Customer Reviews (1)

Nothing else like it out there!
I was given this book by my uncle over 25 years ago. He travelled all over the world and met pilots who had served during World War 2 who recommended this book to him. I've read dozens of books about airborne warfare in WW2, but none of them have the depth or the material that this one does.

The War in The Air starts with the beginnings of military aviation and reviews the outcome of the war in both theatres. You will find information in this book that you won't find elsewhere. Not only does it cover all of the major events of air war in WW2, it contains unique information I haven't found elsewhere. For example, not many people know that the Germans were developing a jet designed to fly at over 1500 mph! The War in The Air has a photo of the wind tunnel model. It also covers unique tactics of the Russian Air Force, including photos and diagrams of how they rammed German bombers in order to bring them down. You also learn how the British used their Spitfires to bring down V-1 "Buzz Bombs"- without ammunition!

As a comprehensive review of the events, heroes and villains of World War 2 in the air, this book is without peer. Many of the major players in the war are interviewed in this book.

If you find a copy at a used bookstore, BUY IT! Your war buff friends will be incredibly jealous! But don't EVER loan it to them! ... Read more

Product Description
This book is a history of all the PC Patrol Craft of WWII and their crews. It describes the need for, construction of, crew training, exploits and action, losses, and disposition of the ships. The book has more than 150 photographs and drawings and a plan for a PC. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Good enough! but little bit..
Because this type of the ship was the first fighting vessels called 'Baek-du-san(Mt.)'class of the Republic of Korea's navy, I was really delighted with found this book in Amazon. I expected undiscovered history with this small but important vessel which was introduced in our early Korean navy. And I never hesitated in clicking to bought it. The book was filled with interesting stories and I found whole new world about the subchasers - The birth, Characteristics, Life onboard, Missions etc.
But I felt little uncomportables when saw the pictures or drawings. Some letters can not be recognized on the drawings(coarse resolution), and some pictures were too small to realize the atmosphere of the sight that had taken.
In despite of a few demerits, this book is good for understaning the overall history of US subchaser.

For reference, 'Baek-du-san' was former PC-823 'Ensign Whitehead' of PC-461 class. And the Mountain Beak-du is the highest mountain in Korea.

Pricey book but full of detail on the subject matter
A dry read, very dry, but the book is filled with detail, pictures, plans and drawings regarding patrol craft.

PC Patrol Craft Of World War11, Interesting reading -details
I had often wondered whatever happened to the old PC's after the war. This book documents where the ships were made, where they served,and what happened to them. This is a well written book and of special interest to old sailors. If you've never been to sea, you will gain an insight into life on a small ship engaged in the search for enemy submarines.

WWII craft should not be forgotten
I am working on a novel and the male hero (if you wiil) is in the Navyduring WWII. This book created his job and a lot of his persona and some ofthe plot as he goes to sub chaser school etc. even if you are not a WWIIscholar this book would still do good to read because it gives a piece - asmall piece - of the great sacrifice that was made !

The definitive work on World War II PCs ("subchasers")
Popularly known as "sub chasers", the 369 patrol craft ("PCs") launched during WW2 escorted convoys, hunted submarines, sank small craft, shot down airplanes, bombarded landing areas and ledlanding craft on to invasion beaches. None have been preserved, however,and their exploits are largely forgotten. William J. Veigele's "PatrolCraft of World War II", is an effort to rectify this oversight. The400 page hardcover volume examines every aspect of the PC, includingdesign, construction, crew training (most of the 50,000 men who served onPCs were reservists who had never been to sea), day-to-day life, exploitsand disposition. It is supplemented by 118 b&w photographs, and 30pages of excellent drawings showing every above-deck fitting. Thesedrawings, compiled from sketches made by a 19-year-old sailor servingaboard PC 541, are especially noteworthy. They provide invaluableinformation for the model builder as well as anyone curious about the nutsand bolts of these hearty vessels.

The book's description of life aboarda PC is particularly fascinating. To put it mildly, these 174' vessels (byway of comparison, Flower class corvettes were 200' in length) were"lively". They pitched and rolled with a vengeance, and seasonedsailors aboard larger ships were amazed at the fearsome battering a heavysea could inflict on a PC.

"PC 486 was escorting an Americansubmarine returning from war patrol. The sea was rough with waves toweringover the mast of the PC, which was often lost to view from men on thesubmarine. As the two vessels soared above the waves together, the Skipperon the submarine signaled to the PC, "We have an extra periscope onboard. You're welcome to use it." The two ships disappeared from eachother's views. A few minutes later they rose on the crest of waves intoeach other's views. Back flashed a reply from the Skipper of the PC,"Thank you, but we are below periscope depth."

Life for the 70man PC crew was cramped and difficult. The constant battering andseasickness wore down even experienced sailors. But the hardship bred bothcamaraderie and an absence of formality not found on larger ships.

Ihighly recommend this book both to students of the US Navy and would be PCmodelers. There is a wealth of technical information between its covers andeven a set of fold out plans. But the books most valuable legacy is the wayin which it captures the essence of life aboard these tough little ships.William Veigele can take pride in having written the definitive book aboutPCs and in doing so he has preserved their memory for future generations.

Contents

400 Pages, hardcover, 6"W x 9"L, 118 b+wphotos

Chapter Headings

1. Need for and deployment of PCs 2. Thedesign of PCs 3. The construction of PCs 4. PC crews and their training5. Life aboard a PC 6. PC exploits - General 7. PC exploits -American Theater of War 8. PC exploits - European, African, MiddleEastern Theatres

9. PC exploits - Asiatic, Pacific Theatres 10. PCCasualties 11. The naming, decommissioning and disposition of PCs 12.The Patrol Craft Sailors Association

Appendix

A: Technicalcharacteristics of the PC Class B: Thirty engineering drawings showing PCdesign details C: Sixteen shipyards building PCs D: PCs built at each ofthe 16 yards showing hull number, date keel laid, launched andcommissioned, deactivation date, disposition E: Construction programstatistics F: Rates of enlisted men aboard WWII PCs G: Decorations andawards won by PCs H: The story behind PC 1264, the first ship with an allblack crew I: PC crew casualties J: PC Sailor Association Museum

Notes:18 pages

Index: 13 pages

Drawings:PC 461 class 12.5"x20"foldout plan (1 sheet reduced from 1/48 scale. Effective scale of theincluded plan is about 1:135) showing deck levels, fittings, profile,external details. Drawn by John Tombaugh, this is plate 1 of 2. Presumablyplate 2 of 2 shows hull lines and cross sections. Both plates are availablein 1/48th scale. ... Read more

Product Description
& 40 b/w plates & 20 diagrams & 6 x 9 & Weapon-by-weapon study by a leading expert& Exposes the full extent of the Third Reich's secret weapons program& Separates fact from fictionThe sheer magnitude of the secret weapon program of the Third Reich is revealed in this comprehensive study, which covers weapons actually produced and projects still in their infancy when the war ended. The infamous V-1 and V-2 missiles that ravaged London are well known. But what of the V-3 and V-4? What of the Schmetterling, the Rchling shell, the Kurt bomb, the Hs293? What of Germany's programs for nuclear and chemical warfare? This volume examines the specific weapons on which the Germans concentrated, the difficulties they encountered, and how some concepts were subsequently exploited by the Allies. It explodes some of the myths surrounding Hitler's secret weapons to reveal a truth all the stranger for being fact.Ian V. Hogg is a respected authority on weaponry and the author of numerous books, including German Artillery of World War II and The World's Sniping Rifles. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Disappointing book: sloppy research, conjecture, poor writing, very superficial.
This book leaves a bad taste. It quickly becomes obvious that the author Ian V. Hogg took the existing body of knowledge, added a lot of conjecture and unsubstantiated "anecdotes" and mixed it together to create a "new" book that contains nothing new at all. There are countless other books on this subject all much better researched and written than this one. A good alternative for starters is Bill Yenne's book on the same topic.
Mr. Hogg gets a lot of the details wrong and even goes so far to add dozens of German spelling mistakes: a liberal sprinkling of Umlauts does make it look more German but sorry, the names are still all wrong. In the appendix alone there are so many examples of sloppy writing: it's "Panzertod" - not "Panzertodt", "Springbock" - not "Springbok", "Orchester" - not "Orchestra" and so on. Add an unprofessional style along the lines of "The Navy was somewhat smug about this super-gun, and the Army somewhat put out. And in the 1920s Army planners decided that Something Must be Done to relegate the Paris Gun to second place in the history books". Seriously? No note about the actual background of the K12 gun, what drove the decisions etc. - just quite silly speculation at a first-grade writing level. Again, the book is full of these! After a while it gets quite aggravating.
There are also major holes in this book where Mr. Hogg decided to forgo coverage: for example full-size submarines get a whopping 11 lines of text. The hydrogen-peroxide motors gets one line of text, the midget submarines another whopping page and a third. Other topics get lavish treatment and the impression at a whole is that of an unbalanced book.
Overall a missed opportunity, pass this one by, there are MUCH better options.

HISTORY IS WRITTEN BY THE VICTORS!
Don't judge a book by is cover.that is the mistake i made on Ian V.hogg book.the information on the book looked like a summary of sellected weapons of the Third riech.history is really written by the victors.i could not ignore the baised comments and lies about the third riech.As a historian one is supposed to distance himself of the demonization process and baised conclusions.their were no pictures to illustate what the weapons looked like but word problems that the reader had to solve.it is no secret that the allies exploited on german technologyand it is fair to say that 90% of all the weapons we see today are the direct desendants of hitler's top sectert weapons.it is for this reason that the weapons in the soviet,american and british arsenals resembled and one another.the author also dodges the question of germanys nuclear project.hitler did have a nuclear weapon at the end of the war and it fell into allied hands and thus both sides aquired the weapons that gave rise to the cold war.Read the book by birlin historian entitled Hitler's Bombe,getmany was the first to detonate the first atomic bomb.the author is ignorant of this or is delebrately dodging the questions.what is the big deal the war is over the soviet union is fallen and it is safe to reveal the truth right now.

Can't put it down
This book at first seems very ordinary with its monochrome blue cover and its dense text. Once you start, it's a whole different story. The book almost reads like a novel and is a real page turner. No details appear absent (at the level the book is pitched). I find this technology fascinating and enjoyed the book immensely. In short, don't judge a book by its cover, once you start reading you will find out how good this book really is. The only thing missing is more of the same !

Disapointing
Overly technical in places and light on information in others, limited illustrations and photos are very small not the authors best work, the hardcover version only has a glued spine and as such started to split almost immediately.

Awesome!!
Even the book is technical in nature I have read this book several times and it is awesome. It is amazing that the Germany's "wonder weapons" of World War II lead to today's development of inter-continental ballistic missiles and the modern air-to-ground missiles. Just imagine if the war lasted into 1946 we would be dealing with these "wonder weapons". This is a must read for history buffs!!! ... Read more

Product Description

"Forcefully and gracefully narrates Deaf people's dramatic struggle against hearing oppression in the early twentieth century. Incorporating new data from archival research and community interviews, Burch applies tools of social analysis to challenge earlier interpretations that underestimated Deaf people's success in preserving their core values. The resulting study is fascinating and important to students of American social history and disability."—John Van Cleve, Gallaudet University

Amazon.com Review
Product Description
As the country's first African American military pilots, the Tuskegee Airmen fought in World War II on two fronts: against the Axis powers in the skies over Europe and against Jim Crow racism and segregation at home. Although the pilots flew more than 15,000 sorties and destroyed more than 200 German aircraft, their most far-reaching achievement defies quantification: delivering a powerful blow to racial inequality and discrimination in American life.

Customer Reviews (3)

A Must-Read
In "Freedom Flyers," historian J. Todd Moye delivers a succinct yet nuanced study of the Tuskegee Airmen of World War II. Moye's main contribution lies in his utilization of the voluminous oral histories (more than 800) recorded by the Tuskegee Airmen Oral History Project (led by Moye from 2000-2005). While the book does chronicle the war-time exploits of African-American fighter pilots during the war, it also tells the story of the support crews who struggled to carve out a place for themselves in a segregated Air Force. Moye provides a balanced account of the Tuskegee Program, skillfully employing oral histories, newspaper accounts, and military records in his study. The result is a valuable military AND social history that accurately portrays the Tuskegee Airmen not as immaculate heroes who never lost a bomber, but courageous individuals who fought admirably for their country and in the process challenged the assumptions of black inferiority that undergirded the American Jim Crow System. Moye allows the pilots and crewmen to speak for themselves, providing agency to the brave men who previously have been lumped into a homogenized group known only as the "Tuskegee Airmen". He argues that the Tuskegee Airmen and their contributions led to the integration of the military long before the celebrated 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision and provided a working model for the Civil Rights movement that followed in the 1950's and 1960's. Moye's prose is scholarly yet accessible, and will appeal to historians as well as casual readers. Ultimately, Moye has crafted a well-rounded story of courage and patriotism in the face of racist opposition-the story of the Tuskegee Airmen.

Riveting story of an important chapter in US history
Freedom Flyers is a thoughtul and well written history of the famous Tuskegee Airmen.Moye does a wonderful job of avoiding hagiography and presents the story of these remarkable men largely in their own words. The author had remarkable access to these pioneers through his work heading up the Tuskegee Airmen oral history project -- and the results are there on the page.No matter how well you think you know this story, you will find something new in this thorough and thought-provoking book. I heartily recommend Freedom Flyers.

Pity "Freedom Flyers" is not available in Australia
Having enjoyed and admired the film "Tuskegee Airmen", I was delighted to receive an e-mail alerting me to the availability of this book on Kindle - imagine my disappointment to be told upon attempting to order it, that it is not available in Australia! Can't something be done abbout these ridiculous publishers' agreements? at the very least, don't send emails advertising a product if you know you can't supply it! ... Read more