Robert F. Dorr (1939–2016)

This book provides one with a number of reminders of other American wars; the inadequate equipment of the early days of World War II in the Pacific, the chain of command issues in the later days of that war, the roles-and-services fights that lingered through Vietnam, and the lousy treatment received by reservists in this country's current military adventures. What is unique about the story of the B-29 in the context of the Korean war is that it was still a time when aircraft could go from show more cutting edge to obsolete in only a few years time and this happened while jet aircraft had gone from being a sporadically lethal curiosity to deadly dependability. Meaing that the men who took these planes into combat had to cope with the Soviet Mig 15, until what had been the ultimate day bomber of its time had been driven into the night. For these reasons this is one of the better values in this series and certainly well worth reading. show less

In Air Combat, veteran and military author Robert F. Dorr has collected dozens of interviews from combat veterans who have faced the enemy in the skies above-from the first days of World War II to the current war on terror. Each story offers a firsthand account of what it's like to be in the thick of the fight, describes the history, strengths, and weaknesses of each man's plane in detail, and offers readers a rare glimpse into the minds and hearts of those who dare to fight in the air.

Dorr uses a personal touch to structure his narrative of the Germans who flew the Me 262 and the Americans who flew against it, providing sketches of the personal history of a small set of the pilots on each side. In general this produces an engaging narrative and an interesting window into this slice of the larger air war.

A couple shortcomings keep this from being a more serious history. First, Dorr repeatedly references conspiracy theories about secret Nazi ice bases, Nazi anti-gravity or show more time travel technology, or UFOs. To be clear, Dorr does not endorse these theories and calls them what they are, but that doesn't answer why he chose to repeatedly reference them in an otherwise evidence-based book. Second, the narrative bounces around with little rhyme or reason that I could discern - sometimes jumping forward to talk about events nine or twelve months in the future, sometimes jumping back to fill in some gap. It is all written in a readable enough manner that following these twists and tuns isn't onerous but it does make it difficult to construct a holistic understanding of the history of jet fighters and bombers in WWII.

I also would have appreciated some more explication of some of the technical differences between the various jet designs. Dorr cites differences in compressor technologies, for example, but doesn't offer much explanation of the consequences of these differing technologies.

These limitations did not keep me from enjoying the read, however, and it is an entertaining view of an interesting aspect of the air war. show less

This turned out to be quite a good overview of the underappreciated B-24s operating in the unsung Fifteenth Air Force. My grandfather was a bombardier on one of these (and I believe, in fact, the very one illustrated in the second color plate), and reading about the austere conditions in which these men flew - and where they operated from - was eye-opening. What a different era.