An Ace of the Eighth: An American Fighter Pilot's Air War in Europe [Mass Market Paperback]

Norman J. Fortier (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 29, 2003

FOR A FIGHTER PILOT IN THE MIGHTY EIGHTH, DEATH WAS ALWAYS A HEARTBEAT AWAY.

When the skies of Europe blazed with the fiercest air battles in history, fighter pilots like Norman “Bud” Fortier were in the thick of it, flying four hundred miles an hour at thirty thousand feet, dodging flak and dueling with Nazi aces. In their role as “escorts” to Flying Fortresses and Liberators, the fighter squadrons’ ability to blast enemy aircraft from the sky was key to the success of pinpoint bombing raids on German oil refineries, communication and supply lines, and other crucial targets.

Flying in formation with the bomber stream, Fortier and the rest of his squadron helped develop dive-bombing and strafing tactics for the Thunderbolts and Mustangs. As the war progressed, fighter squadrons began to carry out their own bombing missions. From blasting V-1 missile sites along France’s “rocket coast” and the hell-torn action of D day to the critical attacks on the Ruhr Valley and massive daylight raids on German industrial targets, Fortier was part of the Allies’ bitter struggle to bring the Nazi war machine to a halt. In describing his own hundred-plus missions and by including the accounts of fellow fighter pilots, Fortier recaptures the excitement and fiery terror of the world’s most dangerous cat-and-mouse game.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

FOR A FIGHTER PILOT IN THE MIGHTY EIGHTH, DEATH WAS ALWAYS A HEARTBEAT AWAY.

When the skies of Europe blazed with the fiercest air battles in history, fighter pilots like Norman ?Bud? Fortier were in the thick of it, flying four hundred miles an hour at thirty thousand feet, dodging flak and dueling with Nazi aces. In their role as ?escorts? to Flying Fortresses and Liberators, the fighter squadrons? ability to blast enemy aircraft from the sky was key to the success of pinpoint bombing raids on German oil refineries, communication and supply lines, and other crucial targets.

Flying in formation with the bomber stream, Fortier and the rest of his squadron helped develop dive-bombing and strafing tactics for the Thunderbolts and Mustangs. As the war progressed, fighter squadrons began to carry out their own bombing missions. From blasting V-1 missile sites along France?s ?rocket coast? and the hell-torn action of D day to the critical attacks on the Ruhr Valley and massive daylight raids on German industrial targets, Fortier was part of the Allies? bitter struggle to bring the Nazi war machine to a halt. In describing his own hundred-plus missions and by including the accounts of fellow fighter pilots, Fortier recaptures the excitement and fiery terror of the world?s most dangerous cat-and-mouse game.

About the Author

Norman “Bud” Fortier was born in New Hampshire in 1922. In January 1942 he joined the Army Air Corps and became a fighter pilot assigned to the Eighth Air Force’s famed 355th Fighter Group. He flew 113 missions and rose to squadron command. He is officially credited with 5.8 aerial combat victories during the war.

After the war Fortier graduated from the University of New Hampshire and went on to fly for Northwest Orient Airlines. Recalled to active duty in 1947 for the Berlin Airlift, he remained in the air force. After retiring from the air force in 1964 as a lieutenant colonel, he became an elementary school teacher and principal.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Presidio Press; Reissue edition (April 29, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0891418067
• ISBN-13: 978-0891418061
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 1 x 6.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #345,338 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #11 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > History > Military > World War II > Personal Narratives
  • #15 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > History > Military > Aviation
  • #52 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > History > Military > World War II > General

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Truth about Flying Combat as a WWII Fighter Pilot, July 11, 2003

By 

William Lyons (Ivington-on-Hudson, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: An Ace of the Eighth: An American Fighter Pilot's Air War in Europe (Mass Market Paperback)

The best single book about being a World War II combat Fighter Pilot. Maj. Fortier flew over 100 missions against Nazi Germany, first in P-47 Thunderbolts, then in the legendary P-51 Mustang, the long-range escort Fighter that enabled American Bombers to attack targets anywhere in Germany, with P-51's protecting them against enemy Fighters all the way to the target and back.(When Goering first saw the P-51's over Berlin he "realized the war was over". Fortier was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the Silver Star for Gallantry and the Distinguished Flying Cross.
Riveting first-hand accounts of aerial battles make you feel you are flying with the author. Fortier pulls no punches, tells what it's really like to kill or be killed, to grow in skill and confidence with combat experience. One of the few books that demonstrates how seemingly ordinary (but very carefully selected) American 19 yr. olds and young '20's risked their lives on every mission, performed heroic deeds as a matter of course, yet had few psychological or physical problems throughout their combat tours despite the randomness of survival.
Fortier's vivid descriptions of flying the P-51 are unlike what you see in the movies because they are r-e-a-l, not Hollywood-
pretend. This book makes all books about combat flying not written by actual Fighter Pilots pallid by comparison. I recommend it as required reading for anyone wanting trhe truth well told.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A New Classic?, June 18, 2003

By 

Dana A. Hess (Carmichael, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: An Ace of the Eighth: An American Fighter Pilot's Air War in Europe (Mass Market Paperback)

I've just finished reading "An Ace of the Eighth," and I have to say it ranks up there with books like "Thunderbolt," and "1,000 Destroyed." I've read just about every book on the Eighth Air Force that I could find, and I was starting to think we would never see another first-person account of what it was like to serve in the Mighty Eighth. Mr. Fortier does an excellent job of bringing those days (some 60 years ago) back to life. He spends very little time with his early life, instead plunging right into flight training. He describes what it was like in that different era: the comaraderie, learning to fly (then) state-of-the-art high-performance fighters, going head-to-head with the best the Luftwaffe had to offer, and how it felt to lose a friend in combat. It is also refreshing that he describes his heroic, Top Gun-type expoits with such modesty and humility. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in WWII aviation. I've always looked to the heavens for my heroes, and Norman J. "Bud" Fortier is a welcome addition to the likes of Bob Johnson, Chuck Yeager, "Bud" Anderson, "Hub" Zemke and the rest.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The fascinating adventures of a WW2 aviator, December 12, 2005

By 

Michael J. Mazza - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: An Ace of the Eighth: An American Fighter Pilot's Air War in Europe (Mass Market Paperback)

"An Ace of the Eighth: An American Fighter Pilot's Air War in Europe," by Norman "Bud" Fortier, is a memoir by an aviator who served in the United States Army Air Corps during World War II. Specifically, he served as part of the 355th Fighter Group of the Eighth Air Force. This is a well-written narrative. Fortier creates a vivid and engaging portrait of the men and aircraft that helped to defeat the Nazi empire in Europe. The author strikes a particularly effective balance between fascinating technical details of military aviation and human details that bring his cast of characters alive.

The story is frequently punctuated by accounts of crash landings, deaths, and injuries; Fortier also often writes of aviators who became prisoners of war. Such details underscore the extreme danger of the combat aviators' lives. However, Fortier also details the happy milestones and events shared by the aviation community. Fortier enriches his own narrative by incorporating quotes from other veterans' accounts of the air war; especially interesting is an extensive passage from a German airman's encounter report. Fortier cites some of the secondary sources in his acknowledgements section.

The book is full of colorful, and sometimes humorous, details about life in the WW2 Army Air Corps: a "VD" inspection; a personality clash between a tobacco-chewing Texan and a proper English pilot; crossing the Atlantic on the "Queen Elizabeth" ocean liner; a near-disastrous attempt to light a pot-bellied coke stove with napalm; etc. The technical details about aircraft, tactics, and weapon systems are very interesting, as are the accounts of aerial combat. Also worthy of note is Fortier's dramatic portrait of wartime London. The book is further enhanced by a helpful glossary of military aviation terms and by a section of black-and-white photographs of Fortier, his colleagues, their aircraft, and the air base that served as their wartime home. This is a robust, informative narrative told in a likeable voice. Fortier has written a fine addition to the great canon of WW2 literature.