Formed in October 1943, the 479th FG claimed an impressive history against the Luftwaffe during the final year of the war. Originally flying P-38s, the 479th's pilots had a fierce pride of arms. They earned a Presidential Distinguished Unit Citation in the late summer of 1944 and were also credited with the USAAF's first German jet kill in July 1944. Eventually transitioning to the P-51D in September 1944, the 479th excelled with the Mustang. The 479th FG was credited with scoring the last aerial victory claimed by the Eighth Air Force's VIII Fighter Command, on 25 April 1945. By VE-Day, 29 pilots flying in the group had earned ace status.
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"Author John Stanaway... tells the story of the unit from its formation until the end of the war. There are the usual pilot stories that make these books so interesting to read as well as side looks into the on-going debate as to which was the better aircraft, the Mustang or the Lightning. The results are interesting to say the least. As in other Osprey Aviation Elite Units books, there is a large center section of color profiles and the usual excellent period photographs of the men and their aircraft.It makes for a superb addition to your aviation library and one that I know you will fully enjoy reading." - Scott Van Aken, www.modelingmadness.com (August 2009)
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.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Last But Not Least...The 479th FG in Action!,
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This review is from: 479th Fighter Group: Riddle's Raiders (Aviation Elite Units) (Paperback)
If you're a serious air combat enthusiast and have $69.95 to spare, buy Terry Fairfield's 479TH FIGHTER GROUP IN WORLD WAR II. Over 500 pages long, it is THE definitive history of the Group. It features 650+ nicely-reproduced photos and 16 pages of color artwork. If you're like the rest of us and have to watch your pennies, pick up a copy of John Stanaway's Osprey book instead. It's a good, more affordable alternative to Fairfield's book.
The last fighter group to join the Mighty Eighth, the 479th had a mixed combat record similar to all 8th AF FGs that started with P-38s and then switched to P-51s. Led by Kyle Riddle and, later, Hub Zemke, the Group downed 155 e/a in the air and destroyed 279 on the ground. Those 434 kills were balanced against 69 479th a/c lost. Top aces were Robin Olds, George Gleason and Art Jeffrey. Stanaway does a nice, comprehensive job of summarizing the life and times of the 479th. Given the troubles the Group had with the temperamental Lightning and the great success they enjoyed with the Mustang, what I found most interesting in Stanaway's book were the P-38 vs. P-51 comments from Olds, Zemke, Hollingsworth, etc. I would have rated 479TH FIGHTER GROUP higher except for the uneven quality of the book's photos. This is the second 'Aviation Elite Units' book - the first was Chris Bucholtz's 4TH FIGHTER GROUP - to suffer from poor photo reproduction. There are about 20 shots in Stanaway's book that are poor to awful. In these days of Photoshop, there's no reason to find 'Polar-bear-in-a-snowstorm' shots in books. Some of the very same shots are in Fairfield's book but are perfectly fine so what gives? Osprey needs to address quality control. In terms of artwork however, Stanaway's book takes the prize. Chris Davey's profiles of Group P-38s and P-51s are first-rate; the color profiles found in Fairfield's book aren't accurate depictions of the aircraft. So, depending on your interest level and pocketbook, there are two good choices out there as regards 'Riddle's Raiders.' Murky photos aside, Stanaway's is a nicely-illustrated 128-page summary of the Group in action. Fairfield's book offers much greater depth/insight, hundreds more photos, not-so-great artwork and a hefty price tag. Pick your poison, folks.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A welcome subject,
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This review is from: 479th Fighter Group: Riddle's Raiders (Aviation Elite Units) (Paperback)
The 479th was the last of 15 permanent fighter groups to join the 8th Air Force, but in a year of combat "Riddle's Raiders" made a solid record in fast company. Therefore, John Stanaway's entry in the Osprey "elite units" series represents a welcome look at the subject.
One suspects that the 479th would not be nearly as well known today except for its second CO, the legendary Hub Zemke, and the equally legendary Robin Olds, who became famous a generation later in SE Asia. I met Col. Riddle one time, and he was a quiet gentleman--a contrast to Zemke, let alone Olds! My father grew up with a 479th pilot who in the text is described as KIA but he and another pilot correctly appear as POWs in the casualty list. The discrepancy remains irreconcilable. A minor point is varying description of the Me-163 as rocket- and jet-powered. The 479th was (erroneously) credited with the first victory over a 163, which of course had a rocket engine rather than a jet. Perhaps of most interest to serious enthusiasts is the group's transition from P-38s to P-51s, with little time for conversion. The switch began in September 1944, and proceeded by squadrons. The author devotes ample space to the conversion and pilots' opinions of the two fighters. In today's highly structured environment, the WW II attitude seems incredible: "They all have sticks & throttles--go fly 'em." As with all Osprey titles, the 479th entry is strong on illustrations with more than 100 good-excellent quality photos and 36 splendid Chris Davey aircrft profiles plus color renderings of unit emblems. Oddly, the text concludes without mentioning that the group was inactivated in December 1945 but implies that it was reactivated in 1950. Actually, the 479th Tactical Fighter Wing stood up in December 1952. Nevertheless, 'Riddle's Raiders' offers a solid assessment of an often unappreciated member of the Army Air Forces team.
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