Reviews (4)

Silver Wings, Pinks and Greens
Only book of its kind I could find. Referred to me by a true expert in WW2 Army Air Corp flight ware, patches and pins. I found it not only complete, factual and full of information but very personal at times;
this book has many appealing aspects
I am 2LTJesse Irwin Carnes [USAF-CAP, 16010th Composite Squadron].I REALLY recommend this book by Jon Maguire,i.e., "Silver Wings, Pinks and Greens."Anyone who is SERIOUSabout collecting WWII militaria,especially uniforms, pilot's wings, etc., then THIS book is SINE QUA NON... it is indispensable. A MUST HAVE FOR MILITARIA ENTHUSIASTS!
This is the best reference book that I have found so far for identification and history of USAF wings.A book like this pays for itself the first time you use it as a buyer, seller, or collector. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Air Forces    2. Army Air Forces    3. History    4. Insignia    5. Medals, badges, decorations, e    6. Medals, badges, decorations, etc.    7. Military Aircraft - World War II    8. Military Science    9. Military Uniforms    10. Technology & Industrial Arts    11. Uniforms    12. United States    13. United States.    14. World War, 1939-1945    15. Air forces & warfare    16. Second World War, 1939-1945    17. USA    18. Uniforms & insignia   

Reviews (3)

not real history at all
...this work originally appeared in the German magazine "Der Landser" under the pen-name of Altmann and is one of Kurowski's more indifferent offerings..the writing style well fits the original 'comic' format. Kurowski is an extremely prolific author but his huge output leaves question-marks over the veracity of much of what he writes here, the rest of it is just sheer hyperbole..eg the lengthy scene wherein Heinz B�r receives a dressing down from G�ring...some two pages of dialogue - yet the only two participants died long before Kurowski wrote this....there are no sources, no references, no bibliography...as far as I'm concerned this is pure 'novelisation' ..no other word for it
Great book
There is a notable lack of detailed biographical info on many Luftwaffe pilots.Schnaufer and Kittel are legendary, while some like Weiss andHavighorst are less well-known, but deserving of attention.The information is interesting, well-written and would definitely be useful to anyone interested in the individual Luftwaffe members, most of whom do not have full biographies on them.

Not Just the History, but The Men Who Made History
This series of "Aces" books from Stackpole is both excellent and eye opening. Most of us who are interested in the history of World War II know the general stories. We know the broad pictures of what happened, when it happened and so on. What was missing, and I didn't even know it, was a sense of who were these men who fought so hard for so long for what most of us thing was a very bad cause.
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Subjects:  1. Aerial operations, German    2. Air pilots, Military    3. Biography    4. General    5. Germany    6. Germany.    7. History    8. History - Military / War    9. Luftwaffe    10. Military    11. Military - World War II    12. World War, 1939-1945    13. Air forces & warfare   

Subjects:  1. Europe - Germany    2. History    3. History - Military / War    4. Military    5. Military - Aviation    6. Military - World War II    7. Air forces & warfare    8. European history: Second World War    9. Germany    10. History / Military / World War II    11. Second World War, 1939-1945   

Reviews (3)

Long on small wars, short on airpower
This was well researched, but despite the title, it did not focus nearly enough on airpower. I also agree with Mr. Cappelli's assessment in his review. There is, however, some knowledge to be gained from the book, as the reader is able to examine some small wars side by side and see which aspects of airpower have consistently worked and which have not. The biggest drawback is the amount of material one has to wade through in order to find the bits where airpower is discussed.
Half political history, half airpower history
I bought this book after reading some of the brilliant articles written by James Corum for the USAF official magazine. I rate this book with only two stars, because if one knows the history of various insurgencies of the past, can easily avoid reading half of the pages. How low and slow do you have to fly?
The ideal aircraft in a counter insurgency war has to be able to fly low and slow enough to detect the insurgents and terrorists.But also have the ability to stay over the target long enough to direct firepower on them, if not fire upon them.While being able to carry the ordnance and have the speed to avoid being hit by ground fire. Does this require several types of aircraft, or is there one that can do it all?Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Air warfare    3. Close air support    4. History    5. History - Military / War    6. History: American    7. Low-intensity conflicts (Milit    8. Low-intensity conflicts (Military science)    9. Military - Aviation    10. Military - General    11. Military - Strategy    12. Military Science    13. Air forces & warfare    14. USA    15. World history: from c 1900 -   

Reviews (1)

As the author, I felt aneed to describe carrier aviation
(Author) Flying from sixteen different carriers over a 27 year carrier flying career, I have seen some amazing things, participated in events and with people whom the reader might find hard to believe. These are vignettes intended to bring those experiences to readers in terms they can appreciate. Enjoy!!! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Admirals    2. Aviation    3. Biography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. General    6. Gillcrist, Paul T    7. Navy    8. United States    9. United States.    10. Air forces & warfare    11. Naval forces & warfare   

Reviews (2)

Excellent pictorial monograph
If you are interested in flight jackets, their design, styles and art work, then this book is for you.There are literally hundreds of colour and black and white photographs of aviator leather jackets.World War Two jackets are covered in detail as are Korean and Vietnam period flight jackets.The book is well set out, has large high resolution photographs and is a well constructed hardcover.The only fault I could find with the book is that in many of the photographs it fails to identify the jacket type and specification.It also does not deal with jacket construction or design.As with many of Maguire's books it has excellent reference photographs and information on who used or wore the artical in question, but fails to provide detailed information on the item other than the basics. Still, it is worthwhile addition to a library, although the book is expensive.

WWWWWWW OOOOOOOO WWWWWWW !
Perhaps I enjoyed this book so much because of the fact that it's main focus is the WWII era of flight jackets and that is my favorite area as well. If you want historical jackets (KOREA AND WWII), get this book, but if you want just modern jackets then shop elsewhere. Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Antiques & Collectibles    3. Antiques/Collectibles    4. Flight jackets    5. History    6. Military Science    7. Technology & Industrial Arts    8. Textiles & Costume    9. United States    10. Air forces & warfare    11. History of specific subjects    12. USA    13. Uniforms & insignia   

Reviews (3)

Avro Arrow
Bought this for my husband's birthday and he loves it.Enjoyed the technical part and feels the story line is pretty close to the facts.Pictures are great.

truly engrossing
One of the finest book dedicated to this controversial program! Being interested in technical details and aircraft perfomances,I found many factory drawings about structures, internal systems arrangements, armamentlayout and cutaway views. Important performance figures are available fromtables and charts. But the most interesting feature is the the descriptionof the development and testing phase that shows all the potential of thisdoomed plane. Finally some basic facts on an aircraft still surrounded byan halo of mistery about its birth and its death!

Engrossing
An exhaustive book on one of great "mystery" of jet fighter history.The aircraft program is fully narrated from the enthusiastic "go ahead" to the painfull termination.Direct testimonies ofexecutives,engineers and test pilots make the plot really vivid showing thefeelings behind this endeavour:the epilog still looks like the end of adream. Illustrations,pictures,factory drawings are truly intriguing,sincefew were previously available.Particularly impressive is the"log",where significant figures are released on aircraft data andperformances. Finally some light on a cold war aicraft that "mighthave been"! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Aviation - History    2. Avro Arrow (Turbojet fighter p    3. Avro Arrow (Turbojet fighter plane)    4. Canada    5. Canada - Post-Confederation (1867-)    6. Design and construction    7. History - Military / War    8. Jet planes, Military    9. Military - Aviation    10. Military Science    11. Transportation    12. Air forces & warfare    13. Military vehicles    14. Transportation / Aviation / History    15. World history: postwar, from c 1945 -   

Reviews (1)

Top-Scoring F-86 Pilots in MiG Alley Action!
Hard on the heels of his recent history of the 51st FW, noted Korean War historian Warren Thompson serves up the exploits of the top-scoring 4th FW in this nicely done Osprey 'Aircraft of the Aces' series.
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Subjects:  1. History    2. History - Military / War    3. Military    4. Military - Aviation    5. Military - Korean War    6. Military - United States    7. Air forces & warfare    8. History / Military / Aviation    9. Korea    10. c 1945 to c 1960   

Reviews (4)

Debunking the Myth of Airpower in War
This is a well organized, well written and extremely relevant book, especially at a time when the Israeli Air Force is pounding Lebanon with high-precision munitions in an attempt to wipe out a terrorist organization on its northern borders.
Excellent reading
An extremely readable and informative work, with essays ranging from the First World War to the Falklands conflict. The essays are quite reasonable in length, if anything sometimes too short, and include sections on areas which need more research and recommended reading. I ask you my fellow history lovers- is there anything more helpful to the student of history than a good annotated bibliography?

A sweeping set of insights essential to understanding air force approaches
WHY AIR FORCES FAIL: THE ANATOMY OF DEFEAT examines the reasons for catastrophic failures of the air forces not just of this country, but other nations. Air forces are divided into three categories here: forces what never had a chance, forces that began with victory but ultimately were defeated, and those which were defeated early on but rose to win. In making WHY AIR FORCES FAIL a global examination, focusing on major wars, contributors provide a range of analysis on the causes of defeat of all kinds of strategies and differing air force scenarios in a sweeping set of insights essential to understanding air force approaches.
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Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Aeronautical Engineering (Specific Aspects)    3. Aeronautics & Astronautics    4. Aeronautics, Military    5. Air Forces    6. History    7. History - Military / War    8. Military    9. Military - Aviation    10. Military - Strategy    11. Military Science    12. Military history, Modern    13. Air forces & warfare   

Subjects:  1. History    2. History - Military / War    3. History: World    4. Military - Aviation    5. Military - General    6. Military - United States    7. Military - World War II    8. History / Military / World War II   

Reviews (1)

great book about the development of the P-51 mustang
This was an excellent book which described the achievements and events of Edgar Schmeud, the principle designer of the P-51 Muatang. It also gives an in depth history of the accelerated development of the mustang during WWII. The book contains many rare photo's of early mustangs, the manufacturing plants, and the other people involved in the development of the plane. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Aeronautical engineers    2. Biography    3. History: American    4. Military Aircraft - World War II    5. Military engineers    6. Mustang (Fighter planes)    7. Schmued, Edgar    8. United States    9. Air forces & warfare    10. Aircraft: general interest    11. History of engineering & technology    12. Non-Classifiable    13. Second World War, 1939-1945    14. Weapons & equipment   

Reviews (8)

Amazing -- the best book on US WWII fighters
This is the best, most-amazing book on US WWII fighter aircraft that I have ever read, and I've read a lot of them.There are other good ones out there, but this one is very special.I didn't even know about it until it was mentioned by a fellow pilot in Aces High.I'm very glad for that chance method by which I learned of this fine work.

excellent and comprehensive
Make no mistake, this book isn't for military enthusiasts who want to know about the operational history of the planes mentioned and who shot down what with it, leave that to the hundreds of other books out there on the same subject. The purpose of this book is to give you a true in-depth and technical understanding of each of america's fighter aircraft.
The best overall book on American Fighters of WW2.
If you need info on how these planes worked, real detail, not the typical picture book fluff, in the average book, this is the book for you.
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Subjects:  1. Design and construction    2. Fighter planes    3. History    4. History: American    5. Military Science    6. Technology & Industrial Arts    7. United States    8. Air forces & warfare    9. Aircraft: general interest    10. History of engineering & technology    11. Military vehicles    12. USA   

Reviews (2)

Fighters for all
This book isgreat for those who like fighter aircraft from the 1914 war too the present day. All the pictures are on gloss paper (some being A4 or larger) and of ahigh quality as one would expect from the Imperial war museum images
Average Attempt
This book offers an interesting and brief review of the fighter aircraft from World War 1 to current day.Because of the large range of aircraft the authors needed to condense the information they were able to provide, thus this book is an overview only (and at a high level at that).I also thought that the layout of the pages per aircraft could have been done better, for example the authors detail when the fighter started production but not when it entered service nor the countries that use / used the fighter. Overall the book is ok with the basic information.It has all color photos, which is a plus. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. History    2. History - General History    3. Military    4. Military - Aviation    5. Military - General    6. Military Science    7. Air forces & warfare    8. History / Military / General    9. Military vehicles    10. Reference works   

Reviews (18)

Hard to beat Clancy
As always, Tom Clancy's research into a subject is beyond reproach.As a veteran of 28 years involved in Naval air (and the son of a Naval officer with the same tenure), it's good to be brought up to date by someone I respect in this arena.Clancy does a great job of getting one through the "An Officer and a Gentleman" Pensacola experience, and into the ready room.

A primer on modern naval air warfare....
Carrier, the sixth book in Tom Clancy's Guided Tour non-fiction series about America's armed forces, is a detailed look at the Navy's grande dame, the aircraft carrier and associated battle group (CVBG).Even 63 years after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor ended the reign of the big-gun battleship and despite the lethality of nuclear attack submarines, the carrier, with its 70+ plane air wing and assorted escorts, is still the most powerful, versatile, and visible symbol of American sea power. Great Overview
This is just a wonderful book on the topic.Clancy and co. have done a great job of taking the reader through the ships in question and really explaining the different types, parts, and jobs associated with an Aircraft Carrier.Clancy also does a good job in explaining what it is like to live and work on one of these ships.He also takes us through some of the training that takes place to get into the job.He also adds a good amount of detail of what the typical types of missions these ships and battle groups have today, what they did in the cold war and the possible missions upcoming.Read more

Subjects:  1. Aircraft carriers    2. Aviation    3. George Washington (Aircraft ca    4. History    5. History - Military / War    6. Military    7. Military - Aviation    8. Military - Naval    9. Military - United States    10. Military Science    11. Naval battle groups    12. Navy    13. United States    14. History / Military / General    15. Naval forces & warfare    16. USA   

Reviews (6)

Foolishly but gallantly sacrificed.
... q-ships versus u-boats
having been a member of this ship's crew and therefore familier with most of the characters,I deem it to be authentic.

EXCELLENT PIECE OF NAVAL HISTORY
Captain Beyer has put together an excellent piece of work in this his first book!It is a story of courage and ingenuity in the bleak early months of WWII. This is a very well-researched work that is rich in detail. I read this fascinating chapter in U.S. Navy history with profoundadmiration. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Asterion (Q-ship)    2. Atik (Q-ship)    3. History    4. History - Military / War    5. Military    6. Military - Naval    7. Military - World War I    8. Naval History - World War II    9. Naval Operations    10. Naval operations, American    11. Q-ships    12. Reference    13. Submarine    14. World War, 1939-1945    15. Air forces & warfare    16. Naval forces & warfare   

Reviews (5)

Not theory, but practice
There are many books about modern fighter aircraft, their weapons systems and the pilot training but this one stands alone, as it gives many practical details which are not known or not mentioned by the theorists. While reading this book I learned for the first time the drawbacks of the modern pulse doppler radars, the tactics that the opponents of the USA adopted in order to counter modern weapons like Sparoows and AMRAAMS, the harsh realities of fighter pilot training and duty and many descriptions of mock or real air to air battles against Libyans, Iraqis and Soviets. Well worth the time and the money.

Stories of US ace
As a hardcore flight simulation fans, I am more interest on the exciting battle fields in the sky. I have read "Strike Eagle" before, I would like it more with comparsion. However, the last parts "Victory in the Desert" can satisfy me, just feel I stay at Eagle, Tomcat's... seat to fire a missile on the Migs to form a huge fireball to shine the dark. Master arm on...Master arm on....
I've always dreamed of being a fighter pilot....this book really conveys what I imagine it might really be like...it goes beyond "top gun" or some of the other movies of that ilk...If you know any technicaldetails about how jets really work, or even if you don't, this book reallywill give you a better sense of what really goes through a pilots mind bothin combat and in training.As the subtitle says, the period covered by thebook is vietnam up through and including the gulf war, and the author doesa good job of putting his recounting of pilots stories into context bydiscussing the contemporary American fighter tactics during each relevantperiod.You'll feel the pilots frusterations at the limitations of theirradar or the information available to them, and you'll feel theirexcitement as they move in for the kill.Most of all though, I got a senseof the professionalism that is bestowed in our pilots through theirtraining.In any case, I heartily recommend buying this book, you won'tregret it.Check six! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Fighter plane combat    2. General    3. History    4. History - Military / War    5. History: World    6. Military - Aviation    7. Military - United States    8. Military Science    9. Military aeronautics    10. United States    11. Air forces & warfare    12. Aircraft: general interest    13. History / General    14. History / Military / Aviation    15. History-Military - United States    16. Technology-Military Science    17. USA   

Reviews (3)

Another Profile Book
This is another airplane profile book, with a lot of pictures and little substance. Why is it that aviation writers have the idea that the people who buy their books can't read, but like to look at pictures? However, if you want a profile book, this is the one to have. It has the best information related to the various models of the airplane. But if you want to find out what C-130s have done, look somewhere else. Can you judge a book by it's picture captions?
After picking up Mr Smith's latest work titled after an airplane that I spent most of my 20yrs in the military on or working with I was pretty excited.I saw pictures inside that I hadn't seen before and a format that I enjoyed. New Concept
This is a very interesting book about an exceptional airplane. So many books have been written about the C-130, both the military and commercial versions, that it's difficult to come up with a new way of doing it. Mr. Smith has done just that. He covers every single variant of the airplane and freely uses the msn (manufacturer's serial number) of particular Hercs; a feature missing from most other books about this airplane. Although there are quite a few errors in the background of some of the many different models and the companies operating the commercial models, a redeeming factor is the many, never before published photos. In a book of this magnitude, it's almost impossible to have it 100% correct. A must for any Herc enthusiast. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Aviation - Pictorial    2. History - Military / War    3. Military - Aviation    4. Transportation    5. Aircraft: general interest    6. History / Military / Aviation    7. History of specific subjects    8. Military vehicles   

Reviews (17)

The Best WW2 Book I've Ever Read
Out of all the World War Two books that I've read, this one is by far the greatest of them all.Gerald Astor takes you into the cockpit of a P-51 Mustang, the pilot's seat of a B-17 and the cold prison camps of Nazi Germany.I could not put this book down.This is a book written from the experiences of the men who were actually there.The men of the 8th Air Force are indeed heroes, and this is their story.Thank God for these men.BUY THIS BOOK!!!

UNDERSTANDINGHOW TH 8th A. F. WORKS
A must read before anything else to under stand how the air force operated,the back ground infomation the personal, bases, men, equipment, the stories I had read with unfamilar terms and such all came into a clear light of understanding after reading this book.

Very good book and great read!
Astor has done an incredible job with this book. His sources are sound and it's incredibly readable as well. The best part of this book is the fact that Astor uses so many incidents and details from the members of the 8th AF themselves. He really makes the reader care about the people he writes about and the entire 8th AF as a whole. Unlike other books he also brings the horror of even the air war to life. A reader vividly gets the feel that while the war on the ground was worse, the air war was no picinic either. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Aerial operations, American    2. Campaigns    3. History    4. History - Military / War    5. History: American    6. Military    7. Military - Aviation    8. Military - World War II    9. Personal narratives, American    10. Western Front    11. World War, 1939-1945    12. Air forces & warfare    13. Europe    14. European history: Second World War    15. History / Military / World War II    16. Second World War, 1939-1945    17. War & defence operations   

Reviews (1)

Average summary encyclopedia of WW2 aircraft
If a reader is looking for a quick reference guide on World War II aircraft, this slightly oversized book gives basic information about and a good idea of what a particular aircraft looked like. Much of the data is presented in a heavy graphics "USA Today" style that sometimes works well.
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Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Aerial operations    3. Airplanes, Military    4. Aviation - History    5. History    6. History - Military / War    7. Military - Aviation    8. Military - World War II    9. Military Aircraft - World War II    10. Transportation    11. World War, 1939-1945    12. Transportation / Aviation / History    13. Sale Books   

Subjects:  1. Air Force.    2. Airplanes, Military    3. History    4. History - Military / War    5. Insignia    6. Markings    7. Military    8. Military - Aviation    9. Military - General    10. Military - United States    11. Strategic Air Command    12. United States    13. United States.    14. Air forces & warfare    15. USA    16. c 1945 to c 1960