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Race of Aces: WWII's Elite Airmen and the Epic Battle to Become the Master of the Sky Kindle Edition
In 1942, America's deadliest fighter pilot, or "ace of aces" -- the legendary Eddie Rickenbacker -- offered a bottle of bourbon to the first U.S. fighter pilot to break his record of twenty-six enemy planes shot down. Seizing on the challenge to motivate his men, General George Kenney promoted what they would come to call the "race of aces" as a way of boosting the spirits of his war-weary command.
What developed was a wild three-year sprint for fame and glory, and the chance to be called America's greatest fighter pilot. The story has never been told until now.
Based on new research and full of revelations, John Bruning's brilliant, original book tells the story of how five American pilots contended for personal glory in the Pacific while leading Kenney's resurgent air force against the most formidable enemy America ever faced.
The pilots -- Richard Bong, Tommy McGuire, Neel Kearby, Charles MacDonald and Gerald Johnson -- riveted the nation as they contended for Rickenbacker's crown. As their scores mounted, they transformed themselves from farm boys and aspiring dentists into artists of the modern dogfight.
But as the race reached its climax, some of the pilots began to see how the spotlight warped their sense of duty. They emerged as leaders, beloved by their men as they chose selfless devotion over national accolades.
Teeming with action all across the vast Pacific theater, Race of Aces is a fascinating exploration of the boundary between honorable duty, personal glory, and the complex landscape of the human heart.
"Brings you into the cockpit of the lethal, fast-paced world of fighter pilots . . . Fascinating." -- Sara Vladic"Extraordinary . . . a must-read." -- US Navy Captain Dan Pedersen"A heart-pounding narrative of the courage, sacrifice, and tragedy of America's elite fighter pilots." -- James M. Scott"Vivid and gripping . . . Confirms Bruning's status as the premier war historian of the air." -- Saul David
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherGrand Central Publishing
- Publication dateJanuary 14, 2020
- File size32.6 MB
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Editorial Reviews
Review
Race of Aces brings you into the cockpit of the lethal, fast-paced world of fighter pilots as they strive to achieve ace-level status...Bruning's unique and intimate look at the struggles of these men to balance honor, duty to country, and their pursuit to be the best makes this account even more fascinating. This is a book you can't put down, and a story you will reflect upon long after turning the last page.-- "Sara Vladic, New York Times bestselling coauthor of Indianapolis"
A heart-pounding narrative of the courage, sacrifice, and tragedy of America's elite fighter pilots during World War II. With a cockpit view of the fight, readers will hear the roar of the engines, feel the surge of adrenaline, and wrestle with the exhaustion that gripped these aviators in the marathon battle to become America's top fighter pilot.-- "James M. Scott, Pulitzer Prize finalist and bestselling author of Target Tokyo and Rampage"
The riveting and emotional story of five American fighter pilots caught up in a deadly competition to claim the title of our nation's Ace of Aces, this book is so powerfully written that you can almost smell the engine exhaust and feel the G-forces in those furious dogfights. Race of Aces is quite simply is one of the best books ever written on World War II and cements Bruning's place as one of our generation's best combat historians.-- "David Bellavia, Medal of Honor Recipient and author of House to House: A Soldier's Memoir"
"Extraordinary. Wear your G suit and hang on--this must-read will become a classic."
-- "Dan Pedersen, Founder of the Topgun program and bestselling author of Topgun: An American Story"In Race of Aces, John R. Bruning brilliantly recreates the excitement and terror of one of the greatest untold stories of World War II: the nerve-shredding three-year contest to become America's deadliest fighter pilot. Exhaustively researched and expertly written -- with dogfights as vivid and gripping as any I've read -- the book confirms Bruning's status as the premier war historian of the air.-- "Saul David, author of The Force and Operation Thunderbolt"
"Satisfying...Combat aviation buffs will enjoy Bruning's explorations of a little-known history."
-- "Kirkus Reviews"From the opening pages, Bruning grabs you by the collar and pulls you into the story, not letting go as he masterfully guides you through a part of World War II that is largely unknown. This is the work of a skilled wordsmith who knows how to tell a story.-- "Gregory A. Freeman, bestselling author of The Forgotten 500"
Set against the sprawling and violent Pacific War, Indestructible is the incredible story of one man's courage, tenacity, and dogged fight to rescue his family caught behind enemy lines. The book left me with chills.-- "James M. Scott, bestselling author of Target Tokyo: James Doolittle and the Raid that Avenged Pearl Harbor"
This is a beautifully told story of a faimly separated by war, and of an extraordinary father, driven to avenge his family, who by sheer force of character changed the nature of warfare. A superbly told tale of love, honor, courage, and devotion.-- "Alex Kershaw, New York Times bestselling author of Avenue of Spies"
Here is a true story with something for everyone. Love, war, treachery, adventure, and above all an intimate portrait of the made-for-Hollywood life of a man who broke all the rules and remade them to his liking...Bruning shows us a big-hearted man determined to save his family -- and a brilliant scientist-pilot who was determined to win the war along the way.-- "Adam Makos, New York Times bestselling author of A Higher Call and Devotion"
This thriller-like narrative not only reveals the disturbing plight of courageous American families held in Japanese interment camps, but also delivers a gripping portrait of a uniquely American hero, Pappy Gunn, who fought two wars -- one for his country and one to rescue his wife and children.-- "James Bradley, New York Times bestselling author of Flags of Our Fathers, Flyboys, The Imperial Cruise, and The China Mirage"
Satisfying...Combat aviation buffs will enjoy Bruning's explorations of a little-known history.-- "Kirkus Reviews"
About the Author
John R. Bruning is the author or coauthor of more than a dozen nonfiction books, including the critically acclaimed Shadow of the Sword and House to House. He lives in Oregon with his wife and two children.
Product details
- ASIN : B07RGJPJXY
- Publisher : Grand Central Publishing; Illustrated edition (January 14, 2020)
- Publication date : January 14, 2020
- Language : English
- File size : 32.6 MB
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Print length : 554 pages
- Page numbers source ISBN : 0316508632
- Best Sellers Rank: #483,308 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #318 in Military Aviation History (Kindle Store)
- #1,184 in WWII Biographies
- #1,233 in Military & Spies Biographies
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
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John R. Bruning's latest book, "Race of Aces: WWII's Elite Airmen and the Epic Battle to Become the Master of the Sky" will be published by Hachette Book Group this January 14th. It chronicles the extraordinary story of five fighter pilots who competed furiously in the national spotlight to become America's ace of aces during World War II.
John is the collaborating writer or author of twenty-two non-fiction books, including four New York Times best sellers. A graduate of the University of Oregon, John was given a Department of Defense's Thomas Jefferson Award for best article by a photojournalist in 2010 after he wrote about a forced landing in the Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan. He was embedded with 2-162 Infantry, Oregon National Guard during the stability and support operation in New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in September 2005.
John lives in Independence, Oregon with his two kids, a couch-eating Jordanian dog and a cat who enjoys swimming, hiking in the Cascades, and bossing everyone around.
John can be found at Instagram at:
https://www.instagram.com/john_r_bruning/
and
https://www.instagram.com/sylvie_the_caninecat/?hl=en
and writes about great Americans here:
https://theamericanwarrior.com/
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book well-researched and informative. They enjoy the compelling narrative and personal accounts of WWII. The pacing is described as fast and engaging, keeping readers hooked until the end. Readers appreciate the exploration of the pilots' unique personalities and the personal exploration of their lives.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers appreciate the book's depth of information. They find it well-researched and detailed, with interesting facts and stories about Charles. The book is described as informative and revealing.
"...My feel and recollections of other books, is that this is very well researched and highly accurate...." Read more
"The level of detail is extraordinary! John writes in a clear and concise voice that is a pleasure to read." Read more
"...I greatly enjoyed this great book. Thoroughly researched, Bruning brings the aerial action in the South Pacific to life...." Read more
"Overall, this was a very interesting book. Very well written and researched...." Read more
Customers enjoy the narrative quality of the book. They find the story engaging with many characters and interesting facts about WWII. Readers appreciate the personal accounts and first-person stories, finding the combat stories exciting and gripping. The book provides a detailed account of air war in the Pacific, with portraits of American aces. Overall, it's described as one of the finest accounts of air combat and theater history.
"...This has to be one of the finest accounts of air combat and theater history I’ve ever read...." Read more
"Detailed account of the air war in the Pacific, the portraits of the American aces was compelling while depicting the difficult conditions they had..." Read more
"...This book is much more like historical fiction. Seems to me they had good story but to needed to add lots of fluff to make book length." Read more
"...It contains numerous interesting stories about the competition to become the top ace and the numerous issues that these pilots faced...." Read more
Customers find the book has an engaging and fast-paced pacing that keeps their attention. They describe it as gripping and enjoyable.
"...This is a long read, but never stale, slow or boring. Bruning is an excellent story teller and I only wish he would write more often...." Read more
"...the air war in the Pacific, the portraits of the American aces was compelling while depicting the difficult conditions they had to endure...." Read more
"The life of fighter pilots in the Pacific theater in World War 2 is a fast and furious read...." Read more
"...than a half-century, this particular book caught both my eye and rapt attention...." Read more
Customers find the book provides an interesting look into the personalities of the pilots and their commanders. They appreciate the detailed story of true heroes in the air, the tales of the aces' personalities, and the details about character descriptions and aerial fighting. The author does a good job humanizing the pilots and providing interesting details.
"...This is a personal exploration of the men and rivalry to become the land based top gun of the SW Pacific, and for some aces, theirs loves back home,..." Read more
"...I've read a lot about WWII but this book provided new insight into the pilots and their lives" Read more
"...with Bong and Johnson being a bit more detailed, and gives background on their upbringing, personalities, families, training and how they ended up..." Read more
"...what drove them, their fears, their joys, their passions, their unique personalities...." Read more
Reviews with images
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THE "RACE OF ACES" - THE TRIUMPHS & TRAGEDIES
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on June 20, 2023When one thinks of the many fighter aces of WW2, one tends to think of the glory these pilots attained while shooting down Japs and Nazis. While there was certainly some of that, the truth is that the life of a fighter pilot in WW2 was pretty short, and for a lot of different reasons, such as the inherent danger in the sky, the fear of being shot down and captured, the often horrid living conditions on the ground, and the stupid politics involved. This book primarily concerns aces in the Pacific theater of operations as a number of them, such as Dick Bong, Tommy McGuire, Neel Kearby, Charles MacDonald and Gerald Johnson fight each other and their military commands while trying their best to be the ace of aces. The book spends time with each of the many extremely talented aces who are vying for the title and all of the personal and professional BS (and media attention) they had to endure during the war. Most of these guys were your typically American boys before the war and they had to grow up fast in order to make it back home. And some of them didn't.
I'm a big history buff and have read a lot of other books about these guys over the years, but this one will tear your emotions in a lot of different directions.
- Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2020When I was in high school back in the early 80's, I read Steve Birdsall's excellent book on the 5th Air Force, "Flying Buccaneers", and fell in love with the great race by several pilots to become the highest-scoring American ace of World War II. In the following years, I read stories about Richard Bong, Thomas McGuire, Neel Kearby, Gerald Johnson and Charles MacDonald in various other books, but never knew how much the desire to be Number One consumed some of them...until now.
John Bruning has written a fantastic book about these five men (albeit with a bit more emphasis on Bong and Johnson) and how the competition to first surpass Eddie Rickenbacker's World War I victory total of 26, and then be the highest scoring American of World War II, consumed some of them and became a major story in newspapers across the United States. Most of the previous books I'd read about these pilots focused more on the facts about their numbers of victories and had virtually nothing about the more human sides of all of them. Bruning looks at each one in detail, with Bong and Johnson being a bit more detailed, and gives background on their upbringing, personalities, families, training and how they ended up competing against one another in the skies over New Guinea and the Philippines. For Bong and Johnson there is much detail about their early flight training and their love of the special women waiting back home for them in the U.S.
From the early days of flying P-39 and P-40 fighters to the later days of P-47 and P-38 supremacy, this book focuses mainly on a few fighter groups and squadrons, and is a bit of a love letter to the P-38 Lightning. Since the P-38 was the plane which four of the five pilots profiled flew the majority of the time, it's story is an integral part of their stories as well. The P-38 was my father's favorite plane from World War II and this made the book a bit more special to me.
Unfortunately, this book doesn't have a happy ending for four of the five pilots, something which they all deserved and which they fought so hard to achieve. Bruning's book is a wonderful tribute to these five heroes (and several others) and belongs in the library of anyone interested in the 5th Air Force, American aces and/or the war in the Southwest Pacific. Truly an excellent read.
- Reviewed in the United States on July 15, 2020Overall, this was a very interesting book. Very well written and researched. My only complaint is that I bought the book to learn more about this awesome period of our history; I’m not interested in multiple pages about their first kiss, love life, etc. I realize some authors feel compelled to do this to humanize their subjects but there is no need. I just skim through those pages. I don’t care about anyones first kiss. Its the same with every teenager.
- Reviewed in the United States on February 24, 2020The first two books I recall reading as a young military brat were Fighter Pilots of WWII and the story of Chennault’s Flying Tigers. Since, I’ve probably read nearly 500 books about mostly WWII and every other American war, most in the last 10 years. This has to be one of the finest accounts of air combat and theater history I’ve ever read. I’m not a historian and there’s no real way short of being one to gauge the accuracy of the details in the story. My feel and recollections of other books, is that this is very well researched and highly accurate. The men are cast from a mold long since thrown away. These twenty somethings were amazing, courage, stamina, skills, patriotism and ultimately sacrifice, like no other generation. I’ll add that my father probably watched some of these air battles from the jungles, swamps and beaches below as an Army grunt taking it to the Japanese on the ground in that hell hole of a battlefield, New Guinea and surrounding islands. He and everyone there were truly the Greatest Generation. This is a long read, but never stale, slow or boring. Bruning is an excellent story teller and I only wish he would write more often. This is a personal exploration of the men and rivalry to become the land based top gun of the SW Pacific, and for some aces, theirs loves back home, the trappings of their fame, the tragedies and their ultimate trajectory after the war. I’m only struck by one omission, the spirituality of these men. It’s controversial, but so is love, death and morality in war, all addressed in this book. I would have like to know what kept these men not just driven but gave them hope, inspiration, and what were their views of a very possible early death. Regardless, I can’t recommend Race of Aces enough.
Top reviews from other countries
- DOG LOVERReviewed in the United Kingdom on April 9, 2023
1.0 out of 5 stars WW2 SAGA USA
Waste of money
- Avi8torReviewed in Canada on August 6, 2020
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read ....but
Yes a very worth while read. Gross facts are correct but many fine details ( which make it read like a fictional novel) are inserted. If your OK with that you will enjoy this book.
- Leonard Raymond BoxReviewed in Australia on March 30, 2021
5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyed this book very much
A lot of information on how Americans defeated the Japanese in the air on Australia’s doorstep, hard book to put down
- Amazon CustomerReviewed in Canada on January 16, 2021
5.0 out of 5 stars Just started reading -
Just started reading - big book. So far so good... Great detail almost to much detail in the war...
- C. SaundersReviewed in Canada on February 27, 2020
3.0 out of 5 stars A Tedious Read
It’s not often I find a history book I can’t read, but this is one of them. Far too many pages devoted to love stories and irrelevant minutia. There might be a good book in here after some significant editing.