JUNGLE ACE Col. Gerald R. Johnson, the Usaaf's Top Fighter Leader of the Pacific War

 Illuminates the life of a unique warrior, who was both a daredevil fighter ace and a highly effective combat leader

 Contains dozens of previously unpublished photographs and compelling details about life in the Pacific Theater, based on public archives, personal papers, and history interviews

 Examines major aerial combat actions from the Aleutian Islands to the Southwest Pacific Theater

The brief but accomplished life of Army Air Forces fighter ace Gerald Johnson (1920-1945) is the subject of John Bruning's latest book. Flying the powerful P-38 and possessing lethal shooting skill, Johnson shot down 24 Japanese aircraft in 265 combat missions during thirty-six months in the Pacific Theater. At the age of 24, he commanded the highest-scoring fighter group in the Pacific, the 49th. With Dick Bong and Tommy McGuire, he formed an early triumvirate of 5th Air Force aces. A fellow pilot later called him "the Luke Skywalker of my generation." Tragically, though Johnson had survived three combat tours, which included a mid-air collision with a Japanese aircraft and being shot down by friendly fire, the new father disappeared without a trace while flying a courier mission in bad weather one month after war's end and shortly before his planned return home. At the time, he was one of the youngest full colonels in the U.S. Army Air Force.

John R. Bruning is an aviation historian living in Independence, Oregon, near Portland. He is the author of Crimson Sky: The Air Battle for Korea.