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#3571171 - 05/11/12 04:51 PM Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books *****  
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Juggernaut Offline
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Hi,

I am looking to read a bunch of books which either are based mostly on aviation and air combat or which have a large part of the book which includes avaiation and air combat.

I do not care what era or genre it is from - could be WW1, WW2, Vietnam, Gulf wars, non-fiction, fiction, historical, futuristic, fantasy, sci-fi etc.

Can anyone recommend any good books in this genre?
I'm not looking for technical manuals or training manuals etc at this time.

Thanks!
Juggernaut

p.s. If I am able to back edit this post, I can keep the full list at the top with the suggestions made so everyone can easily see the list.

As promised:
-"Bomber" from Len Deighton
-"Goodbye Mickey Mouse" from Len Deighton
-"War in the Air" by Stephen Coonts, this is a collection of stories from WWI to Vietnam (and maybe later)
-http://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Aviation-History-Books/c/22/
-http://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Military-Biography/c/33/
-http://www.hamiltonbook.com/hamiltonbook.storefront/4fad2fab0023f63a271dd8b1903b06c6/Catalog/AAA
-http://www.hamiltonbook.com/hamiltonbook.filereader?4fad2fab0023f63a271dd8b1903b06c6+EN/catalogs/WW
-"War for the Hell of it: A Fighter Pilot's View of Vietnam" By Ed Cobleigh
-"The Big Show".
-Rescue of Streetcar 304 by Kenny Wayne Fields
-'Fighter Pilot' by Robin Olds.
-"Bury Us Upside Down", about the "Misty" fast FACs in Vietnam.
-Vietnam "Da Nang Diary" by Tom Yarborough, about his days as an OV-10 FAC/Special ops support.
-"Winged Victory", a WW1 novel but written by a RFC/RAF ace
-Vipers in the Storm - http://books.google.com/books/about/Vipers_in_the_Storm.html?id=og3al258ch8C
-Warthog - http://books.google.com/books?id=v9QykLb...ved=0CDgQ6AEwAA
-Strike Eagle - http://books.google.com/books?id=90yQPwA...ved=0CDQQ6AEwAA
-"Flight of the Intruder" by Coonts
-"The Mouchotte Diaries" From June 1940 to Mouchotte's last entry - again in June - but 3 years on.
-"Samurai!" by Saburo Sakai. One of Japan's top WWII aces.
-"Chickenhawk" by Robert Mason
-Rolling Thunder, Steel Tiger, Phantom Leader, Eagle Station, Storm Flight. All by Mark Berent. The air combat sequences put you right there in the cockpit. Fiction, but obviously written from experience.
-"Fate is the hunter", by Ernest Gann. It's quite possibly the best aviation book ever written.
-"Flying Fury" by James McCudden http://books.google.nl/books/about/Flying_Fury.html?id=ryi5p_Jt5kcC&redir_esc=y
-'First Light' by Geoffrey Wellum is simply marvellous. He has a great writing style, and a lot of interesting stories. It's early WW2, mostly Battle of Britain and Malta
-"Once a Fighter Pilot" by Gerry Cook - a great and interesting collection of short accounts from his time in training and Vietnam.
-"Thud Ridge" F-105's in North Vietnam. Jack Broughton
-"Going Downtown." - Jack Broughton
-Yeager. Autobiography. 'Nuff said.
-Feet Wet. Autobiography.
-Wildcats to Tomcats.
-Pettibone's Law. Despite the disclaimer, way too funny not to be true.
-'Piece of cake' by Derek Robinson http://www.amazon.co.uk/Piece-Cake-Derek...6720&sr=8-4
-The Mighty Eighth. 8th Air Force in WWII with lots of anecdotes.
-"Thunderbolt"
-Sigh for a Merlin..Alex Henshaw - Spit test pilot.
-Nine Lives.. ALAN DEERE
-Best Foot Forward.. the 'other' legless fighter pilot - Colin Hodgkinson
-The Blond Knight of Germany ..Hartmann bio
-Bomber command ..Max Hastings
-Night Fighter..Jimmy Rawnsley - 'Cats eyes' Cunninghams radar operator, observer,gunner.
-Summer of no Surrender..Richard Townsend Bickers
-"Fast Movers" by John Sherwood. Its a great collection of stories from renown Vietnam era pilots.
-The Hunters...James Salter. Not just a good aviation book, a good book. The man was, and is, a master of the English language. He makes you want to write. Don't know where the film came from, it's not even the same story.
-Wings of Fury by Robert Wilcox. Tells the story of the development of the F15 and F16, AIMVAL/ACEVAL, as well as profiles of the most successful fighter pilots of the Korean, Vietnam & Desert Storm campaigns.
-Blind Mans Bluff by Sherry Sontag. Fascinating insight into US Navy submarine intelligence gathering since 1945, as well as the development of Rickovers babys.
-By Any Means Necessary by William Burrows. Scary stories about spyflights around (and sometimes in!) the USSR during the Cold War.
-Fate is the Hunter is outstanding.
-North Star over my Shoulder by Robert 'Bob' Buck.
-F-15: Eagle Engaged, though a huge study book on the F-15, is loaded with detailed, interesting accounts of a-a accounts.
-The novelization of Top Gun is also, well, a fun light read. Maverick actually uses guns in the book.
-Sweetwater Gunslinger 201 (?) Is a fun F-14 fictional work, but seems to combine actual stories and tells them in a fictional story.
-Alpha Strike by Levinson- A-4/A-6 histories- very good.
-Jolly Rogers by Blackburn- Corsair/WWII action
-Ed Macy's works- Apache and Hellfire are hard to put down books about British Apaches in Afghanistan.
-"Flight Of The Old Dog" by Dale Brown. Very good B-52 novel!
-The entire series by Tom "Bear" Wilson (Wild Weasel F-105 Vietnam pilot)..."Termite Hill", "Lucky's Bridge", "Tango Uniform"
-"Steel Tiger" and "Rolling Thunder" by Mark Berent
-"The First and the Last" by Adlophe Galland. Most memoirs are narrow in focus. Galland was General of the fighters. Gives the very best explanation of how the Luftwaffe was defeated in WWII. The inexorable calculus of defeat as American production of warplanes and pilots ground away the German Air Force. He also gives his opinion of Goering.
-"The Man Who Flew The Memphis Belle." Captain Morgan was the first to compete a tour in Europe flying B17s, then he went on to fly B29s against Japan.
-"The First Team", and "The First Team and the Guadalcanal Campaign", both by Lunsford. The books are a very detailed account of the US Navy air battles from Pearl Harbor through Guadalcanal.
-"CW2" by Layne Heath. It is about a Vietnam helicopter pilot, fiction, but I think the author flew helos in Vietnam
-F4 Phantom: A Pilot's Story by Robert Prest
-Thud Ridge, The Hunters, Piece of Cake,Battle of Britain by Peter Townsend, 9 Lives, The Jolly Rogers,
Ba Ba Black Sheep, 5 years in the RFC ,They fought with what they had, I flew for the fuhrer.
-"A Higher Call" - Incredible True Story of Combat and Chivalry in the War-Torn Skies of WWII" Author Adam Makos
-The Larks by Jem Shaw, WW1 from the RFC perspective.
-God is My Co-Pilot: A True Story by Colonel Robert L. Scott
-Everything but the flak by Martin Caidin
-Flying through Midnight - John T Halliday
-"Joe Foss, Flying Marine" by Joe Foss, US Marine aviator with 26 aerial victories and the Congressional Medal of Honor.
-The Last Dogfighter (fiction) by Martin Caidin
-The Blue Max, by Jack Hunter, a grittier story than the movie
-Air gunner , Mike Henry DFC
-Rear gunner Pathfinders, Ron smith DFM
-Lancaster Target, Jack Currie DFC
-Lancaster to Berlin, Walter Thompson DFC
-Only owls and bloody fools fly at night, Tom Sayer DFC
-No Moon tonight, Don Charlwood
-Night Flyer, Lewis Brandon DSO DFC
-Combat crew, John Comer
-Stuka Pilot about Hans Ulrich Rudel, probably the greatest close air support pilot of all time. His Wir Frontsoldaten zur Wiederaufrstung is good too, if you can find it and have it translated.
-An Ace of the 8th by Norman "Bud" Fortier
-To Fly and Fight by Clarence "Bud" Anderson
-Red Tails Black Wings by John Holway
-Black Knights by Lynn Homan & Thomas Reily
-Flying Tigers
-Half a Wing, Three Engines and a Prayer by Brian O'Neill.
One of the best collections of USAAF WW2 bomber stories.
-Vulcan 607 by Rowland White
Gripping tale of the 1982 raid on the occupied Falklands.
-The Last Zero Fighter Firsthand Accounts from WWII Japanese Naval Pilots
By Dan King
-Flying Circus by Ernest K. Gann, a collection of short stories and partly an autobiography ISBN-13: 978-0553296976 or ISBN 0-02-542400-9
-Mosquito Racer by Don McVicar, he bought a Mossie for the Reno air races, illustrated, ISBN-13: 978-0906393581
-Derek Robinsons WW1 Trilogy..superb read
-Target Berlin: Mission 250, 6th March 1944. Jeffery Ethell, Dr Alfred Price. Wrens Park 2002 (first published 1981).
200pp AAR for this 'mission gone wrong', from both the US and German points of view.
-Fighter Combat: Tactics & Manoeuvring. Robert Shaw. Naval Institute Press.
The classic text on ACM and fighter tactics.
-Alone I fly
-Anything written by Ernest K. Gann will be a guaranteed good read.
-"The Night Stalkers", about the 160th SOAR. Written by Michael Durant (of Black Hawk Down fame) and Steven Hartov.
-Night of the Whirlwind by David Bruce, excellent read, a bit of fiction generated around the last mission of 137 Squadron on the 21June 1943 where 5 Whirlwinds go off to ostensibly attack the German airfield at Poix in France, but they have a diffrent goal and it is the training and build up to that mission the book documents.
-"MiG Alley" by Larry Davis from the Squadron/Signal series.
-Eagle In The Sky by Wilbur Smith, about an Israeli pilot and his adventures (not just aviation, mind)
-Red Storm Rising by Tom Clancey
- "Phoenix Squadron" by Rowland White not so long back about Belize and how a flight of Buccaneers was used as a show of force to stop Guatemala invading (after a record-breaking non-stop flight) - but only a small part of the book covers this. However the rest is interesting - covering carrier ops by UK and US navies and pilots. That's non-fiction and was by the chap who wrote the XM607 book about the Vulcans bombing Stanley airport.
-Saint-Exupry "Flight to Arras/ Pilote de guerre" ? His first hand story as a Recco pilot during the battle of France.
-"Loud and Clear", by Iftach Spector.

Last edited by Juggernaut; 05/15/14 01:46 AM.

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#3571182 - 05/11/12 05:02 PM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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"Bomber" from Len Deighton

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bomber_(novel) <- spoilers inside!

Edit: just had to search my shelves.

"Goodbye Mickey Mouse" from the same author.

Then there is "War in the Air" by Stephen Coonts, this is a collection of stories from WWI to Vietnam (and maybe later, haven`t read it in a long time"

Last edited by kilosierra; 05/11/12 05:12 PM.

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#3571213 - 05/11/12 06:08 PM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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"War for the Hell of it: A Fighter Pilot's View of Vietnam"
By Ed Cobleigh

#3571226 - 05/11/12 06:25 PM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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You can't go wrong with "The Big Show".


Good people sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.

Someday your life will flash in front of your eyes. Make sure it is worth watching.
#3571238 - 05/11/12 06:47 PM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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#3571250 - 05/11/12 07:32 PM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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'Fighter Pilot' by Robin Olds.

#3571260 - 05/11/12 07:47 PM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Nick_JM]  
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Originally Posted By: Nick_JM
'Fighter Pilot' by Robin Olds.


This.

And then there is "Bury Us Upside Down", about the "Misty" fast FACs in Vietnam. Another Vietnam favourite of mine is "Da Nang Diary" by Tom Yarborough, about his days as an OV-10 FAC/Special ops support. Both are great reads!


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#3571279 - 05/11/12 08:15 PM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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"Winged Victory", a WW1 novel but written by a RFC/RAF ace, so nothing rubbish.

22 five stars ratings on 22 customer reviews on amazon.co.uk !!!

Last edited by kaa; 05/11/12 08:26 PM.

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#3571321 - 05/11/12 09:21 PM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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Vipers in the Storm - http://books.google.com/books/about/Vipers_in_the_Storm.html?id=og3al258ch8C

Warthog - http://books.google.com/books?id=v9QykLb...ved=0CDgQ6AEwAA

Edit: Strike Eagle - http://books.google.com/books?id=90yQPwAACAAJ&dq=smallwood+strike+eagle&hl=en&sa=X&ei=noOtT8CmD-mQiQLC0JiPBA&ved=0CDQQ6AEwAA
I haven't finished reading it yet, but so far it looks pretty good.

Last edited by Arthonon; 05/11/12 09:34 PM.

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#3571328 - 05/11/12 09:40 PM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: oldgrognard]  
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Originally Posted By: oldgrognard
You can't go wrong with "The Big Show".


must agree. all time greatest WW2 pilot's story. Pieree Closterman. He may have streched the truth on occassions - but what the hey - what a great read.

#3571912 - 05/12/12 11:30 PM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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Is "Flight of the intruder" any good?


Daddy Versus the Squirrels - a children's book!
See the true story and a FREE preview: www.daddyversus.com
Buy on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/s?field-keywords=daddy+versus+the+squirrels
#3571918 - 05/12/12 11:40 PM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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Yes. It is good. Read the book, then watch the film. Then play the Amiga game wink

Coonts is fun, the sort of thing you take on holiday and finish in two days rather than the seven you planned. Just get them in the right order if you read several: he's got three or four character strands and they aren't necessarily read in true chronological order.

#3571939 - 05/13/12 12:40 AM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Bumfluff]  
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Originally Posted By: Bumfluff
Originally Posted By: oldgrognard
You can't go wrong with "The Big Show".


must agree. all time greatest WW2 pilot's story. Pieree Closterman. He may have streched the truth on occassions - but what the hey - what a great read.


"The Mouchotte Diaries" - Excellent read too. From June 1940 to Mouchotte's last entry - again in June - but 3 years on.
Closterman was his Nbr 2 when Mouchotte failed to return.

And then "Samurai!" by Saburo Sakai.
One of Japan's top WWII aces. Epic

Cheers,
Slug

Last edited by Sluggish Controls; 05/13/12 12:46 AM.

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#3571956 - 05/13/12 02:07 AM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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Chickenhawk...by Robert Mason.. Probably my favorite aviation book ever..



#3571965 - 05/13/12 02:30 AM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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Rolling Thunder, Steel Tiger, Phantom Leader, Eagle Station, Storm Flight. All by Mark Berent. The air combat sequences put you right there in the cockpit. Fiction, but obviously written from experience. There are some 'romantic' sub-plots going on that are a little hokey but the flying aspect more than makes up for it.


Last edited by Paul Rix; 05/14/12 01:59 AM.

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#3572001 - 05/13/12 04:46 AM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Paul Rix]  
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Originally Posted By: Paul Rix
Rolling Thunder, Steel Tiger, Phantom Leader, Eagle Station, Storm Flight. All by Mark Berent. The air combat sequences are put you right there in the cockpit. Fiction, but obviously written from experience. There are some 'romantic' sub-plots going on that are a little hokey but the flying aspect more than makes up for it


+1, they're all very good.

Also look at getting "Fate is the hunter", by Ernest Gann.
It's quite possibly the best aviation book ever written.


Out of ammo
Out of energy
Out of ideas
Down to harsh language
#3572039 - 05/13/12 06:25 AM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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For WWI:

"Flying Fury" by James McCudden
http://books.google.nl/books/about/Flying_Fury.html?id=ryi5p_Jt5kcC&redir_esc=y

And to complete the list at the top, "The Big Show" is by Pierre Clostermann(and is excellent!) [Edit - oops, just saw Bumfluff had added that detail...]

Last edited by Hartford688; 05/13/12 06:26 AM.


#3572059 - 05/13/12 10:03 AM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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'First Light' by Geoffrey Wellum is simply marvellous. He has a great writing style, and a lot of interesting stories. It's early WW2, mostly Battle of Britain and Malta.

#3572066 - 05/13/12 10:54 AM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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"Once a Fighter Pilot" by Gerry Cook - a great and interesting collection of short accounts from his time in training and Vietnam.


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#3572075 - 05/13/12 11:39 AM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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"Thud Ridge"... I can't remember the author. nope Great book, though, F-105's in North Vietnam. Jack Broughton, maybe?

Last edited by Topcat; 05/13/12 11:40 AM.
#3572093 - 05/13/12 12:58 PM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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Yeager. Autobiography. 'Nuff said.
Feet Wet. Autobiography. Wildcats to Tomcats.
Pettibone's Law. Despite the disclaimer, way too funny not to be true.
The Mighty Eighth. 8th Air Force in WWII with lots of anecdotes.

#3572107 - 05/13/12 01:48 PM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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I really enjoyed 'Piece of cake' by Derek Robinson

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Piece-Cake-Derek...6720&sr=8-4

It was made in to a pretty decent TV series too.

Fictional story about an RAF Hurricane squadron during the Battle of France and Battle of Britain.

#3572125 - 05/13/12 03:17 PM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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Thunderbolt. A favorite of mine.


"Go for the eyes. The eyes are the groin of the head." - Dwight Schrute 2007
#3572340 - 05/14/12 12:24 AM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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Sigh for a Merlin..Alex Henshaw - Spit test pilot.

Nine Lives.. ALAN DEERE

Best Foot Forward.. the 'other' legless fighter pilot - Colin Hodgkinson

The Blond Knight of Germany ..Hartmann bio

Bomber command ..Max Hastings

Night Fighter..Jimmy Rawnsley - 'Cats eyes' Cunninghams radar operator, observer,gunner.

Summer of no Surrender..Richard Townsend Bickers


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#3572343 - 05/14/12 12:33 AM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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"Fast Movers" by John Sherwood.
Its a great collection of stories from renown Vietnam era pilots.

#3572348 - 05/14/12 12:46 AM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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The Hunters...James Salter. Not just a good aviation book, a good book. The man was, and is, a master of the English language. He makes you want to write. Don't know where the film came from, it's not even the same story.


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#3572352 - 05/14/12 01:04 AM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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Wings of Fury by Robert Wilcox. Tells the story of the development of the F15 and F16, AIMVAL/ACEVAL, as well as profiles of the most successful fighter pilots of the Korean, Vietnam & Desert Storm campaigns.

Blind Mans Bluff by Sherry Sontag. Fascinating insight into US Navy submarine intelligence gathering since 1945, as well as the development of Rickovers babys.

By Any Means Necessary by William Burrows. Scary stories about spyflights around (and sometimes in!) the USSR during the Cold War.

#3572365 - 05/14/12 02:02 AM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Billzilla]  
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Originally Posted By: Billzilla
Originally Posted By: Paul Rix
Rolling Thunder, Steel Tiger, Phantom Leader, Eagle Station, Storm Flight. All by Mark Berent. The air combat sequences are put you right there in the cockpit. Fiction, but obviously written from experience. There are some 'romantic' sub-plots going on that are a little hokey but the flying aspect more than makes up for it


+1, they're all very good.

Also look at getting "Fate is the hunter", by Ernest Gann.
It's quite possibly the best aviation book ever written.


Fate is the Hunter is outstanding. Also, North Star over my Shoulder by Robert 'Bob' Buck.


Who are we? We find that we live on an insignificant planet of a humdrum star lost in a galaxy tucked away in some forgotten corner of a universe in which there are far more galaxies than people.
Carl Sagan
#3572401 - 05/14/12 03:57 AM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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F-15: Eagle Engaged, though a huge study book on the F-15, is loaded with detailed, interesting accounts of a-a accounts.

The novelization of Top Gun is also, well, a fun light read. Maverick actually uses guns in the book.

Sweetwater Gunslinger 201 (?) Is a fun F-14 fictional work, but seems to combine actual stories and tells them in a fictional story.

Alpha Strike by Levinson- A-4/A-6 histories- very good.

Jolly Rogers by Blackburn- Corsair/WWII action

Ed Macy's works- Apache and Hellfire are hard to put down books about British Apaches in Afghanistan.


Fritz Gunter
iamfritz@hotmail.com
http://www.iamfritz.com <- It's Only Gotten Better

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#3572403 - 05/14/12 03:57 AM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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"Flight Of The Old Dog" by Dale Brown. Very good B-52 novel!

The entire series by Tom "Bear" Wilson (Wild Weasel F-105 Vietnam pilot)...

"Termite Hill"
"Lucky's Bridge"
"Tango Uniform"

"Steel Tiger" and "Rolling Thunder" by Mark Berent


"Cave Putorium!"
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Beware the Weasel
#3572745 - 05/14/12 07:02 PM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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Some great books here.
I would add "The First and the Last" by Adlophe Galland. Most memoirs are narrow in focus. Galland was General of the fighters. Gives the very best explanation of how the Luftwaffe was defeated in WWII. The inexorable calculus of defeat as American production of warplanes and pilots ground away the German Air Force. He also gives his opinion of Goering.
Also "The Man Who Flew The Memphis Belle." Captain Morgan was the first to compete a tour in Europe flying B17s, then he went on to fly B29s against Japan.

#3574148 - 05/17/12 01:27 AM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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Thanks for all of the suggestions guys!


Daddy Versus the Squirrels - a children's book!
See the true story and a FREE preview: www.daddyversus.com
Buy on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/s?field-keywords=daddy+versus+the+squirrels
#3574538 - 05/17/12 07:16 PM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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The very best aviation fiction book I have ever read is Flight of the Intruder. You already have that on your list.

Two very good WW2 aviation books I highly recommend are: The First Team, and The First Team and the Guadalcanal Campaign, both by Lunsford. The books are a very detailed account of the US Navy air battles from Pearl Harbor through Guadalcanal. Big, meaty, and very detailed.

Finally, a book I don't see on your list that is rather obscure, but I would classify as aviation themed is called CW2 by Layne Heath. It is about a Vietnam helicopter pilot, fiction, but I think the author flew helos in Vietnam. It's a fairly intense book, kinda shook me up a bit when I finished it.


"A week or even a month for someone basically saying "shucks, this is pants" maybe. But their banhammer only has the forever setting. Gotta set phasers to stun for the localization of female undergarments, not kill yo." - Frederf
#3611618 - 07/22/12 06:22 PM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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Another non-fiction book: "North Star Over My Shoulder" by Robert (Bob) Buck, about his airline career, starting in the 30s and ending up as a captain on the 747 in the 70s. Excellent read!


In all my years I've never seen the like. It has to be more than a hundred sea miles and he brings us up on his tail. That's seamanship, Mr. Pullings. My God, that's seamanship!
#3631346 - 08/23/12 11:10 AM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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I'm currently reading "Loud and Clear", by Iftach Spector.

It's a memoir of an Isreali fighter pilot. He has 12 a-a kills to his name from combat operations in the 1967 and 1973 wars. He was also one of the pilots involved in the 1981 bombing of Iraq's Osirak nuclear reactor.

Thoroughly enjoying the read.


Only dead fish go with the flow.
#3633790 - 08/28/12 01:03 AM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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One that I was surprised not to see in here was:
Flying through Midnight - John T Halliday

This is an absolute must-read! It's a true account of C-123s over Laos, but much more than that as well.

#3645125 - 09/16/12 08:33 AM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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"Joe Foss, Flying Marine" by Joe Foss, US Marine aviator with 26 aerial victories and the Congressional Medal of Honor.


"I have only two men out of my company and 20 out of some other company. We need support, but it is almost suicide to try to get it here as we are swept by machine gun fire and a constant barrage is on us. I have no one on my left and only a few on my right. I will hold."
1stLt. Clifton B. Cates, USMC
in Belleau Wood, 19 July 1918
#3645561 - 09/17/12 10:24 AM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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The Last Dogfighter (fiction) by Martin Caidin author of The Six Million Dollar Man, (also a good read)
The Blue Max, by Jack Hunter, a grittier story than the movie and Stachel doesn't die in it.


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#3655494 - 10/03/12 02:40 PM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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Not sure if any of these are/have been published outside of europe? but here's
some ww2 RAF books from my little stash, about the authors wartime services :-

Air gunner , Mike Henry DFC
Rear gunner Pathfinders, Ron smith DFM
Lancaster Target, Jack Currie DFC
Lancaster to Berlin, Walter Thompson DFC
Only owls and bloody fools fly at night, Tom Sayer DFC
No Moon tonight, Don Charlwood
Night Flyer, Lewis Brandon DSO DFC

m


"What join the Regiment.....?! nah I'll run them over n if that doesn't work then I'll shoot at them,cpl"

"But I'm a lover not a fighter cpl."
#3655606 - 10/03/12 05:02 PM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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Lanarkshire.
and for those of the USAAF persuasion
Combat crew, John Comer


"What join the Regiment.....?! nah I'll run them over n if that doesn't work then I'll shoot at them,cpl"

"But I'm a lover not a fighter cpl."
#3655801 - 10/03/12 09:30 PM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Zeppelin]  
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Originally Posted By: Zeppelin
I'm currently reading "Loud and Clear", by Iftach Spector.

It's a memoir of an Isreali fighter pilot. He has 12 a-a kills to his name from combat operations in the 1967 and 1973 wars. He was also one of the pilots involved in the 1981 bombing of Iraq's Osirak nuclear reactor.

Thoroughly enjoying the read.


I just finished this book. A very good memoir!


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#3656074 - 10/04/12 06:53 AM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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Can't believe no one has mentioned Stuka Pilot about Hans Ulrich Rudel, probably the greatest close air support pilot of all time. His Wir Frontsoldaten zur Wiederaufrstung is good too, if you can find it and have it translated.

#3680443 - 11/12/12 03:07 PM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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An Ace of the 8th by Norman "Bud" Fortier
I Flew For The Fuher by Heinz Knoke
To Fly and Fight by Clarence "Bud" Anderson
Red Tails Black Wings by John Holway
Black Knights by Lynn Homan & Thomas Reily

Jump out .. You have a pretty good list there.. thumbsup


Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.
#3681206 - 11/13/12 04:37 PM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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bump Currently reading Flying Tigers. Interesting and goes into the equipment used in the Japenese Senti.s that face them. Meanwhile I wait till I can find out if the new book Ironman ( WWI) is in English or German.

#3681410 - 11/13/12 10:03 PM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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Half a Wing, Three Engines and a Prayer by Brian O'Neill.
One of the best collections of USAAF WW2 bomber stories.

Vulcan 607 by Rowland White
Gripping tale of the 1982 raid on the occupied Falklands.

#3690651 - 11/30/12 06:22 AM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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The Last Zero Fighter Firsthand Accounts from WWII Japanese Naval Pilots
By Dan King
Pacific Press 2012
ISBN 978-1468178807



The book is 292 pages long, divided into 5 Chapters (each one devoted to one man) and contains 79 pictures and drawings.

The men featured are (summaries are from Historical Consulting | The Last Zero Figher):

1 - Kaname Harada: Worked his way out of the fleet Navy to become a fighter pilot. He is the last surviving member of the air group that bombed the USS Panay outside of Nanking in December 1937. He flew from the Soryu at the Battle of Wake Island, then at Midway claiming few U.S. Navy torpedo bombers, and was later shot down at Guadalcanal. He ended the war training future Kamikaze pilots who were slated to fly rocket fighters into US warships.

2 - Isamu Miyazaki: Served in the surface fleet where he traveled to Egypt and Paris before the war, later worked on a river boat in China before making it into the Naval Air Service in 1936. He was a wingman of Kanichi "One-Wing" Kashimura in the sky above Yokosuka on April 18, 1942 as the Doolittle Raiders attacked Japan. He fought US fighters in the 252nd Air Group under Lt Suganami and then Lt. Naoshi Kanno at Rabaul; then Guadalcanal; the reverse defense of Wake Island; then fought against B-24 bombers and then the US invasion of Tarawa from his base in the Marshall Islands; he fought as a member of the Hachiman Butai in the skies over Iwo Jima and then assigned to Minoru Genda's air group of Aces, the 343rd Air Group for the defense of the homelands. He witnessed the atomic bombing of Nagasaki

3 - Haruo Yoshino: Joined the Navy as a teenager and was the commander of a torpedo plane from the Kaga that dropped a fish into the USS Oklahoma at Pearl Harbor. He was in the initial invasion of Rabaul and the attack on Port Darwin, Australia. He was later in one of the seven infamous search planes that failed to locate the Americans at the Battle of Midway and was aboard the Kaga when it was attacked and sunk. He went through Truk Lagoon, fought at Guadalcanal, Santa Cruz, in the air above Iwo Jima and Leyte Gulf in the Philippines.

4 - Toshimitsu Imaizumi: Joined the Navy's pre-flight academy as a teenager and became a fighter pilot stationed on Hainan Island where he fought against B-24s and P-38s before being sent to Taiwan and with the 254th Air Group to Mabalacat Airfield the Philippines. He witnessed the first official Kamikaze flight taken by Lt. Yukio Seki. He himself flew Kamikaze escort duty, and then eventually was assigned as a Kamikaze pilot himself in the defense of Okinawa.

5 - Tomokazu Kasai: The youngest Japanese Naval ace of the war joined the Navy's pre-flight academy as a teenager and found himself thrust into combat over Iwo Jima, Guam, Saipan, Peleliu, Yap the Philippines as a Kamikaze escort pilot and finally with the squadron of aces, the 301st Fighter Squadron under Minoru Genda, the planner of the Pearl Harbor attack.

----------------------------------------------------------------

From an American perspective it was interesting to read the story from the other side of the war. Imo, The book is a little light on the "getting to know the men" side of the story but can't be beat from a detail "Where were you and when" side of the story. If you don't want to buy a copy I would definitely see if your local library has it.

Dan King will be speaking at Planes of Fame this Saturday December 01, 2012. Having read "The Last Zero Fighter" I am interested to hear any new stories he might relate about the pilots he interviewed.

Planes of Fame December Flying History Event: http://simhq.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/3690648/Re_Planes_of_Fame_Flying_Histo.html#Post3690648


Wheels


Cheers wave
Wheelsup_cavu

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Planes of Fame Air Museum | March Field Air Museum | Palm Springs Air Museum
#3720602 - 01/18/13 08:01 PM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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Ice Cold in Alex or Eating in ...
Flying Circus by Ernest K. Gann, a collection of short stories and partly an autobiography ISBN-13: 978-0553296976 or ISBN 0-02-542400-9
Mosquito Racer by Don McVicar, he bought a Mossie for the Reno air races, illustrated, ISBN-13: 978-0906393581


Chlanna nan con thigibh a so's gheibh sibh feoil
Sons of the hound come here and get flesh
Clan Cameron
#3721044 - 01/19/13 05:51 PM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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Derek Robinsons WW1 Trilogy..superb read. He also wore two WW2 books aswell which where great. However his WW1 ones can't be beaten.

Goshawk Squadron
Hornet Sting
War Story.

#3721740 - 01/20/13 08:20 PM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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Target Berlin: Mission 250, 6th March 1944. Jeffery Ethell, Dr Alfred Price. Wrens Park 2002 (first published 1981).
200pp AAR for this 'mission gone wrong', from both the US and German points of view.

Fighter Combat: Tactics & Manoeuvring. Robert Shaw. Naval Institute Press.
The classic text on ACM and fighter tactics.

#3722747 - 01/22/13 03:54 PM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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Alone I fly. http://www.aloneifly.com/

A very good read


The knack of flying is learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss. - Douglas Adams
#3722823 - 01/22/13 05:56 PM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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Anything written by Ernest K. Gann will be a guaranteed good read.

Also try "The Night Stalkers", about the 160th SOAR. Written by Michael Durant (of Black Hawk Down fame) and Steven Hartov.

#3723911 - 01/24/13 12:40 PM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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Ice Cold in Alex or Eating in ...
Just finished Night of the Whirlwind by David Bruce, excellent read, a bit of fiction generated around the last mission of 137 Squadron on the 21June 1943 where 5 Whirlwinds go off to ostensibly attack the German airfield at Poix in France, but they have a diffrent goal and it is the training and build up to that mission the book documents.

More details can be found here http://www.whirlwindfighterproject.org/

Last edited by Alicatt; 01/24/13 12:41 PM.

Chlanna nan con thigibh a so's gheibh sibh feoil
Sons of the hound come here and get flesh
Clan Cameron
#3724161 - 01/24/13 07:04 PM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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Hmmm, I find it difficult to sort through the list, with my old arthritic eyes so I don't know if these are on there, but I am currently reading "MiG Alley" by Larry Davis from the Squadron/Signal series.

Needless to say it's about the air combat of the Korean war, though it is obviously quite heavily UN/US biased. It has lots of stories from the pilots.

A couple of novels I read which have some reasonably good air combat themes are Eagle In The Sky by Wilbur Smith, about an Israeli pilot and his adventures (not just aviation, mind) and Red Storm Rising includes quite a bit of all-round air combat - again fictional.

I read a book called "Phoenix Squadron" by Rowland White not so long back about Belize and how a flight of Buccaneers was used as a show of force to stop Guatemala invading (after a record-breaking non-stop flight) - but only a small part of the book covers this. However the rest is interesting - covering carrier ops by UK and US navies and pilots. That's non-fiction and was by the chap who wrote the XM607 book about the Vulcans bombing Stanley airport.

Not combat but a fix for any aviation junkie.


I say it as I see it
#3809929 - 07/15/13 08:38 PM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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And what about Saint-Exupry "Flight to Arras/ Pilote de guerre" ? His first hand story as a Recco pilot during the battle of France.


"Anyone can shoot you down if you don't see him coming but it takes a wonderfully good Hun to bag a Camel if you're expecting him."
Tom Cundall.
#3831706 - 09/04/13 05:43 PM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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Thanks for the list I will start to look for those books


I speak many languages one of them is cesky
#3831945 - 09/05/13 01:23 AM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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This has always been a favourite of mine: F4 Phantom: A Pilot's Story by Robert Prest

It's not air combat as such but it is basically the recollections/highlights of a peace time air force pilot's daily working life in the RAF first in Britain and later posted to Germany. I found it a very enjoyable read and considering at the time (1985ish) I got the book for a school prize I wanted to join the air force when I finished school, it really made the book a hit for me and I've re-read it quite a bit. Unfortunately probably like a lot of us here I didn't pass the eyesight requirements and that was long before laser correction.

Cheers,
Stonehouse

Last edited by Stonehouse; 09/05/13 01:23 AM.
#3892252 - 01/09/14 04:16 AM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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thumbsup Thud Ridge, The Hunters, Piece of Cake,Battle of Britain by Peter Townsend, 9 Lives, The Jolly Rogers,
Ba Ba Black Sheep, 5 years in the RFC ,They fought with what they had, I flew for the fuhrer. All Great Reads. winkngrin

Also there was the 1948 Book that led to this Movie.

http://youtu.be/G1GbiuG40Ak

Last edited by carrick58; 01/09/14 04:30 AM.
#3892314 - 01/09/14 06:54 AM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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"A Higher Call" - Incredible True Story of Combat and Chivalry in the War-Torn Skies of WWII" Author Adam Makos

Key word here is "Incredible". Engrossing, insightful and heart warming if ever an event in war could be.

I would also second the plug for author Earnest K. Gann - my personal favorite: "Fate is the Hunter"

Last edited by PapaZ; 01/09/14 06:58 AM.
#3918203 - 02/28/14 03:57 PM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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The Larks by Jem Shaw, WW1 from the RFC perspective.

Only $3 for the Kindle, it stands up favorably with Wings of Victory and Derek Robinson's RFC Trilogy. To be brutally honest, it seems to be somewhat derivative of both those works, but that's not all bad.

$3 on Amazon


edit: Just bought "The Hunters" by Salter, based on the recommendations written here, thanks, guys!

Last edited by Li'lJugs; 02/28/14 04:20 PM.

Hi, I'm Larry and this my brother Dayrle, and this is my other brother Dayrle.
#3922500 - 03/10/14 04:55 AM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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God is My Co-Pilot: A True Story by Colonel Robert L. Scott

Read this years ago when I was a kid in middle school. Pretty decent account of the early years of war in the pacific.


"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb deciding what to have for dinner. Liberty is a well-armed lamb." - Benjamin Franklin
#3923063 - 03/11/14 07:32 AM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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Phoenix - Ft. Carson
No combat, but a great book:

http://www.amazon.com/Everything-but-flak-Martin-Caidin/dp/B0007F5AY4

Just take the middle part of the book with a grain of salt.

Last edited by Timothy; 03/11/14 07:43 AM.

Keep Calm and Check Canopy

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#3953694 - 05/15/14 01:34 AM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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Just updating this thread - for some reason I stopped receiving email notifications about it.


Daddy Versus the Squirrels - a children's book!
See the true story and a FREE preview: www.daddyversus.com
Buy on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/s?field-keywords=daddy+versus+the+squirrels
#3954071 - 05/15/14 06:44 PM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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McGonigle Online cool
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Copenhagen, Denmark
Warbirds: WW1 account by anonymous pilot. Public domain. Very poignant read.

Ghosts of Targets Past by Philip Grey. Account of a bomber crew during the latter years of WW2.


Jens C. Lindblad


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#3954260 - 05/16/14 12:43 AM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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Derek Robinsons WW1 trilogy and his three WW2 books are highly recommended.

LINK

#3954262 - 05/16/14 12:43 AM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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Bomber by Len Deighton aswell.

LINK

#3987037 - 07/28/14 08:54 AM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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I'd love to see a cross indexed list, sorted by era/plane types, with links to Kindle or a SimHQ ebay/ lending library.

Also, a read it/ do it guide to every book, from Biggles to Warthog.

If someone could have that ready by the weekend, chz thumbsup

#4114828 - 05/02/15 02:21 PM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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Raven 1

Amazon page with info

Early in the book is a description of getting a Hornet on board in terrible weather and with an extremely low fuel state. Harrowing. You will not be disappointed.

Last edited by Li'lJugs; 05/02/15 02:21 PM. Reason: mispell

Hi, I'm Larry and this my brother Dayrle, and this is my other brother Dayrle.
#4199896 - 11/27/15 08:11 PM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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For a good second world war book for a kid, I would recommend "Going Solo" from Roald Dahl - it is the follow-on of his childhood autobiography and a description of his time in Tanzania, then in Lybia and Greece with the RAF Squadron 80.

As an aside, I found the article very true - as a matter of fact, I am now a happy aeronautical engineer, and a certain Red Baron II game from 1997 (and its wonderful manual telling the epic stories of Roland Garros, Immelman, Guynemer and Udet, etc...) did help along. I still find it a shame that they ship video game in DVD boxes, without the printed manual...

#4233183 - 02/24/16 11:29 PM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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Fight for the Sky by Douglas Bader. It has some information on the development and different versions of the Spitfire and Hurricane as well as personal stories of himself and other Hurricane and Spitfire pilots.


There's also Reach for the Sky by Paul Brickhill, it's the biography of Douglas Bader who lost his legs in an accident in the 30's got kicked out of the RAF, then was reinstated during the Battle of Britain and was later shot down over France and spent some time in various POW camps.

#4234301 - 02/27/16 09:10 PM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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Phoenix - Ft. Carson
Devotion about the first Black Carrier pilot in Korea.
Hunter-Killer about the advent of Wild Weasels.


Keep Calm and Check Canopy

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#4234519 - 02/28/16 06:30 PM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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"Apache" by Ed Macy is a good read along with "Dressed to Kill" by Charlotte Madison (first female Apache pilot in the UK).

Any of the earlier books by Dale Brown ie "Flight of the Old Dog", "Night of the Hawk", "Chain of Command".

Cheers,

Andy


Andy's simpit: http://www.simpit.me.uk
#4235426 - 03/01/16 05:55 PM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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reading


Fly for your Life co-authored by Larry Forrester is a good read. Its a Bantam War Book ISBN o-553-11542-8. Its about Wing Commander Robert Stanford Tuck. Interesting spots, for me anyway, was the checkout by Jeffery Quill in a 2 bladed Spit and His Time with 92 Sqn back in the Dunkirk years.

#4235467 - 03/01/16 06:55 PM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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The First State, USA
No Parachute: A Classic Account of War in the Air in WWI by Arthur Gould Lee





Open Cockpit by Arthur Gould Lee


#4235560 - 03/01/16 11:36 PM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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^^^Both excellent reads.


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#4235873 - 03/02/16 10:29 PM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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Went on a bit of a binge lately and can recommend the following:

Mig Master - The Story of the F-8 Crusader by Barrett Tillman
Roger Ball! - The odyssey of John Monroe "Hawk" Smith - Navy Fighter Pilot by Donald E. Auten
On Yankee Station - The Naval Air War over Vietnam by John B. Nichols and Barrett Tillman
Vietnam Air Rescues by Dave Richardson
Over the Beach - The Air War in Vietnam by Zalin Grant
Cheating Death - Combat Air Rescues in Vietnam and Laos by George J. Marrett
NAVCAD Class 10-56: An Anthology by Brian Bryans

#4236163 - 03/03/16 08:35 PM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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The First State, USA
Nanette by Edwards Park


#4287798 - 08/16/16 01:11 AM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Wireman]  
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Corona, California
Originally Posted By: Wireman
Nanette by Edwards Park



I will definitely second this recommendation. I just finished reading it for the second time in as many weeks. I found myself reading it the first time and not sure how I felt about it until I stopped and realized I had been reading for over five hours and I didn't want to stop.

Depending on how fast you read at just around 185 pages it is a "day" book, and I think if you get at least a third of the way into it you won't be wanting to put it down.


Wheels


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#4287869 - 08/16/16 11:52 AM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: AndyB]  
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Originally Posted By: AndyB

Any of the earlier books by Dale Brown ie "Flight of the Old Dog", "Night of the Hawk", "Chain of Command".

Cheers,

Andy

Bloody hell Andy, I didnt realise that they were true! biggrin


>
#4287877 - 08/16/16 12:33 PM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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https://www.amazon.com/Last-Dogfight-Martin-Caidin/dp/0395194113
This was a book I read while in High School, while not historical it was a real good read I remember and I always wished it was made into a movie.


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#4334518 - 02/03/17 11:34 PM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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wheelsup_cavu Offline
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Corona, California
Just finished reading this one.
Terror in the Starboard Seat: 41 Trips Aboard a Mosquito, a True Story of 418 Squadron


A highly entertaining read with some not so pleasant details scattered throughout the story.

Amazon Reviews
Quote:
Well written and fascinating account of flying with an RCAF Mosquito squadron - albeit brief. It seems to capture the realities, terrors and absurdities of a Navigator's life.


Quote:
I've just finished reading the superb Winged Victory by Victor Yeates. It is a beautifully penned and skilfully crafted work in the classic style. This book, though equally as well crafted, is about as subtle as a brick in the face. It is raw, immediate and a great read. McIntosh, the author, is the terrified Canadian Alligator (Navigator) forced to fly with his crazy Jewish American pilot, a man desperately trying to wreak terrible vengeance upon an enemy he can't find. He drags a very unwilling McIntosh all across Europe in the hope of shooting something and the way he goes about dealing with his various frustrations at not succeeding to do so is very funny. They make a perfect team. McIntosh constantly so terrified he can't speak, Sid cool as mustard, even when the stick is ripped from his hand in a low level stall. They flew 41 missions, most at low level, mainly in the dark. This would be a fantastic bit of fiction, but the very fact that it isn't makes it all the more superb. My only beef is that it is quite short.



Wheels


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#4334521 - 02/03/17 11:47 PM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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Lifer

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Good people sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.

Someday your life will flash in front of your eyes. Make sure it is worth watching.
#4415539 - 04/09/18 09:01 PM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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Dayton, OH
Tanker Pilot by Mark Hasara really is outstanding. Highly Recommended!
ISBN 978-5011-8166-5

[Linked Image]

Quote
From a veteran air-refueling expert who flew missions for over two decades during the Cold War, Afghan War, and Iraq War comes a thrilling eyewitness account of modern warfare, with inspirational stories and moral lessons for people on the battlefield, in boardrooms, and in their everyday lives.

Get a glimpse of life in the pilot’s seat and experience modern air warfare directly from a true American hero. Lt. Col Mark Hasara—who has twenty-four years experience in flying missions around the world—provides keen and eye-opening insights on success, failure, and emphasizes the importance of always being willing to learn.

He provides twelve essential lessons based on his wartime experience and his own personal photographs from his missions during the Cold War, Gulf War, and Iraq War.


Service To The Line,
On The Line,
On Time

US Army Ordnance Corps.
#4415682 - 04/10/18 02:44 PM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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The Most Dangerous Enemy: A History of the Battle of Britain - Stephen Bungay

[Linked Image]
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Most-Dangerous-Enemy-History-Britain/dp/1845134818

An modern view of Battle or Britain, washing out several of their myths.

#4464668 - 03/09/19 08:51 AM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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FsFOOT Offline
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I''ll have to check that out Sokol1.

I can recommend anyone to read;
With Wings Like Eagles - A History of the Battle of Britain by Michael Korda

Although its not a 'fighter pilot's' or 'combat narrative' type of book. Its more of an behind the scenes overview of the what, why and how of the battle. Notwithstanding its short sections on some of the chronology of some critical days events.

I briefly reviewed here at SimHQ:
With Wings Like Eagles - Michael Korda

Basically the Korda book is very short but also has some myth debunking.

Quote

"..Although it is usual to portray the Battle of Britain as a kind of.. David and Goliath.. The reality is that.. (aside from the nearly 1000 serviceable bombers avialable to the Germans.. August 10,1940. ) the number of single-engine fighters.. available..

805 serviceable Bf 109's vs Dowding's 749 Hurricanes and Spitfires..

...the additional 224 Bf110's ..far from being an asset, would themselves require the protection of the single-engine Bf 109's to survive in air combat..

(and)
Quote


..In pilot strength, ...
...The actual number of German Fighter Pilots available was roughly similar..

As far as the author's credibility and research; its top-notch.
I doubt very much anyone who reads this book thoroughly will be missing the actual facts of the exact why and exactly how the battle was in fact won by the RAF / Britts.
..including critical factors like the weather and timing, misconceptions etc.
Especially made clear are the all-important role of both Sir Hugh Dowding and his foresight and genius.

Quote

"Throughout 1936 and 1937 Dowding painstakingly built the foundations of his strategy to protect England, putting pieces together like those of a gigantic three-dimensional jigsaw puzzle. Almost as soon as he took command he sent in a modest request for (L)500 to construct his Operations Room at Bentley Priory.. to give him something that had existed before only in the form of sets for a futuristic film like 'Things to Come'..
..in the mid 1930's it was the only things of its kind in the world.


As well as the shortcomings of the enemy and specifically key points of how their bad their planning, timing and illogical objective changes were.

#4464769 - 03/09/19 10:30 PM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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If I have not mentioned this book I apologize, it is a gem

https://www.amazon.com/Little-Friends-Fighter-Experience-England/dp/0394584341


What kind of car is that? What does it matter? When I drive it, I'm Steve McQueen
#4464871 - 03/10/19 08:32 PM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: oldgrognard]  
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Belfast, NI
Originally Posted by oldgrognard


Yes, this is not just a good read, it's the very best fighter pilot memoir I have ever read or ever hope to read, by a wide margin. Best to get the unabridged edition - when I got this I was very disappointed the find my 1970s paperback left out not just biographical and training details (like a humorous incident with an instructor in a Tiger Moth) but some significant air action. Nobody with an interest in WW2 in the air should miss out on reading this book. The air to air and air to ground actions are described wonderfully - it's like you are there, seeing and experiencing what Clostermann saw and experienced.


SimHQ Battle of Britain II screenshots thread
CombatAce Mission Reports
"Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth." (attributed to Marcus Aurelius)

#4466958 - 03/22/19 02:07 AM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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Adger Offline
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Has already mentioned Open cockpit and No Parachute by Arthur Gould Lee are must reads,The big show is excellent along with classics like Enemy coast ahead.

My personal favourite in WW2 is this..Scramble,its a fantastic book.

This is a fighter pilot’s memoir of four tumultuous years, 1938–1942, when he was first trained, then fought and survived in not one but two of the biggest aerial campaigns of the war, the Battle of Britain and the equally epic, but lesser known, Siege of Malta.

When the Germans were blitzing their way across France in spring 1940, Pilot Officer Tom Neil had just received his first posting – to 249 Squadron. Nineteen years old and fresh from training, he was soon to be pitched into the maelstrom of air fighting on which the very survival of Britain would come to depend. By the end of the year he had shot down thirteen enemy aircraft, seen many of his friends killed, injured or burned, and was himself a wary and accomplished fighter pilot.

Out of the frying pan and into the fire, Tom was then shipped off to the beleaguered island of Malta to face a second Luftwaffe onslaught. Again heavily engaged, he shot down another enemy fighter and survived a number of engine failures and other emergencies.

Now ninety-six, he is one of only a handful of Battle of Britain veterans still alive and this vivid memoir is his last word on his fighter pilot experiences.





[Linked Image]


They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.
#4468098 - 03/29/19 09:21 PM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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I have two excellant books dealing with the air to ground war during and after the Normandy landings. One is by a British Spitfire pilot who flew with the 2ND Tactical Air force. Spitfire Diary. It's by E.A.W. Smith. It doesn't show the whole affair as an exciting adventure. Rather, he paints a, sometimes sobering, picture of a dangerous wartime assignment. Another is in the same vain but is by an American P-47 pilot with the 9TH Air Force. P-47 Pilots: The Fighter Bomber Boys. They are both very detailed accounts of the life of a WW2 fighter bomber pilot.


"From our orbital vantage point, we observe an earth without borders, full of peace, beauty and magnificence, and we pray that humanity as a whole can imagine a borderless world as we see it, and strive to live as one in peace."
Astronaut William C. McCool RIP, January 29, 2003 - Space Shuttle Columbia

#4511774 - 03/19/20 08:06 PM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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usa
I have read a few books on The Battle of Britain that I recommend.

The Battle of Britain, by Richard Hough and Denis Richards

The Few, by Alex Kershaw

A Summer Bright and Terrible, by David Fisher

Thought A Summer Bright and Terrible one of the best written. Good background information, and how Britain prepared for the coming air war.

#4515094 - 04/07/20 11:20 AM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: KingKat2]  
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Bolton UK
Stuka Attack by Any Saunders - details the contribution of the Stuka to the Battle of Britain. Dispels the odd myth.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Stuka-Atta...+paperback&qid=1586258416&sr=8-1


My 'Waiting for Clod' thread: http://tinyurl.com/bqxc9ee

Always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.
Elie Wiesel. Romanian born Jewish writer, professor, political activist, Nobel Laureate, Holocaust survivor. 1928 - 2016.

Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one - the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts. C.S. Lewis, 1898 - 1963.
#4517178 - 04/19/20 11:06 AM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Sokol1]  
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JonathanHouse Offline
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NY
Originally Posted by Sokol1
The Most Dangerous Enemy: A History of the Battle of Britain - Stephen Bungay

[Linked Image]
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Most-Dangerous-Enemy-History-Britain/dp/1845134818

An modern view of Battle or Britain, washing out several of their myths.


I heard about this book and I'll read it for sure
Thank you for recommendation

Last edited by JonathanHouse; 04/22/20 08:26 PM.
#4518967 - 05/01/20 09:59 AM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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RedToo Offline
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Bolton UK
Hi all,

Don't Let Them Bag The Nines.

I have just come across this book which is based on the diaries of a first world war bomber pilot. A different view from the many scout/ fighter books. I thought it worth posting, especially because the Kindle edition is very cheap on Amazon at the moment. Published in 2019.

From the blurb:

UNDISTURBED in an old First World War trunk were medals, logbooks, plane parts . . . and an old manuscript. This was the memoir of Captain Frederick Williams, who flew D.H.4s in photo reconnaissance and bomber raids over Germany.

Starting when he was stationed in Nancy in 1918 and ending with his return home with a Croix de Guerre and a DFC to his name, Captain Williams’ vivid descriptions place the reader right in the air alongside him, relaying the thoughts running through his head as events unfolded around him. It is an important insight into the early development of bomber raids within the RAF.

[Linked Image]

RedToo.


My 'Waiting for Clod' thread: http://tinyurl.com/bqxc9ee

Always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.
Elie Wiesel. Romanian born Jewish writer, professor, political activist, Nobel Laureate, Holocaust survivor. 1928 - 2016.

Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one - the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts. C.S. Lewis, 1898 - 1963.
#4527702 - 06/27/20 04:48 PM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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oldpop Offline
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Pop
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PENSACOLA Fl USA
1. Not a "combat" book but a great aviation book; "Hollywood Pilot "- Life of Paul Mantz. I knew is son Roy. He was my CO in 1966 here in Pensacola
2. "Flack Bait". Story of B26's in WWII. My uncle story is in the book. They were shot down an ditched in the Med
3. "Rickenbacker" his story- what a man! I have a signed copy of the book which was my dads
4. " I flew for the Fuhrer " story of a German Me 109 pilot from the Battle of Briton to the end of the war. Was shot down several times.


Pop
#4556239 - 02/15/21 08:03 PM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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Wireman Offline
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The First State, USA
A Thousand Shall Fall: The True Story of a Canadian Bomber Pilot in World War Two
by Murray Peden


I ran across a non illustrated epub edition on the net. Great narrative with intriguing wit.

#4557317 - 02/23/21 12:19 AM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Wireman]  
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Living with the Trees
Originally Posted by Wireman
A Thousand Shall Fall: The True Story of a Canadian Bomber Pilot in World War Two
by Murray Peden


I ran across a non illustrated epub edition on the net. Great narrative with intriguing wit.


Wireman who?? winkngrin

Good to see ya alive a kickin man.


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#4567195 - 05/04/21 10:37 PM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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oldgrognard Offline
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Lifer

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USA
Nice to see Wireman. It’s been a while.


Good people sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.

Someday your life will flash in front of your eyes. Make sure it is worth watching.
#4569440 - 05/21/21 07:44 PM Re: Please recommend good aviation/air combat story books [Re: Juggernaut]  
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AndyB Offline
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Ayrshire, Scotland
"Apache" by Ed Macy

and

"Dressed to Kill" by Charlotte Madison (first british Apache pilot).

They are both about the "Jugroom Fort" incident in Afghanistan.

Highly recommend.

Andy


Andy's simpit: http://www.simpit.me.uk
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