He Wore a Pair of Silver Wings: 32nd Photo Recon Squadron, 5th Photo Group, Fifteenth Air Force, Italy, 1944-45

ISBN-10: 1576383288
ISBN-13: 9781576383285
Category: Air pilots, Military
Pages: 166
Language: English
Published: 2004
Publisher: Merriam Press
Author: Thomas K. Follis

Description

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.

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