Formed with the best available fighter pilots in the Southwest Pacific, the 475th Fighter Group was the pet project of Fifth Air Force chief, General George C Kenney. From the time the group entered combat in August 1943 until the end of the war it was the fastest scoring group in the Pacific and remained one of the crack fighter units in the entire US Army Air Forces with a final total of some 550 credited aerial victories. Amongst its pilots were the leading American aces of all time, Dick Bong and Tom McGuire, with high-scoring pilots Danny Roberts and John Loisel also serving with the 475th. Among the campaigns and battles detailed in this volume are such famous names as Dobodura, the Huon Gulf, Oro Bay, Rabaul, Hollandia, the Philippines and Luzon.
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Editorial Reviews
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"The author John Stanaway does a superlative job of telling the story of the 475th. His writing style, mixed with a goodly number of firsthand accounts and official battle reports, makes it a most interesting read. This is all further enhanced with an excellent selection of period photographs and the fine artwork of Chris Davey. Aviation Elite Units #23 is one of the best around and a book I can recommend to you without reservation." -Scott Van Aken, modelingmadness.com
About the Author
John Stanaway has written two best-selling volumes in the Aces series both covering the exploits of the greatest Pacific fighter of them all, the P-38 Lightning. He is also an official historian of the National P-38 Pilots' Association. The author lives in Ohio, USA.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A detailed survey,
By Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: 475th Fighter Group (Aviation Elite Units) (Paperback)
Jon Stanaway's 475TH FIGHTER GROUP joins others in the 'Aviation Elite Units' series to focus on a superior fighting force, the pet project of an air force chief which made headlines from its entry into combat in August 1943 until the war's end. Vintage black and white photos compliment color plane specs and history in a detailed survey of special interest to military aviation collections.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
'Satan's Angels' in Action!,
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This review is from: 475th Fighter Group (Aviation Elite Units) (Paperback)
One of only two USAAF fighter groups formed in-theater, the all Lightning-equipped 475th FG set a blistering scoring pace following activation in May 1943, eventually outscoring all other 5th AF fighter groups except for its arch-rival, the 49th FG. Credited with 552 victories, its ranks included two of the top aces in the Pacific including the legendary Tom McGuire. The combat history of this illustrious group is nicely covered in this Osprey volume by noted aviation historian John Stanaway.
The 475th was 5th AF CO George Kenney's pet project, who raided existing 5th AF fighter groups and 7th AF units in Hawaii for manpower. Initial missions, flown against Wewak and Rabaul, got the 'Satan's Angels' off to a flying start but the group really hit its stride when Charles MacDonald became CO in November 1943. Paced by aggressive pilots like Harry Brown, Frank Nichols, Danny Roberts, John Loisel, Verl Jett and Tom McGuire, the 475th became the fastest scoring fighter group in the Pacific. Author Stanaway does a good job of covering the ferocious air battles and outstanding personalities that made up this top-scoring group. Stanaway's text is nicely complimented by 10 pages of color profiles by Chris Davey and over 120 black and white photographs. All in all, a fine addition to Osprey's Aviation Elite Units series! **** For the definitive history of the 475th, see Stanaway's "Possum, Clover and Hades" published in 1993.
3.0 out of 5 stars
Compilation of after action reports,
By db2121 (Chicago, USA) - See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: 475th Fighter Group (Aviation Elite Units) (Paperback)
This effort often seems to be a mere compilation of the pilots after-action reports. It seems to lack coherence and depth and does not do much of a job discussing unit organization, replacement policies, logistics, or strategy. The dual series book comparing the lightning and the Tony is more readable, more concise, and gives a better overall picture of the campaign in this theater.
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