In My Sights: The Memoir of a P-40 Ace [Hardcover]

James B. Morehead (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 4, 1997

As a young man with uncertain prospects, Jim Morehead was not unlike the thousands of other young men who came of age during the Depression.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Presidio Press; 1St Edition edition (November 4, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 089141634X
• ISBN-13: 978-0891416340
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,439,132 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great account of a grim period of the Pacific War., November 20, 1999

By 

Eric Bergerud (Albany, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: In My Sights: The Memoir of a P-40 Ace (Hardcover)

James Morehead's autobiography of his World War II experiences is a very good addition to the genre. Anyone with a general interest in the subject will like the book, but those with a deeper background in Pacific War literature will appreciate it even more. It should be noted that Morehead had a very unusual perspective on events. He was one of the first US fighter pilots to arrive in the Pacific theater and consequently, along with a handful of other young men, was given the dubious honor of facing the Japanese juggernaut when it was at high tide. The book has a hard edge to it as befits a very hard period of the war for the US. For my money, Morehead's discussion of the strange but bloody war in Java and the early battles over Darwin when the Allies were usually on the short end of the stick is worth the price of admission. He describes the fragile nature of morale when defeat has shaken the very young men fighting a seemingly invincible foe. His descriptions of aerial combat are vivid. Although his tour in the Pacific ended as his men were slowly stabilizing the situation, Morehead attacks the technical inferiority of early war equipment and US preparations for war in general. There is a hard edge to the narrative that is most appropriate to an account of the period that Morehead flew over the Pacific. As counterpoint, Morehead later in the war flew a tour in the Mediterranean. Piloting a fine P-38 with well trained comrades, the physical and psychological balance had turned on it's head - the US was winning and its pilots knew it. This experience only made Morehead's early tour seem more wasteful of brave but ill-prepared young pilots. As well as a fine memoir, In My Sights is a sobering reminder to what can happen if a nation gets involved in a military campaign without proper preparations and underestimating a dangerous enemy. I certainly recommend this account.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A few Hours With Colonel Morehead, October 22, 2000

By 

Morris G. Worley (Chapel Hill, NC United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: In My Sights: The Memoir of a P-40 Ace (Hardcover)

It was a rare and cherished opportunity. During the course of Eric Anderson's reunion in Big Sky, Montana as a number of members gathered in the hospitality suite, I found myself sitting beside Colonel Morehead. He was striking in his dress white uniform and warm in his conversation. He started talking about his childhood in Oklahoma, the dust bowl Oklahoma during the Great Depression. His spellbinding telling of those days and times so took over my consciousness that the rest of the room ceased to exist.

In My Sights starts in those Okie years and lays the foundation for the war years to follow. The skills learned, hardships endured, and tenacity gained all pay later dividends for Colonel Morehead.

Jim introduces us to his flight cadet time wherein some humor is found. He describes various assignments and one where he is forced to parachute to safety. This captivating book takes us to the South Pacific and lets us fly along in P-40s facing the Japanese Zeros. Challenged by vast distances, inexperienced pilots, and an enemy with superior equipment, Jim, with keen insight, discloses how he and his fellow pilots managed to survive.

After duty in the Pacific culminating with two Distinguished Service Crosses, Colonel Morehead volunteered for duty against the Luftwaffe. He describes the duty in Europe and contrasts it to the desperation he felt in the dark days of 1942 in the South Pacific.

In February 1944, through a succession of transfers, Jim ended up in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations. He had acquired the rank of major and was ready for a command. Circumstances created by inept leadership at a higher level caused him to have to share a command and expose himself by flying in the least favored position. Read how he hangs on and eventually prevails against bad policy, bad training, and poor execution. Flying over the Ploesti oil fields on D-Day contributed immensely to his feeling of satisfaction.

This is a book worth reading; it is a story worth telling, told by a natural story teller. A pleasure to read. ~ M. G. Worley

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A rare treat that I hated to see end., November 5, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: In My Sights: The Memoir of a P-40 Ace (Hardcover)

It is a rare treat when you read a book that is so engrossing that you can't wait for the workday to end so that you can dash home to dig back into it. But this was indeed the happy case when I red Col. James Moreheads' book "In My Sights." The book chronicles the life of a great fighter pilot. The recipient of many decorations for bravery including TWO Distinguished Service Crosses and a Silver Star. Most of the story centers on Colonels' World War II memories. They are truly fascinating. I thought the writing was extraordinary. When I first bought this bok, I immediately checked to see if I was familiar with the "Ghost Writer." There was't any. Colonel Morehad wrote it himself. Being a teacher in a middle school, I know a little bit about writing, and thought this was firat rate. Very professional. His discriptions were what really got me! The wonderful attention to detail. How to fly an airplane in the tropics when it's 120 degrees, and it's too hot to touch anything metal. The stories Col. Morehad told: Flying from Austraila in the teeth of a typhoon. The attack on the Japanese bombers. Taking off with a poisenous snake in the cockpit. What it feels like to bail out of your airplane--twice! The description of the attacks on the Japanese planes in Jave and Australia were so vivid, I could clearly see it in my minds eye. I can count on one hand the number of authors who have touched me in this way: Robers Scott, Ernest Gann, Robert Johnson and Richard Bach are a few. His pre-war stories about live in America during the Depression were fascinating. All the while I read the book, I kept my family, car-pool riders, fellow teacher and students entertained with stories from the book. I hated to see it end. It was great!