Customer Reviews

Fledgling Eagles: The Complete Account of Air Operations During the 'Phoney War' and Norwegian Campaign, 1940

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"Fledgling Eagles" by Christopher Shores et. al. probably provides the most comprehensive and meticulously researched account of two often overlooked air battles of the early World War II period: the "Phony War" on the Western front from September-May 1940, and also the battles for Norway and Denmark from April-June 1940.

The book uses Shores' standard methodology of objectively describing every single air action captured by historical records of the combatant powers, organized chronologically by date. While some have criticized this approach for leaving out broader historical analysis and resulting in a rather bland day-by account, it in fact serves two important functions. First, Shores brings to the light of day less glamorous yet nevertheless important air actions that are left out of other books. Second, the author's analytical rigor dispels some of the myths surrounding WW2 air warfare. It is interesting to compare, for example, victory claims by both sides with actual losses, which clearly shows how inflated the former tends be.

Finally Shore's book provides other important information such as orders of battles and previously unpublished photographs of the two campaigns. Overall these factors make "Fledgling Eagles" an important book to own for serious World War II aviation buffs.