4th Fighter Group
4th Fighter Group

Author: Chris Bucholtz

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2012-12-20

Total Pages: 224

ISBN-13: 178200873X

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With first-hand accounts and colour artwork, this title describes the planes and pilots of the famous 4th Fighter Group 'Fourth but First' that became the highest-scoring unit of the mighty 8th Air Force in World War 2. Formed around a nucleus of pilots already seasoned by their experience as volunteers in the RAF's Eagle Squadrons, the 4th Fighter Group was established in England in October 1942. Initially flying Spitfires, the Debden Eagles went on to fly the P-47 and P-51, becoming, in July 1943, the first Eighth Air Force fighter group to penetrate German air space. The group's record of 583 air and 469 ground victories was unmatched in the Eighth Air Force, and the group produced a cast of characters that included legendary aces Don Blakeslee, Pierce McKennon, “Kid” Hofer, Duane Beeson, Steve Pisanos and Howard Hively. Involved in the D-Day landings, Operation Market Garden, the Battle of the Bulge and the crossing of the Rhine, the group's achievements came at a high price, with a 42 percent casualty rate. Packed with pilots' experiences, detailed aircraft profiles and full combat histories, this book is an intriguing insight into the best-known American fighter unit in World War II.

Adventures of the 4th Fighter Group
Adventures of the 4th Fighter Group

Author: Troy L. White

Publisher:

Published: 2015-07-12

Total Pages: 338

ISBN-13: 9780578166056

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The thrills, spills and lucky escapes of the 4th Fighter Group during World War II. From clandestine training in Canada and early days as the legendary RAF Eagle Squadrons forged in the fire of the Battle of Britain, to wild dogfights over the Reich. The youthful enthusiasm of the fliers turned to dogged determination until victory was theirs! Adventures of the Fourth Fighter Group combines the personal recollections of veteran pilots then and now, and thoroughly researched true tales full of rich and evocative detail. Adventures of the 4th Fighter Group is over 330 pages long, measures 6"x 9" with 199 images. Author/artist Troy White covers new ground with his latest book about the adventures of the keen young pilots of the fourth FG.

Two-Man Air Force
Two-Man Air Force

Author: Philip Kaplan

Publisher: Pen and Sword

Published: 2006-02-19

Total Pages: 192

ISBN-13: 1844151778

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American volunteers Don Gentile (pronounced Jen-tilly) and John Godfrey flew together as leader and wingman respectively, with the USAAF 4th Fighter Group based at Debden near Cambridge in England. At the end of their missions with the 4th the two of them had accounted for over 58 enemy aircraft destroyed. Major Gentile had scored 22 air and 6 ground kills before he was returned to the USA to help raise money for the war effort. Major Godfrey was credited with 18 air and 12 ground kills before he was shot down and taken prisoner of war. This is the story of their amazing adventures and wartime partnership from their basic training in Canada and then onto England where they first flew the Supermarine Spitfire. It continues with their transfer to the USAAF 4th Fighter Group when the US entered the war and when the two were retrained to fly the P-47 Thunderbolt and eventually the superb P-51 Mustang. These two ace pilots loved life as much as flying - and as well as being hell-bent on destroying the enemy in the skies of Europe they also lived life to the full in their off-duty time in England.

Bailout Over Normandy
Bailout Over Normandy

Author: Ted Fahrenwald

Publisher:

Published: 2023-06

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13:

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A suspenseful WWII page-turner and an enormously witty tale of camaraderie and collusion, Ted Fahrenwald's memoir takes you behind the scenes to offer unique insights into the daily courage and intrigues of the French Resistance and various Allies as they battled the vicious German occupiers-and suffered the violent retribution that was often the result. At 22, Ted was a daredevil pilot on his 100th mission when he bailed out of his burning Mustang two days after D-Day. Parachuting into the Nazi-infested farmland of Normandy, he was immediately picked up by the Maquis, the rural guerrilla arm of the Resistance. His wily and gregarious personality, high-school French, and backwoods skills helped him forge deep and lifelong friendships with these heroic patriots. Ted joined them on their night-time raids and relished their frequent parties fueled by home-brewed Calvados brandy. But he was determined to rejoin his squadron in England, so he left his helpers to hike north through heavily occupied forests toward the Channel Coast and the advancing Allied liberation armies. Captured by the Wehrmacht, interrogated as a spy, and interned in a POW camp, he made a daring escape just before his scheduled deportation to Germany. Being drafted by the unruly Maquis and captured by the German army didn't diminish Ted's talent for spotting the ironic humor in even the most aggravating situations-nor his penchant for extracting his own improvised and sometimes hilarious version of justice.

352nd Fighter Group
352nd Fighter Group

Author: Tom Ivie

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2012-10-20

Total Pages: 128

ISBN-13: 1846037557

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Nicknamed the 'Bluenosed Bastards of Bodney' due to the garish all-blue noses of their P-51s, the 352nd FG was one of the most successful fighter groups in the Eighth Air Force. Credited with destroying almost 800 enemy aircraft between 1943 and 1945, the 352nd finished fourth in the ranking of all groups within VIII Fighter Command. Initially equipped with P-47s, the group transitioned to P-51s in the spring of 1944, and it was with the Mustang that its pilots enjoyed their greatest success. Numerous first-hand accounts, 55 newly commissioned artworks and 140+ photos complete this concise history of the 'Bluenosers'.

FIREBOAT
FIREBOAT

Author: Maira Kalman

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2002-08-05

Total Pages: 48

ISBN-13: 0698408233

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* “A hundred years from now, when people want to know what we told our children about 9/11, Kalman's book should be among the first answers.”—Booklist, starred review * “Intelligently conveys those unfathomable events in a way that a picture book audience can comprehend. . . . With this inspiring book, Kalman sensitively handles a difficult subject in an age-appropriate manner.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review * “Fireboat does many things. It sets forth an adventure, helps commemorate an anniversary, offers an interesting bit of history, celebrates the underdog, and honors the fire-fighting profession. Children and adults will respond to it in as many ways.”—School Library Journal, starred review * “Exciting, uplifting, and child-sensitive. . . . Revisits the tragedy without the terror and conveys pride without preachiness."—The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, starred review * “Quintessential New York artist Kalman gives us an idiosyncratic but informative look at a Big Apple institution. . . . Kalman’s use of the events of September 11 is honest and honorable, and rarely is she as straightforward as she is here.”—The Horn Book, starred review This is the inspiring true story of the John J. Harvey—a retired New York City fireboat reinstated on September 11, 2001. Originally launched in 1931, the Harvey was the most powerful fireboat of her time. After the September 11 attacks, with fire hydrants at Ground Zero inoperable and the Hudson River's water supply critical to fighting the blaze, the fire department called on the Harvey for help. There were adjustments—forcing water into hoses by jamming soda bottles and wood into nozzles with a sledgehammer—and then the fireboat's volunteer crew pumped much-needed water to the disaster site. The John J. Harvey proved she was still one of New York's Bravest! Maira Kalman brings a New York City icon to life, celebrating the energy, vitality and hope of a place and its people.

Eagles of the RAF
Eagles of the RAF

Author: Philip D. Caine

Publisher: DIANE Publishing

Published: 1994-07

Total Pages: 428

ISBN-13: 0788111140

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U.S. citizens fought and died in WW II long before the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Among them were the pilots of the Eagle Squadrons, three fighter squadrons of Britain's Royal Air Force manned by young U.S. flyers. This book tells how the Eagle squadrons were formed and summarizes the history of the units and evaluates their deeds, motivations, and contributions. Draws on interviews from more than 35 surviving Eagles, their letters and memoirs, and official records. Depicts their daily lives along with special heroes and amazing sacrifices. "An important contribution to the study of American involvement in WWII. Highly recommended."

Night Probe!
Night Probe!

Author: Clive Cussler

Publisher: Bantam

Published: 2014-11-11

Total Pages: 434

ISBN-13: 0553394924

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In the midst of an international crisis, Heidi Milligan, a beautiful, brilliant American naval commander, accidentally discovers an obscure reference to the long-buried North American Treaty, a precedent-shattering secret pact between the United States and Great Britain. The President believes that the treaty offers the single shot at salvation for an energy-starved, economically devastated nation, but the only two copies plummeted into the watery depths of the Atlantic in twin disasters long ago. The original document must be found—and the one American who can do the job is Dirk Pitt. But in London, a daring counterplot is being orchestrated to see that the treaty is never implemented. Brian Shaw, a master spy who has often worked hand in hand with American agents, now confronts his most challenging command. Pitt’s mission: Raise the North American Treaty. Shaw’s mission: Stop Pitt. Praise for Night Probe! and the Dirk Pitt® novels “A rich tale . . . an absorbing, carefully told mystery with plenty of surprises.”—Los Angeles Times “Dirk Pitt is a combination James Bond and Jacques Cousteau.”—New York Daily News

Flying Tigers
Flying Tigers

Author: Daniel Ford

Publisher: Warbird Books

Published: 2023-05-01

Total Pages: 422

ISBN-13: 0692734732

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During World War II, in the skies over Burma and China, a handful of American pilots met and bloodied the "Imperial Wild Eagles" of Japan and won immortality as the Flying Tigers. One of America's most famous combat forces, the Tigers were recruited to defend beleaguered China for $600 a month and a bounty of $500 for each Japanese plane they shot down--fantastic money in an era when a Manhattan hotel room cost three dollars a night.This May 2023 revision has never-before-published information about Chennault's early years. "Admirable," wrote Chennault biographer Martha Byrd of Ford's original text. "A readable book based on sound sources. Expect some surprises." Flying Tigers won the Aviation/Space Writers Association Award of Excellence in the year of its first publication.

The Flying Greek
The Flying Greek

Author: Steve N. Pisanos

Publisher: Potomac Books, Inc.

Published: 2008

Total Pages: 597

ISBN-13: 159797322X

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Steve N. Pisanos's The Flying Greek is both the classic tale of an immigrant's bond with America and an aerial adventure. When young Pisanos arrived in the U.S. in 1938, he worked, studied English, and learned to fly. He earned a private pilot's license in 1941, and soon after Germany invaded Greece, he volunteered for the embattled British Royal Air Force. He served with the 268 and 71 Eagle Squadrons. The 71 Eagle Squadron was one of three Eagle squadrons comprised of U.S. volunteers. In 1942, he became a naturalized U.S. citizen while in London, England. He was the first individual in American history to become a citizen while outside the U.S. border, and his becoming a citizen allowed him to be commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Air Forces. In riveting detail, Pisanos recounts his combat record, from fighter sweeps and bomber escort missions to dogfighting, flying the Spitfire, the P-47, and the P-51. While flying a P-47 named Miss Plainfield, he scored his first aerial victory on May 21, 1943. By January 1, 1944, he had become an ace. After his tenth confirmed kill, he crash-landed his P-51 in France and spent six months with the French Resistance, successfully evading capture. Because of his exposure to the French operations, the Air Force could not risk his capture again, so he returned to the U.S. and became a test pilot at Wright Field where he also attended the Air Force's test pilot school. Despite grave danger, Pisanos set aside his pride, fears, and misgivings to help achieve a greater good. The Flying Greek is an entertaining and remarkable journey that will interest historians and aviation enthusiasts.