William N. Hess (1925–2019)

A rather more workmanlike number in this series that leaves me with some questions. The big question being what was the logic in the 9th Fighter Squadron apparently being the first unit in the Southwest Pacific to receive the Lockheed P-38. While happenstance is often about the only explanation one is going to get for the activities of the 5th Air Force, it's just something that irritates me as to how the author has no thoughts on the subject. One could imagine that either the 9th was seen show more as rather more elite than the other two squadrons in the group, so they received the new fighters, or, perhaps, that as men who had completed their tour of duty rotated out fresh pilots trained on the P-38 rotated in with the aircraft they were familiar with. show less

Great collection of wartime photos accompanied by first hand accounts of the pilots who flew the 'Jug'. I appreciated also how the MTO, PTO, and RAF's use of the P-47 were not ignored. At the end there's a great section that focuses on nose art as well.

Air warfare in the Pacific; a poor start but a great ending. Better books would come but the personal stories are worth reading.q

One of the bravest planes of the Second World War, the American Mustang P-51 fought a series of historic battles over France and Germany and in the Pacific. The small manageable plane was the darling of all crews who flew it and while it won its fame primarily as a long-range escort fighter, it showed its excellence in all the operations that it undertook.