Those who are familiar with US customs regarding family members in the military, you know that a house that displays a red edged white banner with a gold star on it, signifies a son or daughter lost in combat.

In this second volume of his new book, author Troy White, we get to look at all of the American Army Air Force aces that have paid the ultimate price. This volume covers the period from July 1944 until the end of the war and beyond. Volume one covered the period from the start of the war until June 1944.

This volume shows the same depth of research that was present in the initial volume. Each of the pilot's losses is covered by an Aircraft Accident Report, a Missing Air Crew Report, eyewitness reports by fellow pilots or folks on the ground. Not all cases have the former and latter, but all have a MACR. In addition, we get as much background on each pilot as is available, which in some cases is quite a bit and in others is very little. For instance, when it comes to Richard Bong, Tommy McGuire and George Preddy, for example, there is a considerable amount of background information.  Author Troy White has made an effort to find at least one photo of the pilot in question as well other pertinent photos, such as the plane that was assigned to him or the one he was flying. We are also provided with the pilot's final resting place, if it is known.

The book begins with a section on the overall situation of the war from mid-1944 until the end.  The pilot listing is by the date of loss and is divided into two major sections; 1941-1943 and 1943 until mid-1944. Each of the pilot stories is relatively unique as it seems that not all were simply shot down by superior enemy pilots. One died when he was a POW and had a heart attack when the air raid siren he was standing next to went off. Others were shot down by ground fire, some hit the ground during strafing. Some died in the US during training or testing new aircraft (which is how Richard Bong met his end).

Each story gives the reader a sense of what these men went through during the war. Some had barely made ace while others had racked up an impressive score. The book also includes a goodly appendix that lists those aces who died in the air post war. Some were shot down in Korea while the last two entries in this section include men who were killed flying F-105 and F-102 aircraft in the early 1960s. It all makes for a superbly researched book that was easy to read and actually keeps you engrossed, something I had not expected when I started reading.

It is a book that I know you will very much enjoy and it makes for a great reference as well. Highly recommended.

May 2013

My thanks to Troy White for providing the review book. Available at http://www.blurb.com/search/site_search?search=Gold+Star+Aces

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