The High Battleground: Air to Air with World War II's Greatest Combat Aircraft (Flying Legends) [Hardcover]

Jim Busha (Author), John M. Dibbs (Photographer), Colonel Donald J. Blakeslee (Foreword)

Book Description

Series: Flying Legends | Publication Date: September 15, 2006

Breathtaking images from the popular Flying Legends calendars.

John Dibbs is the world's leading air-to-air photographer. No one gets closer. This oversized full-color pictorial showcases breathtaking airborne shots of 56 of the most perfectly restored World War II aircraft from the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, Germany, Japan and Sweden.

Each spread features a historic black-and-white photograph and an exciting profile of a combat veteran who experienced the "high battleground" first-hand.

Some of the featured aircraft:

• Supermarine Spitfire LF IXe
• Yak 3
• Lockheed P-38 Lightning, Joltin' Jose
• Mitsubishi A6M5 Type 0 Zero
• Messerschmitt Bf 109 Black Six
• Bell P39-Q6 Airacobra
• Hawker Sea Hurricane lB
• Grumman TBM-3 Avenger
• Polikarpov I-16
• Curtiss Hawk 75
• Bristol Blenheim Mk IV
• Saab B17

A group of hand-picked specialist formation pilots worked with the photographer to produce "perfect shots." There are no more perfect photographs of warplanes in flight than the images that appear in this thrilling collection.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Simply breathtaking.... One of the most impressive aviation photographic books we have ever seen. (Allan Burney Combat Aircraft 200702)

Simply breathtaking.... The photographs are faultless and have been reproduced in mind-blowing clarity. (Allan Burney Aircraft Illustrated 200702)

[Includes] 180 illustrations... full-page colour photos of 56 restored Second World War aircraft in flight, along with historic black-and-white images. (Ron Berthel Associated Press 20061105)

Each double-page spread shows restored planes... [plus] a veteran pilot's account of what the plane was like to fly. (Ron Berthel Associated Press )

Stunning, oversized book offers a pilot's eye view... the greatest combat aircraft... in all their lethal splendor. (Mike Gillespie CanWest News Service )

About the Author

John Dibbs' air-to-air photographs have been cover shots on every major aviation magazine in the past decade, and his previous 10 books include dramatic pictorials on the Hurricane, Harrier, Spitfire and Mustang, and two books on the Royal Air Force. In addition, his photographs are the basis for the widely acclaimed Flying Legends calendar, now in its 11th year. He lives in Seattle, Washington, where he and his wife operate the Plane Picture Company.

Jim Busha is a contributing editor for Flight Journal and EAA Sport Aviation, and a feature writer for Flypast, Aircraft Illustrated, Combat Aircraft and EAA Sport Aviation magazines. His interviews with veterans have complemented John Dibbs' images in aviation journals for many years. This is their first book-length collaboration. He lives in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 120 pages
• Publisher: Boston Mills Press (September 15, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1550464922
• ISBN-13: 978-1550464924
• Product Dimensions: 18.2 x 12 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,283,893 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Visually Stunning, April 26, 2007

By 

Herb Bowie (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The High Battleground: Air to Air with World War II's Greatest Combat Aircraft (Flying Legends) (Hardcover)

This is a huge, gorgeous book, and a must-have for anyone interested in WWII aircraft. Although the featured pictures were all taken air-to-air, the images of the aircraft are so perfect and so detailed that there is a feeling of unreality about them... I found that I kept looking for the wires that were holding the airplanes up, just because the images are so perfect that it is almost inconceivable that they were taken while the planes were actually flying. Simply stunning... every page takes your breath away.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gorgeous Collection of Absolutely Stunning Aerial Photography!, March 18, 2008

By 

Michael OConnor "Wordsmith" (Wausau, WI USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The High Battleground: Air to Air with World War II's Greatest Combat Aircraft (Flying Legends) (Hardcover)

WOW!!!! Anyone doubting that John Dibbs is one of the world's top aerial photographers need only page through this oversized book brimming with page after page of stunning shots of Spits, P-38s, Me 109s, P-51s and assorted warbirds in flight. Aerial photography simply doesn't get any better than this! And all for $39.95!

HIGH BATTLEGROUND, an oversized (12" x 18") volume, devotes two, facing pages to each aircraft. The first page features wartime accounts of flying the aircraft illustrated. The facing page is a gorgeous shot of the a/c in flight.

Gibbs has a marvelous eye for composition and the images are so sharp you can count the rivet patterns in the aircraft. It's hard to pick out favorites but here's a sampling: the 78th FG P-47 "in your face" on page 13, the 339th FG P-51 making a knife-edge run on page 20, the five o'clock low shot of the classic Hurricane form on page 36, the 8th FG P-38 "coming at you" on page 95 and so on.

In short, HIGH BATTLEGROUND is 124 pages of sheer viewing delight! At $39.95, this book is a steal. Pick up a copy and savor a master photographer at work!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Better than anyone's lemon cake, October 31, 2007

By 

Dave Wex "wex" (Maine) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The High Battleground: Air to Air with World War II's Greatest Combat Aircraft (Flying Legends) (Hardcover)

John M Dibbs is truly a master of his trade. His pictures are legendary and he deserves far greater publicity than he receives. An unbelievably well constructed book with beautiful images of scintilating composition.
Excellent volume and all enthusiasts should have one. Unbeknown to many people, his mother is actually a master chef with world notoriety for her lemon cake. This book surpasses anything she has ever produced.
One would be remiss not to purchase this.