Customer Reviews

Air Combat: An Oral History of Fighter Pilots

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

When the jacket of the book described how Mr. Dorr has written 60+ novels, I was impressed. That quickly disappeared as I read the book and realized the reason he has been such a prolific writer is that he apparently spends very little time working on his books.
This particular effort can be summed up as mediocre writing, backed with indifferent editing, by an author who hasn't really researched the topic. Mr. Dorr consistently repeats himself while retelling the stories, not for effect or emphasis, but seemingly because he forgets he told you the same thing a few pages or even just a few sentences earlier. Coupled with the (lack of) writing style, he manages the rare feat of making several of the stories of air combat boring. Finally, his last three chapters, the stories drawn from post-Vietnam conflicts, include a surprising number of errors that are immediately obvious to someone with tactical aviation experience. These may not detract from the story for most readers, but a little research or review of the book before publishing could have, and would have, eliminated them. Instead their presence begs the question of how accurate he has been with the information in earlier chapters.
There is a wealth of titles available for readers looking for a book of this style to buy. If that includes you, I recommend you demand a little more for your hard earned money than what Mr. Dorr has churned out, and keep looking.

I agree with reviewer A. Nolan about the poor editing job. I had to quit reading this book after the first few chapters. It was just too painful to see such a bad job done on a subject that I have always had a huge interest in. If I had not given this book away to a donation box already, I would be able to quote from the exact pages which contained these errors, but they include: (1) Within two lines, referring to the "F4F Hellcat" and the "F4F Wildcat", when the Hellcat was the F6F; (2) Constantly repeating the same idea, sometimes practically the same sentence, within just a few paragraphs (or even lines) of each other; (3) Making no indication of when a first person account ends and editorial comment/third person narration begins - no quotations, no change in font, no white space...nothing. Just a jarring shift wondering how a pilot's first person account just turned into some academic/historical comment that is of a completely different style; (4) Sub-chapter headings that make no sense that I could figure out. I remember one heading such as "Bombers vs. carriers" (or something similar) that contained maybe two or three sentences on that subject, and then went on without break to a completely different topic. And there were others...

I would have enjoyed the pilots' stories if they had been compiled and edited in a way that did them justice. This book did not do that.

From dogfights to high-tech missile duels, those who fly warplanes take battles to the sky and often employ cutting-edge technology and flying techniques. AIR COMBAT offers the stories of pilots in their own words, from World War II experiences to flying combat in Vietnam and in the Middle East. True stories of aerial warfare receive important first-hand history and descriptions essential not only for military collections focusing on aviation, but for general-interest public lending libraries.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Noted aviation historian Robert Dorr offers up a sweeping history of air combat from 1941 to 2001 in this book from Berkley Caliber. Using many first-person accounts by American pilots, Dorr touches on all recent wars, relating various dogfights pitting P-40s against Zeros, Mustangs vs. FW 190s, Sabres vs. MiG-15s and F-15s vs. MiG-29s.

Similar in format to his "Marine Air" book, Dorr sets the stage for each pilot's reminiscences and bookends each chapter with technical details of the U. S. aircraft involved. The meat of the book lies in the "I was there" accounts by such men as Bones Marshall, Dick Kirkland, Tommy Hayes, Marty Bambrick, Rhory Draeger and others. (In all, Dorr tracked down and interviewed some 60 pilots). Generally the pieces are quite interesting and sometimes revealing, featuring pilots whose exploits aren't that well known.

"Air Combat" didn't read quite as smoothly as "Marine Air" however, several chapters incorporating too many voices. Also, judicious editing might have eliminated some of the repetitive statements that crop up.

The text is illustrated with over 90 photos, some of them rare.

If your interest is air combat - whatever the war - you will enjoy this book. "Air Combat" is an fascinating, in-the-cockpit look at some skilled fighter pilots engaged in deadly aerial duels.

If you have ever sat in a plane or have ever wished to fly a plane you must read this book by Robert F. Dorr. This is a take your breath away telling of brave men. You will meet them one by one in these pages. The only problem I have with it is I wish he had written it in reverse chronological order. So that the vivid memories would be the opening of the book and the dim memories of the past would be the last thing you read. Then the story of his flying time in an F15 over Alaska would better present his story telling abilities of Americas' Air Forces.
I found the text written by Captain Dale Zelko on the Nighthawk to be the best of the book. If Zelko wishes to write his own book I would wish to read it. My 36 years of writing for Bell Labs on technical matters says; if he wrote a book on aircraft maintenance I would also want to read that.
Carl Dalka

Author Dorr has woven 61 interviews with combat pilots into a tapestry of great interest and exceptional readability. The "first person" narratives from fighter pilots spanning air warfare from WWII through combat operations as current as The Global War On Terror give a wonderful chronological picture of the evolution of fighter combat. Accompanying each separate story are companion vignettes by others who fought in the same engagement as the central character in a given scenario, giving the reader several perspectives to each combat--the result is a three dimensional story that rivets the reader to the event. Some of the stories are told by heroes the reader will know, but more often than not the story is told by an air combat veteran who was in close proximity to others more famous, allowing the reader to understand how teamwork with those lesser known wingmen allowed the more famous to excel at shooting down the enemy. Each story is accompanied by a panel relating the relevant data on the aircraft involved. The stories from those who flew the P-39(P-400) Airacobra in actual combat are of particular interest, giving heft to brave men and an unusual aircraft which deserve more interest and appreciation than they often receive. Stories including a number of other aircraft not normally thought of as air combat stars are discussed, the AD Skyraider, EF-10B Skyknight, A-37B Dragonfly and F-117A Nighthawk among them. What makes this book so compelling is the intensely personal nature of the stories, related by men who saw their enemies up close and frequently suffered injury as the result. This is an easy reading book that captivates the reader's attention from the first word through the last sentence, and is highly recommended to anyone with interest in aerial warfare and a good story.

THIS WORK IS A STUDY IN PRINT AND PHOTOS OF A GREAT AIRCRAFT IN OUR ARSENEL OF DEMOCRACY. IN SHORT, AN INSIDE LOOK INTO THE F-15 EAGLE.