What WWII air war book should I get?

[AWC]

Hi guys, Im looking for recommendations on classic or revered WWII air combat books for either side of the war (ie pilot memoirs) Let me know which ones you like best, thanks!

 

Lemsip

Edited August 20, 2020 by Lemsip

[RedKestrel]

3 minutes ago, Lemsip said:

Hi guys, Im looking for recommendations on classic or revered WWII air combat books for either side of the war. Let me know which ones you like best, thanks!

 

Lemsip

Are you looking for pilot memoirs, or more along the lines of historical treatments of battles, etc?

For pilot memoirs I always recommend "One of the Few" by Johnny Kent. It's not just a war memoir, it goes into his experience with civilian flight before the war, joining the RAF, the Battle of Britain, postings throughout the war (including North Africa and the channel campaign) and his time as a test pilot during and after the war. 

[Gambit21]

Fire in the Sky - Eric Bergerud

Quadalcacal - -Richard B. Frank (excellent)

Shattered Sword - Tully and Parshal 

The Big Show - Closterman

Pacific Air - Sears

To Fly and Fight - Anderson

 

 

There’s many more.

Islands of Destiny, First Team, Tumult in the Skies, Fighter Pilot (Olds) 

[AWC]

20 minutes ago, RedKestrel said:

Are you looking for pilot memoirs, or more along the lines of historical treatments of battles, etc?

For pilot memoirs I always recommend "One of the Few" by Johnny Kent. It's not just a war memoir, it goes into his experience with civilian flight before the war, joining the RAF, the Battle of Britain, postings throughout the war (including North Africa and the channel campaign) and his time as a test pilot during and after the war. 

 

Yes pilot memoirs thanks

[Gambit21]

Not all the books I listed are memoirs - but some of the best books I’ve read are not.

 

The Big Show, Fighter Pilot, To Fly and Fight are memoirs.

 

I Fought You From thevSkies - Willi Heilmann.

[DD_Crash]

A Higher Call  was a good read.

[Diggun]

12 minutes ago, Gambit21 said:

Shattered Sword - Tully and Parshal

This book is a remarkable piece of work, and I can't recommend it highly enough.

 

The Blue Arena by Bob Spurdle cuts away most of the rose tinted spectacles with which these memoirs are frequently inflected.

Derek Robinson's Invasion 1940! is a wonderfully frank and eye-opening history book. He's also written some impressively researched fiction. Would highly recommend A Piece Of Cake.

Len Deighton's Bomber is a novel, but perhaps one of the best researched works of fiction ever written. Properly gripping, tells the story from both sides, and for bonus cool points was the first novel ever written on a computer.

[Elem]

Night Witches - Bruce Myles (Essential)

Red Star Against the Swastika - Vasily Emelianenko

Samurai - Saburo Sakai

Anything by - Captain Eric Brown

 

[RedKestrel]

4 minutes ago, Lemsip said:

 

Yes pilot memoirs thanks

Ace of the Eighth is good too, by Norman Fortier. As a counterpart to Robert S. Johnsons's Thunderbolt!, it's a much more 'average pilot' experience of the war (even though he is an ace, so by definition not average) , and the author doesn't seem to 'punch up' the narrative and combat as much. If you've read Thunderbolt then its a good flip side to that one.

 

[Gambit21]

29 minutes ago, Elem said:

 

Samurai - Saburo Sakai

 

Yes!

Can’t believe I forgot this one - excellent read.

[TCW_Chattytumbler]

Any of the "Black Cross Red Star: Air War Over the Eastern Front" series by Christer Bergstrom - Volume 5 covers Kuban and Kursk and was published only a few weeks ago. Amazing overview of the air war, loads of photos and pilot testimonies.

[RedKestrel]

So many books in this thread I want to read that I keep forgetting to buy! 

[357th_KW]

 Mustang Ace by Bob Goebel
Wing Leader by J E Johnson

 

 

[9./JG27golani79]

Spitfire on my Tail by Ulrich Steinhilper (109 pilot)

[[DBS]El_Marta]

Air Combat at 20 feet

Selected Missions from a Strafer Pilot's Diary

by Garrett Middlebrook

 

B25 strafer Pilot over new guinea

Edited August 20, 2020 by [DBS]El_Marta

[SYN_Vander]

Not hardcore ‘air war’ but I loved reading ‘Solo’ by Roald Dahl.

[Chief_Mouser]

'First Light' by Geoffrey Wellum. A BoB pilot memoir that hasn't been bettered.

[BB5000]

a few fiction novels:

 

WW II

"Bomber" and "Goodbye Mickey Mouse" by Len Deighton, "Piece of cake",  "A good clean fight", "Damned Good Show" by Derek Robinson

WW I

"Goshawk Squadron", "Hornets Sting" and "War Story" by Derek Robinson

 

Memoirs:

"Baa Baa Black Sheep" by Gregory Boyington, "Samurai!" by Saburo Sakai

Edited August 20, 2020 by BB5000

[sallee]

If you want memoirs, I can recommend "Mustang Pilot" by Richard Turner which I read over and over again as a boy (hence Sallee). I was the same with "Nine Lives" by Al Deere. Tom Neil's "Scramble" is good as it combines his Battle of Britain and Malta. On the other side, "I Flew for the Fuehrer" by Heinz Knoke is a good read. I was always a bit disappointed by Galland's "The First and the Last". There are some very interesting ones written at the time, "Arise to Conquer" by Widge Gleed and "The Last Enemy" by Richard Hillary are rather haunting as neither survived the war.

Almost forgot two of my favourites which are both by Finns! Double Fighter Knight by Ilmari Juutilainen and Fighters over Finland by Eino Luukkanen. I am the proud owner of a signed copy of the first of those.

The other one I read over and over was "Nightfighter" by Jimmy Rawnsley and Robert Wright who were both radar operators for John Cunningham.

[SCG_Tzigy]

Ther are a lot of great memoirs and historical books but there are only few I keep coming back to...

 

The Big Show is a must; despite some historical inaccuracies, some the best flying description ever..

 

Over Fields of Fire

 

Alert in the West

 

Stuka Pilot

 

and

 

Nanette

 

 

 

 

 

[AWC]

Wow so many thanks guys. Will definitely look into these

[Diggun]

One more shout out from me, for Flight To Arras by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. A short but brutal read that really captures the fatigue and demoralisation of having to fly mission after mission against overwhelming odds in inferior aircraft. Its just like flying Russian in TAW! 

[SYN_Vander]

13 hours ago, BB5000 said:

a few fiction novels:

 

WW II

"Bomber" and "Goodbye Mickey Mouse" by Len Deighton, "Piece of cake",  "A good clean fight", "Damned Good Show" by Derek Robinson

WW I

"Goshawk Squadron", "Hornets Sting" and "War Story" by Derek Robinson

 

Memoirs:

"Baa Baa Black Sheep" by Gregory Boyington, "Samurai!" by Saburo Sakai

 

I am a huge fan of Derek Robinson. All his books are great with "Piece of Cake", "A Good Clean Fight", "Goshawk Squadron" and "War Story" as my favorites.

"Goodbye Mickey Mouse" by Len Deighton is also great.

 

I have read all of these books multiple times. "A Good Clean Fight" would be great for a movie adaption!

[RAAF492SQNOz_Steve]

17 hours ago, Gambit21 said:

Not all the books I listed are memoirs - but some of the best books I’ve read are not.

 

The Big Show, Fighter Pilot, To Fly and Fight are memoirs.

 

I Fought You From thevSkies - Willi Heilmann.

 

Another vote for I Fought You From the Skies - Willi Heilmann

 

I read this book going on 50 years ago and still remember the title and pilots name.

It is not a big book but if you have an interest in 1944 - 45 and FW 190's it is a great read for when things were for falling apart for the Luftwaffe.

 

If you are into Bombers i.e. Halifax/Lancaster/Wellington

No Moon Tonight by Don Charlwood

 

Many decades ago I also read a book on Erich Hartmann that gave good insights into the air battle on the Russian front, and the joys (sarcasm intended) of Russian Hospitality as a post war prisoner but alas cannot remember the title .       May have been The Blond Knight of Germany but this is just a guess.

Do still remember his approach for knocking over Sturmoviks which I hope to eventually employ in IL2.

[BB5000]

I can also recommend Kevin Wilson's "Men of Air" , "Bomber Boys" and "Journeys End" ..about Bomber Command 1943-45.

Oh... and "Bomb Run" by Spencer Dunmore.. I will check out all other tips given here..buying all my books as iBooks nowadays , so most titles can be found.

 

Another memoir: "Fighter Pilot" by Robin Olds.

Edited August 21, 2020 by BB5000

[Chief_Mouser]

12 hours ago, sallee said:

 

The other one I read over and over was "Nightfighter" by Jimmy Rawnsley and Robert Wright who were both radar operators for John Cunningham.

 

Gone through that one may times as well - great read. ?

[sallee]

11 hours ago, RAAF492SQNOz_Steve said:

 

Another vote for I Fought You From the Skies - Willi Heilmann

 

I read this book going on 50 years ago and still remember the title and pilots name.

It is not a big book but if you have an interest in 1944 - 45 and FW 190's it is a great read for when things were for falling apart for the Luftwaffe.

 

If you are into Bombers i.e. Halifax/Lancaster/Wellington

No Moon Tonight by Don Charlwood

 

Many decades ago I also read a book on Erich Hartmann that gave good insights into the air battle on the Russian front, and the joys (sarcasm intended) of Russian Hospitality as a post war prisoner but alas cannot remember the title .       May have been The Blond Knight of Germany but this is just a guess.

Do still remember his approach for knocking over Sturmoviks which I hope to eventually employ in IL2.

It is, indeed The Blond Knight of Germany by Raymond Tolliver. I remember getting that from the library when I was about thirteen!

[Monksilver]

Fly for your Life - Larry Forrester on Stanford Tuck

 

 

[Gambit21]

Just discovered a new one in the process of doing Mossie research.

 

Mosquito Intruder or Terror in the Starboard Seat (same book) by Dave McIntosh.

 

A short read recommended by @busdriver and one of the most (maybe THE MOST) entertaining account I’ve ever read. Aside from one particularly grizzly moment - it’s hilarious. McIntosh is brilliant.

 

Highly recommended - almost done with it and I might have to just start over.

 

 

[LukeFF]

Has anyone read One Man's Window? The guys on the We Have Ways podcast say it is an excellent read. 

[JimTM]

"A Thousand Shall Fall" by Murray Pedan. 

 

In this wonderful book, Murray recounts his flight training in Canada and operations flying Stirlings and B-17s, the later in an electronic countermeasures role. 

Edited August 29, 2020 by JimTM

[LLv34_Flanker]

S!

 

I have a lot of German and Finnish pilot books. Some to mention and good read: Julius Meimberg, Johannes Kauffmann, Günther Rall, Helmut Lipfert, Johannes Steinhoff, Heinz Knoke, Walther Schuck, Wolfgang Wollenweber, Wilhelm Johnen, Antti Tani, Ilmari Juutilainen, Wolfrum, Crook etc. List goes on. And on top of that Christer Bergström´´s excellent Black Cross- Red Star series.