"At the end of the day… Buy what you like and… What you can afford" (1 Viewer)

[Spitfrnd]

I might as well confess, I'm a sucker for any of the theaters, WW1 & WW2, when it comes to the air war. Fokkers or Lockheeds, I love 'em all. -- Al

Fair enough, let's not forget the Supermarines and Messers.

 

[jazzeum]

That must have been fascinating Bill, to hear all those stories about Dick Bong. When I was a kid and read about him, I was in awe of his feats. Still am.

 

[lancer]

That must have been fascinating Bill, to hear all those stories about Dick Bong. When I was a kid and read about him, I was in awe of his feats. Still am.

Richard Bong is in bad need of a modern, in depth biography. Literature on our leading ace is minimal, at best. -- Al

 

[Njja]

Excellent point!

 

[Spitfrnd]

That must have been fascinating Bill, to hear all those stories about Dick Bong. When I was a kid and read about him, I was in awe of his feats. Still am.

It was indeed. It likely sparked the interest that got me into flying for the USAF. Both Bong and McGuire desire an updated more comprehisive treatment. As I am sure you read, McGuire was very outgoing and easy to like and Bong was more private and reserved. My dad said Bong would often come out and sit alone in the cockpit of his P-38 hours before his flight as a near ritual. Everyone knew not to disturb him.

They were both consumate fighter pilots. As you probably know, McGuire once fought during an entire escort mission with jammed guns and no doubt saved several of the bombers he was protecting that day as a result. Of course we will never know how many kills either would have ended up with had they not been removed from action at various times by Kenny. Have you read Aces High by Bill Yenne? It has a pretty good coverage of the "Race of Aces".

 

[lancer]

There is a recent (1998) biography of McGuire called "The Last Great Ace" by Charles Martin. I enjoyed it and it is pretty comprehensive. It is pretty much the best and most complete work ever done on McGuire. It was done by a small press and I'm not sure how easy (or cheap) it is to find. ISBN:0-9667791-0-x. It is well worth reading. -- Al

 

[Louis Badolato]

I might as well confess, I'm a sucker for any of the theaters, WW1 & WW2, when it comes to the air war. Fokkers or Lockheeds, I love 'em all. -- Al

I'm with you 100%, Al. I can't get enough air war stuff.

 

[DCN1898]

I always liked the story I read once, that Greg"Pappy" Boyington used to fly patrols in his Corsair with cockpit bubble open, smoking a cigarette. The other pilots new when the Japanese were sighted when the lit cigarette was tossed out of the plane. Even if not true, it is a great story.
I also can't wait till HBO's Pacific War miniseries comes out next year!