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Good Reading

M

msfossey

SOH-CM-2023
I’m always looking for good books regarding WW II air combat. No surprise my fascination with the subject led me to choose teaching (history) as a career. I’m curious what some of your favorite books are on the topic. One I would recommend is “Fire in the Sky: The air War in the South Pacific” by Eric M. Bergerud. Please post one or two of your favorites. Thanks.

msfossey
 
The First Team.
The First Team and the Guadalcanal Campaign, both by John B Lundstrom
 
Togo said:
The First Team.
The First Team and the Guadalcanal Campaign, both by John B Lundstrom
Click to expand...
No doubt about it, these are the very best on the early Pacific war and a must if you are going to any mission building. I just bought The Battle of Leyte Gulf: The Last Fleet Action by H.P. Willmott. Looks like it is going to be very good.
 
1) All dealing with WW2 air combat by Christopher Shores. List is long: the Bloody Shambles series (3 volumes), Dust Clouds in the Middle East, Fledging Eagles, Malta: the Hurricane years, Malta: the Spitfire years, Air War over Greece, Balkans..., etc.

2) The Black Cross-Red Star series (I think now the latest volume released is the 3) is also a must for any Eastern Front air-combat fan.
 
Black Knights: The Story of the Tuskegee Airmen, by Lynn M. Homan and Thomas Reilly.

The Debden Warbirds: The 4th Fighter Group in World War II, by Frank E. Speer.

Attack and Conquer: The 8th Fighter Group in World War II, by John C. Stanaway and Lawrence J. Hickey.

Finally, The 55th Fighter Group vs the Luftwaffe, by John M. Gray.

All four have some excellent first hand accounts from the actual fighter pilots. Lots of excellent photos from wing cameras.
 
These were the last 2 I read:
Swastika in the Gunsight by Igor Kaborov A 1941-1943 Leningrad area Soviet Navy pilot

The Blitzkreig Myth by John Mosier It deals with Air Strategy as well as on the Ground.

Cheers Thicko
 
'Sharks over China' the 23rd fighter group in WWII, by Carl Molesworth is very good, as are: 'A Flying Tiger's Diary' by Charles Bond and 'Roar of the Tiger' by James Howard.
In Europe I recommend 'Thunderbolt' by Robert Johnson.
 
Don't forget Bergerud's other book, "Touched by Fire." It's about infantry combat in the Pacific and is really a sister book to "Fire in the Sky."

I also liked Len Deighten's "Blitzkrieg," "Fighter," and "Bomber." Bomber was historical fiction while Fighter and Blitzkrieg were historical texts. Fighter delt with the RAF during the Battle of Britain.
 
OK, Here's a few of my favorites that haven't been posted yet;

PTO:
And I was There - Layton. Great insight into the USN Intel world leading up to PH through mid war.
Battle of the Bismark Sea - McAulay.
A Glorious Page in Our History - Horan. The best historical account of Midway available.
The Big E - Stafford
Miracle at Midway - Prange. Good read but full of fiction.
Incredible Victory - Lord. Not as bad as Prange but still semi-fictional.
No Higher Honor - Nesmith

ETO:
2nd TAF - Shores
Mosquito, Typhoon & Tempest - Bowyer
A Bridge Too Far - Ryan
It Never Snows in September - Kershaw. MG from the German side.
Wing Leader - Johnson
The Big Show - Clostermann
Pegasus Bridge - Ambrose
 
Can't leave this thread alone. The Mighty Eighth by Roger Freeman. Well illustrated with at least one color profile per squadron Tells the story mission by mission. Probably out of print and hard to find. Semi fiction: Twelve O'Clock High by Sy Bartlett and Beirne Lay, Jr., both Eigtht AF veterens. If you know your history you will recognize the Bomb Groups and men involved The Movie was great also . I would argue with Penn32Win about the best historical account of Midway, except the Shattered Sword by Jonathan Parshall and Anthony Tully is told almost completely from the IJN viewpoint. It shatters some long time myths (VT8 did not draw the escort down too low to be effective, the Zero could climb like a homesick angel,) and has some excellent history, illustations and analysis of the Akagi, Kaga, Hiryu and Soryu. There's a section devoted to the recent underwater discovery of the hull of the Kaga. And speaking of Torpedo Eight, A Dawn Like Thunder: The True Story Torpedo Squadro Eight, by Robert J. Mrazek came out this month. I'm sure we are all familiar with VT8 at Midway, I wasn't even aware of their later service at Guadalcanal under the Cactus Air Force. It's a story that, in its own way, is almost as heroic as the Midway episode. There does not seem as many about the MTO. I'm not omitting Christopher Shore et al., but as valuable as they are, they are not an easy read. There are many good individual group historys and memoirs though. And don't forget the old "classics" God's My Co-Pilot, Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo, etc.
 
Hern;

We're going to have to agree to disagree on this one.

As with many others at the Midway Round Table, Shattered Sword makes a good addition to A Glorious Page in Our History; but as far as it being a complete historical account, it is not. BTW, Parshall is a member of the AF Round Table as is Mark Horan (One of the Founding Members) whom I speak with quite often. I'll give Shattered Sword this, it does a lot better than Fuchida's book. The Round Table has a book out called "No Right to Win". When I get back to work on AF=Midway Mk. II I'll pick it up again.

In case you don't know about the Midway Roundtable Group here's a partial list of the members.

Author and Historians:

ERIC BERGERUD
Touched With Fire
Fire In the Sky

ROBERT CRESSMAN
That Gallant Ship: the USS Yorktown (CV-5)
A Glorious Page in Our History: The Battle of Midway, 4-6 June, 1942
Steady Nerves and Stout Hearts: the Enterprise (CV-6) Air Group and Pearl Harbor, 7 December 1941
Infamous day: Marines at Pearl Harbor, 7 December 1941
A Magnificent Fight: The Battle for Wake Island
Carrier Lexington
The Official Chronology of the U.S. Navy in World War II
USS Ranger: The Navy's First Flattop from Keel to Mast, 1934-1946
Halsey (pending, 2009)

RICHARD EPPS
Life on a Tin Can: the Pacific War

ALVIN KERNAN
Crossing the Line
Love and Glory: the Death of a Torpedo Squadron
The Unknown Battle of Midway; the Destruction of the American Torpedo Squadrons
Attack-Repeat-Attack
Fear In the Dark

STANFORD LINZEY
God Was At Midway

JOHN LUNDSTROM
The First South Pacific Campaign; Pacific Fleet Strategy, December 1941-June 1942
The First Team: Pacific Naval Air Combat from Pearl Harbor to Midway
The First Team and the Guadalcanal Campaign: Pacific Naval Fighter Combat from August to November 1942
Fateful Rendezvous: the Life of Butch O'Hare
Black Shoe Carrier Admiral: Frank Jack Fletcher at Coral Sea, Midway, and Guadalcanal

ROBERT MRAZEK
A Dawn Like Thunder: the True Story of Torpedo Squadron Eight

JON PARSHALL
Shattered Sword, the Untold Story of the Battle of Midway

NORMAN POLMAR
Aircraft Carriers: A History of Carrier Aviation and Its Influence on World Events, Volume I: 1909-1945
Aircraft Carriers: A History of Carrier Aviation and Its Influence on World Events, Volume II: 1945-2006
The Enola Gay: The B-29 That Dropped the Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima
Historic Naval Aircraft

STEPHEN D. REGAN
In Bitter Tempest: The Biography of Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher

RONALD RUSSELL
No Right To Win: a Continuing Dialogue with Veterans of the Battle of Midway

JOHN J. STEPHAN
Hawaii Under the Rising Sun: Japan’s Plans for Conquest After Pearl Harbor

BARRETT TILLMAN
The Dauntless Dive Bomber of World War II
TBD Devastator Units of the U.S. Navy
Dauntless
Wildcat Aces of World War II
SBD Dauntless Units of World War II
TBF/TBM Avenger Units of World War II
Wildcat: the F4F in World War II
Clash of the Carriers
Pushing the Envelope: the Career of Fighter Ace and Test Pilot Marion Carl

RON WERNETH
Beyond Pearl Harbor: the Untold Stories of Japan’s Naval Airmen

VETERANS OF THE BATTLE ON OUR ROSTER
ANDERSON, Earl E.: CAPT, USMC, USS Yorktown (CV-5)
ANDERSON, Edward R.: RM3, R/G, VB-6, USS Enterprise (CV-6)
ARCHER, Theodore R.: AMM1c, J2F plane captain, USS Hornet (CV-8)
BERNSTEIN, George: Sea1c, VT-8, USS Hornet (CV-8)
BROWN, Richard: RM2c, CTF17 staff, USS Yorktown (CV-5)
CANNON, Bill: ENS, PBY pilot, VP-24, Midway Atoll
CHILDERS, Lloyd: ARM3c, VT-3 R/G, USS Yorktown (CV-5)
COTTON, Bernard: FC2c, MK37 director, USS Hornet (CV-8)
CRISMAN, Bryan: ENS, Disbursing Officer, USS Yorktown (CV-5)
DELCHAMPS, Newton "Del": AOM3c, USS Yorktown (CV-5)
DRAKE, Donald: PFC, 6th MarDefBn, Midway Atoll
EARNEST, Albert K. (Bert): ENS, VT-8 TBF Detachment, Midway Atoll
EICHORN, Raymond "Jerry": PO1c, ship's baker, USS Yorktown (CV-5)
EPPS, Richard: RM3c, USS Aylwin (DD-355)
FERRIER, Harry: RM3c, R/G, VT-8 TBF Detachment, Midway Atoll
FISHER, Clayton: ENS, SBD pilot, VB-8, USS Hornet (CV-8)
FOX, Edgar: PVT, 23rd Provisional Co., 6th MarDefBn, Midway Atoll
GARDNER, John: PFC, 6th MarDefBn, Midway Atoll
GEE, Roy: ENS, SBD pilot, VB-8, USS Hornet (CV-8)
GRAETZ, Ronald: ARM3c, VT-6 R/G, USS Enterprise (CV-6)
HARVILLE, EWRIGHTSON “HARV”: Sea2c, 2nd Div., USS Yorktown (CV-5)
HENDRICK, Robert: CPL, 6th MarDefBn, Midway Atoll
HODGES, Julian E.: F3c, “B” Division, USS Yorktown (CV-5)
HORNE, Philip: ENS, SOC pilot, USS New Orleans (CA-32)
HOUSER, William: ENS, USS Nashville (CL-43) (Aleutians defense task force)
HOWARD, William L.: Sea2c, 1st Div., USS Yorktown (CV-5)
JONES, Elmer: F1c, USS Hammann (DD-412)
KELLEJIAN, John: EM2c, "E" Division, USS Enterprise (CV-6)
KERNAN, Alvin: AOM3c, VT-6, USS Enterprise (CV-6)
KIGHT, Otis: Sea1c, VF-42, USS Yorktown (CV-5)
KLEISS, Norman J. “Dusty”: LTjg, SBD pilot, VS-6, USS Enterprise (CV-6)
LASER, Sam: Y2c, 6th Division, USS Yorktown (CV-5)
LINZEY, Stanford: Mus1c, USS Yorktown (CV-5)
McDOUGAL, L. Donald: PVT, 22nd Provisional Co., 6th MarDefBn, Midway Atoll
MINICLIER, John: PFC, 6th MarDefBn, Midway Atoll
MARONA, G. L. (Lee): AMM3c, VT-8, USS Hornet
NEWBERG, Peter: EM3c, USS Yorktown (CV-5)
PUTNAM, Miles A.: AM1c, USS Yorktown (CV-5)
QUAM, Ellsworth "Bud": F1c, "E" Division, USS Yorktown (CV-5)
ROY, William: PhoM2c, USS Yorktown (CV-5)
SHOWERS, Donald M. "Mac": ENS, Combat Intelligence Unit, Hawaii
SWAN, Robert: ENS, PBY pilot/navigator, VP-44, Midway Atoll
THOMPSON, Francis L. “Tommy”: 1st Musician, USS Yorktown (CV-5)
VINCENT, Harry L., Jr.: ENS, Radio Officer, USS Vincennes (CA-44)
WILHELM, Ralph: LTjg, SOC pilot, USS Portland (CA-33)

Battle of Midway veteran members who have made their final muster:
ADY, Howard: LT, VP-23, Midway Atoll
BOULIER, Kenneth A.: Y1c, Communications Intelligence Unit, Melbourne
BOUTERSE, Matthew: LTjg (CHC), USS Astoria (CA-34)
BURKEY, Gale: ENS, PBY copilot, VP-23, Midway Atoll
CHEEK, Tom: WO, F4F pilot, VF-3, USS Yorktown (CV-5)
COTTON, Francis X. "FX": AOM1c, VT-8, USS Hornet (CV-8)
DAVIS, Douglas: LTjg, VP-24, Midway Atoll
DYER, Fred: ARM1c, SOC R/G, USS Portland (CA-33)
EASON, Joseph: EM1c, USS Tamaha (YNT-12), Midway Atoll
FORBES, James: ENS, SBD pilot, VS-8, USS Hornet (CV-8)
GRIST, Walter: PFC, Engineering Section, VMSB-241, Midway Atoll
HOPKINS, Lewis A.: ENS, SBD pilot, VB-6, USS Enterprise (CV-6)
JACOBSEN, Philip: RM3c, Japanese intercept operator, Station H, Wahiawa, Hawaii
KAIT, Hart: LT, Gunnery Officer, USS Monaghan (DD-354)
KASEBERG, Willis D. (Dan): Y3c, VT-3, USS Yorktown (CV-5)
LEONARD, William F.: LTjg, XO, VF-3/VF-42, USS Yorktown (CV-5)
LUCIUS, William: WO, MAG-22 quartermaster, Midway Atoll
PRIOR, Raymond H.: CPL, 6th MarDefBn, Midway Atoll
SOBEL, Alvin: ARM1c, VS-5 R/G, USS Yorktown (CV-5)
SPRINGER, Will: AMM3c, USS Enterprise (CV-6)
SURGI, William: AMM3c, VF-42, USS Yorktown (CV-5)
TREMBLAY, William: Y2c, Communications Intelligence Unit, Melbourne
WALKINSHAW, David: ENS, PBY pilot, VP-91, Kauai, Hawaii
WOODSON, Richard: ARM2c, VS-8 R/G, USS Hornet (CV-8)

Quite a Roster...​
 
Agree totally. I didn't make myself clear. "I would argue with Penn32Win about the best historical account of Midway, except the Shattered Sword by Jonathan Parshall and Anthony Tully is told almost completely from the IJN viewpoint." I 've just added the emphasize. I should have been more clear. It's a valuable addition, a glimpse of the other side of the hill, but in no way a complete account of the battle. No, I hadn't heard of the Midway Round able, a pretty impressive bunch. :redf:
 
Hern07 said:
Agree totally. I didn't make myself clear. "I would argue with Penn32Win about the best historical account of Midway, except the Shattered Sword by Jonathan Parshall and Anthony Tully is told almost completely from the IJN viewpoint." I 've just added the emphasize. I should have been more clear. It's a valuable addition, a glimpse of the other side of the hill, but in no way a complete account of the battle. No, I hadn't heard of the Midway Round able, a pretty impressive bunch. :redf:
Click to expand...


No Problem, my fault too.:friday:

Here's a little early Christmas Present for you Hern... Don't stay up too late....:costumes:

http://home.comcast.net/~r2russ/midway/
 
I have read much of what has been listed, however I am adding several new titles to my x-mass list. Two more I would like to share are by Eric Hammel: "Carrier Strick" and Carrier Clash" they are both good accounts of naval air strike operations in WWII.

Thank you all for your interesting choices. I hope even more get posted.

Pen32Win thank you for the heads up on the website; interesting and very impresive.

msfossey
 
Hern07 said:
Can't leave this thread alone. The Mighty Eighth by Roger Freeman.

The Mighty Eighth, one of the first books on the subject I bought as a kid, from the first copyright in 1970, (a mere 25 years after the conflict ended). And still sits prominately among my library. I loaned it to my apartment manager in the 70's, who served as a waist gunner on a B-17 for the 8th airforce. I could do no wrong with that man after that, I think he woulda let me skip the rent if I had a mind to. He had the book for about two years and finally gave it back just before I bought my first house.
Any way...back to other good aviation reads.
I've seen some reviews of Chris Shores and Yasuho Izawa's work being dry and hard to read but quite to the contrary, I found thier work very concise and informative for gleaning mission building detail from the narratives, the Bloody Shambles series as I've said before, is highly reccomended. Also I've enjoyed Barrett Tillman's and Carl Molesworth work and nearly all of the Osprey books and the contributing authors.
The books by Dominique Breffort & Andre Jouineau provides some in depth information about some of the more well known European theatre aircraft of the second world war, as does Richard Bueschel's, only his focus seems to be Japanese aircraft.
Click to expand...
 
GREAT THREAD...Don Lopez wrote "Into the Teeth of the Tiger" in the early 80s, I think, and I have never read a better first-hand account of the period, from the Brits, Germans, Japanese (Sakai), anybody, yet every first-hand account must be given due weight...When I think of History with a capital C I think of Helldiver..!:medals:
 
...Google Gordon Prange, who searched for years to try to tell the true story of the Pacific war...
 
All good stuff fellows, and I've only cracked half of them, you've given me another year of fine reading. Thanks.:wavey:

Some others, I didn't see:

The First and the Last - (Luft) Galland
Eagle Day (excellent both sides perspective)- Collier
Flying Fortress - Jablonski
The Blond Knight of Germany (Hartmann)- Toliver and Constable
Enemy in the Sky - (RAF) Johnstone
Fighter Pilots of WW2 (short stories for 12 aces) - Jackson
Gabby (P47)- Gabreski
Hero (Buerling story) - Nolan
Dead Reckoning - (P-51) Abner
Wildcats over Casablanca - Wordell and Seiler
Zero - Sakai/Caiden

Just also finished "Swastika in my sights" - a rare view of the VVS and agree all of Len Deighton's books are supurb, as well as Black Cross/Red star!
 
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