WW1 Frank Luke question (1 Viewer)

[lancer]

Anyone know anything about the 2 relatively new books on Frank Luke? Titles are "Terror of the Autumn Skies" by Blaine Pardoe and "The Stand" by Stephen Skinner. I am interested to learn if they are worth having. Thanks in advance. -- lancer

 

[lancer]

Anyone know anything about the 2 relatively new books on Frank Luke? Titles are "Terror of the Autumn Skies" by Blaine Pardoe and "The Stand" by Stephen Skinner. I am interested to learn if they are worth having. Thanks in advance. -- lancer

Having now had and read both these books, I would highly recommend the Skinner book, "The Stand". It is the result of years of research of witness statements, official reports, and obscure facts long overlooked. It is so thorough as to be the final word on the subject barring the discovery of further facts that after almost 100 years, just aren't going to surface. The story takes the Luke story almost to the point of a minute-by-minute reconstruction of his career and his now legendary death in action. If you think you know the story, you need to read this book. It will squash the legends and replace them with facts. For instance, there is evidence that Luke was not flying his famous 'Blue 26' Spad on his final flight of 9-29-18. He was likely flying a new Spad, serial #7984, that was basically unmarked. There had not been time to add squadron or personal markings. There is also the conclusion that Luke was fatally wounded in the air and died as German troops searched for him in the dark. There was no final shootout on the ground. This book is well illustrated with photos and has color profiles of 4 of his Spads. This is an indispensable work for USAS and Frank Luke fans. -- Al
P.S. - I did a review on the Pardoe book quite a while back and thought it good, but the Skinner book is vastly superior.