Dan Hampton

I found this story thoroughly fascinating. There was so much here to absorb. For one we have the story of Bill Harris, a young man whose fierce attitude served him well as he fought against the Japanese across the Philippines and was ultimately captured and sent to a POW camp in Japan. A dreary place, where he survived beatings and starvation that slimmed him down to a delicate 120 pounds. There is also fascinating background information weaved in about the war in the Philippines, a war I will be honest I didn’t really know much about. There is so much coverage on the war in Europe, I can’t really recall anyone really bringing up the fierce battles in the the Philippines as a Japan set on domination made several attempts, with many fatal errors , to cut off trade routes to Australia. If you are a guru of WW11 information like me this is a must read, if you are not this is still a fascinating historical account, about a remarkable man living at an extraordinary time. Thank you to Netgalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review.… (mehr)

history of combat aviation and fighter aircraft, from World War I to present - some bad reviews thought it had too much "filler." ...explains the evolution of aerial combat and how both man and machine have changed from the early days of World War I to modern times. Along the way he gives very clear examples of various elements of aerial combat (aka dogfighting) and the hows and whys of flight. The New York Times bestselling author of Viper Pilot and retired USAF F-16 legend Dan Hampton offers the first comprehensive popular history of combat aviation—a unique, entertaining, and action-packed look at the aces of the air and their machines, from the Red Baron and his triplane in World War I to today’s technologically expert flying warriors in supersonic jets.… (mehr)

This is a book about the first Wild Weasel Surface to Air Missile (SAM) killers in Vietnam. He's right, one cannot discuss "weaseling" by itself--it must be in context. That said, i think that he spent too much time on politics. His analysis is obviously researched from other fighter pilots and he gives their perspective on the politics and the fight. The cockpit "scenes" are right on and well done. There is considerable electronic jargon and technical talk--boring to some, but necessary to understand the Wild Weasel mission. Author's career post dates this era, so congrats on the research!… (mehr)