Mustang Aces of the Eighth Air Force (Aircraft of the Aces) [Paperback]

Jerry Scutts (Author), Chris Davey (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: Aircraft of the Aces | Publication Date: October 17, 1994

Unquestionably the best American fighter of World War 2, the North American P-51 Mustang served in large numbers with the USAAF’s Eighth Air Force from late 1943 until VE Day, and was the mount of most aces in-theatre. Charged with the responsibility of escorting huge formations of B-17 Flying Fortress and B-24 Liberator bombers on daylight raids deep into Germany, the P-51 pilots of the various fighter groups within the ’Mighty Eighth’ went head to head with the cream of the Luftwaffe’s fighter squadrons for control of the skies over the Third Reich.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Osprey's Aircraft of the Aces series combines full colour artwork, the best archival contemporary photography, and first hand accounts from aces to bring history's greatest airborne conflicts to life.

About the Author

Jerry Scutts has worked in the field of aviation publishing since the late 1960s, writing over 40 books that have covered a broad spectrum of subject matter ranging from US Navy floatplane fighters in World War 2 to the exploits of the USAF’s Phantom IIs over Vietnam. His specialist areas are the Luftwaffe and the US Army Air Forces in World War 2, and he originally appeared on the Osprey list as long ago as 1977, when he wrote the second volume in the now much sought after Air Cam Air War series –- many of the jacket illustrations in this series were also painted by him. Jerry has been a regular contributor to Osprey's Aircraft of the Aces series since its inception in 1994.

Product Details

• Paperback: 100 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing; First Edition edition (October 17, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1855324474
• ISBN-13: 978-1855324473
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 0.3 x 9.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #862,669 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars GOOD START FOR THIS SERIES, December 17, 1999

By 

M. Fonseca "carmarthen" (Thunder) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mustang Aces of the Eighth Air Force (Aircraft of the Aces) (Paperback)

This series began well with this book by Jerry Scutts. It is really difficult to cover in one short volume all the aces that flew P-51 with the Eight air Force in WW II, and Scutts tried to give the reader a general view of their tasks and accomplishments. THe appendix at the end is very valuable. Good work.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Reference made interesting..., June 30, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Northern California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mustang Aces of the Eighth Air Force (Aircraft of the Aces) (Paperback)

This book is more than a great reference work. It is, first and foremost, an interesting and easy reading history of the P-51 and the men that flew with the Mighty 8th in World War 2 Europe. Black and white photographs combine with the text to tell the story in a breif but thorough manner. In addition, there are (60) color aircraft profile plates, and (6) color plates of airmen in period uniform. Appendices include operational debut dates of all groups in the eighth, and a group-by-group listing of the top aces. Also included are technical drawings of four mustang variants in 1/72nd scale. An excellent modelling and technical reference, well worth reading.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 8th AF Mustang "Aces", April 17, 2000

By 

Greg Pierce - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mustang Aces of the Eighth Air Force (Aircraft of the Aces) (Paperback)

I read / research a fair amount of 8th Air Force History. I have often retrieved this book from the shelf for quick reference. This is a great book for an introduction into the Mustang and the men who flew them and became Aces. There are other books / biographies devoted to much more detail about the Pilots and the P-51 aircraft, but for a high level look and different variations this book gets my vote.

If you're a modeler of the P-51 you will find this book useful for the different color schemes of the WWII fighter groups in the ETO.