Being there . . . . to meet and greet three splendidly republished World War II air-war titledbooks as Christmas gifts certain to excite and please ALL air battle fans, especially aviationbuffs, enthusiasts, and aficionados of just about anything that can heave itself into the air anddrop a bomb or two. Today, it seems the literature on America’s air wars in the Pacific andEurope hasn’t undiminished in the least by the passage of time since 1945. One reason,apparently, was the opening, during the 1970s, of several previously sealed governmentarchives serving as stimuli for new insights of appreciation, how they helped win WWII, and arestill triggering fresh writings and debates. Three well researched oversized hardcovers aspresents on Yuletide, one individually, or as a pair, or even as a three-book collection, of whichall elements are nonpareil, will the certain-targeted reader be enormously thrilled and proudyou could be so sensitive in selection.All three reviewed and highly recommended by Don DeNevi‘HAPPY JACK’S GO BUGGY – – A Fighter Pilot’s Story”, by Jack Ilfrey with Mark Copeland. ASchiffer Military History Book, MILITARY/AVIATION HISTORY, Atglen, PA: 124 pages, hardcover,18 ¾” x 11 ¼”, 1998, $35. Visit, www.schifferbooks.com.“ATTACK & CONQUER – – The 8 th Fighter Group in World War II”, by John C. Stanaway &Lawrence J. Hickey. A Schiffer Military History Book, MILITARY/AVIATION HISTORY, Atglen, PA:320 pages, hardcover, 8 ¾” x 11 ¼”, 1995, $45. Visit, www.schifferbooks.com.“THE SKULL & CROSS BONES SQUADRON – – VF – 17 in World War II”, by Lee Cook. A SchifferMilitary History Book, MILITARY/AVIATION HISTORY, Atglen, PA: 239 pages, hardcover, 8 ¾” X11 ¼”, 1998, $45. Visit, www.schifferbooks.com.So beautifully written is Jack Ilfrey’s emotionally gripping “Happy Jack’s Go Buggy – – AFighter’s Pilot’s Story”, that this reviewer has now recommended, nay, highly, highlyrecommended, it twice, once this summer and now today. I can’t remember when I did thatbefore in my half a century of reviewing. Simply put, it is one of the finest memoirs written forthe layman-novice on aerial combat exploits by a fighter pilot in the Second World War. Buffsand aficionados already know the story of the legendary Gabby Gabreski. This book, packedwith personal photos, hundreds of them, is a WWII classic. A witness to the Japanese attack onPearl Harbor, Gabby joined the 56 th Fighter Group of the U.S. 8 th Air Force. His extraordinarybravery was soon recognized. Air force “brass” was referred to it as, “beyond rare”. In 17months, he single-handily shot down 28 German planes. By 1944, most American readers of citynewspapers knew all about him, his heritage, daring and courage as well as his name.“ATTACK & CONQUER – The 8 th Fighter Group in World War II” by John C. Stanaway &Lawrence J. Hickey was created by perusing, assembling, organizing, then writing about aerialactivities and battles over and off New Guinea, Rabaul, Hollandia, and the Philippines viaintelligent prose – – easy to read, free-flowing prose, supplemented with 500+ black and whiteand color photographs, plus color profiles of select 8 th FG aircraft. The full history of the epoch-
making 8 th has been pieced together to be presented for the first time. Yes, it was the 8 th that
took the first P-39s into combat, then challenged, and took on the best Zero pilots the JapaneseNavy had to offer.“The Skull & Cross Bones Squadron VF -17 in World War II”, by Lee Cook is the true story ofone of the most successful of all the U.S. Navy Fighting Squadrons in the Pacific war. Author LeeCook claims they were the “top guns” of their day and came to be feared by the Japanesefighter pilots who described them as “attacks on us by wolves”. Their victories: 152 Japaneseplanes destroyed in the air, two on the ground, in only 76 days of combat; five small enemycargo ships and 17 barges carrying troops and supplies. “Skull and Crossbones” is a mission-by-mission chronicle of all the squadron’s air battles. 350 personal and official photos and detailed
appendices list squadron aces, every confirmed victory PLUS the VF-17’s war diary!
