World War II Air Combat Novels

[Lant]

Are there any good novels out there that involve aerial combat in general and dogfighting in particular? Im not looking for biographys or documentarys, but fictional novels.

So far the only ones I know off are the "Crimson Skies" novels and they arent even World War II. (Although the WWI-part in the first one is actually pretty good)

[Blackdog_kt]

I can't really tell you if it will up to your taste because i've read it probably more than a decade ago, but you can try out "The flight of eagles" by Jack Higgins. Seemed good to me back then and i guess it would be enjoyable today as well.

It's one of those paper-back novels my father would get from the corner store during family summer holidays and read it while us kids played sandcastles on the beach: hollywood-style narratives and adventurous plots usually involving detective/criminal or military/espionage backgrounds.

Pretty similar to Tom Clancy's stuff, a lot of which was also published in a similar format where i live.

This is what the plot summary on the back cover of my copy has to say, translated to English:


As WWI draws to an end, an American pilot by the name of Jack Kelso brings with him to the US a German wife, the baroness Elsa von Halder. She gives birth to twin boys, Max and Harry.

The two brothers, identical twins, are forced to separate when their father dies. Harry, the youngest, stays in the US with his grandfather while Max, the eldest, has inherited a baron title and returns with his mother to Germany.

Now the outbreak of WWII finds them in opposing camps. Max is known as the black baron, an ace in the Luftwaffe, while Harry is one of the best pilots in the RAF.
The two spread their wings over the skies of burning Europe. Both of them brave, they meet again in a strange competition in the air, balancing between hatred for the enemy and brotherly love. But neither of them knows yet how dramatic a turn of events fate has in store for them.

Forces beyond their control come up with an evil plan that will put their most valuable possessions to the test: their family, ideals and values, their very life. And the outcome of the war itself may now hang in the balance, depending on the execution of this plan...


It's adventurous writing through and through as you can see and i don't remember if it's blessed with technically accurate information like "my spitfire controls got mushy at the onset of the stall" or if the action sequences follow hollywood physics, but i think it will be a happy middle ground since that kind of writers tend to not go over the top with that stuff.

If you want a more accurate representation of the nameless pilot's life during WWII with some fictional elements, then you'd be more suited to a writing style that tries to look like a legit memoir (or even read an actual memoir, many pilots of the time have published their non-fictional accounts).
This one is more like the stuff that made us little boys dream of being pilots one day, focusing more on the adventure than the technicalities inherent in the job ;-)



Also, i haven't read it but i always hear good reviews about it, you could try out the series dealing with the fictional Hornet squadron (i think the first novel was also adapted into a tv series).
The writer is Derek Robinson, first book published in 1983 is called Piece of Cake and deals with the battle of Britain, the second one published in 1993 is titled A Good Clean Fight and deals with the fictional squadron's part in the desert campaign in N.Africa during 1942.

[Lant]

Ah damn I already know "Flight of Eagles"....But I had totally forgotten about it. Now I remember the quite cheesy plot:grin: It was indeed the only WWII-novel I ever read that involved air combat, it seems to be quite rare...

But thanks for the Derek Robinson ones, these I didnt know about.

[ATAG_Dutch]

Len Deighton - 'Goodbye Mickey Mouse', P-51's in europe.(Bit too much love interest for some though).

Elleston Trevor - 'Squadron Airborne', BoB action. Out of print but available second hand from Amazon.

Derek Robinson-Everything he's written, really! :)

If you can get hold of it, 'The Stories of Flying Officer X' by H.E. Bates is a classic collection of short stories,

'633 Squadron' by Frederick E Smith is also a classic and 1000% better than the film.

All the other books I have are historical or biographical I'm afraid.

[Fearless_1]

Fighter Pilot by Brig. General Olds, Robin.

Great World War II action, complete with the lot of utter bullshit anyone in the military knows about dealing with(paper work, over-zealous superiors, etc.)

Then it goes into Vietnam, and there are some awesome lessons to learn from Mr Olds viewpoint on that subject.

Let's just say he wasn't very..."presidential"

[Rjel]

Squadron Airborne is my favorite BoB novel too. I'd recommend Twelve O'clock High. I'd watched the film so many times I wasn't sure I'd like the book. It was an excellent read, slightly different than the movie but very enjoyable.

[ATAG_Doc]

Blackdog is the Oracle. Thanks for the recommendations.