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Called to Command: WWII Fighter Ace's Adventure Journey

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Though known to many only as a WWII P-47 ace, Gerald W. Johnson had a distinguished, 33-year career in the USAF, retiring in 1974 as a Lieutenant General. 'Jerry' Johnson tells of his "Adventurous Journeys" in this 1996 autiobiography published by Turner Publishing.

A Kentucky native, Johnson found fame with Hub Zemke's 56th FG, becoming the Wolfpack's first ace and eventually notching up 18 kills. On his last mission, he violated the basic rule for successful strafing missions - "One pass, Haul [...]" - and became a POW in March 1944. Postwar, Johnson held a succession of increasingly responsible Air Force positions and commands, specifically within the SAC community - 62nd FS CO, 82nd FG CO, 508th FW CO, 7th AD staff in England, SAC Headquarters staff, 95th BW CO and so on. In doing so, he racked up flight time in F-51s, F-84s, B-57s, B-52s, etc. His penultimate command was CO of the 8th AF, which was responsible for the war-winning Linebacker strikes in 1972/73 during the Vietnam War. Johnson died in 2002.

CALLED TO COMMAND is an informative, straightforward and entertaining biography. Given his long career, Johnson has a lot of territory to cover so, for instance, his time with the 56th FG gets 40 pages; the book runs to 240. I wasn't that upset that he didn't give more details on his combats. I do wish he had talked much more about the men he flew with in the 56th - Zemke, Bud Mahurin, Dave Schilling, Bob Johnson, etc. Methinks a missed opportunity.

The book was also endearing. Johnson was quite upfront about relating goofs and mistakes made by himself and others. I noticed though, when he talked about other people's mistakes, he never mentioned their name. That says something about Jerry Johnson the man.

So, if you're interested in lots of 'yank-and-bank' action, I'm afraid you'll need to look elsewhere. CALLED TO COMMAND is a nicely-told summation of one man's life and times in the service of his country. Recommended.