VMF-121, he organized a group of fighter pilots that downed 72 enemy aircraft; Foss himself reached a score of 26. Pappy Boyington, meanwhile, had become a Marine aviator in 1935. Best known as the commander of VMF-214, he came into his own in late 1943 and eventually matched Foss's aerial victory score. Through the parallel stories of these two top-scoring fighter aces, as well as many other Marine aces, such as Ken Walsh (21 victories), Don Aldrich (20), John L. Smith (19), Wilbur Thomas (18.5), and Marion Carl (18.5), many of whom received the Medal of Honor, acclaimed aviation historian Bill Yenne examines the development of US Marine Corps aviation in the South Pacific.

Download or read book Above the Lines written by Norman L. R. Franks and published by Grub Street the Basement. This book was released on 1993 with total page 259 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This work contains the biographies of the aces of the German Air Service, Naval Air Service and Flanders Marine Corps. As well as covering decorations and post-war careers, it also investigates the claims of the pilots, especially Manfred von Richthofen.

Download or read book Mustang Aces of the 357th Fighter Group written by Chris Bucholtz and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2012-12-20 with total page 204 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The 357th Fighter Group produced 42 aces, more than any other group within the USAAF. It was also the first group in the Eighth Air Force to be equipped with the P-51. Thanks to this fighter and the talented pilots assigned to the group (men such as Bud Anderson, Kit Carson, John England and Chuck Yeager) the 357th achieved a faster rate of aerial victories than any other Eighth Air Force group during the final year of the war. It also claimed the highest number of aerial kills – 56 – in a single mission. The group was awarded two Distinguished Unit Citations (the unit equivalent of the Medal of Honor). Written by Chris Bucholtz, this book is crammed full of first-hand accounts, superb photography and some of the most colorful profiles to be found in World War II aviation.

Download or read book Time of the Aces written by Peter B. Mersky and published by . This book was released on 1993 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book American Aces against the Kamikaze written by Edward M. Young and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2013-09-20 with total page 96 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Japanese High Command realised that the loss of Okinawa would give the Americans a base for the invasion of Japan. Its desperate response was to unleash the full force of the Special Attack Units, known in the west as the Kamikaze ('Divine Wind'). In a series of mass attacks in between April and June 1945, more than 900 Kamikaze aeroplanes were shot down. Conventional fighters and bombers accompanied the Special Attack Units as escorts, and to add their own weight to the attacks on the US fleet. In the air battles leading up to the invasion of Okinawa, as well as those that raged over the island in the three months that followed, the Japanese lost more than 7,000 aircraft both in the air and on the ground. In the course of the fighting, 67 Navy, 21 Marine, and three USAAF pilots became aces. In many ways it was an uneven combat and on numerous occasions following these uneven contests, American fighter pilots would return from combat having shot down up to six Japanese aeroplanes during a single mission.

Download or read book Down to Earth Strafing Aces of the Eighth Air Force written by William N Hess and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2012-12-20 with total page 293 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Like The Long Reach, Down to Earth is a message from the battle at its height, told in their own words by the men who fight' this is how Brig-Gen Francis Griswold, VIII Fighter Command, ends his introduction to this book. His official endorsement reveals just how important a document Down to Earth was to the teaching of tyro fighter pilots heading for action in the ETO. More leading aces were lost to flak whilst ground strafing than to German fighters. In this book William Hess has included biographies of all the pilots that originally contributed to this work back in 1943-44.

Download or read book Korean War Aces written by Robert F Dorr and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2013-01-20 with total page 164 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first virtually all-jet war, the conflict in Korea saw F-86 Sabres of the USAF take on MiG-15s of the North Korean and Chinese air forces. Although the Allied pilots were initially taken aback by the ability of the communist fighter in combat, sound training and skilful leadership soon enabled Sabre pilots to dominate the dogfights over the Yalu River. In all 39 F-86 pilots achieved ace status, and a number of these are profiled in this volume, as are notable pilots from the US Navy, Marine Corps and Royal Navy and, for the first time, the handful of MiG-15 aces.

Download or read book Aces Against Japan II written by Eric Hammel and published by Daniel Hammel. This book was released on 2020-12-05 with total page 313 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: ACES AGAINST JAPAN II The American Aces Speak Eric Hammel Leading combat historian Eric Hammel comes through again with an engrossing new collection of thirty-eight first-person accounts by American World War II fighter aces. Coupled with a clear overview of America’s far-flung air war against Japan and a clear appreciation of the burgeoning industrial might backing the American war effort, Hammel’s detailed interviews bring forth the most thrilling in-the-cockpit experiences that World War II’s fabled Army, Navy, Marine, and Flying Tiger aces have chosen to tell. Ride with 2d Lieutenant Jack Donalson as he downs three Zeros over Luzon on the second desperate day of World War II in the Philippines. Share three lonely air battles over Burma and China with Flying Tiger aces RT Smith, Dick Rossi, and Joe Rosbert. Hear the cry of victory as 2d Lieutenant Don McGee survives yet another encounter with Zeros over embattled Port Moresby, New Guinea, in his substandard P-39 Airacobra. Feel your heart beat with anxiety as an injured Ensign Ed Wendorf races against time to land his damaged Hellcat aboard the USS Lexington before he bleeds to death. And thrill to the hunt as Pearl Harbor veteran 1st Lieutenant Frank Holmes seeks personal revenge against Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto on one of history’s most important and most thrilling fighter missions. The American Aces Speak series is a highly charged five-volume excursion into life and death in the air, told by men who excelled and triumphed in aerial combat and lived to tell about it. In sum, it is an emotional rendering of what brave airmen felt and how they fought in the now-dim days of America’s living national history. These are America’s eagles, and the stories are their own, in their very own words. Critical Acclaim for The American Aces Speak Series The Book World says: “Aces Against Japan is a thunderous, personal, high-adventure book giving our ‘men in the sky’ their own voice” Book Page says: “Eric Hammel’s book is recommended reading. It is a must for any historian’s bookshelf.” The Library Journal says: “No PR hype or dry-as-dust prose here. Hammel allows his flyers to tell their stories in their own way.Exciting stuff aviation and World War II buffs will love.” The Friday Review of Defense Literature says: “Aces Against Japan is replete with individual heroism and personal feats that almost defy comprehension.A thoroughly enjoyable foray into the cockpits of World War II fighter pilots.” The Providence Sunday Journal says: “A treat that deftly blends a chronology of the Pacific War with tales that would rival a Saturday action matinee.” Infantry Magazine says: “If you would like to read one book that will give you a broad overview and yet a detailed look at what a fighter pilot’s air war was likethis is the book.” The Bookshelf says: “Hammel is one of our best military historians when it comes to presenting that often complex subject to the general public. He has demonstrated this facility in a number of fine books before [Aces Against Germany] and now he does so again. Not to be missed by either buff or scholar.”

Download or read book Time of the Aces Marine Pilots in the Solomons 1942 1944 written by Peter B Mersky Usnr and published by CreateSpace. This book was released on 2013-02-08 with total page 44 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The book is part of the Marines in World War II Commemorative Series. It recounts the Marine Operation in the Pacific and references specific subjects, such as aircraft, personalities, and campaigns.

Download or read book Royal Navy Aces of World War 2 written by Andrew Thomas and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2013-02-20 with total page 97 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy served with distinction in every theatre of war throughout World War II. From its poorly equipped beginnings it started the war with few suitable, modern, carrier-born fighters to the final campaigns over the Japanese home islands, the FAA proved an effective fighting force wherever it went. FAA Pilots had the distinction of being responsible for both the first, and last, enemy aircraft to be shot down during the war. Featuring first hand accounts, combat reports, photographs from private collections and an array of colour plates depicting the range of profiles and symbolic markings that were used, this book will detail the history and combat experiences of these forgotten pilots who served with such distinction for the Allied cause.

Download or read book Once We Were Aces written by Steve Campbell and published by AuthorHouse. This book was released on 2014-01-31 with total page 207 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: During my tenure with the Marine Corps Air Wing, and later, I often thought of what would have been the outcome, if during the Vietnam War, Marines fighter pilots were afforded the opportunity of air to air engagements as they were during World War I and II and the Korean War. Had that opportunity been realized, Marines may have very well been the first air Aces of the war. The Vietnam War had an impact that fueled the political revolution of the nineteen sixties and impacted our world of today. Those who made such an impact were those so affectionately referred to as the baby boomers. Some of these were men in their early twenties were taught to fly state of the art fighter aircraft and deliver bombs, rockets and napalm on the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong enemy. None more so than pilots and Flight officers of the United States Marine Corps Air Wing. I often recall a quote from President Ronald Reagan as he described Marines during a speech in 1985. "Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they've made a difference. The Marines don't have that problem."

Download or read book Israeli Fighter Aces written by Peter B. Mersky and published by Voyageur Press (MN). This book was released on 1997 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first account of the experiences and backgrounds of what many consider the most successful group of combat aviators of the post -- World War II era.

Download or read book Japanese Army Air Force Units and Their Aces 1931 1945 written by Ikuhiko Hata and published by Casemate Publishers. This book was released on 2009-04-21 with total page 433 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An extensive guide to Japan’s Army Air Force Units and their ace pilots during conflicts in the 1930s and ‘40s, now in English. Commencing with a detailed study of the development, equipment, and operations flown by this force since its inception immediately after the end of World War I, until the catastrophic conclusion of World War II, the initial section deals with the wars in China and Manchuria, as well as the Pacific War of 1941-1945. The second section explores the history of each unit, listing the types of aircraft used, the bases from which they flew, and the unit and formation commanders. Notable mission details are also included. Finally, the third section offers biographical notes for notable fighter pilots and features supporting listings and a glossary of Japanese terms. Photographs of pilots and aircraft are also included, along with line drawings indicating the unit markings carried. This revised edition is a companion volume to Japanese Naval Air Force Fighter Units and Their Aces, 1932–1945.

Download or read book US Marine Corps Fighter Squadrons of World War II written by Barrett Tillman and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2014-05-20 with total page 379 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The US Marine Corps has a long heritage of aviation excellence, a reputation that was largely built on the impact and performance of the “flying leathernecks” in the bitter fighting in the Pacific during World War II. As the US island-hopping campaign against Japan gathered pace, US Marine Corps fighter squadrons operating legendary Grumman and Vought aircraft became instrumental in the success of amphibious assaults and in breaking fierce enemy resistance, engaging Japanese attack aircraft in the skies and ground-based targets while supporting and protecting US ground forces. The flying legends Marion Carl, Greg “Pappy” Boyington, Joe Foss and others were all World War II Marine fighter pilots, taking to the skies in Corsairs, Wildcats, Venturas and Hellcats. Aviation historian Barrett Tillman's comprehensive account US Marine Corps Fighter Squadrons of World War II pays homage to these individuals and their mounts, and is packed with historic and organizational details of the squadrons who took to the skies above the Pacific.