Aces and Pilots of the U.S. 8th/9th Air Forces

Between 14 August 1942 and 8 May 1945, USAAF ETO fighter pilots claimed slightly over 7,500 air kills. The air war waged by those pilots was a long and costly struggle, the Americans' learning curve being initially quite steep against seasoned Luftwaffe experten not to mention deadly German flak. In time, the fighter jocks of the 8th and 9th Air Forces not only became masters of the Luftwaffe, they saved the daylight precision bombing campaign. English author Jerry Scutts traces the combat record of those pilots in this 2001 release from Ian Allan Publishing. First off, the title - ACES AND PILOTS OF THE US 8TH/9TH AIR FORCES - is a bit misleading. Scutts does a wonderful job of compressing the thousands of ETO air battles U.S. fighter pilots logged into a 143-page narrative. However, the book's length results in the reader not getting to know any of those pilots/aces as individuals nor are they treated to 'yank-and-bank' details of any of their combats. The book, in truth, is a rather dry, fact-filled operational history of the 8th and 9th Fighter Commands. After an opening chapter on Yanks serving in RAF Squadrons and the Eagle Squadrons, Scutts relates the 8th/9th fighters' story chronologically. He describes the introduction and early combats of the P-47 and P-38, the build-up to Overlord, fighter battles over Normandy, the arrival of the Mustang, U.S. nightfighter action, and so on. He duly notes the fifth kills of various aces along with other ace milestones but only as part of the overriding ETO air war story. Overall the book is informative and interesting but not exciting. Over 150 photographs of aces, pilots and their aircraft are included, some new to this reviewer. Somewhat surprisingly, the book doesn't feature any pix of Luftwaffe aircrew, aircraft or gun camera scenes. As a concise overview of 8th/9th AF fighter ops, ACES AND PILOTS OF THE US 8TH/9TH AIR FORCES is hard to beat. It is fast-paced, wide-ranging and Scutts clearly knows his subject. What it doesn't do is put you into the cockpit of a 56th FG P-47, 357th FG P-51 or 479th FG P-38. Air combat fans however should enjoy it; I know I did. Recommended.