For those building a research library, who want maximum "bang for the buck," this second volume in W. Wayne Patton's "Aces" series is a useful addition. The list of aces is not limited to aviation, but includes both a German and a Japanese submarine commander, and a Panther tank ace from the Normandy battles.

Each Ace receives a bio including background, and an account of the major actions for which they are known. The airplanes, tanks and submarines associated with each of these individuals are shown in color profiles. In the case of well-known aces like Adolf Galland, Saburo Sakai, Georges Guynemer, Hans-Joachim Marseilles and Ivan Kozhedub, several aircraft flown by them during their careers are profiled.

Some of the lesser-known aces include Herbert Ihlefeld, Emil Demuth, Otto Kittel, Heinz Sachsenberg, Wilhelm Herget, Josef Wurmheller, Wlter Loos, Adolf Glunz, Herbert Rollwage, and Franz Schall from the Luftwaffe; David Schilling, Duane Beeson and Bruce Carr of the USAAF; Roger Hedrick of the USN; Geoff Fisken of the RNZAF; Alexander Vybornov, Gregori Rechkalov, Sergei Dolgushin, and Sergei Luganskij of the V-VS; and Japanese aces Katsumi Anma, Motonari Suho, and Hideo Miyabe; a very interesting ace is Giora Rom, the first Israeli ace of the Six-Day War.

The submarine aces include Korvettenkapitaen Adalbert Schnee, the only commander of a Type XXI U-boat to put to see on an operational patrol, and Zenji Orita who commanded the I-47 on its Kaiten attacks at Ulithi in 1945.

The profiles will be very useful for modelers, and the information in the personal profiles will go a long way toward filling in gaps in one's knowledge of the subject matter.

Recommended.

Review copy courtesy of: Squadron Mail Order

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