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He Wore a Pair of Silver Wings
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Price: From $6.95 to $36.95
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He Wore a Pair of Silver Wings:
32nd Photo Recon Squadron, 5th Photo Group, Fifteenth Air Force, Italy, 1944-45
by Thomas K. Follis
A Merriam Press Original Publication
Military Monograph MM80
This is not a typical "War Story" that begins… "There I was at 25,000 feet with two Me 262 German jets on my tail…," even though that actually did happen. Many of those stories have been vividly related in some fine books written by real war heroes.
Instead, this book begins with an immature 18-year-old boy being inducted into the Army Air Corps in 1942 and follows his day-by-day activities from Private to Aviation Cadet through the various flying schools - Primary, Basic and Advanced. He finally earns the coveted "Silver Wings" of a pilot as an officer.
Later, after surviving combat missions in an unarmed F-5 (Lockheed P-38 Lightning) photo reconnaissance aircraft in the bloody skies over the Mediterranean Theater of Operations where more than 15,000 brave young airmen of the Fifteenth Air Force perished, he is swiftly rotated back to the United States in preparation for redeployment for the invasion of Japan. This invasion was mercifully obviated by the atomic bomb. In World War II air superiority made the invasion of Europe possible. Air superiority made the invasion of Japan unnecessary.
He details many colorful experiences, covering his induction, pre-flight and various other flying schools. Tom's accounts about his assignments at San Severo, Italy, with the 32nd Photo Recon Squadron, 5th Photo Group, Fifteenth Army Air Force, are accurate and explicit with numerous photographs and illustrations added to the book.
Contents
- Dedication
- Introduction
- Foreword
- Preface
- Prelude
- The Big Day Arrives and I'm Off to War - Sort Of
- College Boy Again
- An Aviation Cadet - at Last!
- Into the Air
- Flying the Vultee "Vibrator" and the "Bamboo Bomber"
- The B-25 - A Real Warbird
- The Role of the Lockheed P-38 Lightning in Winning World War II and the Contribution of Aerial Photo Reconnaissance
- Across the Atlantic in a Wartime Convoy
- Going in Harm's Way
- I'll Be Home for Christmas
- Conclusion
- Where Are They Now?
- What Has Happened to the Various Military Bases?
- Bibliography
Specifications
- Third edition (December 2005)
- 254 - 6 x 9 inch pages
- Paperback ISBN 1-57638-328-8
- Perfect bound, full-color wrap-around cover
- Hardcover ISBN 1-57638-329-6
- Blue linen cloth, title stamped in gold on spine, full-color dust jacket
- PDF file on CD disc is a complete copy of the book including the cover images in a single PDF file
- 75,000 words
- 37 photos
- 4 illustrations
- 1 map
Reviews and Testimonials
I was so excited to find this book. My father was in the 28th Photo Recon flying the P-38. Of course we believe he singled handedly won the war! He and my mother have been married 66 years and are still active and sweeties. My dad is a docent at the March Air Field Museum in Riverside, California, at the P-38 hanger. I would love to get any and all information regarding his outfit. If you have resources, please let me know. We will be attending a P-38 convention in Las Vegas, Nevada, in November 2007.
—Julianne Starr
California
Received and read He Wore a Pair of Silver Wings. Was wondering if you can help me get in touch with the author. He and I had very eerily similar experiences during World War II. We were in the same class at Santa Ana, Lemore, LaJunta and Oklahoma City. My brother died in the crash he described at LaJunta. We were on the same Liberty ship to Oran and the French City of Oran to Naples, to the same replacement depot at the same time. I flew 22 F-5 missions out of Bari, Italy, before catching a ride via Natal, Brazil, on a B-24 back to Tampa after V-E Day. While he and my brother were flying Ryans in primary flying school I was in Stearman's at Santa Maria, California. My CTD was six months at Michigan State College in Lansing, Michigan. I was pleased to find this great book and remember well some of Tom's experiences. I've never attended or was aware of any of the P-38 reunions he describes so I've been out of touch. My daughter has been after me to jot down some memories so this will give me a head start.
—Ross Dalbey
Florida
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Price: From $6.95 to $34.95
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Price: From $6.95 to $34.95
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Price: From $6.95 to $34.95
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