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The 8th Air Force: Victory and Sacrifice
A World War II Photo History
The defeat of Germany was the first priority of the Allies in World War II. Japan would come
later. The destruction of Germany’s vast military-industrial base was the mission assigned to the RAF and the U.S. Eighth
Air Force. Starting from scratch in July 1942 and operating from bases in England, the Eighth Air Force assumed the task of
daylight precision bombing of Occupied Europe. In a three-year struggle against fortifiable German air defenses and the legions
of the Luftwaffe, the Eighth paid a terrible price. It suffered 55,000 casualties (killed, wounded and Prisoners of war),
more than any other numbered U.S. military unit. This volume seeks to provide an historical perspective of the air campaign
over Western Europe, utilizing 270 representative photos and detailed captions to depict the deadly nature of that aerial
combat some six decades ago. Size: 8.5"x11", over 270 b/w and color photographs, maps , 160 pages. (sch) Price - $39.95
New
Battle Colors - Insignia and Aircraft Markings
Vol.2: (VIII) Fighter Command
This second volume in the Battle Colors series completes the study of the insignia and markings
of the 8th AAF during World War II. Whereas the first volume covers 8th Bomber Command, Volume II focuses on the Fighter Groups,
Scouting Force and Special Operations units of the Mighty Eighth. Battle Colors approaches a visual subject in a visual manner
utilizing full color illustrations and wartime photographs. All known unit insignia, tactical markings and identification
codes are depicted with the proper placement for all aircraft types flown during the war. Additionally, this work includes
diagrams showing approved specifications for the size and placement of all versions of the U.S. insignia as applied to USAAF
P-38, P-47 and P-51 fighter aircraft. Also included are all unit airfield location maps and order-of-battle charts for all
combat air elements assigned to the 8th AAF from June 1942 through June 1945. The Battle Color series should be considered
an essential addition to the library of anyone with an interest in USAAF combat air operations during World War II. Size:
9"x12", over 600 color profiles, insignia, photographs, and maps , 144 pages. (sch) Price - $45.00
New
8TH AIR FORCE
America's Heavy Bomber Groups in England , 1942-45
America’s strategy for complete victory over Nazi Germany called for the utter destruction of major
its major industrial areas. These raids were carried out as early as 1942 by hundreds of heavy bombers from the US 8th Air
Force, based in England. The descriptions of combat missions flown by B-17 crews over occupied Europe and the Reich
are illustrated with official and private pictures taken from the personal albums of pilots, crew members, mechanics and Air
Force photographers. Gregory Pons is one of the leading European experts on American military aviation in World War II. He
has contributed several articles to the French Militaria Magazine and has been collecting Air Force memorabilia and photo-albums
for over twenty years. The book contains hundreds of large format period pictures of actual missions, planes and crews;
as well as personal mementoes and reproductions from servicemen’s scrapbooks.There are color plates of all the famous
aircraft and their colorful livery (including nose art) together with full-color reenactment shots of the aircrew allowing
for all the details of their flying clothing and equipment to be seen in extreme detail. Size: 9" x 12", Hard cover,
full color throughout!, (rzm) Price: $59.95
New
The Sky Scorpions ; The Story of the 389th Bomb Group in World War II
The 389 Bomb Group was unique among all Groups assigned to the 8th USAAF because it actually commenced operations
in July 1943 out of North Africa that culminated in the infamous Ploesti mission on 1 August. After returning to England in
September, the combat crews joined in on the grim duty of hammering Nazi Germany’s industrial resource. By April 1945,
321 missions had been flown during which over 17,000 tons of ordnance was dropped. The cost was 153 B-24s MIA or lost over
England. Known as the “Sky Scorpions” from their detachment in North Africa, the Hethel-based unit also provided
the initial numbers of PFF-equipped aircraft for the 2nd Bomb Division. Size: 8.5"x11", 272 pages, over 420 b/w photographs.
(sch) Price - $59.95
New
The Long Campaign
The 15th Fighter Group was activated in December 1940 as part of the old Hawaiian Air Force.
It served its baptism of fire a year later when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and Oahu’s airfields. Utilizing personal
interviews with veterans as well as official records, the author creates a wartime chronicle of combat operations across the
Central Pacific. The 15th fought on the first day of the war and was still in combat on the last day, flying seven- to eight-hour
missions from Iwo Jima to Honshu. This history won an award from the Aviation Writers Association. Size: 8.5"x11", 192 pages,
over 300 b/w photographs. (sch) Price - $49.95
New
The 467th Bombardment Group (H) in World War II
In this new 8th Air Force unit history, Perry Watts sets out the history of the USAAF 467th
Heavy Bombardment Group, which was based at Rackheath, Norfolk, in the east of England, during 1944-1945. In contrast to the
operational focus of many books on the USAAF in the period, the author presents the B-24 Liberator Group’s story as
a seamless whole. The main feature of this work lies in its usage of a wealth of primary sources, ranging from contemporaries’
diaries and notes of airmen of every rank from private to deputy base commander, to USAAF official records of incidents and
occurrences in the line of duty. To date, many of the works on this subject have relied on secondary borrowing or hearsay
– this book lets the men who were there speak for themselves with their own voices. Yet while offering direct access
to their experience, it also is unafraid to note ambiguities in accounts where these should be noted and to present all available
information to enable the readers to decide for themselves. Size: 8.5"x11", 288 pages, 475 b/w photographs. (sch) Price -
$59.95
New
Consolidated B-32 Dominator
Over the years the B-32 has been described only in a small number of magazine articles and
in a booklet that have generally given a superficial and incomplete account, maligning the bomber, fairly or not, as a mediocre
design besieged with developmental problems and a lackluster combat record. Consolidated B-32 Dominator - The Ultimate Look:
from Drawing Board to Scrapyard is the definitive description and appraisal of this neglected bomber’s development,
testing, manufacture, and combat experience. The author used company design and production information, flight and test evaluations,
along with previously unexplored Flight Manuals and Consolidated-Vultee Erection and Maintenance Manuals. From rare microfilm
of original material and insights and personal narratives of the personnel involved, Wolf has gathered information on the
pre-combat testing and all the combat missions of the bomber in the Pacific. Size: 8.5"x11", 192 pages, over 140 b/w photographs.(sch)
Price - $49.95
 Fighter Units & Pilots of the 8th Air Force September 1942 - May 1945, Vol.1
This extremely detailed two volume set gives an overall statistical summary of 8th Air Force
fighter operations during World War II. Covering the period of September 1942 through the end of the war in May 1945, the
story of the 8th's fighters is presented in an easy to read format. Each volume also contains over 170 photographs of the
pilots and their aircraft. Over the years, many books have been written about the 8th Air Force, but none have combined all
the details that appear in these volumes - volume one combines the 8th Air Force's day-to-day operations with individual unit
histories; volume two lists all scores and ace details. Kent Miller's books are an invaluable aid to the researcher and historian.
Size: 9"x12", over 170 b/w photographs, 536 pages. (sch) Price - $59.95
 Fighter Units & Pilots of the 8th Air Force September 1942 - May 1945, Vol.2
This extremely detailed two volume set gives an overall statistical summary of 8th Air Force
fighter operations during World War II. Covering the period of September 1942 through the end of the war in May 1945, the
story of the 8th's fighters is presented in an easy to read format. Each volume also contains over 170 photographs of the
pilots and their aircraft. Over the years, many books have been written about the 8th Air Force, but none have combined all
the details that appear in these volumes - volume one combines the 8th Air Force's day-to-day operations with individual unit
histories; volume two lists all scores and ace details. Kent Miller's books are an invaluable aid to the researcher and historian.
Size: 9"x12", over 170 b/w photographs, 400 pages. (sch) Price - $59.95
 New
Flying Dragons
The South Vietnamese Air Force
This book contains the most complete history of the South Vietnamese Air Force that surviving
records and accounts can convey. In many ways, this is an American story; since VNAF was organized, trained, equipped, and
attained its maximum strength under the tutelage of the US military. In view of numbers of aircraft, the South Vietnamese
Air Force emerged as the fourth largest Air Force in the world-behind Communist China, the United States, and the Soviet Union.
This is not a political history of the Vietnam War; rather it is the story of the transition of the VNAF from an under-trained
and ill-equipped French Air Force auxiliary unit to a size during its 20-year life span, so large that it was almost incapable
of sustaining itself with sufficient numbers of trained personnel and support materials. This is an up-dated version of the
book by this same name and author published in 1988, which now features an abundance of color photographs and new incites
of the air force’s role in that war that have settled with time. Size: 8.5"x11", over 300 color and b/w photos, 200
pages. Price - $49.95
13th Fighter Command in World War II
Air Combat over Guadalcanal and the Solomons
In the savage air combat over Guadalcanal and then the equally bloody air battles up Solomon chain, New
Georgia and Bougainville, 13th Fighter Command took a back seat to Marine aviation in personnel, equipment, supply, operations,
and publicity. In the air the names of Marine aces such as Joe Foss and Pappy Boyington are deservedly well known and their
F4F Wildcats and the F4U Corsairs are famous as Zero killers. But untold is the contribution of the squadrons of the Army
Air Force during this time. Wolf’s definitive book brings to light the 13th Fighter Command’s significant contributions
to winning the air war in the South Pacific. Its squadrons scored 527.5 victories and boasted twenty-one unheralded aces such
as Bob Westbrook with twenty victories and Bill Harris with 15.5 victories and three aces who scored five victories in a day.
The mystery of the controversial Yamamoto Mission, the greatest fighter mission of all time, receives a new perspective and
is revealed at last. Wolf’s book also goes beyond his extensive descriptions of combat and strategy and examines the
human side of the battles and often grim everyday living conditions through numerous interviews and narratives. Size: 8.5"x11",
over 400 b/w photos, color aircraft profiles, 320 pages. (sch) Price - $59.95
Any Place, Any Time, Any Where
The 1st Air Commandos in World War II
The 1st Air Commandos were sired by General of the Army Henry H. "Hap" Arnold and brought
to life by the imagination of two men, Lieutenant Colonel Philip G. Cochran and Lieutenant Colonel John R. Alison. In gathering
men of character and tenacity, these two visionaries molded a unit which had to overcome orthodox military minds, paralyzing
fear, and Burma's impregnable terrain before taking the fight to the Japanese. With a focus on the might and flexibility of
air power, Cochran and Alison constructed an experimental unit which cut across the structured lines of conventional organizations.
Forming an air arsenal which was totally unique in its composition and application, they combined the firepower of P-51A fighters
and B-25H bombers with the logistical tentacles of C-47 transports, CG-4A gliders, L-5 and L-1 light planes, and UC-64 bush
planes to reach far behind Japanese lines. The list of firsts is noteworthy - first airborne glider "snatch" in combat, first
double tow of gliders into a combat arena, first helicopter operations, first helicopter combat rescue, first gunship employment,
and first rockets fired against an enemy. Unorthodox and eclectic, the 1st Air Commandos serve as a model for conventional
and special operations today. Size: 8.5"x11", over 200 b/w photos and maps, 176 pages. (sch) Price - $39.95
Attack & Conquer
The 8th Fighter Group in World War II
The 8th fought the best Zero pilots, and took the war to the enemy with P-38s over Rabaul
and Hollandia. Size: 8.5"x11", over 500 photos, 320 pages. (sch) Price - $45.00
Black Sunday
Ploesti!
Tidal Wave! August 1, 1943. The legendary low level raid on Ploesti, Rumania by the 376th,
93rd, 44th, 389th and 98th Bomb Groups, is described by author/historian Mike Hill in this new large format, 50th Anniversary
book. Never before published photos taken during the raid, many from the original negatives, dramatically show the raid, and
give the reader a sense of the intensity of fierce flak, and aerial combat. Mike has interviewed many of the surviving veterans
of the mission, giving the story a personal flavor from the unique view-point of the crew members. Also included is a complete
listing of the aircraft and crews that flew the mission. Mike Hill also the author of The Desert Rats: The 98th Bomb Group
and the August 1943 Ploesti Raid. The dust jacket artwork for this new book is by Mike Boss. Size: 9"x12", over 350 b/w photos,
256 pages. (sch) Price - $45.00
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New
To War With The Yoxford Boys.
Covering several hundred pages, utilising hundreds of photos and dozens of colour profiles and paintings,
the story about fighter pilots, fighter planes, the ground crews of many trades and the military unit that gave them cohesion
making them an outstanding team – the complete story of the 357th is told. As the official historian for the 357th and
a dedicated history buff, author Merle Olmsted has been associated with and written about fighter pilots and ‘his group’
for some 50 years. Included are listings from the official documents tallying the group’s accomplishments. Utilising
mission reports, monthly statistical and operational reports, the pilot’s individual encounter reports, the Missing
Aircrew reports, USAAF accident reports and the British police reports on accidents among other information laden personal
notes, books, articles plus the original 357th Group records on file at the Air Force Historical Archives, Olmsted weaves
together the many stories, comments, incidents and hairy tales of the 357th F.G. To War with the Yoxford Boys is the final,
‘super’ book on the 357th. As of fall 2001, the 357th Fighter Group Association, a post-war gathering of their
members, has ‘turned out the lights and locked the hanger doors’. Hard cover, 8 1/2" x 11", 300 pages, wartime
color and b+w photos with color plates. (RZM) Price - $64.95
 New
Battle Colors: Insignia and Aircraft Markings of the Eight Air Force in World War II; Volume
1: (VIII) Bomber Command
Relying heavily upon visuals, Battle Colors fills a long standing void in the annuals of the Eighth Air
Force during World War II. this volume focuses on all forty-eight Bomb Groups comprising the Eighth and features color illustrations
depicting the evolution of all fuselage, wing and tail markings assigned to the individual units. Details concerning are addressed.
Group and squadron combat insignia as well as airfield location maps for each unit are also depicted. All bombardment units
incorporated within the Eighth are indexed and easily cross-referenced by squadron, group, wing and division assignments.
Additionally, all major components comprising the Eighth have been organized into quick reference organizational flow charts
that show the actual order-of-battle for the "Mighty Eighth". This book is an invaluable tool for anyone with an interest
in the history of the U.S. Eighth Air force in World war II. Size: 8.5"x11", illustrations, over 500 color illustrations,
128 pages. Price - $45.00
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