The Pioneer Mustang Group
Title | The Pioneer Mustang Group PDF eBook |
Author | Steve Blake |
Publisher | Schiffer Publishing |
Pages | 454 |
Release | 2008 |
Genre | History |
ISBN |
As the first unit to fly the Merlin-engined P-51B in combat, the 354th Fighter Group adopted the nickname "Pioneer Mustang Group." Until D-Day, it escorted 8th AF heavy bombers to targets on the European Continent. The group then moved to France and supported Patton's Third Army from Normandy to Bavaria, and also participated in the Battle of the Bulge. Its pilots scored over 600 confirmed air victories, and forty-three of them became aces. This book is an almost day-to-day account of their aerial combat experiences and the "gypsy" lifestyle they and their support personnel led as they moved from one airfield to another across Western Europe.
The 356th Fighter Group in World War II
Title | The 356th Fighter Group in World War II PDF eBook |
Author | Kent D. Miller |
Publisher | Schiffer Military History |
Pages | 344 |
Release | 2003 |
Genre | Biography & Autobiography |
ISBN |
Here for the first time is the story of the 356th Fighter Group which flew in the European Theater of Operations during the Second World War. This 9th Air Force unit spent over two years in England, occupying the airfield at Martlesham Heath, in the county of Suffolk. Originally entering combat flying P-47 Thunderbolts, and later switching to P-51 Mustangs, the 356th dispatched its aircraft on 407 missions across the Channel. Between the time of the first, on October 15, 1943, and the final mission on May 7, 1945, the 356th was credited with destroying 277 enemy planes. As the principle of bomber escort was strictly adhered to by the 356th's leaders, pilots of the group often had to pass up opportunities to engage enemy fighters and increase their scores. While this fact helped earn the 356th a reputation as being a "hard luck" outfit, due to their low victory to loss ratio, the gratitude and praise from the bomber crews more than offset this misnomer.
Misconceptions about the Tuskegee Airmen
Title | Misconceptions about the Tuskegee Airmen PDF eBook |
Author | Daniel Haulman |
Publisher | University of Georgia Press |
Pages | 148 |
Release | 2023-02-15 |
Genre | History |
ISBN | 1588385418 |
Once an obscure piece of World War II history, the Tuskegee Airmen are now among the most celebrated and documented aviators in military history. With this growth in popularity, however, have come a number of inaccurate stories and assumptions. Misconceptions about the Tuskegee Airmen refutes fifty-five of these myths, correcting the historical record while preserving the Airmen’s rightful reputation as excellent servicemen. The myths examined include: the Tuskegee Airmen never losing a bomber to an enemy aircraft; that Lee Archer was an ace; that Roscoe Brown was the first American pilot to shoot down a German jet; that Charles McGee has the highest total combat missions flown; and that Daniel “Chappie” James was the leader of the “Freeman Field Mutiny.” Historian Daniel Haulman, an expert on the Airmen with many published books on the subject, conclusively disproves these misconceptions through primary documents like monthly histories, daily narrative mission reports, honor-awarding orders, and reports on missing crews, thereby proving that the Airmen were praiseworthy, even without embellishments to their story.
332nd Fighter Group
Title | 332nd Fighter Group PDF eBook |
Author | Chris Bucholtz |
Publisher | Osprey Publishing |
Pages | 128 |
Release | 2007-01-30 |
Genre | History |
ISBN | 9781846030444 |
The USAAC's Tuskegee Experiment, designed to prove that African-Americans were not capable of flying combat aircraft, ironically resulted in the creation of one of the USAAF's elite units. Crewed by highly-educated and exceptionally motivated men, the 99th Fighter Squadron, led by Col Benjamin O. Davis (later joined by the 100th, 301st, and 302nd FS to form the 332nd Fighter Group), first flew ground attack missions in P-40s in North Africa and participated in the destruction and surrender of Pantelleria, off Sicily. Later, after the unit was equipped with P-51 Mustangs, the 'Redtails' began flying escort missions deep into Germany. The unit scoreboard boasted 111 aerial kills (including several Me 262 jets), 150 strafing victories, 950 vehicles and railway rolling stock destroyed, and the sinking of a German destroyer by war's end. The group were both feared and respected by the Germans, who called them the "Schwartze Voglemenschen" (Black Birdmen), and revered by others as the "Black Red-tail Angels", partly because of their distinct red-tailed aircraft, and partly because they never lost a bomber under escort to enemy attack (a feat which was unmatched by any other USAAF fighter group in World War II). The pilots of the 332nd FG attribute their success to the discipline instilled by Col Davis, who is reputed to have told them, 'If you lose a bomber, don't bother to come back.' This book will reveal the true story of the unit who rose above discrimination to achieve elite status.
The Complete Book of Ford Mustang
Title | The Complete Book of Ford Mustang PDF eBook |
Author | Mike Mueller |
Publisher | Complete Book Series |
Pages | 327 |
Release | 2022-01-25 |
Genre | Sports & Recreation |
ISBN | 0760372888 |
The Complete Book of Ford Mustang, 4th Edition details the development, technical specifications, and history of America’s original pony car, now updated to cover cars through the 2021 model year.
Big Friend, Little Friend
Title | Big Friend, Little Friend PDF eBook |
Author | Richard E. Turner |
Publisher | |
Pages | 216 |
Release | 1969 |
Genre | Fighter pilots |
ISBN |
Mustang Aces of the 357th Fighter Group
Title | Mustang Aces of the 357th Fighter Group PDF eBook |
Author | Chris Bucholtz |
Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing |
Pages | 97 |
Release | 2012-12-20 |
Genre | History |
ISBN | 184603986X |
Flying the iconic American ace-maker, the 357th Fighter Group produced more aces than any other group in the Eighth Air Force. The 357th Fighter Group produced 42 aces. It was also the first group in the Eighth Air Force to be equipped with the P-51. Thanks to this fighter and the talented pilots assigned to the group (men such as Bud Anderson, Kit Carson, John England and Chuck Yeager) the 357th achieved a faster rate of aerial victories than any other Eighth Air Force group during the final year of the war. It also claimed the highest number of aerial kills – 56 – in a single mission. The group was awarded two Distinguished Unit Citations (the unit equivalent of the Medal of Honor). Written by Chris Bucholtz, this book is crammed full of first-hand accounts, superb photography and some of the most colorful profiles to be found in World War II aviation.