Customer Reviews

Soldiers of Fortune (Epic of Flight)

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This is one of a series of books, by Time Life, which explores the history of aviation from its earliest stages up to the jet age (circa 1981). This particular volume presents a portion of that history from the standpoint of those who volunteered their services, generally for high pay, to fly for foreign powers, most often in secret and under extremely hazardous conditions. Their story is presented in five chapters. The first covers the early days; the second, the Spanish Civil War; the third, "The Flying Tigers;" the fourth, what the book terms "an airborne knight-errant;" and the fifth, the broader war in Southeast Asia which led to and culminated with the end of the Vietnam War.

I bought this book primarily because of the chapter about the American Volunteer Group (AVG), better known as the Flying Tigers. That chapter intrigued me but, based on the book's title I also I hoped to learn a little more about the Lafayette Escadrille. In both regards, I was, somewhat disappointed. Surprisingly, little was said about the Lafayette Escadrille, and, for some inexplicable reason, the chapter on the Flying Tigers seemed to concentrate on the adventures of Gregory "Pappy" Boyington, who, based on everything I've ever read, was one of the AVG's lesser lights. To make matters worse, much that was said about Boyington didn't quite agree with what I thought I already knew.

The rest of the book, however, was very interesting and quite informative. I learned a lot of history, particularly about the Spanish Civil War and the events leading up to the Vietnam War. I also learned what Claire Chenault did after his AVG folded and World War II came to an end. I also encountered some very interesting and unusual flyers about whom I previously knew nothing. The most interesting of these was the subject of Chapter 4, Sweden's Count Carl Gustave von Rosen, a man who always tried to fly for the right cause and who, unlike his fellow mercenaries, charged only a nominal wage and if the need arose would serve at his own expense. It's sad that Rosen met such a cruel end, but one can hope that he is remembered and recognized in Sweden for the hero he was in life.

As for the book: I would recommend it to anyone interested in aviation history, especially history told from the perspective of those few aviation adventurers who were willing to put their lives on the line for someone else's cause (as long as the price was right).