Customer Reviews

The Millionaire's Unit: The Aristocratic Flyboys who Fought the Great War and Invented American Airpower

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This is a very unusual book about a group of students at Yale in 1916 who all came from very privileged backgrounds, but felt it their duty to do something worthwhile with their lives. Considering the world situation at that time, they decided to form the Yale flying club and its members would become well trained pilots and eventually ended up flying many and extremely dangerous missions in Europe on behalf of America and its Allies during World War I. Unfortunately, several of them did not return, having paid the ultimate sacrifice. This is a book about Yale students who had it all, but whose strong belief in a cause made them turn into a life full of life threatening experiences, but convinced that it was their duty to do so. Such wonderful spirits, unfortunately, do not seem to be much in evidence in today's times. This extremely well researched book is certainly of great interest to those of us who were not aware of such remarkable spirits, but also to those who want to learn more about the beginnings of military aviation and the World War I period in general.

First off, this is a great book and I agree with the other reviewers that it is a great read. Yes, it does follow the Yale flyers from crew races in Connecticut to the skies over the English Channel and Belgium in World War I. And yes, there are great descriptions of courage, heroism and loss. But to me there are two things that set this book apart. One, Wortman is a great writer. It is the mark of any really good book of history when the author can put you there, in a wholly different time and place, and make you feel that you know it, know the people and know the mores of the period. Wortman does this well, even down to getting the slang of the young Yalies. One cannot soon forget the importance of having "sand" or the feeling of flying over the trenches in Flanders on a cold dawn patrol. With due deference to Charles Schulz and Snoopy, there was a bit more to it than climbing onto the roof of your doghouse. And two, by opening up to us the world of the early nineteen hundreds, Wortman illuminates how these privileged young men, and the entire society of which they were a part, understood the responsibilities of leadership. For better or worse than the culture of our own time, and without any romanticism a la Snoopy and the Red Baron, many of these very rich young men felt the personal responsibility to take part and to lead -- and to do it from the forward and dangerous position. One cannot read this book without clearly contrasting the Yale flyers' attitudes and actions from those of many of today's most important political leaders in their formative years. Again, without having to surrender to any of the Band of Brothers romanticism, "The Millionaire's Unit" reminds us that our present day's attitudes towards leadership are not the only ones that Americans have always held.

This story as told by the author Marc Wortman is a very good read indeed! It is a narrative history that is a well-documented true tale about real people. The story is cinematic in the quality of it's telling. This book satisfied my curiousity about the history of early 20th Century American aviation, the US role in World War l/the Great War, and the role played by many Yale University graduates in the rise of American power in the 20th Century (as it still continues to in the 21st Century).

I have noticed that "The Millionaires' Unit" was in the news recently. In the process of researching this book Marc Wortman found a letter written to one of The Millionaires' Unit members that documents grave robbing the great Apache chief Geronimo's skull by members of the secretive Yale fraternity, Skull and Bones, back in the early 1900's. Geronimo's skull and other artifacts were placed on display inside the Skull and Bones frat house, the Tomb, in New Haven, CT. This is interesting since some of the contemporary members of the fraternity include George Bush Jr, George Bush Sr, and John Kerry, etc.

Anyway, that is a very minor side story - the major story is that The Millionaires' Unit is an excellent book and I recommend buying and reading it.

A remarkable story! In 1916 a group of extraordinary Yale class leaders, who happened also to be millionaire athletes, organized an aviation unit. These were heroic, very patriotic young men. Wortman makes you feel as if you're in the air flying with them. It's a great read. Don't miss it.

I'm seldom attracted to books about war, especially if they're not written by someone who participated in the conflict. From my reading experience, the tendency by many authors is to regurgitate bland facts and anecdotes and the main theme is clouded by second-hand minutia. Not this book.
Somehow, Mr. Wortman brought these young men to life allowing me to become interested in their successes, failures and fates. He did a terrific job weaving the narrative from historical documents and bringing the characters to life. I didn't expect to react emotionally but I did. Without giving too much of the story away, there are a few instances when I closed the book, filled with sadness.
Making research material come to life is a skill few master. Mr. Wortman has, and I don't think it's by talent alone. He obviously went the extra mile to learn as much as possible about the principal characters, to literally "Flesh them out."
Wortman also did a great job describing the era; a time when the wealthy recognized their obligation to serve and not use their power and influence to shirk responsibilities. I can't believe the risks they took against such lousy odds.

The Millionaires' Unit: The Aristocratic Flyboys Who Fought The Great War And Invented American Air Power by Marc Wortman is the fascinating story of several young men, courageously facing the dogfights of World War I and their individual contribution to American dominance in the skies. As many of these young men were students of Yale in 1916, The Millionaires' Unit tells of the heroic pursuit of their destiny and dedication. Even with their privileged positions as sons of the leading members in America's corporate industry, the nature of selfless leadership emerged through the relentless (and occasionally hazardous) efforts of their Yale flying club. A uniquely specialized history of the war driven advanced in aviation as reflected in the lives and accomplishments of six young men, The Millionaires' Unit is very strongly recommended reading and a prized addition to personal, academic, and community library Aviation History reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

This book covers the beginnings of America's military aviation industry & those young pioneers who came from America's wealthiest families dedicated to serve this country during World War I. Although military history is not my intereest, I appreciated the author's clear, easy to read prose style, notwithstanding the technical detail necessary for a understanding of the subject. I would definitely recommend the book even to those not particularly interested in military history or even aviation. The real people in the book are even more interesting than the technical details.

Highly recommended for holiday gift lists. This splendid, well researched book relates the story of a group of Yale students, who in 1916 formed the Yale Flying Club and pioneered the development of America's flying forces. The author traces the adventures of these aristocratic young men from their first open-cockpit flying lessons to scouting the New York coastline for W W I German submarines to aerial combat in Europe, and to their impact on the establishment of U.S. air power. A remarkable book that should appeal to those with ties to Yale, aviation fans, history buffs, and non-aviator types, like me, who enjoy a good read and couldn't put it down.
Sam D. Starobin

A great read, and an important book. Wortman vividly recreates the social and athletic spectacle that was pre-WWI Yale. He details the pivotal role a group of Yale undergraduates played in winning The Great War and developing American air power in WWII and beyond. There are gripping accounts of aerial combat, as well as stark recountings of the heavy personal toll the war took on all who saw active duty.

This is a great adventure story, but a crucial history lesson as well. The willingness of this privileged group to serve and to sacrifice is startling. Many members of the current Bush cabal have similar roots, but the current notion of "service" seems to extend little beyond happily allowing friends and family to raid the federal treasury. Wortman recounts an era when the notion of service really meant something, and it is frightening to see the contrast with the current ruling class that sees service as nothing more than a chance to further enrich themselves and their buddies.

The Millionaires' Unit recapitulates in beautiful prose the story I first learned about as a child. It was the story, in part, of my grandfather, Erl Gould whom I called Grandfeathers, as he was Naval Aviator #68.

Marc Wortman has combed historical and private records to harvest the best picture of Trubee Davison and his family, flying boats, 1916 and Great World War, and these intrepid young men from Yale. It is simply a terrific read but also an inspiration at a time when few Americans rise above the fray and dedicate themselves to something larger than their own self-interest. As a former Naval Aviator myself, I wore Grandfeather's wings of gold with an inexpressible pride and humility.