Wildcat Aces of World War 2 (Aircraft of the Aces) (Paperback)

by Barrett Tillman (Author), Chris Davey (Illustrator) "When the United States Navy went to general quarters in December 1941, its aviation branch was a weapon in transition..." (more)
Key Phrases: carrier fighter squadrons, composite squadrons, fighter strip, Marine Corps, Fleet Air Arm, Medal of Honor (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"This superb book by Barrett Tillman details the Wildcat aces, begriming with the early pre-war development of the F-4F and the inauspicious start - begriming with the loss of six Wildcats flying to Ford Island on the evening of December 7, 1941, two were shot down by friendly fire in the aftermath of the surprise attack on the harbor." -www.pacificwrecks.com

Product Description
Arguably the most important piston-engined single-seat fighter design ever to see service with the US Navy and Marine Corps, the aesthetically inelegant F4F Wildcat achieved much acclaim during its bloody frontline career. Thrown into combat at Coral Sea, Midway and Guadalcanal, the handful of Wildcat units of the Navy and Marine Corps took on large numbers of fighters and bombers and came out victorious. On the European front, the Royal Navy’s Fleet Air Arm also put the fighter to effective use from escort carriers, protecting Atlantic convoys from Luftwaffe attacks.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (April 25, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1855324865
• ISBN-13: 978-1855324862
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #188,954 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Most Unlikely Candidate to Help Win a War, September 11, 2000

By	Kaz Latven, Ph.D. (San Diego, Ca) - See all my reviews

If you don't know about the Osprey "Aces" series, it is a set of paperback books describing in great (and sometimes arduous) detail just about every sortie and every aviator who ever shot down another in the title aircraft. Lots of little B&W photos in the margins, these books aren't for everyone. In fact, when I picked up my first few, they went unread for many months.

Then, when I tired of the picture books with nothing to say and the "history" mags with their usually-uninspired writing and lack of good stories, and after I had read the same specs and summaries over and over... I re-discovered Osprey! Osprey is the motherlode... where you finally get to when your thirst for the details of the WW-II airwar can no longer be sated by the coffee-table glossies (exception: anything from the late Jeff Ethell) and the $5.00 mags from Borders.

And the Wildcat is a great place to start. This was the first type to see sustained action after Pearl Harbor, mostly in the Pacific, where it performed for literally all of the war.

Tillman has done some excellent research to find often first-hand information on every Wildcat ace and near ace of WW-II. He uses a chronological approach within the major Wildcat deployments: first USN/MC Pacific, then USN Europe and finally British Fleet Air Arm (FAA), with due relevance given each.

Beginning on Dec 7, 1941, we see the newly-deployed Wildcat get its sea legs, through Wake Is., Midway, Guadalcanal... We see all of the major campaigns, (good and bad but mostly focusing on the positive) culminating in VJ day and the poor guy who lost it strafing a Japanese carrier deck 3 hrs before the surrender; then we see how the Wildcats were used in the ETO - knocking out some ships up in Norway, or U-boats in the north Atlantic; and finally the Brits and their "Martlet", from pre-Pearl Harbor to their General Motors-made Martlet Mk VIs near the end of the war(again), when the Wildcat is relegated to the important but ignominious task of "forward observing" for Iwo and Japan-pounding naval artillery... and still knocking bogies out of the sky to and fro the combat area.

However with these Ospreys, the only vantage point is from a single type of aircraft - which you might find peculiar... some would say artificial. You certainly don't get the big picture of the war unless you read the other Ospreys of the major fighting types: Corsair and Hellcat for the Pacific; Mustang, Lightning and Thunderbolt for Europe. But this single aircraft look gives you one important perspective: that of the war as seen by these pilots and their support crew.

And taken with its brethren, you can get the big picture... of the air war anyway, and all the great reading you could want from this series - and I found Tillman's Wildcat issue is right up there with a story as important and interesting as the plane itself. Definately worth 4 stars.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A professional and useful reference, October 16, 2002

By	Robert Powell (Virginia Beach, VA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Tillman does his usual superb job. He knows more about naval aviation history than anyone. I bought the book as a reference, but anyone will find it easily readable as well as complete. Superb illustrations as well.

5.0 out of 5 stars The kitty with claws. , February 26, 2009

By	Ira Kepford "'Jolly Roger'" - See all my reviews

Going from the Buffalo to the Wildcat in '41, pilots liked the Buffalo better than the Wildcat! The Wildcat was a more stable gun platform than the Buffalo, but the ex-Buffalo pilots liked the Brewster fighter better with it's small maneuverability (surprisingly). The Buffalo was being replaced by the Wildcat, however, and by '42 the Buffalo was history.
The F4F-3/-3A Wildcat had only 4 .50-cal. machine guns, but the F4F-4 had 6 `.50s'. Not all pilots liked the added armament, as you will read in the book.
The Wildcat was much out-classed by the A6M Zero, but many pilots scored heavily against the Japanese.

Barrett Tillman delivers a wonderful book, starting with the first Wildcat development, to the battles at the Solomons and Guadalcanal. I thought the information on the aces was nice. Color plates of the F4F-3 to the FM-2 (an updated version of the Wildcat). There are also color plates of six aces. There are a total of 96 pages in this book, but I do not list appendices in any books, so there are 88 pages of information on F4F, Martlet and FM aces such as Marion Carl, Ralph Elliot, Joseph Foss and many more.
There is a chapter on the FAA and the Martlets (British name for the Wildcat) it flew.
There is a section dedicated just to Joe Foss and Eric Brown, (but the latter did not become an ace), but it is nice to read about the FAA from someone who was apart of it.
Throughout the book Tillman list tables of air groups and aces and their scores, very helpful to see how successful an ace/air group did.
I found this book a pleasure to read, I'm sure you will too.