Air Aces of World War 2 -vital G

by Robert Jackson

The conflict in the skies above the combat zones of World War II bred a new legion of heroes. Boys became men in weeks and many became commanders and leaders before the age of twenty-five. These young pilots were flying for their lives on every dangerous sortie and in every type of aircraft. From the heavy bomber struggling to its target in the German Ruhr to the shipboard fighter fired into combat by a carrier's catapult in the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean, every pilot honed his skills to take on the enemy and survive. They were all brave men - but some have become legends. Pilots like Guy Gibson - leader of the famous Dam Buster's raid; Don Gentile - an ace in the Mustang fighter defending allied heavy bombers deep over enemy Europe; John "Cat's Eyes" Cunningham - top scoring night-fighter ace; or Leon W. Johnson - leader of the low-level raid on Ploesti oil refinery complex in Romania. These are some of the hundred heroes included in this compact reference to the history and record of allied and enemy aces of World War II.

Genres: Nonfiction, Military History

112 pages, Paperback

First published April 9, 2005

About the author

Robert Jackson was born in 1941 in the North Yorkshire village of Melsonby. A former pilot and navigation instructor, his active involvement with aviation lasted many years. Following his retirement from the RAFVR in 1977 as a squadron leader, he became a full-time aviation writer and aerospace correspondent and lectured extensively on strategic issues. He speaks five languages, including Russian, and has written more than forty nonfiction works on military affairs. He is also the author of the popular Yeoman and SAS fiction series.