Ace!: Autobiography of a Fighter Pilot, World War II [Hardcover]

Melvyn R. Paisley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1992

Takes us through the joys, laughter and tears of a young cadet earning his silver wings; then takes us to France with vivid combat descriptions where the reader is thrust into the cockpit of a P-47 stalking bogies with a kill-or-be-killed fervour and dive-bombing enemy strongholds in a dizzying myriad of missions. Survival from day-to-day was an uncertain consequence of both skill and luck.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Paisley flew 172 missions in the European theater, shooting down nine German planes before his 21st birthday, and his account of that phase of his life (written with his wife) is interesting. But even more appealing and well written are his reminiscences of growing up in Oregon during the Depression, concocting hilarious mischief with his pals, discovering girls and cars (Paisley was a serious hot-rodder) and working in logging camps until he joined the Army Air Corps in 1942. After the war Paisley became the youngest-ever bar owner in Oregon; Curley's Roseway Tavern was a big moneymaker until it was flooded out of business. He then bought a 55-foot ketch and took to the high seas until a storm put it out of commission; at the time his father inquired, "Mel, what are you planning to do when you grow up?" Paisley eventually settled down to a career in the aerospace industry; later he served as an assistant secretary of the Navy. His memoir--essentially the life story of a bumptious macho character with a strong gift for friendship--captures the enthusiasms, ribaldry and sensibility of an American male of a bygone era. Photos.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

A homespun telling of the author's adventures in the Army Air Force in Europe forms only the middle part of this account of an adventurous young man pursuing life. Paisley relates with ingenuous good humor the story of his youth in Depression-era Portland, Oregon: days of innocent mischief with friends, odd jobs, tentative relationships with girls, and the eager discovery of fast cars, ended by the call to arms that placed him in flight training. He completed his military service in 1945 with five victories and a lingering hearing problem that kept him out of later service and commercial flying. More than just a war story, this book offers an unerring recollection of the way we once were, complete with photos right out of the family album. A fascinating memoir.
- Mel D. Lane, Sacramento, Cal.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 316 pages
• Publisher: Branden Pub Co; First edition (July 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 082831943X
• ISBN-13: 978-0828319430
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #801,062 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent history of man's war in the P-47., August 31, 1998

By 

Major Wm H. Hamilton, USAF, Ret. (Mt. Home, Idaho USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ace!: Autobiography of a Fighter Pilot in World War II (Paperback)

As a student of WWII and a fighter crew member this book gave me a sense of being there. My Air Force career allowed me the meet a large number of flying heros from Douglas Bader, Jimmy Dolittle, Chappy James to many others. But my chance to meet and talk to Mel and then read his book, let me know how real their stories are. Read this book and live the war in the P-47, Jug!