Although the Fifteenth Air Force was dismissed as 'minor leaguers' by the Eighth Air Force, strategic bombers from this outfit had done a 'major league' job on Axis targets in southern Europe following its formation in Italy in November 1943. And the heavy bombers employed by the Fifteenth were of course the venerable B-17 and B-24. At its peak strength, the Fifteenth's B-17 force comprised six groups of four squadrons each, all controlled by the 5th Bomb Wing. Having been a part of the Fifteenth Air Force in 1944, author Bill Hess has long been waiting to write a definitive account on 'his air force'.
Like The Long Reach, Down to Earth is a message from the battle at its height, told in their own words by the men who fight' this is how Brig-Gen Francis Griswold, VIII Fighter Command, ends his introduction to this book. His official endorsement reveals just how important a document Down to Earth was to the teaching of tyro fighter pilots heading for action in the ETO. More leading aces were lost to flak whilst ground strafing than to German fighters. In this book William Hess has included biographies of all the pilots that originally contributed to this work back in 1943-44.
I think the success of the 354th as the leading group in the European theatre for aerial victories is due to several things. First was the initial training of the squadrons before deployment to England. Colonel Ken Martin nurtured the group from its infancy, and all the excellence that later showed through could be placed at his doorstep. Despite his youth, he knew how to foster teamwork and demand perfection in flying. There was nothing more important than getting the group off on the right foot. Second, our pilots were taught to fly mutual support, and practised it faithfully. There were no "hot" pilots in the 354th, only "excellent" pilots. Third, men like Glenn Eagleston gave advice and warnings about combat tactics and guarding one's tail. This prepared our pilots for lurking dangers, something the other groups may not have done.' Brigadier General James Howard, Commanding Officer of the 354th Fighter Group
Rare period photos show the marquee U.S. bombers of WWII -- the B-17, B-24 and B-29 -- in action over Europe and the Pacific. Paint schemes, nose art and markings are all depicted.
After each mission, America's World War II pilots were required by armed forces regulation to submit a report, written in their own words, of that day's events in the wartorn skies over Europe or the Pacific. This collection features a selection of those reports from the greatest American aces of the war -- Francis Gabreski, George Preddy, Hubert Zemke, Richard Bong, Richard McGuire, Chuck Yeager and others -- who recount engaging German and Japanese pilots in dogfights, tearing through enemy bomber formations, getting peppered with enemy machine-gun fire and nursing crippled Mustangs, Thunderbolts and Lightnings back to base. Photos of the aces and their aircraft, along with appendices listing names, units and victories, make this an invaluable reference for any aviation or history enthusiast.
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