Fatal Army Air Forces Aviation Accidents in the US 1941-1945

[arizonawrecks]

I wanted very much to post this book review on the message board because I was blown away by Anthony Mireles' 3-volume set. I have spent hours at the library scouring just 15 or 20 USAAF Accident Reports on microfilm reel and was astounded to see that Mireles had done the same with THOUSANDS of similar reports (these are often 500+ pages long!!!).

Here is my review, which I can only hope does Anthony Mireles' work justice:

Anthony Mireles' incredibly ambitious research work "Fatal Army Air Forces Aviation Accidents in the United States, 1941-1945" has managed to compile a monumental amount of information into a well-laid out and easily accessible format. Besides the date, location, and type of aircraft lost, many entries include notes of interest that show the author’s wide array of knowledge and interest in WWII aviation topics. The use of an abbreviated but comprehensive writing style to describe how each loss occurred makes it a gripping read. The names of aircrew are listed in the mishap summary as well as an invaluable index.

The appendices and indexes alone are immense, exemplary and very helpful. You will expand your awareness of your favorite warbirds and find yourself reading the entire 3-volume set because it is so all-encompassing and each "story" is a little novella.

The amount of midnight oil burned by Mireles must've put into this staggering project is difficult to imagine. Going through 6,000+ accident reports on 16mm microfilm reels, indexing them, and then summarizing what can often be dozens of pages of bureaucratic rambling, causation descriptions and investigative board studies. Truly amazing! Also, many readers may not be aware, but each Air Force Accident Report microfilm reel costs $40 and often encompasses less than a week's worth of accident info (most non-fatal!). Mr. Mireles' personal expenditure on this project must've put him in ramen noodles for years.

There is even a list of all of the Still Missing Army aircraft from the war years. I had no idea there were so many.

This is a superlative reference work for aviation enthusiasts and historians, a must have. "Fatal Army Air Forces Aviation Accidents in the United States, 1941-1945" is a valuable asset for anyone researching WWII aviation, specific aircraft types, or the fate of servicemen and their airplanes. To learn of fatal aircraft accident stories in your very own geographic locale will give you chills. I salute Anthony Mireles and his publisher for pursuing such an enormous task. This will be a classic WWII reference in every aerophile's library.

I have told every aviation nut I know to get this 3-volume set into their library or they would regret it. Without exception, they have all ordered it and agreed that it was a staggering work of research and previously unexplored aviation essentials. I constantly refer to these books and don't know what I would do without them.

--> Chris Baird

[tom d. friedman]

do you know robb hill of albuqueque new mexico??? he was a vegas resident up to 2005. he's a wreck chaser with tons of finds including actress carol lombard's crash site. i passed the lead to him & assisted him with the lake murray b-25 appraisal in 2005.

[arizonawrecks]

Tom,

I met Rob Hill once on one of Craig Fuller's AAIR field trips to Kingman....nice guy. It was neat talking with him because he was able to identify every part that we picked up at a C-46 crash site, no matter how mangled or miniscule.

--> Chris B.

[arizonawrecks]

I forgot to add in that review.....the thing I found most interesting in reading the three volumes was the encapsulation of Murphy's Law in such unbelievably varied circumstances. I mean, they were not all VFR into IMC.

Each entry in the book you're thinking "what else can go wrong with an airplane or with a pilot's decision?!!"

--> Chris Baird
www.arizonawrecks.com

[bdk]

$75 for the three volumes...

http://www.amazon.com/Forces-Aviation-Accidents-United-1941-1945/dp/0786427884/sr=1-2/qid=1168908575/ref=sr_1_2/102-7344714-2480961?ie=UTF8&s=books

[TonyM]

It has been brought to my attention that this book is going into a second printing.

TonyM.