Aces, Warriors and Wingmen: The Firsthand Accounts of Canada's Fighter Pilots in the Second World War
ACES, WARRIORS & WINGMENFIRSTHAND ACCOUNTS OF CANADA'S FIGHTER PILOTS IN THE SECOND WORLD WAR.Almost a decade ago, Wayne Ralph, the author of a bestselling biography of William Barker, a Canadian air ace from the First World War, embarked on a new venture. He began to travel across Canada and the United States, Searching out Canadian fighter pilots, fighter-bomber pilots, and many others-inducing night fighter and naval carrier pilots-and air crew who had served in the Second World war. The results of this unique and remarkable journey are encompassed in accounts from more than a hundred interviews that in riveting detail tell of the trials, victories and losses that characterize combat in the air.From the author's interviews with the pilots, and information contained in their logbooks, diaries and letters home, the reader will be escorted into the world of combat, from training in Canada and England, to engaging the enemy over Malta, northern Africa, Europe and Southeast Asia. For airmen, living conditions were often harsh, sleep a luxury and emotions on a roller-coaster. the sudden loss of  friend-even a brother-had to be taken in stride and the job at hand done.Survival depended on a pilot's skill and the condition and characteristics of the aircraft. Hurricanes, Spitfires, Mosquitoes, beaufighters, and Typhoons carried their bullets, bombs and human cargo through horrendous weather conditions and withering enemy fire. There were bonds between man and machine much as there were between the pilots, who were on constant lookout for one another.As the ranks of veterans become thinner, their firsthand accounts take on even more significance. Aces, warriors & Wingmen is a tribute to a legacy of sacrifice, courage and gallantry, a true picture of combat, and a piece of Canadian history to be treasured.