Tales from the 359th Fighter Group: World War II

by Janet Fogg, Richard Fogg

In December 1943 the newly formed 359th Fighter Group flew its first mission in the European Theater of Operations. Twenty-two months later World War II ended, and in November 1945 the 359th was inactivated, with 346 combat missions and 13,455 sorties to its credit. This collection of bar stories, mission reports, POW internments, and post-war reflections provides a first-hand account of life on base, in the air, and going on leave in war-time England, as recounted by the 359th's pilots, officers, and enlisted men.

"Had bad day strafing a train near Karlsruhe. Bounced off the smokestack and tore large hole in right wing and lost airspeed indicator. Had to land at St. Trond when engine caught fire. Necessary to dodge steamroller and bomb crater when attempting landing on runway. Then things got worse." ~ Capt. Rene L. Burtner Jr.

334 pages, Paperback

Published February 25, 2019

About the author

My focus on writing began while CFO for the coolest architectural firm in Boulder. Fifteen writing awards later I resigned from OZ to follow the yellow brick road, and ten months after that signed a contract with The Wild Rose Press for my first published novel, Soliloquy, a HOLT Medallion Award of Merit winner.

Since then, I’ve co-authored three WWII military histories: Fogg in the Cockpit, A Manifest Spirit: The 359th Fighter Group 1943-1945, and Tales from the 359th Fighter Group. If you have questions about the 359th Fighter Group, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

I’ve also collaborated on three novels: Misfortune Annie and the Locomotive Reaper, Misfortune Annie and the Voodoo Curse, and A Serenade to Die For. In December 2021 Bob West and I celebrated acquisition of Twenty Miles of Fence–Blueprint of a Cowboy by Bison Books, an imprint of the University of Nebraska Press. Words are flying as I also continue to write chapters for two serial tales on Kindle Vella: Shadow Patterns of Melt and Bright Shining as the Sun.

Happy reading!

Reviews

[Billy Buttons · Rating 5 out of 5]

A WISHING SHELF BOOK REVIEW
23rd October 2019
TITLE: Tales from the 359th Fighter Group
AUTHOR: Janet Fogg
Star Rating: 4.5

‘A fascinating insight into life as a fighter pilot during World War Two. Highly recommended.’ The Wishing Shelf

REVIEW
This superb book looks at the up and downs – pardon the pun - of life in the 359th Fighter Group during World War Two. Put together from wartime records, journals and reports from the time, it is a glimpse into a different world, a world at war where a young pilot never knew if this day would be his last.
There’s a lot going for this tiny bit of military history. For a start, it’s not just from the POV of the author, but the POV of lots of ‘authors’; the authors being the men who battled in the sky over England, France and Germany. It’s not overly technical, and often the narrative is overly simple. But, of course, this reflects the men’s different writing ability.
I very much enjoyed the diversity of the book. The pilots were all very different with a different story to tell. Personally, I enjoyed the story of the pilot who escaped capture by sleeping under an apple tree. I also chuckled when I read a Major’s thoughts on East Anglia: When God created England He must have had a bad day when it came to East Anglia...a more desolate, barren, cold and damp, flat and uninviting terrain could never be devised.
All in all, this is a captivating read. It’s always fun to go back in time and to try to understand what it was like to live back then. A book of this nature helps you to do this. Sentimental, yes. Sad in parts, yes. As I’m guessing 99% of the authors of this book have now left us. I would thoroughly recommend this book to anybody interested in military history, in particular World War Two and the role of the fighter pilot.

A ‘Wishing Shelf’ Book Review
www.thewsa.co.uk