Wings of Gold: The U.S. Naval Air Campaign in World War II

The is an outstanding factually accurate about the heros who manned our Navy Carriers and Aircraft and prevail in our war in the Pacific against the Japanese.

Drawing on extensive interviews from the pilots themselves, author Gerald Astor has put together a collection of oral testimonies about ariel combat in the Pacific theater during World War II. From the attack on Pearl Harbor to the surrender of Japan, this book covers every major campaign of the Pacific war and includes testimonies from ordinary men who went on to become some of the best pilots in the world. Included are testimonies from Butch O'Hare, America's first ace, who shot down six enemy bombers over the aircraft carrier Lexington, Jimmy Thatch, a true innovator and creator of the "Thatch Weave"; a highly successful technique which enabled slower American fighters to compete with the Japanese Zero fighter, Ira Kepford, another Navy pilot who ended the war with over 20 confirmed kills, Alex Vraciu, another 20+ ace who shot down six enemy planes during the Marianas Turkey Shoot, and David McCampbell, the leading Navy ace with 34 kills, who shot down 9 enemy planes during the battle of the Philippine Sea. This book is a good introductory volume to the air war in the Pacific, but it doesn't go into great depth. The oral histories presented by the pilots are very interesting, but the narrative provided by the author is somewhat weak, and there are several mistakes in the book. For instance, the author refers to Japanese submarines as "U-Boats" throughout the book. This terminology is incorrect; the Germans used that phrase for their submarines. Also, he refers to the SBD Dauntless dive bomber as the SPD. These may be minor details, but for true World War II history buffs, they do stick out somewhat. There are two areas of the book which stick out above the others in my opinion. Astor's description of the mission in which Butch O'Hare was shot down is described in great detail, and the story of the ill-fated Japanese battleship Yamato suicide mission during the Okinawa campaign is told in a very exciting manner. Overall, I did enjoy this book. However, I've read better books on the subject. If you are looking for basic information on the air war in the Pacific, then this book will help in that aspect; just don't expect a lot of detail on the specific battles.

Astor's book takes a look at the Pacific theater air campaigns of the Second World War from the perspectives of the U.S. Navy aviators who participated in them. The numerous interviews with aviators, and their comments on their experiences, their aircraft, and the war itself provide a level of human detail not found in many other works on the subject.Readers looking for a grand overview of the war from a strategic perspective would be best served looking elsewhere, as these aspects are treated relatively briefly--Astor wishes his focus to remain squarely on the experiences of individual naval aviators. The first-hand accounts themselves are without fail well-presented, interesting, and informative.The one serious critique of the book I have is that it could clearly have done with a more thorough editing before going to print. There are numerous instances throughout the book where aircraft models and designations are given incorrectly. This is for the most part a minor problem, but irritating nevertheless.