Imatge de l'autor

Walter J. Boyne

Autor/a de The Smithsonian Book of Flight

50+ obres 1,828 Membres 27 Ressenyes 1 preferits

Sobre l'autor

Walter J. Boyne, New York Times best-selling author and founder of Air Space magazine, documents the remarkable story of the helicopters influence on military tactics. In a controversial look at the history of its development, the author points out that the machine's current design is decades mostra'n més behind its time. mostra'n menys
Crèdit de la imatge: Unknown USAF photographer

Sèrie

Obres de Walter J. Boyne

The Smithsonian Book of Flight (1987) 211 exemplars
The Leading Edge (1700) 72 exemplars
Trophy for Eagles (1989) 49 exemplars
Eagles At War (1991) 41 exemplars
Classic airplanes (1990) 37 exemplars
Weapons of Desert Storm (1991) 26 exemplars
Phantom in Combat (1985) 19 exemplars
Brassey's Air Combat Reader (1999) 16 exemplars
Gulf War (1991) 12 exemplars
Vertical Flight (1984) 9 exemplars
Air Force Eagles (1992) 8 exemplars

Obres associades

AirCraft : the jet as art (2007) — Pròleg — 34 exemplars
Classics: U.S. Aircraft of World War II (1987) — Introducció — 29 exemplars

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Ressenyes

Walter Boyne details the careers of four legendary aces, "Eddie Rickenbacker, Hub Zemke, Boots Blesse, and Robin Olds but also explains the reasons why these pilots achieved such great success as aces and leaders.
"Eddie Rickenbacker, Hub Zemke, Boots Blesse, and Robin Olds are in the pantheon of American fighter aces. Their names are familiar to many, but there has never been a book that examined their brilliant leadership ability as well as their aerial prowess." "These four men were all robust personalities, difficult to discipline, and, more often than not, thorns in the sides of their commanders. Each of these elite pilots burned to become the leading ace of his time. These qualities were not unique. However, the achievements of these men were extraordinary, even for the miniscule percentage of fighter pilots who ever became aces. Rickenbacker, Zemke, Blesse, and Olds distinguished themselves by becoming "force multipliers" - they used their leadership skills, instinctive knowledge of air warfare, and superior piloting abilities to make the other pilots in their units better warriors. These men put their units' interest ahead of every other goal and in the process made their units far more effective. Instead of using their skills merely to achieve personal glory, they trained units that produced multiple aces while achieving ace status themselves." Boyne's fascinating narrative puts you in the cockpits of fighter planes that varied vastly in technology, against enemies of ever-increasing capability in World War I, World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. Aces in Command takes you in a SPAD XIII with Rickenbacker over the Western Front. It puts you in a P-47 Thunderbolt with Zemke over Germany, breaking all the rules but shooting down Germans. Then you fly with Blesse in a Sabre, getting your victories deep inside North Korean lines - but never losing a wingman. Finally, it tells you of the exploits of the maverick Robin Olds in two wars, learning the trade in a P-38 Lightning during World War II and, later, using all he learned to whip a F-4 Phantom wing into shape in Vietnam." "Despite the differences among the planes and jets of each era, Boyne makes a strong case that Rickenbacker, Zemke, Blesse, and Olds could have been aces in any era. More importantly, he reveals the characteristics and common denominators that made these aces superior combat leaders."… (més)
 
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MasseyLibrary | Feb 21, 2024 |
The ships! The men! The... errors?

This is just what it sounds like: An overview of naval conflict in World War II. It covers all major navies -- Britain, United States, Japan, Germany, Italy, France -- and all oceans. It's about as comprehensive as a single medium-sized volume can be.

But I was constantly nagged by small errors and oversimplifications, such as Boyne's total condemnation of German Admiral Erich Raeder's use of his surface ships in commerce-raiding. Boyne thinks this a total waste -- yet the Graf Spee, for instance, although she was lost, knocked out many times her own tonnage. She was lost -- but she definitely paid for herself. And by keeping his raiders in existence, Raeder forced the British to keep a lot of heavy ships in commission, depriving them of the men that could man convoy escorts. For example, if the men who served on the five otherwise-useless Royal Sovereign class of battleships had been reassigned to destroyer work, the British could have manned several dozen more destroyers and probably saved many convoy ships.

Take as a specific case the hunting of the Bismarck. On p. 34, Boyne claimed that the Royal Navy sent "six battleships, four battle cruisers, two aircraft carriers" and some lesser ships to hunt the German battleship. The number of carriers is right. I believe the number of battleships is wrong but am not dead sure. But I can prove that the number of battlecruisers is wrong, because the British only had three! -- the Hood, Renown, and Repulse.

On p. 59 he describes the battle between the Bismarck and the Hood and Prince of Wales, condemning the way Admiral Holland fought the British ships. Certainly Holland's tactics proved disastrous. But he ignores the fact that Holland was supposed to intercept, and do so secretly -- and that Holland had been on course to cross the Bismarck's T when the Bismarck managed to escape surveillance and messed up the whole plan; Holland had nothing to do then except fight as best he could. It cost him his life, and the biggest ship in the Royal Navy, but there was a reason that Boyne ignores.

As for the destruction of the Hood herself, Boyne describes exactly how she was destroyed. Problem is, we really don't know. All we really know is that the was there, then she had broken in half due to an explosion, and only three men were recovered. It's clear that a magazine exploded -- but which one, and why? I've seen at least three other possible explanations; how does Boyne know with certainty?

And, at the end, Boyne says that the Rodney was Admiral Tovey's command ship (p. 67). No, Tovey was in the King George V; she and the Rodney were both there at the end, and the Rodney had heavier artillery, but Tovey's ship was much more modern and intended to be a flagship.

Few of these errors are really egregious. You have to really know your naval history (or have a trick memory like mine) to realize all the places where Boyne makes minor errors. If all you want is an overview, this book should be fine. But if you need to write a research paper or something... cite something else, OK?
… (més)
½
 
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waltzmn | Jun 12, 2023 |
Trophy for Eagles is a good work of historical fiction. The time period is from just before Lindbergh's famous flight to the Spanish Civil War. Settings cover a wide area of the world, although most of the novel is in various American locations. The two main characters develop their rivalry early on and it carries through to the final pages. Historical figures appear enough to connect our fictitious aviators to the time period - and the changing relationship between the protagonist and Lindbergh provides for excellent character development. Technical details are incorporated but similar to a Tom Clancy novel. My only real complaint is the overuse of similes in otherwise good writing. If you enjoy history and aviation you should enjoy this book.… (més)
 
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Hedgepeth | Hi ha 2 ressenyes més | Feb 24, 2023 |
Good novel of the Wright Brothers and how they managed to achieve heavier than air powered flight.
I have also read a couple of histories about them earlier. The Bishop's Boys by Tom Crouch, is a good one.
 
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kslade | Hi ha 1 ressenya més | Dec 8, 2022 |

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Estadístiques

Obres
50
També de
4
Membres
1,828
Popularitat
#14,076
Valoració
½ 3.7
Ressenyes
27
ISBN
119
Llengües
4
Preferit
1

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