To Fly and Fight: Memoirs of a Triple Ace

A top fighter pilot tells the story of a life in aviation, from World War II fighter combat to years of dangerous test-piloting

Anderson flew P-51 Mustangs in the WW II European theater and shot down 17 German planes. Writing with freelancer Hamelin, he here relates his spectacular aerial confrontations with Messerschmitts and Focke-Wulfs, defines (in understandable technical detail) what "combat flying skill" really means and conveys the unique mindset a fighter pilot needs in order to survive. Anderson, who became an Air Force test pilot during the postwar "golden age of flight testing," recalls hair-raising incidents highlighting the challenge and risk of such work. After an onerous tour of desk-duty in Washington ("A colonel at the Pentagon is nothing but a glorified clerk"), he became one of the few fighter pilots to serve in combat both in WW II and Vietnam. This is an entertaining and instructive book for hardcore air combat buffs, who will find particularly interesting Anderson's comparisons between flying prop-driven Mustangs and high-performance jets in enemy skies. Photos.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Anderson, a California farm boy who loved hot cars and airplanes, earned his wings in the Army Air Corps in September 1942 and flew P-39s. Sent to Europe in 1944, his squadron traded in their P-39s for P-51 Mustangs. Anderson flew 116 missions with the Mustang and shot down 17 enemy planes without receiving a single hit to his own plane. He also served in the Korean War and Vietnam, and as a test pilot. In the course of his 30-year career in the Air Force he was decorated 25 times. Hamelin, a sportswriter, does a highly credible job of telling Anderson's story. He skillfully interweaves anecdotes by men who flew with Anderson, such as fellow World War II section leader Chuck Yeager. Anderson's accounts of some of the projects he flew as a test pilot, as well as his candid remarks on the early space and high altitude programs give the reader an insider's view. An exceptional account of an exceptional man. Highly recommended. Photos not seen.
- George F. Scheck, Naval Underwater System Ctr. Lib., Newport, R.I.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.