Customer Reviews

Dumb but Lucky!: Confessions of a P-51 Fighter Pilot in World War II

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Richard Curtis was an 18 year old who enlisted in the Army Air Force in 1942 because he wanted to be a pilot and not be drafted without a choice in his role in World War II. He was a wild man when he got at the controls of the fighter planes, but he was disciplined enough to write detailed diaries during training and in Italy. He kept his letters from his wartime girlfriend. From these diaries and letters we learn about the escapades of the flyboys, in the air, in the barracks, and with the girls. We see the suffering of the Italians who lived near the US airbase--the children who begged for food and ate from the Army's garbage cans, and the women and girls who turned to prostitution to survive. From Lt. Curtis' viewpoint in the sky, we see the US bombers down below which have been hit by German fire and realize that another 14 GI's have probably been killed. We learn of the rationing of fuel oil and how it affected those living through a New England winter. I was a child during World War II, and this book was a great education for me about what actually went on during that time.

Here's a must read for anyone interested in the life of a combat pilot for any war, any nation. Lt. Curtis' story blends his training, combat, day to day activities, romance, and his own self-doubt with the major events of the WWII and the key decisions. It's facinating to read about how the decisions made by FDR and Churchill affected this man's life. I found myself pulling for Myrt to say yes, and feeling proud of the moral code Dick lived by. Here's a man I would have enjoyed meeting.

My father flew B-17s out of England, but he would speak very little about his experinces. This books fills in many of the gaps in my father's story. As a book author myself, I highly recommend this book.

Well I have read in excess of 20 world war 2 pilots books and I very much enjoyed this one!
I was completely drawn in and read it straight through...I enjoyed reading about all Richards exploits and his ability to put you there with him during his time in the sky.
If you are a fan of the Army Air Force during WW2 then I highly recommend ready "Dumb But Lucky" and see how a regular guy managed to be very clever and yes a bit lucky as well!

This is an easy read and goes into much detail on what daily lives were like from being an air cadet to being in combat. For those who want to get a vicarious description of a WW2 pilot this is highly recommended.

I also agree with the author's opinion that being a bomber pilot was so much less desirable to being a fighter pilot. The bravery of bomber pilots cannot be overstated in WW2 and yet they in effect won both the European and Pacific theaters.

The policy of taking raw pilots out of advanced training in AT6s and the throwing them into combat was planned murder in my opinion but then again I was not there and do not know all the details but wasting such assets seems so callus on the surface.

I am a big fan of this book. The author was a human guinea pig who was sent to a front line fighter group with minimal training, as the government wanted to see how little training pilots could receive and still be effective and survive. This is not the usual account of a figher pilot, who normally tells you exactly how good he was. He candidly informs you how unprepared he was. The title says it all. I am also glad to hear about a unit and theater of war that is not often written about or published. The Eighth Airforce and the Fifteenth Airforce were partners that worked together to keep the enemy off balance. Together they did much to finish Nazi Germany. The Mighty Eighth is well covered in many books, especially a handful of groups. You could fit all that is written on the fifteenth on a short shelf. I found the author engaging and humorous. He also helps you see the ugly side of war, even though he flies the "glamorous" P-51 Mustang.

The author served in the same fighter squadron as the man that I was later named after, who like many others gave the ultimate sacrifice. I found this book very enlightening, because it is not just a recount of the military strategy and the tactics of air battles, but a broad description of the culture, technology, training and hardships of a very young man doing his patriotic duty with honor. Mr Curtis reveals some of the reckless and foolish things that he and others did, and the lucky and un-lucky pilots that he served with. His colorful descriptions of the pilot's life in P-51 Mustangs and in Italy paint an vivid picture. The long-distance love story with his one-and-only Myrt adds another dimension.

Well written but ultimately lacking any big set piece action. The author had a major upheaval in his life caused by the war and his wartime service, and he explains the nuts and bolts of learning to fly, then training on, and flying a cutting edge fighter - the Mustang - very well. But his wartime service in Italy appears to be mainly long spells of grinding boredom interspersed with brief spells of action. For anyone interested in the day to day routine of learning to fly, then operational life as a normal everyday pilot in a fighter squadron, this is a well written and good book. However for anyone interested in the "edited highlights" of the cut and thrust of combat only, this book will be a disappointment. There are also no particularly shocking or even exciting "confessions"

This book was well written and Mr. Curtis explains his exploits in great detail and without modesty as of most of us wouldn't be quick to admit that we were almost court martialed on several ocasions for disobeying flight restrictions, victory rolls over airfields, etc.

I don't want to give this book such a bad review even though I agree with a lot of the other reviews of this book about it lacks any combat at all really. I admire Mr. Curtis for wanting to be a minister and spending so much time in Italy with the chaplain there, that part of the book is great. This book is really not about a memoir, if you will, of a combat aviator but more of a memoir and life of a fighter pilot who was stationed in Italy, who wanted to be a minister, and was just counting the days of his 50th mission so he could go home. I would definately not read this book again and I'm sorry that in all honestly I would not recommend it to anyone else to read who loves books about aviation combat.

Detailed, honest and filled with the emotions of a young man facing life that may end abruptly. I enjoyed it very much, but then I'm an old guy.

Excellent reading. Gives great insight into the training and experiences our WW-II pilots experienced.