Bauer Dan. Great American Fighter Aces

Osceola: Motorbooks International Publishers, 1992. — 196 р. — ISBN 0879385855.When John Alison demonstrated the P-40 Warhawk to Claire Chennault and a Chinese air force general—who were shopping for aircraft to equip the Flying Tigers—the general was so impressed he said, “What we need are 100 of these airplanes!” Chennault looked the general in the eye and said, “No! What you need is 100 of these,” as he tapped Alison on the shoulder. Chennault’s point, proven in every war, is that great pilots are more important to victory than great aircraft.
Great American Fighter Aces is a unique collection of biographies of twelve of the greatest and most interesting American fighter pilots of World War II:
Tom McGuire was America’s second greatest ace, scoring 38 victories while flying P-38s with the 475th Fighter Group. New information from interviews with the only surviving participant in McGuire’s last flight clarify the circumstances surrounding his death.
Charles MacDonald was the gifted commander of the famed 475th Fighter Group who led by example, scoring twenty-seven aerial victories.
Joe Foss, the leading Marine ace with twenty-six victories, won the Medal of Honor for his courageous defense of Guadalcanal. After the war he v was elected governor of South Dakota, president of the American Football League, and president of the National Rifle Association.
Tex Hill is a legendary Flying Tiger ace who later commanded the 75th Fighter Squadron and 23rd Fighter Group, scoring 17.25 victories by war’s end.
Marion Carl, the first Marine ace, was always in the thick of the action—Midway, Guadalcanal, Vella LaVella, and Rabaul, scoring 18.5 victories. After the war he became the Navy’s chief test pilot and set several world speed and altitude records.
Jim Howard was a Flying Tiger ace who later fought the Germans with the 354th Fighter Group, winning the Medal of Honor for single-handedly defending 401st Bomb Group B-17s against thirty German fighters. He scored 13.33 aerial victories.
Butch O’Hare was the Navy’s first ace and won the Medal of Honor for shooting down five Japanese bombers that were attacking his carrier, the USS Lexington. His total score was twelve victories.
Tom Blackburn led the Navy’s famous VF-17 “Jolly Rogers” squadron, scoring twelve victories.
Jim Goodson fought with the Eagle Squadron before the US entered the war and later became one of the leading aces of the 4th Fighter Group with fifteen aerial victories and fifteen strafing victories.