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What defended the U.S. after the attack on Pearl Harbor, defeated the Soviet Union in the Cold War, and is an essential tool in the fight against terror? Aircraft Carriers. For seventy years, these ships remained a little understood cornerstone of American power. In his latest book, On Wave and Wing , Barrett Tillman sheds light on the history of these floating leviathans and offers a nuanced analysis of the largest man-made vessel in the history of the world.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

• Up from the desert: November 1943-January 1944
• The winter war: January-March 1944
• Italian spring: March-June 1944
• East to Ploesti: April-June 1944
• Mediterranean summer: July-September 1944
• Other players: 1944-1945
• Air supremacy: September-December 1944
• Mission accomplished: January-May 1945
• Legacy: May 1945 and beyond.

November 1943--May 1945--The U.S. Army Air Forces waged an unprecedentedly dogged and violent campaign against Hitler's vital oil production and industrial plants on the Third Reich's southern flank. Flying from southern Italy, far from the limelight enjoyed by the Eighth Air Force in England, the Fifteenth Air Force engaged in high-risk missions spanning most of the European continent. The story of the Fifteenth Air Force deserves a prideful place in the annals of American gallantry. In his new book, Forgotten Fifteenth: The Daring Airmen Who Crippled Hitler's War Machine, Tillman brings into focus a seldom-seen multinational cast of characters, including pilots from Axis nations Romania, Hungary, and Bulgaria and many more remarkable individuals. They were the first generation of fliers--few of them professionals--to conduct a strategic bombing campaign against a major industrial nation. They suffered steady attrition and occasionally spectacular losses. In so doing, they contributed to the end of the most destructive war in history. Forgotten Fifteenth is the first-ever detailed account of the Fifteenth Air Force in World War II and the brave men that the history books have abandoned until now. Tillman proves this book is a must-read for military history enthusiasts, veterans, and current servicemen.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

• Foreword; Preface;
• 1. Vought's Star Is Born;
• 2. Joining the Fleet;
• 3. Speedster;
• 4. F-8 Armament;
• 5. The Vietnam Years;
• 6. MiG Encounters;
• 7. The Crusader Goes International; Appendix A: The Other Crusader; Appendix B: Crusader Designations; Appendix C: Specifications; Appendix D: Vietnam Cruises by F-8 Squadrons; Appendix E: Crusader MiG Kills; Appendix F: Glossary; Appendix G: Other U.S. Aircraft; Sources and Acknowledgments; Notes; Bibliography; Index.

For professional aviators and aviation buffs alike, this biography brings to life the legendary aircraft that scored the highest kill ratio of any U.S. fighter aircraft in the Vietnam War. The book is filled with authentic recreations of Crusader-MiG fights and vivid descriptions of the people and events that are part of the F-8 story. As the Navy's first supersonic aircraft, the Crusader holds an honored spot in carrier flying. Tillman recalls the years of frustration and experimentation spent in refining the aircraft and its gunnery system, and then takes the reader through key actions in Vietnam where seasoned pilots handled their"rambunctious steeds" with scarcely a glance in the cockpit.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

• Prologue: Kearny, New Jersey, 1958
• "I have done the state some service" (1938-1941)
• "Keep cool, keep your heads, and fight" (December 1941-May 1942)
• "Revenge, sweet revenge" (June 1942)
• "We didn't know a damned thing" (August 1942)
• "A fighting chance" (October 1942)
• "The most exciting part of your day" (November 1942-January 1943)
• "A long and teedjus journey" (February-December 1943)
• "If any of them lived it wasn't our fault" (January-June 1944)
• "Vector two seven zero" (June-July 1944)
• "Only human" (August-December 1944)
• "Live with great enthusiasm" (January-May 1945)
• "The Enterprise has a soul" (1945-1958).

Largely responsible for crushing Japanese airpower wherever the American fast carrier force sailed, the Grumman F6F Hellcat was considered the most important Allied aircraft in the Pacific during 1943 and 1944. Designed for speed, range, and climb to compete with Japan's exceptional Mitsubishi A6M Zero, it succeeded not only in engaging the "Zeke" on equal terms but also in dictating the rules of combat. Fighters in every sense of the word, the Hellcats were credited with destroying more than five thousand Japanese aircraft, gaining outright air supremacy over the invasion beaches, and helping ensure Allied amphibious victories in the Central Pacific. Aviation historian Barrett Tillman presents the full story of the fighter plane--the men who built and tested it, the squadrons that flew it, and the heroes it created. Heavily illustrated with photographs from the pilots' own collections, this spirited, carefully documented operational history is an absolute must for anyone interested in aviation history. It is now available for the first time in paperback.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

• Before the beginning
• China skies
• From the South
• From the sea
• Fire storm
• Pacific ponies
• The Harbor war
• "A most cruel bomb"
• Legacy.

WHIRLWIND is the first book to tell the complete, awe-inspiring story of the Allied air war against Japan--the most important strategic bombing campaign inhistory. From the audacious Doolittle raid in 1942 to the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, award-winning historian Barrett Tillman recounts the saga from the perspectives of American and British aircrews who flew unprecedented missions overthousands of miles of ocean, as well as of the generalsand admirals who commanded them.Whether describing the experiences of bomber crews based in China or the Marianas, fighter pilotson Iwo Jima, or carrier aviators at sea, Tillman provides vivid details of the lives of the fliers and their support personnel. "Whirlwind" takes readers into the cockpits and gun turrets of the mighty B-29 Superfortress, the largest bomber built up to that time. Tillman dramatically re-creates the sweep of wartime emotions that crews endured on fifteen-hour missions, grappling with the extreme tedium of cramped spaces and with adrenaline spikes in flak-studded skies, knowing that a bailout would put them at the mercy of a merciless enemy or an unforgiving sea.A major character is the controversial and brilliant General Curtis LeMay, who rewrote strategic bombing tactics. His command's fire-bombing missions incinerated fully half of Tokyo and many other cities, crippling Japan's industry while still failing to force surrender."Whirlwind" examines the immense logistics and construction efforts necessary to support Superfortresses in Asia and the Mariana Islands, as well as the tireless efforts of engineers to build huge air bases from scratch.It also describes the unheralded missions that American bomber crews flew from the Aleutian Islands to Japan's northernmost Kuril Islands.Never has the Japanese side of the story been so thoroughly examined. If Washington, D.C., represented a "second front" in Army-Navy rivalry, the situation in Tokyo approached a full-contact sport. Tillman's description of Japan's willfully inadequate approach to civil defense is eye-opening. Similarly, he examines the mind-set in Tokyo's war cabinet, which ignored the atomic destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, requiring the emperor's personal intervention to avert a ghastly Allied invasion.Tillman shows how, despite the Allies' ultimate success, mistakes and shortsighted policies made victory more costly in lives and effort. He faults the lack of a unified command for allowing the Army Air Forces and the Navy to pursue parochial goals at the expense of the larger mission, and he questions the premature commitment of the enormously sophisticated B-29 to the most primitive theater in India and China."Whirlwind" is one of the last histories of World War II written with the contribution of men who fought in it.With unexcelled macro- and microperspectives, "Whirlwind" is destined to become a standard reference on the war, on multiservice operations, and on the human capacity for individual heroism and national folly.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)
Whirlwind is the first book to tell the complete, awe-inspiring story of the Allied air war against Japan-the most important strategic bombing campaign in history. From the audacious Doolittle raid in 1942 to the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In 1945, award-winning historian Barrett Tillman recounts the saga from the perspectives of American and British aircrews who flew unprecedented missions over thousands of miles of ocean, as well as of the generals and admirals who commanded them. Whirlwind is one of the last histories of World War II written with the contribution of men who fought in it. With unexcelled macro- and micro-perspectives, standing as a reference on the war, on multi-service operations, and on the human capacity for individual heroism and national folly.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

• Before the beginning
• China skies
• From the South
• From the sea
• Firestorm
• Pacific ponies
• The Harbor war
• "A most cruel bomb"
• Legacy.

WHIRLWIND is the first book to tell the complete, awe-inspiring story of the Allied air war against Japan--the most important strategic bombing campaign inhistory. From the audacious Doolittle raid in 1942 to the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, award-winning historian Barrett Tillman recounts the saga from the perspectives of American and British aircrews who flew unprecedented missions overthousands of miles of ocean, as well as of the generalsand admirals who commanded them.Whether describing the experiences of bomber crews based in China or the Marianas, fighter pilotson Iwo Jima, or carrier aviators at sea, Tillman provides vivid details of the lives of the fliers and their support personnel. "Whirlwind" takes readers into the cockpits and gun turrets of the mighty B-29 Superfortress, the largest bomber built up to that time. Tillman dramatically re-creates the sweep of wartime emotions that crews endured on fifteen-hour missions, grappling with the extreme tedium of cramped spaces and with adrenaline spikes in flak-studded skies, knowing that a bailout would put them at the mercy of a merciless enemy or an unforgiving sea.A major character is the controversial and brilliant General Curtis LeMay, who rewrote strategic bombing tactics. His command's fire-bombing missions incinerated fully half of Tokyo and many other cities, crippling Japan's industry while still failing to force surrender."Whirlwind" examines the immense logistics and construction efforts necessary to support Superfortresses in Asia and the Mariana Islands, as well as the tireless efforts of engineers to build huge air bases from scratch.It also describes the unheralded missions that American bomber crews flew from the Aleutian Islands to Japan's northernmost Kuril Islands.Never has the Japanese side of the story been so thoroughly examined. If Washington, D.C., represented a "second front" in Army-Navy rivalry, the situation in Tokyo approached a full-contact sport. Tillman's description of Japan's willfully inadequate approach to civil defense is eye-opening. Similarly, he examines the mind-set in Tokyo's war cabinet, which ignored the atomic destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, requiring the emperor's personal intervention to avert a ghastly Allied invasion.Tillman shows how, despite the Allies' ultimate success, mistakes and shortsighted policies made victory more costly in lives and effort. He faults the lack of a unified command for allowing the Army Air Forces and the Navy to pursue parochial goals at the expense of the larger mission, and he questions the premature commitment of the enormously sophisticated B-29 to the most primitive theater in India and China."Whirlwind" is one of the last histories of World War II written with the contribution of men who fought in it.With unexcelled macro- and microperspectives, "Whirlwind" is destined to become a standard reference on the war, on multiservice operations, and on the human capacity for individual heroism and national folly.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)
Whirlwind is the first book to tell the complete, awe-inspiring story of the Allied air war against Japan-the most important strategic bombing campaign in history. From the audacious Doolittle raid in 1942 to the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In 1945, award-winning historian Barrett Tillman recounts the saga from the perspectives of American and British aircrews who flew unprecedented missions over thousands of miles of ocean, as well as of the generals and admirals who commanded them. Whirlwind is one of the last histories of World War II written with the contribution of men who fought in it. With unexcelled macro- and micro-perspectives, standing as a reference on the war, on multi-service operations, and on the human capacity for individual heroism and national folly.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

• Birth of the Dauntless
• Into combat
• Coral Sea
• Midway
• Guadalcanal
• Eastern Solomons
• Santa Cruz
• Other ocean
• Pacific offensive
• Last battle
• Surviving Dauntlesses
• Dauntless specifications.

`Written in Tillman's highly readable style and profusely illustrated with photographs, this book should be in every collection of World War II literature.' - Naval Aviation News `The Dauntless story is a thrilling account about the planes and pilots who flew into history.'- Portland Magazine `A must for aviation buffs.'- Tacoma News Tribune *Widely acclaimed account of the famous Dauntless dive bombers of WWII and the men that flew them *Available in paperback for the first time *Filled with fascinating photographs Popularly known as the Douglas Dauntless, the US Navy's SBD dive bomber was well named. Though considered obsolete at the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Dauntless turned the tide of war in the Pacific with the destruction of four Japanese carriers at the Battle of Midway, making its mark in aviation history for sinking more enemy carriers than any other aircraft. Still in service at the war's end, it was the only US carrier aircraft in operation from Pearl Harbor to V-J Day and the only one to fly in all five of the naval engagements fought exclusively by aircraft carriers. It was also credited with sinking the first Japanese fleet submarine and dropping the first bombs on Japanese-occupied soil during the war. In the Atlantic, the SBD sunk Vichy French shipping at Casablanca and German vessels in Scandinavian waters. In this gripping book Barrett Tillman provides authoritative accounts of all these missions. At the same time he tells the rousing story of the men who took the`slow but deadly' Dauntless into combat, loving her for her ruggedness and dependability while wishing for more speed and firepower. Among the tales he recalls is that of the pilot who single-handedly almost knocked out a Japanese carrier and died in the process, and that of the SBD squadron that flew unexpectedly into the Pearl Harbor attack. Widely acclaimed when it was it was first published in 1976 it is now available for the first time in paperback. Barrett Tillman, the son of a SBD Marine pilot, helped restore the Dauntless now on exhibit at the Marine Corps Museum at Quantico, VA. He is also the author of Corsair, Hellcat, and Wildcat among others.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

• Bent-wing legend
• Cactus Corsairs
• The upper Solomons
• The backwater war
• Commonwealth Corsairs
• With the fast carriers
• Corsairs against Japan
• Korea
• Other wars
• Appendix A : Surviving Corsairs
• Appendix B : Corsair variants
• Appendix C : Specifications
• Appendix D : The top Corsair aces.

The author captures the complete story of this remarkable plane from its first test flight in 1940 to its final retirement in 1957.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

The author captures the complete story of this remarkable plane from its first test flight in 1940 to its final retirement in 1957.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

The Hellcat's extensive combat role is fully documented with a wealth of previously unpublished photos and carefully researched information from squadron histories, combat action reports, and other official documents.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

Every war has its "bridge"--Old North Bridge at Concord, Burnside's Bridge at Antietam, the railway bridge over Burma's River Kwai, the bridge over Germany's Rhine River at Remagen, and the bridges over Korea's Toko Ri. In Vietnam it was the bridge at Thanh Hoa, called Dragon's Jaw. For seven long years hundreds of young US airmen flew sortie after sortie against North Vietnam's formidable and strategically important bridge, dodging a heavy concentration of anti-aircraft fire and enemy MiG planes. Many American airmen were shot down, killed, or captured and taken to the infamous "Hanoi Hilton" POW camp. But after each air attack, when the smoke cleared and the debris settled, the bridge stubbornly remained standing. For the North Vietnamese it became a symbol of their invincibility; for US war planners an obsession; for US airmen a testament to American mettle and valor. Using after-action reports, official records, and interviews with surviving pilots, as well as untapped Vietnamese sources, Dragon's Jaw chronicles American efforts to destroy the bridge, strike by bloody strike, putting readers into the cockpits, under fire. The story of the Dragon's Jaw is a story rich in bravery, courage, audacity, and sometimes luck, sometimes tragedy. The "bridge" story of Vietnam is an epic tale of war against a determined foe.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)