The 475th Fighter Group was rather unique in the annals of military units. Most are formed in the country of origin, then spend time getting ready for their mission and then sent into battle. This did not happen with the 475th. This unit was started in theater by the head of the 5th Air Force, Gen. George C. Kenney. He went to all the fighter units under his command and picked some of the best there was. Today we call this 'cherry picking', back then it was cursed by unit commanders who often lost their best pilots and leaders.

When it went into combat in August 1943, the 475th soon became the fastest scoring unit in the USAAF. No surprise as it started with  a cadre of the best. In the 475th were some of the top scoring American aces of WWII, including Richard Bong, Tommy McGuire, Danny Roberts and others.

The book covers the exploits of these and other men in the units as they moved from base to base in New Guinea, then on to the Philippines where the unit ended the war at Clark AFB. It is also the story of the P-38, the primary aircraft used by the 475th. Its twin-engine safety and ability to fly long ranges made it a perfect aircraft for the Pacific theater. You can also add in that unlike Europe, the technological level of Japanese aviation never really equaled that of the Germans. Same for the intensity of defending anti-aircraft. When you add to it the fact that the P-38 was almost never used for high altitude flight (where it ran into a huge number of engine problems in Europe), it was a much more potent weapon.

The author John Stanaway does a superlative job of telling the story of the 475th. His writing style, mixed with a goodly number of first hand accounts and official battle reports, makes it a most interesting read. This is all further enhanced with an excellent selection of period photographs and the fine artwork of Chris Davey.

Aviation Elite Units # 23 is one of the best around and a book I can recommend to you without reservation.

March 2007

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