Captain Richard E. Evans was an American B-17 "Flying Fortress" pilot. He flew 55 combat missions and during that time was also chosen to fly British Field Marshal Bernard L. Montgomery to wherever the General needed to be throughout North Africa and Italy. Evans and "Monty" travelled together during a particularly dangerous phase of the war. The Allied forces were just beginning to turn back the brutal Axis armies that had invaded North Africa and were closing in on Egypt in an effort to gain control of the strategically vital Suez Canal. Over the deserts of Tunisia, Libya and Egypt, a rocky but honest and respectful friendship formed between the young American pilot, Captain Evans, and his British commander, Field Marshall Montgomery.This is also a tale of a young boy from Knoxville, Tennessee, who spread his wings, quite literally, to fly throughout the world in the service of the US Army Air Corps during World War II. It is the story of a close family told lovingly by one of its five sons, four of whom would live to serve in and survive the Second World War. It is also a glimpse of Middle American lives through small windows of time, reflecting the nineteen twenties, thirties, and forties. This is a first-hand account of a young man coming of age just as the Second World War erupted.

This is the extraordinary story of a poor Tennessee farm boy growing up during the depression of the 1930's who longed to be a pilot. His dream was realized when he enlisted in January 1941 as an aviation cadet and, despite being terminated from the basic training program in a disciplinary action, he ended up as a liaison pilot instead as a "flying sergeant." In New Guinea he flew observation in an unarmed piper cub for the 218th heavy Field Artillery Battalion, earning the Silver Star, the Soldier's Medal, the Distinguished Flying Cross, and promotion to second Lieutenant. With the ingenious help of his flight surgeon friend, he was transferred to the 43rd Bombardment Group, the 65th Bombardment Squadron of the Fifth Air Force. He flew 32 missions in B-24 four engine bombers without regular pilot's wings, a feat unequaled in World War II. When Lieutenant Guy was sent home with injuries in December 1944, his superior officers in New Guinea notified Lieutenant General Henry (Hap) Arnold, Commandant of the United States Air Force, about his remarkable story. General Arnold summoned Guy to the Pentagon to have his wings pinned on him by an aide. Guy stayed in the US Air Force for a total of 26 1/2 years, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel, with chief command pilot's wings. Throughout his career he "bucked the system," defying colonels and generals when he thought he was right, and they were wrong. I have told his story from boyhood to retirement, recounting experiences that appear unbelievable. With World War II veterans dying by the thousands on a daily basis, I felt it was important to tell my husband's unique story while he is still alive, depending upon taped interviews, personal recollections, and his official military records. Dr. Milton Gusack, a flight surgeon with the 43rd Bomb Group, commented: "I loved the book. It is classic Kelly, showing he was a combination of guts, capability, loyalty and stubbornness. This story is a truthful revelation about warfare and how the American spirit was able to survive the most horrible experiences and still maintain a sense of humor." Dr. Ken Wolf, Murray State University history professor said: "Kelly made me think of Forest Gump: Placed in unusual situations, he was unphased by meeting celebrities and persisted in achieving the impossible." Even back in 1958, a writer for the Olmsted AFB newsletter in Pennsylvania wrote a feature about Kelly in the war. Hal L. Eustace, chief of Advertising and Publicity, sent a copy of the story to Tinker AFB where Kelly had been stationed, with a letter stating: "This is one of the most unusual stories that I ever ran across in the service."

Many World War II exploits took place away from the spotlight. Raymond Miller brings his gift to the story of Service and Duty. How he chose to leave Purdue University, ROTC, a basketball team and parents behind to help bring a dictator to heel as co-pilot of a B-17G Flying Fortress Bomber. On Raymond's second combat mission he nearly lost his life from a piece of shrapnel to the throat and shattered breast bone. After surgery and rehab he resumed to co-pilot twenty more combat missions encountering the best the Germans could throw against them. They'd leave out to fly a mission over hostile territory not knowing when they might be hit or knowing if they would return. There were flights where the crews gulp to alleviate fear, for they felt there were no havens of security in an Allied victory that at times seemed importable. Raymond Miller feels honored to have been able to serve his country. Raymond's story gives a compelling glimpse of three brothers' value that characterized their early years and their United States Army Air Corps years of dedication. Raymond says, "I feel blessed for God has been good to me.

Raymond Mitchell, already a veteran of Sicily and Salerno, served as a Despatch Rider (DR) with 41 Royal Marines Commando throughout the North-West Europe campaign. Fortunately he considered his position in the military hierarchy as too lowly for the ban on keeping diaries to apply to him. As a result, Commando Despatch Rider is both an accurate and atmospheric record of one man's war seen from an unusual perspective. Use of the Unit's War Diary and contemporary records gives this war story a broader dimension.

The pilot’s son delivers “a fascinating read and an invaluable insight in to the workings of pre- and wartime test flying under the Third Reich” (Military Aircraft Monthly). On 27 August 1939, Flugkapitan Erich Warsitz became the first man to fly a jet aircraft, the Heinkel He 178, and in June of the same year he flew the first liquid-fuel rocket aircraft, the Heinkel He 176. His legendary flying skills enabled him to assist the pioneering German aircraft and engine design teams that included Wernher von Braun and Ernst Heinkel. He repeatedly risked his life extending the frontiers of aviation in speed, altitude and technology and survived many life-threatening incidents. This book is written by Erich’s son who has used his father’s copious notes and log books that explain vividly the then halcyon days of German aviation history. Warsitz was feted by the Reich’s senior military figures such as Milch, Udet and Lucht and even Hitler keenly followed his experimental flying. Little is known of this pioneer period because of the strict secrecy which shrouded the whole project—it is a fascinating story that tells of the birth of the jet age and flight as we know it today. The book includes many unseen photographs and diagrams. “This book is nothing short of a gem for anyone interested in real aviation history . . . through Lutz Warsitz’s words, readers share the emotions— apprehension, loyalty, fear, frustration and elation—of being part of some of aviation’s most significant advances.” —Pacific Wing Magazine “More than just a good read. An historical document of inestimable value in the aviation pioneering field.” —Airnews

A Royal Air Force helicopter pilot fakes his own death to join a CIA paramilitary unit in this remarkable Cold War biography. RAF helicopter ace Terry Peet had a well-earned reputation for sheer guts. While in Malaya and Borneo, he cheated death time and again, earning a Queen’s Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air. But Peet suddenly disappeared without trace—supposedly having drowned while scuba diving. Then, six years later, Peet reappeared. The media hailed him as a renegade hero when the story of his extraordinary double life was revealed. Peet had in fact been recruited by the CIA for clandestine paramilitary operations in the former Belgian Congo. He was then sent to Nigeria, where he led a UNICEF mission saving refugees from the Biafran War. Peet’s work with the CIA had the tacit approval of British Intelligence, but his departure from the RAF had to be covert. Yet none of this was mentioned in the summary presented at his court martial. Now Renegade Hero recounts the full story of the mysterious affair as told to the author by Peet himself.