American Eagles makes the U.S Air Force proud
Written: May 13 '06
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great photography, detailed text, thorough
Cons: Text is best suited for more serious scholars, a couple of nitpicks.
The Bottom Line: Why don't you just read the review? Oh, too lazy, eh? Well, so am I...
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| weirdo_87's Full Review: American Eagles: a History of the United States Ai... |
In 1997, the United States Air Force celebrated its fiftieth anniversary. Although the youngest independent branch of the Department of Defense (For decades, the Air Force was part of the Army), the U.S Air Force has already established itself as one of the most important assets of the military. And although air power is also the youngest form of warfare, it has also become a key element to war: A nation that has air superiority is the nation that will win wars. American Eagles was commissioned to author Ron Dick (Who is a military veteran…of the Royal Air Force) and photographer Dan Patterson as a tribute to the rich heritage of American air power and a salute to the history and the work done, and still to be done, by the U.S Air Force.
Dick’s text is one of the most informative and through you will ever find. He traces the roots of aviation development from the gliders and balloons of the 19th century, to the Wright Brothers of Dayton, Ohio (The home of the United States Air Force Museum), whom made the first powered flight in 1903 at Kittyhawk, North Carolina. A few years after the Wrights achievement, the army bought their first plane. However, the airplane was seen as more a novelty then a necessity by the United States. Other countries didn’t feel the same way: Germany, Britain and France had fleets of aircraft in operation and being designed when World War I broke out. After the importance of airpower was first seen in WWI, American military men like Billy Mitchell, “Hap” Arnold, Carl Spaatz and others began pushing for America to develop air power. Their pleas fell on deaf ears: America did develop an aerial army, but it was outclassed by other countries and seen as less important then a land or sea based military. It would take another, more destructive war to show airpower’s full importance.
The highlight of the book, of course, is World War II. The figures of World War II are staggering. Within a few short years, from the entry at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 to the Japanese surrender on September 2, 1945, the United States industry built tens of thousands of aircraft of many different types. Schools trained pilots in a staggering number, and they were put to work in the fierce skies over Europe and Japan. It’s not fair to say that airpower was the reason the war was won- a combination of sea power and land-based troops was needed as well- but air supremacy did bring down the German Luftwaffe, and set the sun on Japan’s Rising Sun, and probably shortened the war with the atomic bombings. After the war, the question of air power’s importance was no more: In 1947, the Air Force was granted independence from the army.
Dick’s text, of course, doesn’t stop with World War II. He continues on to show the post war years, with the focus on the Cold War. He shows how the jet developed into a key ingredient of airplanes. He shows how the United States’ Strategic Air Command (SAC) maintained a formidable deterrent that caused Russian leaders to have nightmares of B-52’s orbiting over Moscow. He shows how Vietnam saw the U.S, despite it’s superior airpower, fall flat on it’s face due to political restrictions, and the rebuilding and reorganization of the 1980’s and 1990’s, cumulating with air power’s successful application in 1991 in the Persian Gulf. Dick even has a chapter dedicated to the often unsung, but very vital work, done by test pilots, whom risked their lives to push the boundaries of technology and furthered our knowledge of aerodynamics.
The text can feel overwhelming at times and is indeed best suited to those whom are serious on the topic. Dick also never particular highlights certain events, so you might read past the atom bombings at World War II’s end, for instance, and perhaps not even know the ultimate significance of what you just read. However, he does include brief headlines to break up sections in the book. So a casual reader can pick up the book and read what they want. Being a non-U.S Air Force and non-American military vet in general, Ron Dick has clearly done his research with the amount of sources that he quotes, he footnotes and that he shows in the appendix. Most importantly, contrary to what some might expect, he is unbiased completely, and covers the events like a third party person should. Various, and very helpful, “lists” are also included to bookend chapters (Medal of Honor winners, Mackey Trophy recipients, Air Force Chiefs of Staff, Air Force Operation codenames, etc) and, for the title page of each chapter, quotes are included that relate to the chapter at hand. Lyndon Johnson’s influence over the Vietnam air campaign- “I won’t let those generals bomb the smallest outhouse without my say so”- is particular affecting. LeMay is among the most quotable personalities (On his standards for SAC: “I am unable to distinguish between the unfortunate and the incompetent”)
The book is well known for its extensive illustrations. Throughout Dick’s text, historical photographs are shown. Pictures of many notable personalities- Mitchell, Arnold, Spaatz, Jimmy Doolittle, Curtis LeMay, Chuck Yeager- are shown along with pictures of the machines and of the missions that they flew. Dan Patterson’s actual photography is of the collection of the Air Force Museum. His work seems to follow a set-pattern: Showing a couple of shots of the plane itself of seemingly random parts (Engines, nose, tail surface, etc), then a cockpit photo. The cockpit and other interior photos are especially interesting in showing how war planes have advanced in being flown. The bi planes of World War I and the 1920’s had hardly any instrumentation. The airplanes of World War II- especially later in the war- made tremendous advancements in instrumentation and today- even with most of the airplane controlled by computer- are more complex then ever. No wonder pilots nowadays have to be college graduates! The pictures themselves are overall stunning in their detail and photographed with moody lighting like would be expected for a play, along with great, informative but concise captions to detail what is viewed. About the only nitpick I have with the photos is an argument also shared with Pacific Flyer: The photos are too limited in their scope. Very few of the Air Force Museum’s treasured collection is seen whole and is often only in fragments (Albeit fascinating fragments). Now several of these planes may be on permanent display, but would it have been asking too much to have some or more of the planes to be towed outside so Patterson could get a better, fuller shot of the plane, especially for a book celebrating the Air Force? I have had the privilege of going to Dayton to see this collection and nothing beats seeing it in person. I have no right to undermine Patterson’s work in this way, though, for it is stunning (Besides aircraft photos, he also includes a few “collection photos”: That is, artifacts related to a certain aspect of the Air Force’s history- Billy Mitchell, the Doolittle Raid, Vietnam, etc- are arranged in a collection and photographed by Patterson. It’s amazing how much can be said by just a few items of clothing or of other personal memorabilia).
American Eagles also does not retail for cheap: When I bought it, I was a fool and paid $75, which was the listing price. Luckily, copies have been sold for much less over the years, and you shouldn’t have much trouble finding a low priced copy.
A definitive book written about World War II, Vietnam, the history of aviation and the United States Air Force’s importance would be a hell of a task. It’s debatable to say whether Ron Dick and Dan Patterson were able to do that, since there is so much to write about and so much more still to come (The past ten years since the book was written, for instance, have seen a lot happen). However, American Eagles is a worthwhile effort, and would make a much appreciated addition to any aviation buff’s collection.
Recommended:
Yes
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