49th Fighter Group: Aces of the Pacific (Aviation Elite Units) [Paperback]

William Hess (Author), Chris Davey (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 20, 2004 | Series: Aviation Elite Units (Book 14)

The 49th FG was sent to Australia in early 1942 to help stem the tide of Japanese conquest in Java. Too late to save the island, the group went into action in the defence of Darwin, Australia, where the Forty-Niners’ handful of P-40E Warhawks were thrown into combat alongside survivors from the defeated forces that had fled from the Philippines and Java. This book assesses the outstanding performance of the 49th FG, pitted against superior Japanese forces. By VJ-Day the group had scored 668 aerial victories and won three Distinguished Unit Citations and ten campaign stars for its outstanding efforts.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Looking at elite fighter and bomber units in action, these books draw on profile artworks, black and white photographs, fully detailed appendices and breathtaking first hand accounts.

About the Author

William Hess is the official historian for the American Fighter Aces Association, and is one of the most highly respected aviation writers of his generation. A B-17 crewman during World War 2, Hess has written over 40 books during his long and distinguished career.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (August 20, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1841767859
• ISBN-13: 978-1841767857
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 0.3 x 9.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #471,560 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars P-40's & P-38's in the South Pacific, September 23, 2004

By 

John Matlock "Gunny" (Winnemucca, NV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 49th Fighter Group: Aces of the Pacific (Aviation Elite Units) (Paperback)

Osprey Publishing has done a series of small books like this on Elite aviation units. The 49th Fighter Group certainly qualifies as an elite unit. Less than a month after Pearl Harbour they were sent to the South Pacific flying P-40's in the defense of Darwin, Australia. They fought up the island hopping campaign until the wars end in 1945 when they were preparing to move to Okinawa for the invasion of Japan itself. Beginning at the end of 1942 the P-40's were gradually replaced with P-38's and P-47's. The most famous Ace of the 49th was Richard Bong - 40 victories. By the end of the war, the 49th as a whole had scored 668 aerial victories.

About half story and half photographs, the book is profusely illustrated with wartime photographs of the aircraft, people and the places where the 49th operated. The written story of the 49th is by William Hess, the official historian of the American Fighter Aces Association.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Untold stories, March 7, 2008

By 

Hercule Poirot (Sacramento, CA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: 49th Fighter Group: Aces of the Pacific (Aviation Elite Units) (Paperback)

This is a great book. Most of the time, we read stories about the fighter groups and aces when they are flying the latest aircraft in 1944-1945. This time, the story is about a fighter group that fought in the early untold stories of 1942 and 1943 with inferior aircraft. Mr. Hess gives a superb account of the 49th Fighter Group's air battles over the Darwin area and New Guinea airspace. Unlike most books, this one gives the 7th and 8th squadrons of the 49th Fighter Group a chance to tell their stories of their victories while flying the P-40 until September 1944. The book also tells about the 9th fighter squadron flying the P-40 until it was re-equipped with P-38. What is amazing is how the 7th and 8th squadrons managed to score as much as the 9th squadron considering the fact the 9th was flying P-38 for nearly 2 years compare to the 7th and 8th who were stuck flying the P-40 for the same time period.