Author: Chris Bucholtz/ Chris Davey: Illustrator
Published Date: 20 Dec 2012
Publisher: Osprey Publishing/Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 9781782008736
Length: 128 pages
Price: £15.39 (used) [or less] or £35.93 (new) plus postage
Available From: Abe books, Amazon UK, eBay UK. Note this book is now available as an eBook (Epub & Mobi)
Description
With first-hand accounts and colour artwork, this book describes the planes and pilots of the famous 4th Fighter Group ‘Fourth but First’ that became the highest-scoring unit of the mighty 8th Air Force in World War 2. The group’s record of 583 air and 469 ground victories was unmatched in the Eighth Air Force, and the group produced a cast of characters that included legendary aces Don Blakeslee, Pierce McKennon, “Kid” Hofer, Duane Beeson, Steve Pisanos and Howard Hively.
Formed around a nucleus of pilots many of whom were original members of the RAF Eagles, a group of Americans who volunteered to serve in the RAF before the United States declared war, the 4th Fighter Group was established at Debden airfield in Essex, England, from September 1942 until July 1945. Initially flying Spitfires, the Debden Eagles went on to fly the P-47 and P-51 (Mustang) , becoming, in July 1943, the first Eighth Air Force fighter group to penetrate German air space.Its crews participated in D-Day, Operation Market Garden, the Battle of the Bulge and the initial crossing of the Rhine
Packed with pilots’ experiences, detailed aircraft profiles and full combat histories, this book is an intriguing insight into the best-known American fighter unit in World War II.
First reviewed in Saffron Walden Historical Journal No. 26, Autumn 2013