Customer Reviews

Wooden Wolf

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

 

 

Jack Kelly was a carrier-based night fighter
pilot during WW II. He has used
his experience to portray a protagonist much
like himself--a naval aviator on exchange
duty with the Royal Air Force, flying DeHavilland
Mosquitos over Occupied Europe.

Kelly's intimate knowledge of night flying
is shown through his hero, Lt. John Croft, who
is assigned to a mission of vital importance
--assassinating Adolf Hitler
from the air. Croft's romance with SubLt
Rosemary Ince, a radar controller, adds
dimension to the story.

The climax, involving Croft's duel with
an equally skilled opponent in a Heinkel 219,
will surprise many readers and leave them in
admiration of a novel that comes close to
equaling Len Deighton's excellent "Bomber."

The only reason for 4 stars instead of 5 is because I felt the character portrayals were a bit "wooden" (pardon the pun). Well-paced and plausible story. Certainly one of the best WW2 flying novels I have read, bears comparison with better-known authors such as Len Deighton and Nevil Shute.

I trained with Jack Kelly at Quonset Point so followed his story with extreme interest. Good description of cockpit actions. I would like to make contact with him if anybody knows where the author can be found. "Bruns"

Like Deighton's "Goodbye Micky Mouse", "The Wooden Wolf" transports the reader to another time. A time when a hero was real and war was fought for a just cause. Kelly writes with expertise and makes us care for the calloused pilot Croft. The shocking ending leaves the reader breathless and the intimate detail of the planes and tactics used just add to the realism. If there ever was a book that deserved to be made into a movie, this is it. "The Wooden Wolf" is a classic.