US Marine Corps Fighter Squadrons of World War II (General Aviation) Hardcover – May 20, 2014

Barrett Tillman has long been acknowledged as one of the foremost authors on USMC aviation during World War II, and his latest book shows why. Beginning with brief summaries of the aircraft and armaments used, Tillman's vast expertise and knowledge shine brightly. Clearly, this is a man who knows his aircraft. This is followed by an overview of the aerial campaigns fought by the Marines during the war. There's a fair amount of detail here, with lots of anecdotes about aces and various air battles. Next up is a short history of each Marine fighter squadron deployed during the war, even those which saw little or no action. Once again there are many anecdotes interspersed with the unit histories, along with details about leading scorers, commanding officers, areas of deployment and any post-war action.The Marines used the honor system for victory claims, and this has created a fair amount of controversy. The discussion of Boyington v. Foss as the top ace is presented here, and there is discussion about the claims made by a few other aces. Biographies of each Marine double ace (10 or more confirmed victories) are listed, and there are biographies of a few other notable Marine aviators. Nine Marine fighter pilots won the Medal of Honor, and each of their citations is given. There's a chapter on the combat strategies and tactics of Gregory Boyington which shows he wasn't just a boozing, brawling pilot but actually a student of art of war. A wartime interview with Joseph Foss concludes the book.Now, when you have a topic like this you need a fair amount of photos to augment the text and this is one of the highlights of the book. There are 201 illustrations, and if you're a fan of the F4U Corsair (like I am) you will be very pleased. There are photos of many of the aces as well as the unit patches for each squadron. Truly a wealth of photos! For those of you who like charts and numbers, there are various appendices showing the top scoring units and pilots, as well as a complete listing of each Marine ace and the deployment times and places of the Marine squadrons.While this book might not have all the detail about the Marines' aerial exploits during the war, it's a well-researched and well-written chronicle which should satisfy any aviation enthusiast. Well done once again Barrett Tillman!

Mr Tillman has written many excellent books on aviation, particularly on naval aviation. His most recent book voids an important void, and is a reference book on US Marine fighter squadrons, as well as aircraft, armament key personnel and their aces.He starts with an overview of the fighter aircraft used by the corps, followed by armament and then covers an overview of USMC fighter aviation during the war. Throughout the overview he covers top leaders and the performance of certain aces and squadrons. The overview section is almost a short book by itself, and would be an excellent stand alone summary.Tillman follows his overview with a series of individual squadron histories covering start dates, Commanding Officers, aircraft flown, number of aces and victories obtained, as well as engagements fought. Immediately following this section, his includes biographies of a number of aces. Every Marine aviator's citation who obtained the CMOH follows.As is traditional in many of Tillman's articles and books, he addresses who is the real top ace and why, and then covers the tactics and strategies of Boyington and an interview with Joe Foss.His plates are complete with a wide variety of pictures and aircraft and personnel. In a nice touch, he has included patches from the individual squadrons and 24 appendices covering a wide range of topics.Mr. Tillman's range of knowledge is fully on show here, and his research is very complete, and makes full use of sources such as Dr Olynyk's victories analysis and sources covering over 50 years.

Barrett Tillman has spent a good deal of his time writing about American fighter aircraft and those in the Naval services during WWII in particular. His recently released effort covers U.S. Marine fighter (VMF) units during the conflict and he's hit this one out of the park. Tillman's work is a remarkable in both quality and quantity of information and covers about every angle imaginable, including aircraft, armament, tactics and the men themselves. An overview of chronological operations is followed by a listing of every VMF in the war. As for the men- here the author's passion shines as for several decades he has been able to interview many of the aces. His work in this regard is tremendous. He includes an insightful chapter on why he believes Joe Foss, and not "Pappy" Boyington, should be regarded as the Corp's all time leading ace. Photographs are numerous and reproduced well; there is also a mind-bending number of appendices on the subject. The only thing lacking from this work is a map. Highly recommended; I can't see this effort being exceeded any time soon.

This is an interesting history that is often ignored. The Marine fighter squadrons played a huge role in the Solomon Islands campaign, and we kind of sweep them into the Navy air war. This book is detailed and interesting in telling their vital story. The book does not read like a novel, and as it is a history of the fighter squadrons, it does break into a listing squadron by squadron which gets occasionally tedious. The squadrons that had little or no action still get listed with all of their commanding officers and the like. This is not to belittle their contribution to the war effort, but merely to say that it is more interesting to read about squadrons that actually participated in combat.

A very useful reference to USMC Fighter assets deployed in WW2 during the Pacific campaign. My only whinge (and it IS a whinge) is why did the author not (it appears) deal with the bomber forces in the same volume? I appreciate that this would have been a larger tomb, but as such it would have been close to definitive in my view.As I personally have zero interest in the logs of aircrew, ace tables (which are inevitably filled with the best overclaimers) and such, I will not mark the book down for them! They are not my sphere of interest. In terms of where, with what and how the USMC fighter assets got into combat, this book is a crucial resource, and as it is generally well written it deserves ample praise.

"Hi, Dear U.S. Marine Corps Fans,Here is a Reference book with a lot of details on the tactics of the operations conducted by these Prestigious Units, in decisive battles for the reconquest of the Pacific islands.Also included, the emblems of the fighting Squadrons and maps.Enjoy your reading!..."

I have always valued Barrett Tillman's Corsair The F4U in World War II and Korea book, published already in 1979, as the very best book of Corsair aircraft. Now, without doubt, Barrett Tillman has written the very best book of USMC Fighter Squadrons of World War II. Barrett Tillman is certainly a well-known aviation historian and award-winning author. He has written a number of bestselling historical aviation books, e.g. The Dauntless Dive Bomber of World War II, Hellcat: The F6F in World War II and Clash of the Carriers to name a few. Barrett Tillman's US Marine Corps Fighter Squadrons of World War II book is solely devoted to "Flying Leathernecks in WW II" and therefore honors the proud heritage of the US Marine Corps aviation, which recently celebrated its centennial in 2012.US Marine Corps Fighter Squadrons of World War II book is published by Osprey Publishing and printed on recyclable high quality matt paper in 24 cm x 16 cm format, which is very easy to read. It has total of 272 pages, 160 great black/white and color photographs plus 21 squadron color emblems printed on high quality glossy photo-paper. The book was published earlier during this year, in May 2014 in Great Britain, (First Edition, ISBN: 978 1 78200 410 3) and hence it is a very recent and new publication. I'm positive that there will be a number of further editions being published of this great book in the future.During the last 100 years "Flying Leathernecks" have made their mark in both World Wars, Korea, Vietnam and more recently throughout the global war on terrorism, however it was during World War II that they captured the hearts and minds of the public with their daring actions. In his book, Barrett Tillman delivers factual accounts from the best known "Flying Leathernecks" such as Joe Foss, Marion Carl, Ken Walsh, Jeff DeBlanc, Jim Swett, Greg Boyington, John Smith and so on. Barrett Tillman superbly combines expert research into the history and organization of the Marine Fighter Squadrons with dramatic accounts of deadly dogfights in the Pacific that helped to lead the US to victory against the mighty Japanese Empire. In a way, Barrett Tillman's book remains me of the classic movie "Flying Leathernecks" (1951) starring John Wayne, the movie that immortalized the USMC pilots fighting in the skies over Guadalcanal and the Solomons. US Marine Corps Fighter Squadrons of World War II book covers all Marine fighter types flown from Brewster Buffalo to Grumman Tigercat; naturally F4U Corsair is spotlighted since it remains the iconic USMC aircraft without challengers.Breaking down the detailed contents of the book briefly:- Prologue- The Fighters- Armament- US Marine Corps Fighter Aviation in World War II- An Overview- US Marine Corps Fighter Squadrons Deployed During World War II- Biographies- Medal of Honor Citations- Who is the Leading Marine Ace?- The Combat Strategy and Tactics of Maj Gregory Boyington- Wartime Interview with Capt J.J. Foss- List of IllustrationsAppendixes (numbered - altogether 24 + Selected Sources & Index)1 Top 20 US Marine Corps Fighting Squadrons2 Top Squadrons by Aircraft3 US Marine Corps Medal of Honor Fighter Pilots4 The Aces5 Aces per Squadron6 US Marine Double Aces7 First 25 US Marine Corps Aces8 Leading US Marine Corps Aces9 US Marine Corps Aces in a Day10 Carrier Fighter Squadron Victory Totals11 Top-Scoring US Marine Corps Carrier Pilots12 US Marine Corps Aces who Died in World War II13 Aces by Aircraft Type14 Leading US Marine Corps Pilots by Aircraft Type15 US Marine Corps Night Fighter Squadron Scores16 Top US Marine Corps Night Fighter Pilots17 Highest Daily Fighter Claims18 Highest Squadron Daily Claims19 Miscellany20 US Marine Corps Fighter Squadrons deployed during World War II (six month intervals)21 Deployed US Marine Corps Fighter Squadrons of World War II22 Non-Deployed US Marine Corps Fighter Squadrons of World War II23 Current US Marine Corps Fighter and Attack Squadrons with World War II Heritage24 Selected World War II Aviation Airfields- Selected Sources- IndexUS Marine Corps Fighter Squadrons of World War II book is another literary masterpiece by Barrett Tillman and it serves as an excellent reference for historians, aviation buffs and model builders alike. All in all, like John Stanaway's Possum, Clover & Hades: The 475th Fighter Group in World War II book, Barrett Tillman's US Marine Corps Fighter Squadrons of World War II book seems to be a real labor of love work and an extremely enjoyable reading.I'm also quite positive that this masterpiece of the USMC Fighter Squadrons of World War II will become a highly sought after book in the future.Highly recommended!

Good for Unit numbers only (nothing else)

タイトル通りWW2期における米海兵隊の戦闘飛行中隊について扱った著作である。開戦時は4個中隊戦闘機71機でスタートした米海兵戦闘飛行中隊(VMF)は、終戦時には75個の戦闘飛行中隊を装備するまでに成長した。装備機も開戦時のF4F-3、F2A-3から、終戦時はF4U-1D/4、FG-1/1A/1D、F6F-3/3N/5/5N、そして最新型のF7Fを装備するに至った。本書は、米海兵戦闘飛行中隊の活躍を追ったノンフィクションである。本書は米海兵戦闘飛行中隊が装備した機材、火器についての解説からはじまって、海兵戦闘飛行中隊の戦いぶりや中隊別の活躍、エースパイロット列伝と続く。珍しい所では、グレゴリー・ボイントン少佐(22機撃墜)の戦術指南、ジョセフ・J・フォス大尉(26機撃墜)のインタビュー記事等が描かれている。また米国製戦記の常として、付録が豊富であり、本書も飛行中隊別撃墜数リスト、パイロット別の撃墜リストは勿論、珍しい所では開戦から終戦まで海外展開した米海兵戦闘飛行中隊の一覧表と、さらに中隊別、機種別の保有機数一覧表等がある。英文も平易で読みやすく、比較的短時間で読める。その上資料性も高く、米海兵戦闘飛行中隊について調べ物をする際に最適の著作といえる。シンプルながら価値の高い作品であり、太平洋海空戦に興味のある向きには必読の著作と言えよう。個人的には、同じスタイルで米海軍戦闘飛行中隊、米海兵隊爆撃/雷撃飛行中隊、米海軍爆撃/雷撃飛行中隊、さらには米陸軍等のも範囲を広げて発表してもらいたいと思う。