Berkley Caliber

Air Combat: An Oral History of Fighter Pilots

by  Robert F. Dorr

Reviewed By  Paul M Hayward, IPMS# 44017

MSRP: $24.95 ISBN: 0425211703 We have all read about plenty of famous air battles; duels to the death in flying machines. Man against not only man; but against technology. This book by Robert Dorr is a compilation of first person stories. Where these stories differ is that the gentlemen interviewed for this book are for the most part not widely known or famous for their aerial feats. We start our journey at Pearl Harbor; the exploits of Lt's Walsh and Taylor are a part of this opening story. But throughout the book other pilots are featured; most are lesser known to history, but contributors to the greater fight indeed. From the cockpit of a P-39 Airacobra high over the jungles of New Guinea; Rex Barber and his P-38 flying with Major Bong to shoot down Yamamoto; P-51 Mustang pilots over Fortress Europa and the vast Pacific Ocean hunting for Zeros. These stories and many more make for a very interesting book. Jets over Korea, Vietnam Thud shoot-down and even stories flying A-37 Dragonfly and Willy the Whale missions; this book finishes with combat missions over Iraq in both Gulf Wars. Each chapter has a who's who of the mentioned pilots in each chapter and a short technical description of particular aircraft. The book is illustrated with photos of the given pilots and their own mounts, so plenty here for the modeler to create new ideas for projects. 332 pages and presented very well. This book was purchased at a garage sale by my wife Jennifer, but it can be found on internet sites or check out your local libraries. If you find this book somewhere, get it.