Brief reviews of five books about the air war:

Prien, Jochen. (Translated from the German by David Johnston.) Jagdgeschwader 53: A History of the "Pik As" Geschwader, volume 3: January 1944 - May 1945. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Military History, 1999.

ISBN 0-7643-0556-5
448 pages

Photos; maps; diagrams; line drawings; tables; charts; Sources; Index

Appendices: Casualties among Ground Personnel; Command Positions; Strength Returns; Aerial Victory List (chronological); Aerial Victory List (alphabetical); Aircraft Status - March 1942 through December 1944; Aircraft Color Schemes and Markings

The third volume of Prien's set is the equal of its predecessors. Volume one placed high in our balloting for the Top Ten new books of 1997, Volume two just missed placing in the Top Ten for 1998, and volume three looks like a strong contender for the award this year.

This volume takes the story of JG 53, the "Ace of Spades" geschwader, from January 1944 to the end of the war. During this final stage its scattered gruppen participate in air battles in Italy (Anzio and Monte Cassino), over Romania (notably at Ploesti) and Hungary, against the Normandy invasion forces, and in defense of Germany itself. In addition to the usual archival research, veterans' accounts, photos, and tables of losses, this volume also includes a section on ground personnel and a lengthy compilation of JG 53's confirmed victories-- one in chronological sequence, and one alphabetical by pilot. Although not in color, the appendix of "Aircraft Color Schemes and Markings", featuring over six dozen drawings, will be welcomed by many readers.

The pick of the litter.

Rogers, Jeff. (Researched by Rick School) Valor at Polebrook: The Last Flight of Ten Horsepower. Milwaukee, WI: Ken Cook Co., 1998.

ISBN 0-9652491-5-8
134 pages

Acknowledgement; Dedication; Introduction; photos; maps; diagrams; Postscript; Bibliography

The rough outline of the saga of the B-17G named "Ten Horsepower" has appeared in enough books, albeit sometimes in garbled and distorted versions, to be fairly well-known by those with an interest in American aviation during World War II. Researcher Rick School and writer Jeff Rogers worked for nearly ten years to piece together details of the story and produce the first full and accurate account of the mission which made the men of Ten Horsepower the most decorated crew in the Eighth Air Force during WWII.

Based on all those years of interviews as well as research in USAAF archives, School and Rogers tell the dramatic story of the B-17 as it was hit with cannon fire and plunged out of formation. With the co-pilot dead and the pilot unconscious, survival of the remaining crew members seemed unlikely, but the top turret gunner, in an incredible feat, managed to get into the cockpit and, after losing thousands of feet in altitude, muscled the plane back into level flight. The surviving crew members succeeded in steering the plane back to England, but no one on board was remotely qualified to bring it in for a landing. Although ordered to bail out, two of the crewmen refused to leave the unconscious pilot and instead attempted to land Ten Horsepower.

Nice reconstruction of a dramatic and touching episode.

Schultz, Alfred W. with Kirk Neff. Janey: A Little Plane in a Big War. Middletown, CT: Southfarm Press, 1998.

ISBN 0-913337-31-5
288 pages

Acknowledgement; Introduction; photos

Not every pilot flew a fighter or bomber in World War II. Alfred "Dutch" Schultz flew an L-4B Piper Cub named Janey for the US Third Infantry Division. His book describes his artillery spotting missions above North Africa, Italy, France, and Germany as well as flights in which he took generals such as Patton and Truscott over battlefields to orchestrate their campaigns.

In what was surely his finest exploit, Schultz managed to lure a Me 109 into a mountainside and received credit for an aerial kill.

Hair, Charles Arthur. The Saga of '54 and More: The Story of the 310th Bombardment Group (M). Anaheim, CA: Robinson Typographics, 1987.

ISBN 0-918837-07-3
210 pages

Dedication; Preface; Acknowledgment; Bibliography; Foreword; photos; maps; Index of Names

Appendix: Translations of propaganda leaflets dropped on the enemy

The 310th was officially formed in March 1942 and began training on B-25s in South Carolina in June. In September the Group began transferring to England where it gradually assembled and commenced further training. In November the 310th began moving again, this time to North Africa where in December it began operations from airfields in Algeria against enemy targets in Tunisia. As the Axis perimeter was compressed and eliminated, further missions were flown against the islands of Sicily, Sardinia, Pantelleria, and Lampedusa. By the time of Operation Husky, the Allied invasion of Sicily, the 310th had begun bombing raids against the Italian mainland.

The author tells this story through September 1943 in day-by-day detail, sometimes from flight logs and unit diaries, sometimes in the words of pilots and crewmen, and always with a clear description of how the 310th's activities fit into the larger picture of the war in the Mediterranean. The unit's history from October 1943 through the end of the war, however, is compressed into nine brief pages. A further ten pages contain assorted tales told by the veterans about various wartime experiences.

Well done except for the disappointing brevity of the Group's operations after September 1943.

Stephens, Glenn A. Kriegies, Caterpillars and Lucky Bastards. Anaheim, CA: Robinson Typographics, 1987.

ISBN 0-918837-05-7
354 pages

Dedication; Acknowledgment; Preface; photos; maps; diagrams; Index of Names

Appendices: Flak or Fighters? Which is Worse?; The "Prominente" at Colditz Prison; Song of the Cottontails

Stephens gathers about three dozen first-person accounts of USAAF air operations over Germany and presents them here in the words of the flyers themselves along with his own brief pieces to put the stories into historical context. Taken together, the accounts present a broad picture of training, briefings, flights, successes, failures, death, and survival. Good stuff for those who want to get the word about the air campaign straight from the horse's mouth.

All of these titles are available from online booksellers, local bookshops, or directly from the publishers.

Thanks to the publishers for providing these review copies.