Whatcha reading?

[Chris Brame]

Dan Hagedorn Sr. and Jr., The Douglas B-18 and B-23, America's Forsaken Warriors - picked it up at the NMUSAF gift shop. There are two B-18 books out now; IIRC this was supposed to be the better of the two? Skimmed through both in the shop and picked this one.

Final Cut, Fifth Edition... Phil

Right here on my desk as well; constant reference plus I'm always making notes for Scott to add to the sixth edition .

[Dan Jones]

"On Wings of War" by Jean Zumbach. From his native Poland to the RAF flying Spitfires with 303 Sqn, a successful post-war smuggler with a Beech 18, and ultimately to Africa as a mercenary in the cockpit of a B-26. What a ride!

[VCS1]

Never Call Me a Hero, by Dusty Kleiss. Fantastic book by one of the last living Midway dive bomber pilots (when written, since passed away)

[lucky52]

I havn't read it yet so I can't say how good it is, "Doomed from the Start".

[67N20]

The Steel Wave by Jeff Sharra. He has written several WWII and a Korean War " historical fiction" books. He also does Civil War books that I don't care to read.

[JohnB]

You might want to reconsider that. Sharra's late father wrote "The Killer Angels, the book upon which the film "Gettysburg" was based. Jeff has written similar well-received books about the war.
It never hurts to broaden one's horizon.
In college, I took a ROTC-sponsored military history class, even though I wasn't in Army ROTC, the service thinks enough of the subject by making it mandatory for its ROTC students...Even though they'll never have to fight Phillip of Macedonia or "cross the T".

I've been reading about naval battles in the Pacific (Guadalcanal & Layte Gulf) and learned a great deal. Even about aviation....

[Lon Moer]

Fly Low, Fly Fast: Inside the Reno Air Races, by Robert Gandt.

[Scott Rose]

This might be a bit heretical but....

DRONE WARFARE
The Development Of Unmanned Aerial Conflict
By Dave Sloggett

[Human Factor]

I’m very sad to report that Squadron Leader Geoffrey “Boy” Wellum DFC, the youngest pilot in the Battle of Britain aged 18 and the author of First Light, died yesterday, aged 96.

[rob23da]

The Lonely Sky by Bill Bridgeman, Douglas test pilot flying the X planes and the D-558 II. darn good read so far-

[Mark Sampson]

I'm getting some good ideas for reading- thanks everyone!

[Scott Rose]

I'm getting some good ideas for reading- thanks everyone!

And now you understand my deviousness

[Pogo]

Never Call Me a Hero, by Dusty Kleiss. Fantastic book by one of the last living Midway dive bomber pilots (when written, since passed away)

I got the book based on this post, have only barely gotten into it, but can already tell it's going to be one that'll be keeping me up past my bedtime.

[Randy Wilson]

Rereading "I Kept No Diary" by Air Commodore F. R. (Rod) Banks, his autobiography as a young machinist who rose though the ranks during WWI in the British Navy to later help develop high-octane aviation fuels using tetraethyl lead to boost octane and later development of jet engines. The first few chapters tell of his history in WWI and soon after in the RN but is still good reading if you are only interested in the later part. My 2 cents.

Randy

[Clifford Bossie]

I just finished Stay The Rising Sun by Phil Keith, about the loss of the USS Lexington. While overall a good history there are two repetitive error: Referring to all Japanese torpedoes as "Long Lance" (which was only the 24" Type 93) and stating several times that the Lexington class CVs were "slower" than the Yorktown class CVs. In actuality, the other way around. The Yorktowns probably answered the helm quicker, but the Lexingtons were faster (by one puny knot). Still, an interesting and enjoyable book to read.