Corsair: The F4u in World War II and Korea [Hardcover]

Barrett Tillman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1979

This is the remarkable story of an airplane that became a legend--with a sleek silhouette and bent wings, it doubled as a day and night fighter, could fly off carriers or from land, and served both as a dive bomber and reconnaissance plane. Filled with facts and figures, this fast-paced history begins with the nerve-wracking test flights of the 1940s and concludes with the F4Us that were active thirty-eight years later. Placed skillfully in between are the stories that gave birth to the legend: the exploits of the aces, including the Medal of Honor recipient who shot down twenty-five enemy planes, and the details of the combat missions of Charles A. Lindbergh. During thirty months of combat in World War II with the U.S. Navy and Marines, the Corsair shot down more than two thousand Japanese planes. In Korea the U-bird, as it was called, was credited with ten aerial victories.

A trip down memory lane for anyone who has followed the career of this Cadillac of the props, this new paperback edition of a book first published in hardcover in 1979 offers fine historical aviation reading that presents a riveting picture of the men and machine that helped win two wars.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This well-written book gives the reader exceptional insight into the role of the Vought F4U." -- Air Power, Spring 2004 --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 219 pages
• Publisher: Naval Institute Press (October 1979)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0870211315
• ISBN-13: 978-0870211317
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #356,212 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #85 in Books > History > Military > Korean War

More About the Author

Barrett Tillman (b. 1948) was born into a NE Oregon ranching family and developed an early interest in aviation history. He learned to fly as a teenager, was first published at age 15, and graduated from the University of Oregon with a journalism degree in 1971. He has worked as a newspaper reporter, book publisher, and magazine editor, but has been self employed all but seven years since graduating from college. Though best known for his histories of US naval aviation, he also has published six novels plus short stories, and has sold a screenplay.

Tillman continues writing nonfiction books and has written more than 550 articles in the US and abroad. He frequently appears as a commentator on TV documentaries in addition to his speaking appearances. The recipient of six writing awards, he lives with his wife in Arizona.

Tillman's web site and blog are found at www.btillman.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars BarrettTillman's"Corsair", February 15, 2000

By 

Lance D. Johnson (Champaign, Illinois) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Corsair: The F4u in World War II and Korea (Hardcover)

This offering by Barrett Tilllman is one of the more readable accounts of WWII naval aviation. Tillman goes into enough depth to give the reader an appreciation for the technology and engineering involved in the F4U Corsair, but rightly devotes most of the book to the stories of the aviators who flew the "Ensign Eliminator" in combat. Anecdotes related to the author by veteran Corsair drivers, added to Tillman's own knowledge and experience in flying WWII aircraft lend authenticity to the work. Very well researched, this book is a valuable resource for the student of WWII or aviation,but its style also recomends it to the casual reader.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nice background read for Corsair enthousiasts, June 30, 2002

By 

D. P. Broer (LEIDEN, ZH Netherlands) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Corsair: The F4U in World War II and Korea (Paperback)

Though not the book I would recommend to my girlfriend, I read it in one session from front to cover. Is it because I was born too late to fly this plane myself? The nice thing for me about this book is that I got the feeling that it took me back in time and let me experience wat it was like -or at least what I thought it would be like-. There are enough photographs to prevent you from drowning in text and evere aspect of the plane gets covered, with the exception of what it was to maintain a Corsair airworthy for its groundcrews.
This book was published in the States by the United States Naval Institute and in Britain by PSL (Patrick Stepens Limited)

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars War Baby's View, December 30, 2001

By 

Duncan C. McDougall (Campton, NH United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Corsair: The F4u in World War II and Korea (Hardcover)

Born in 1943, I spent my youth building balsa Corsairs (and Mustangs, Hellcats, Warhawks, Spitfires and Hurricanes) covered with silkspan, and reading of their exploits in WWII and Korea. There must be millions of us Fifty- and Sixty-somethings in America still feeling we were born too late to have a chance to fly the great fighters of WWII. For us, Tillman is a timely author. We buy and read his well-told histories with feelings of respect for the designers, builders, test pilots, pilots and crews who made that great age of the piston-powered warbirds possible.

Avoiding the dreary repetitiveness of some such books, which seem bound to chronicle every squadron's every mission, Tillman's Corsair is an exceptionally good example of its breed. It combines valuable historical detail with first-hand accounts of the plane and its pilots in action.