Hell Hawks!: The Untold Story of the American Fliers Who Savaged Hitler's Wehrmacht

Cons: The arrangement of the narrative is often awkward. Parts are repetitious.Pros: The research is fantastic, as are the interviews. Includes some previously unseen photos, occasional map. The author makes clear the mortality rate of not only combat flying, but from operational and training accidents as well. The Hell Hawks operated from primitive fields close to the front and were the terror of German ground forces, as well as enthusiastically tangling with German fighters, including ME-262s. Pilots tell of surviving being shot down, evading, being captured, dropping napalm on Germans, blowing up trains, lots of flack, etc. There are some interviews with the enemy as well, describing what it was like to be extremely paranoid of Jabos. The narrative and interviews clearly show the development of tactics and skills learned the hard way as the war progressed. It's incredible stuff even if you're not particularly interested in Thunderbolts.

I can understand the comments- there are many kinds of enthusiasts, but some uses of aviation just seem wrong. I always loved the pugilistic look of the P-47. The fact that it came out second best to the dainty Spitfire never seemed important because the 'Jug' was a better fighter to escort bombers into Germany (even compared to P-38) and take on the GAF Messerschmitts and Focke-Wulfs. But it was replaced by the P-51 for escort. Just now, I re-read the battle of Oct. 21, '44. These pilots performed a textbook bounce in a fighter versus fighter brawl. 36 Hell Hawks downed 21 enemy for the loss of 2 of their own.I look at HH! as a story of flexibility, of an organization that practiced a new way to fight the enemy (without churning up the terrain by massive artillery barrages). They became the artillery, and dished out some of the medicine that the Stuka was famous for.Years ago, I listened to an elderly glider pilot. He had been in the 9th A.F. and he observed: 'we always had replacement planes, but sometimes with the pace of operations, we ran short of pilots'. It rocked me. The war consumed pilots as fast as G.I.s. But we look back on WW II as a quick termination to a cancerous regime. It had to be done; think of this book as the sort of stories you'd hear if you attended a unit reunion.

This is an enjoyable and educational book about the Thunderbolt and the pilots who flew her. It centers around one Air Wing and three squadrons involved in the most rigorous battles of WWII, from the Normandy invasion to the final end of the Nazi regime in Germany. It is based on a tremendous amount of interviews with surviving members of the squadrons and details not just the successes in the air but the life and struggles on the ground. A must read for WWII history nuts.

I could not be more pleased with this whole purchase. The quality of the book itself makes it an immediate collector book. The story it tells is long overdue. I particularly like the fact that it is given directly from the perspective of the Hell Hawks and those directly involved with their activities......even the German Commanders. The story even covers the essential Ground Crews and their max efforts, at night, in freezing weather, mud field conditions, to repair and make ready the battle weary planes for a morning launch. As a pilot myself, I am amazed at the flying conditions these young pilots had operate in, not to mention that they did it while it seemed that the entire German Army and Air Force was trying to kill them. The tales of flying at 300 to 400 kts in and out of European Winter ragged low overcast is bone chilling....all the while picking and engaging targets. I am waiting for the next book.

I happen to have the privilege of knowing Lt. Col. Archie Maltbie who is one of the many great fighter pilots listed in this book. When I spoke to him, he said he had a hard time putting it down because for him, it was accurate and brought back a lot of memories. I'm just starting to read this book, but of course I took a short cut and read the pages he is listed on and the book shares the stories that he has shared with me. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of it so I can learn the story of all these great men!!!

In perusing the book shelves, one might get the idea that the US air war in Europe consisted of only Eighth AF B-17s and P-51s...little attention is paid to the hard fought tactical work done by the Ninth AF...in this case a typical P-47 group.Their job was to support ground forces in their fight across France, Belgium and Germany by knocking out enemy strong points, disrupting enemy resupply efforts, and keeping the sky free of German aircraft.This book tells their as story in a fast-paced manner. The authors know their subject so nd interviewed survivors to tell a story not often told.

This is a great book on a topic there isn't enough info on. The 9th AF fighter pilots are the unsung heroes of the ETO up to now usually in the shadow of their cousins in the 8th Af fighter groups. Dorr and Jones do a good job of telling the story of a typical but impressive 9th AF unit which distinguished itself in the close air support role. The mission is on most missions very different and more dangerous than 8th AF ground attack missions because of the nature of close air support. The concentration of German light antiaircraft weapons from soldiers shooting small arms up to 37mm and 20 mm quad weapons in the front line areas or those interdiction areas immediately behind the lines a deadly task. After reading this account my interest in IX fighter command ops is peaked! I can highly recommend this book.

The history of any military unit is difficult to write without being tedious. This effort does better than most, but there are just too many principals to keep track of. To the authors' credit they don't get bogged down in petty details, and the action keeps moving along. In both WWII and Korea, the fighter bombers never received their fair due compared to the heavy bombers or the aerial combat fighters. The authors do much to set this record straight.

A brilliant book about the second world war fought in the air

great read really told how the pilots put there lives on the line to blow up the fuel of germany