Aces Against Japan II: The American Aces Speak (Hammel, Eric M. American Aces Speak, V. 1, 3.) (Hardcover)

by Eric Hammel (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
ACES AGAINST JAPAN II The American Aces Speak Eric Hammel Picking up where he left off in his acclaimed Aces Against Japan, leading combat historian Eric Hammel comes through again with an engrossing new collection of thirty-eight first-person accounts by American World War II fighter aces. Coupled with a clear overview of America's far-flung air war against Japan and a clear appreciation of the burgeoning industrial might backing the American war effort, Hammel's detailed interviews bring forth the most thrilling in-the-cockpit experiences that World War II's fabled Army, Navy, Marine, and Flying Tiger aces have chosen to tell. Ride with 2d Lieutenant Jack Donalson as he downs three Zeros over Luzon on the second desperate day of World War II in the Philippines. Share three lonely air battles over Burma and China with Flying Tiger aces RT Smith, Dick Rossi, and Joe Rosbert. Hear the cry of victory as 2d Lieutenant Don McGee survives yet another encounter with Zeros over embattled Port Moresby, New Guinea, in his substandard P-39 Airacobra. Feel your heart beat with anxiety as an injured Ensign Ed Wendorf races against time to land his damaged Hellcat aboard the USS Lexington before he bleeds to death. And thrill to the hunt as Pearl Harbor veteran 1st Lieutenant Frank Holmes seeks personal revenge against Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto on one of history's most important and most thrilling fighter missions. The American Aces Speak series is a highly charged five-volume excursion into life and death in the air, told by men who excelled and triumphed in aerial combat and lived to tell about it. In sum, it is an emotional rendering of what brave airmen felt and how they fought in the now-dim days of America's living national history. These are America's eagles, and the stories are their own, in their very own words. Eric Hammel is an acclaimed military historian and author of more than thirtyy other combat histories, including Pacifica Military History's Guadalcanal: Starvation Island, Guadalcanal: Decision at Sea, Six Days in June, The Root: The Marines in Beirut, Ambush Valley, Fire in the Streets, and Khe Sanh: Siege in the Clouds. He lives with his wife in northern California. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 3 pages
• Publisher: Pacifica Press (CA) (October 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0935553142
• ISBN-13: 978-0935553147
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #774,747 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Authentic aerial combat stories!, July 9, 2000

By	Robert J Foley (Escondido, California USA) - See all my reviews

Author Eric Hammel has hit upon a powerful means of telling the stories of the brave American fighter pilots who fought the Empire of Japan in World War II... he simply uses the fliers' own words! In doing this Mr. Hammel is providing a valuable service, as these gallant gentlemen are now in their late seventies or early eighties and many will not be with us much longer.

There is considerable variety in the narration styles of the thirty eight American fighter aces who contributed their personal "memorable missions" to this volume. Some are more concise, some are more reserved; some reveal their emotions as they recount their memories. This adds to the realism of the thirty eight mission accounts.

For anyone interested in the Pacific air war in general, and for anyone interested in the Yamamoto shoot-down in particular, this book is highly recommended. There is nothing else in print that gives Besby Frank Holmes' account of that incredible intercept mission that took place on Easter Sunday, April 18, 1943.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You'll want to listen when the American Aces Speak!!!, February 15, 1997

By A Customer

This, the third entry in Eric Hammel's "The American Aces Speak" series places the reader squarely in the cockpits of various US Army, Navy and Marine fighters. The action is explosive and the anecdotes carefully selected to provide one of the most exhilarating literary rides I've had the pleasure of experiencing! Against the claustrophobic world of the cockpit, Hammel masterfully weaves a chronological tapestry giving the reader a sense of orientation amidst the burst of cannon, machine gun and exploding debris!! Not to be missed! Highly Recommended!! See the WWII Aviation Booklist for a large number of World War II aviation reviews at: http://www.ampsc.com/~prophet/booklist.html