Best aviation / warbird books that you've read?

[Joe Scheil]

Rajay,

Top pics for me are a bit off the standard, but I discovered jets a while back and feel it is high time to record what is a disappearing trade...the fighter pilot!

My favorite books top 4...

"A Tradition of Excellence". By Snowbird Leader Dan Dempsey. This is an awesome achievement, a self published volume of complete scope and incredible research. He made the sacrifice to put it all down and then the strength to bet on it selling. This book will be a collectible someday. The largest Canadian Aviation book at 650 pages, and only 1000 copies were made. Simply incredible, great text, huge format, research and historical import from the horse's mouth. Oh. And you buy them from Dan.

"Yukon Wings", Bob Cameron. Again another Canadian who put the whole history down of flying the Yukon, with unbelievable photographs that come from a life of love for the subject. For those that aspire to writing books, as all of us should, so the knowledge is not lost, this is another great achievement. An important book from the best source in the subject.

"Mustang, the Racing Thoroughbred". The best book on racing the Mustang, and something that should be required reading before you attend Reno. Well done and accurate.

"The F-51 in Lating American Air Force Service" Hagedorn. Any Hagedorn book is a good and essential buy as a reference work. I used this one so much I bought another one to have a pristine copy. To understand the Mustang of today, required for the shelf. Rare and expensive for a small book.

In another group for ranking purposes....but great reading for the right reasons. Reading not research. Generally these books favor being written by pilots, and show their passion and culture accurately.

"Crusader" Paul Gilchrist. All pilot recollections, no technical data and no other garbage. Also "Vultures Row" by the same author, a career Naval Aviator who knows the story and tells it like it was, and is.

"Eagle Engaged". The F-15 story. Doug Dildy, an excellent book on the best fighter ever by an Eagle pilot who knows, from back in the day when it was something. It still is.

"Red Eagles" and "America's Secret Mig Squadron, Constant Peg". Both excellent sources of an amazing time in the USAF. Also these books are written from the opposing point of view on the same subject. Great reading and essential together in my opinion. Unfortunately there needs to be another picture book on the subject.

For Warbird pictures "Chino, Warbird Treasures Past and Present". Joe Cupido. Amazing pics of the Warbird Center of the world back in the day.

"Spitfire, the History". Shakalady. Boring listing of every Spitfire type and modification. Every airframe. All the mods. The whole history in tiny print. Boring. Yet I use it a lot and find it utterly essential for research beginnings over the years. Why can't every significant type have a person that puts it ALL down. Perhaps the achievement of the author in getting these things published when they won't sell to the masses means something.

"Spitfires and Polished Metal". Essential to understand restorations as they were done in the 90's. Well illustrated and excellent text, a very well done little seen book on Warbird stuff for enthusiasts.

John Dibbs books...biased I suppose, but the best Warbird photographer in my opinion, for the coffee table.

Eric Presten's Vintage Wings, 1, 2, and 3. Incredible care and detail and finely vetted photographs make Antique Aviation come alive. Any one of them.


Two books not out yet that I want to buy...signed copies!

Rajay's forthcoming book on the Grumman Goose....

Randy Haskin's forthcoming book on the Mustang....

[b29flteng]

Wing Leader by Johnnie Johnson. The Big Show by Pierre Closterman. Everything but the flak by Martin Caiden. Fate is the hunter by Ernie Gann.

All of them are my favorites.

[seagull61785]

Anything written by Ernest Gann is well worth a read.

One particular favourite author of mine is Gavin Lyall. He is an excellent thriller writer with an excellent knowledge of aircraft and piloting.

"The Wrong Side of the Sky"

"Shooting Script"

The Most Dangerous Game"

-- are but three of his many titles. All of them excellent flying yarns put together by a former RAF pilot (who also knows a lots about weapons).

Highly recommended.

Barry

[garbs]

I'll second "The Big Show" by Closterman. "The War in the Air" edited by Gavin Lyall is also superb - tells the story of the war over Europe from pre-war training to post war wrap up in excerpts from dozens of first person narratives. It's an excellent way to preview these other works. Got me to buy "The Big Show", "Flames in the Sky", and "Enemy Coast Ahead".

[kalamazookid]

For my money, "My Secret War" by Richard S. Drury is absolutely unparalleled. The combination of the passion with which he writes about the joy of flying, his convictions of what is right, and his stories of combat make for riveting reading. For those not familiar with the title, the book is an autobiography of a USAF Skyraider pilot chronicling his tour in southeast Asia. It's probably lot more modern than many of you would associate with being a "must-read," but it's an absolutely incredible piece of writing.

"Those Who Fall," by John Muirhead was another interesting read that I haven't seen mentioned yet. I think the emotions are a bit more raw than you see elsewhere, rather than the stereotypical gung-ho pilot/crew-member. Muirhead is another eloquent writer and I found his perspectives interesting, if a little different.

In terms of description of flying and combat in World War II, Pierre Clostermann's "The Big Show," Bud Anderson's "To Fly and Fight," and Robert S. Johnson's "Thunderbolt" are all great reads.

I'm much more into autobiographies than histories than biographies, unit histories, books about aircraft types, etc. I've always felt that the history of the individual experience in combat is the most important thing we can learn about and pass on to future generations through our interest in aviation and warbirds. The human experience in those moments is what gives these machines meaning.

[wendovertom]

wow - this could go on forever!

I really liked this one on Bernard Fisher - it details his career and especially the mission where he earned the Medal Of Honor. Brief but interesting commentary post Vietnam about the Thunderbirds selection process as well.
https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Call-Duty ... ard+fisher

Distant Prayer - this is a good B-17 story - shot down on the 49th mission! Although it is mostly about the escape it is really good!
https://www.amazon.com/Distant-Prayer-M ... ant+prayer

Tom P.

[Warbirdnerd]

"Warbird" based books- three I have not seen mentioned yet- Hidden Warbirds I and II and So I bought an Air Force.
All three worthwhile reads in my opinion...

Last edited by Warbirdnerd on Tue Apr 11, 2017 1:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[RobC]

I own a bunch of air racing books, and some of them are quite good. All of them are factual books except one. Fly Low, Fly Fast by Robert Gandt is a completely different take, written in a swashbuckling style that you will either love or hate. I loved it.

Yes, the author uses a bit of artistic license. I mean, can anyone believe Tiger would actually say, "23 losers and me"?

Yes, that was a joke. Anyway, highly recommended if you like the Martin Caidin style of story telling.

[quemerford]

Fate is the Hunter by Ernest K Gann-have to re-read it every so often.

+1

[quemerford]

Anyone mentioned The Cannibal Queen by Stephen Coonts? May well be remembrance of a golden era one day.

[seagull61785]

Also if you haven't yet read 'Little Friends' by Kaplan Saunders you are missing out on a truly rewarding and emotive experience.

'Little Friends' focusses upon the fighter escorts for the 8th Air Force' daylight bombing offensive.

Lots of personal experiences and stories plus a wealth of photos, especially of the fighter bases in England as they look now.

If ever there was a tribute to these guys - this book is it.

I re-read it frequently to remind myself of their sacrifice.


Barry

[4RG.I.'S]

I'm really enjoying Fading Wings/Faded Glory, memoirs of coffin corner by John Christopher Dinou. The story of a B-26 pilot from prior to the author entering the service in WWII through his missions in the ETO. A nice first hand description from a pilots perspective.
(Thanks Scott Dennison for the loan!! ).

[DB2]

I'll agree with many that Fate is the Hunter is at the top of my list, but one book I read recently that I really enjoyed was "When Thunder Rolled" by Ed Rasimus, about a fresh LT flying F-105s in Vietnam. He followed it up with "Palace Cobra" about returning later to fly F-4s, also a good book but his first was the best.

On the topic of F-105s, "Thud Ridge" and "Going Downtown" by Jack Broughton are must reads as well.

Another of my all time favorites is "The Sky Beyond" by Sir Gordon Taylor, much of which is about mapping the early air routes across the Pacific in a PBY.

[redvanner]

To add some German authors to the list, some are a very good read. (I only added those translated into English, I have no idea if they are currently available at all).

To start with a very good one:

Adolf Galland: The First And The Last
Johannes Steinhoff: Messerschmitts Over Sicily
Werner Girbig: The War Diary of Hauptmann Lipfert
Günther Rall: My Logbook: Reminiscences 1938 - 2006

Cheers

Michael

P.S.: Though not very widely known, Lipfert´s diary is a very good read. It is very down to earth, not glamourous in the least. He describes the day to day "work" of a fighter pilot in the east, not sugarcoating any part of it. BTW he flew with JG 52, the same unit where quite famous aces flew, like Hartmann, Barkhorn, Rall, Graf, Steinhoff, Krupinski, to mention just a few.

[rob23da]

The Lonely Sky by Bill Bridgeman.