Brassey's Air Combat Reader [Hardcover]

Walter J. Boyne (Editor), Philip Handleman (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1999

Brassey's Air Combat Reader is a diverse anthology of some of the best writing from around the world on the topic of air combat. It is divided into six sections spanning the history of military aviation - World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, Middle East conflicts, and the Persian Gulf War. Air Combat Reader concludes with a section on the art and science of air warfare. Each excerpt is introduced and placed into historical and technical context by the editors, noted aviation writers themselves, who also explain for the layperson some of the more arcane aspects of military aviation. This fascinating collection comprises first-person memoirs by aviation legends such as Eddie Rickenbacker, and Francis Gabreski, thrilling third-person accounts of heroic feats by great pilots such as Douglas Bader and great leaders such as Pete Mitscher, and one work of fiction, by best-selling novelist Walter J. Boyne.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Anyone interested in the history of air warfare will treasure this wide-ranging anthology." -- U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings, February 2000

"BRASSEY'S AIR COMBAT READER succeeds by any measure. . . . a superb guide to some of the best reading on the subject." -- Richmond Times-Dispatch, September 19, 1999

"Handleman. . . . teams up with Boyne. . . . to produce an anthology of combat air sagas that educate, fascinate and inspire." -- The Detroit News, May 19, 1999

"Two pilots. . . . have teamed up to create. . . . a thoughtful collection very much worth having on your library shelf." -- Aviation History, March 2001

About the Author

Walter J. Boyne is a former USAF pilot as well as a prolific, best-selling aviation author of both fiction and nonfiction. The former director of the National Air and Space Museum, he is a world-renown authority on aviation history. Philip Handleman is a pilot and owner of vintage aircraft, an Emmy-winning documentary filmmaker, an aviation photographer, and the author of numerous aviation books.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 339 pages
• Publisher: Brassey's UK Ltd; First Edition edition (June 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1574881825
• ISBN-13: 978-1574881820
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,315,328 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good Storytelling...but trying too much?, April 26, 2000

By 

Mainak Dhar "Cubicle dweller by day, writer b... (Bangkok, Thailand) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Brassey's Air Combat Reader (Hardcover)

I ordered this book with some apprehension, because at first glance, it seemed to be trying to bite off more than it could chew- trying to capture the broad sweep of the entire history of air combat in one book, and that too, one devoted not so much to the technical aspects, but more of `storytelling'. Well, after reading it, I must say, my apprehensions were partly right. The chapters do make for great reading in isolation- but esp in the post WWII era- we get only a brief, fragmentary glimpse of any campaign. And there are some glaring omissions eg. the 1982 Bekaa valley campaign, which is a landmark in modern aviation. Also, for the post WWII era- I think what this book misses is the `other side of the story'. In its WW I and II accounts, there are some German accounts, but post WWII, we only hear the American and Israeli side of the story. Are we to take that not a single Arab or Russian or Vietnamese account of the air war exists. Take a cursory look at the Net- and the answer's obvious. But then, maybe the target audience is the casual American aviation buff...but for someone interested in more detail, and especially, a non American, this book's hardly the best around- try Isby's Janes Air War, and you'll know what I mean.

7 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not objective. Poor spread of material., August 13, 2005

By 

John Dynan (Highett, Vic Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Brassey's Air Combat Reader (Hardcover)

This is expensive pulp for US consumption only. It should have been marketed as a purely American compendium but it pretends to be more global than that. Of the nearly thirty chapters, all but three are written either about Americans or from an American point of view. It is unforgiveable that so much could be written about WWII without quoting from any German sources at all, especially considering the near-bewildering range of books to choose from. It is equally unforgiveable that WWI could be glossed over in four chapters without quoting any British or German sources, especially given that the US was not materially involved until the last six months.

I also got very tired of the authors spending four pages introducing a three page excerpt. These are the sort of people who seem to like the sound of their own voices too much. Stephen Coonts, who also wrote from a decidedly American Point of view, did a better job with his book "War in the Air". Even that is not very good history but is a better compendium and has a better choice of stories and is far better value for money.

Authors such as Stephen Ambrose made an industry out of telling their US readership what they wanted to hear and in some cases, they produced some good work but "history as entertainment" is having a very dangerous effect on world perceptions and does nothing to promote a balanced view of the achievements of those involved. This, ultimately, results in a near trivialisation because no alternatives are sought and cannot be considered serious history.

On the plus side, I did enjoy reading the exploits of Antoine de Sainte-Exupery, Robert Mason, Eliezer Cohen and Brian Shul, all of whom have unique stories to tell but on the whole, the book is so out-of-balance as to be not worth the money and there are far more balanced alternatives. Even in paperback, it wouldn't be a good choice.

Even if you are a US reader, look elsewhere.