Customer Reviews

JUNGLE ACE (M): The Story of One of the USAAF's Great Fighret Leaders, Col. Gerald R. Johnson (Warriors (Potomac Books))

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I enjoyed this book totally. This is a very personal account of Col. Johnson's career and life. This is not just a history of the missions or battles in which he fought but a chance to really know the man and to understand what it was like to be a fighter pilot in the Pacific. The photos were not just "stock" photos but photos from his personal album. It is clear that an immense amount of research went into this book. This is not a rehash of already known history but a new and fresh look at Colonel Johnson, the man. I highly recommend this title.

John's latest, "Jungle Ace," ranks without a doubt as one of the best biographies that I have ever read. John spent several years painstakingly researching for this book, and it shows in the incredible level of detail contained in these pages. Without boring us with this detail, the book highlights John's ability to tell a story with just the right word selection to paint a vivid, movie-like picture in the reader's mind. "Jungle Ace" follows the life of P-38 fighter ace Jerry Johnson from schoolboy to aviation candidate to grisly combat conditions, all in amazing clarity that will immerse you into the story, as if you were standing side by side with Johnson himself. As tense and taughtly written as a best-selling fiction novel, author Bruning has created a story that even non-aviation history buffs will enjoy thoroughly...

For those readers looking to see just how demanding, unforgiving and gruesome air combat in the steaming jungles of the South Pacific islands could be, this is the book for you. "Jungle Ace" is a rich, vivid and thoroughly honest chronicle of a young Oregon man who helped save the world. A rewarding read that goes beyond the military history genre.

This is an excellent book. Having been a fan of Johnson for several years, I was extremely excited to pick up this book. It is very well written and a very easy read. Bruning has done his homework and touched on both the man and the warrior. I look forward to future works from Mr. Bruning.

Col Johnson was probably the best pilot of WWII. He was a P-38 pilot in the South Pacific and became a full Colonel and had 24 victories by the time he was 24 years old. It is a compelling true story with a tragic ending. I am very pleased this book was written because so few people have ever heard of this great leader,

What Bruning has done in "Jungle Ace" is remarkable: he manages figuratively to bring to full flesh-and-blood life a man who has been dead for nearly 60 years. When I finished reading this biography, I felt I knew and understood Gerry Johnson: felt the weight of the command burden he carried, the exhilaration of victory in combat, the self-doubt when losses occurred, the grinding boredom of life in the SWPA, and the never-ending homesickness. I also got a sense of what he would be like in different situations: as a friend, as a commander, as a classmate.

This is exceedingly hard to do, but Bruning has done it: he somehow got long-ago memories jumpstarted, got people talking. While I accept that some of the quoted conversations probably did not take place word for word as presented, I feel the approach helps the book make the man more real. Charles Martin, in his bio of Tom McGuire, did the same thing, and it worked for both authors.

Thanks, Mr. Bruning for bringing a too-little known hero to light. You can be sure that my children will read about Gerry Johnson. When will you write another aviation biography? How about Charles H. MacDonald of the 475th FG?

My uncle is the Stanley Johnson briefly referenced in this book, who went MIA in Nov '43 while flying as Maj Bong's wingman. Somehow I feel he would have been honored to read this book. I wish my grandparents (his folks) could have read it too. It helps me to better understand what his final months were like, and what he and the others there accomplished. Thank you, Mr Bruning.

Just finished reading this book a few days ago, and I've got to say that it's one of the best WWII non-fiction books I've ever read. Not only is it easy to read and exciting, but Mr. Bruning skillfully covers some of the more technical aspects of Johnson's air combat battles.

Good for hard-core WWII air combat nuts (like me!) as well as the average reader. Anyone with any interest in combat aircraft, WWII, or great reading material in general will love this book!

-Scott Rudi

I enjoyed the book very much. It was well researched in most areas, but in a few places it appears that a certain amount of distracting, and unnecessary literary license was used. Two examples come immediately to mind. Crewmen bailing out Jerry's doomed B-25 during a typhoon, with no indication of how those who bailed out survived ground contact upon landing with winds meeting the minimal thresold of about 75 mph. 75 mph equates to just over 100 feet per second. It is difficultr to understand how anyone could have survived a parachute landing in those conditions. The same for Jerry's brother flying in the typhoon looking for Jerry. The L-4's (Piper Cub) extremely light wing loading would have made taxiing on the ground impossible in such fierce winds. Please, authors and researchers, think these things through, have the material proof read by qualified persons before publishing.

I went to the high school in Japan that was named after this pilot. His story is amazing and is a must read for all who are interested in how the ace pilots used to fly.

I enjoy the book especially about the air war situation at Leyte Island in the Philippines during October through December 1944. However, I wish the author had given a complete casuality list of the 49th Fighter Group in terms of the following items:

1) Killed in action by air combat.
2) Killed by ground fire or by gunfire from enemy ship.
3) Killed in flying accidents due to the conditions of the airstrip on Leyte Island or because of enemy action.

4) Orignial group who start off at the Leyte airstrip in October through December 1944 and how many were left?

5) How many replacements did the 49th Fighter Group recieved and how many died in action or in flying accidents due to enemy action or some other mishap during the same time period?

If they tried to emphasize these battles like a meat grinder, then please give a complete casuality list; otherwise, the only time I hear of a meat grinder battle is those fought by the Germans since we have no hestitation about printing the German dead, wound, and POWs.

They should have made books like this years ago. Then we would know the horrors of World War II instead of glorying it through our culture for the last 62 years.

In the book Kenney Reports, Colonel Merian Cooper, who was General Kenney Chief of Staff, had worried that we were sticking our necks out if we invade Leyte. After reading Jungle Ace and some other books about how the Army had failed to secure a quick capture of the island, Col. Cooper was right. The battle of Leyte Island went on for nearly three months which was just as long as the battle for Normandy. After their defeat at the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the Japanese had other chances to destroy our shipping and airfields in order to bring the American invasion of the Philippines to the point of defeat if they had use their air power more efficiently.