





Hardcover in dustjacket, 339 pages, photographs, and index
Published by Ballantine Books, 1994
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0-7394-2372-X
Dimensions: 5.7 x 1.4 x 8.5 inches
Corporal Fred H. Salter entered the U.S. Army at the age of 17, forging his father’s signature to enlist in the Horse Cavalry. He was assigned to the 91st Cavalry Recon Squadron, which gave up its horses for Jeeps before the unit landed in North Africa. There the unit was attached to larger formations, acting in their intended role as a reconnaissance unit or leaving their vehicles behind to fight as infantry. Salter soon specialized in night patrols, scouting out enemy positions. He often worked alone, believing the he was safer in no-man’s-land shielded by the darkness.
After North Africa the 91st landed in Sicily and fought its way up the Italian peninsula. His was one of several units which endured the Italian winter in the mountainous countryside, and he witnessed the destruction of the Benedictine Monastery at Monte Cassino in a mis-guided attempt to break through the German defenses.
This is very much a soldier’s story with few words spent explaining any military strategy more grandiose than the next objective assigned to Salter or his unit. He was a musician and a poet, some of his poems are included in this work. At several times he expresses regret at the decisions he’s made and things he’s done during his time in combat, even if the events were beyond his direct control.
Salter was fortunate to have been one of the lucky ones who survived months of combat and rotated home before he was killed or wounded, most of the original men in his unit were not as lucky. The strain took a toll on him, in addition to malaria it is apparent that he suffered from what we would call PTSD today. It would be remarkable if he didn’t.
The style of some of the dialog brought back memories of the Sgt. Rock comics of my youth. A little campy but it does not detract from the story. There is definitely a tension to the book, sneaking around alone at night through enemy lines is not something just anyone could do. An interesting story of one man’s experiences during the war.
Part I here: https://inchhighguy.wordpress.com/2020/07/22/colorful-curtiss-p-40-warhawk-markings-part-1/
Part II here: https://inchhighguy.wordpress.com/2020/07/29/colorful-curtiss-p-40-warhawk-markings-part-2/
The 79th Fighter Group: Over Tunisia, Sicily, and Italy in World War II
By Dan Woerpel
Hardcover in dustjacket, 264 pages, illustrated, appendixes, indexed, twelve color profiles
Published by Schiffer Publishing July 2001
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0764313223
ISBN-13: 978-0764313226
Dimensions: 8.8 x 1.0 x 11.1 inches
The 79th Fighter Group first saw combat over North Africa in early 1943 equipped with Curtis P-40 Warhawks. After the Axis armies were defeated in North Africa the Group moved on to Sicily, and then the Italian mainland where it was re-equipped with Republic P-47 Thunderbolts, which it flew until the end of the war. The Group was mainly engaged in ground attack and interdiction missions as the Luftwaffe presence was reduced while the Italian Campaign progressed. 138 Axis aircraft were claimed destroyed in the air; the list of ground targets destroyed is also impressive and includes damaging the Italian aircraft carrier Aquilla.
The Group was comprised of three squadrons; the 85th Fighter Squadron “Flying Skulls”; 86th FS “Comanches”; and 87th FS “Skeeters”. For a time the 99th FS was also attached while the Group was in Sicily.
Being a unit history, the book follows the 79th Fighter Group from its formation to the end of occupation duty in Germany. The account is quite detailed and covers each mission the squadrons flew with an accounting of claims and losses from each. While this can get somewhat repetitive, there are enough personal accounts from the pilots to keep things interesting. The author has done an outstanding job of describing the overall strategic progress of the war which provides vital context for the Group’s movements and assignments. There is also an entire chapter devoted to the experiences of pilots shot down behind enemy lines and their successful evasion or ultimate captivity.
Many Schiffer publications consist almost entirely of photographs with a small portion of the book devoted to text. This is not one of those books. Although there are a number of photographs the focus of this work is on the history. While I would always prefer more pictures there are enough here to help tell the story. These are augmented by twelve nicely done color illustrations by artist S. W. Ferguson which are rendered in perspective.
The 79th Fighter Group was unique in the number and variety of Axis aircraft which its personnel rebuilt and returned to flightworthy condition. While other units would also occasionally refurbish a few captured aircraft, it was almost an obsession with the 79th. There is mention of some of these aircraft but I would have liked to have seen much more material included on this as it was a defining peculiarity of the unit.
This is a large book, definitely not just an evening’s read. I did find it interesting and informative. It is well-written and I enjoyed the author’s style. If you’re interested in the Italian Campaign or the daily operations of a Fighter Group then I would not hesitate to recommend this book.
Here is the Curtiss P-40K-1 serial number 42-46040 of 1LT Robert “Jay” Overcash of the 64th Fighter Squadron, 57th Fighter Group operating from Hani Main airfield in Tunisia, May 1943. Overcast was an ace with five victories over the North African desert. There are a lot of markings on this aircraft, the decals all came from the sheet supplied in the Special Hobby kit which were printed by Cartograph.
More completed P-40s here: https://inchhighguy.wordpress.com/2020/07/09/special-hobby-curtiss-p-40k-5-warhawk-of-major-edward-nollmeyer-in-1-72-scale/
Messerschmitt Bf 109 F-4 Trop of 3. / JG 27, Ain El Gazala Libya, June 1942, pilot Hans-Jochim Marseille, Fine Molds kit.
Berliner Hans-Jochim Marseille was widely known as one of the best marksmen in the Luftwaffe, and one who had perfected the art of deflection shooting. His preferred tactic was to engage enemy aircraft while flying at a reduced speed to maximize maneuverability and concentrate his fire on the forward fuselage, where both the engine and pilot were located. He was shot down himself on several occasions (including twice by Sous-Lieutenant James Denis, a Free French pilot with No. 73 Squadron RAF) and lost additional aircraft due to mechanical difficulties. Marseille was a playboy and a major disciplinary problem for his commanders, but was highly effective in aerial combat. He was officially credited with 158 victories. On 30SEP42 Marseille was killed while bailing out after the Bf 109 G-2 he was flying developed engine trouble.
Luftwaffe in Africa, 1941-1943
By Jean-Louis Roba
Paperback, 128 pages, heavily illustrated, index
Published by Casemate, November 2019
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1612007457
ISBN-13: 978-1-61200-7458
Product Dimensions: 7.0 x 0.5 x 10.0 inches
Germany was drawn into the war in North Africa by Mussolini’s ambitions. Italy had little to gain by conquering the region; Germany even less so. For the German Army and particularly the Luftwaffe North Africa did little more than provide an ever-increasing drain on assets which could have been better used in the Soviet Union. Once the influx of American men and material began to be felt the Axis cause was beyond redemption.
This volume provides a good overview of the progression of the campaign in North Africa from the Luftwaffe perspective. There were quite a large number of units committed over time but Germany was never able to achieve the concentration of force necessary to achieve her goals, attempts to supply the Africa Korps by air transport proving particularly costly. Roba does a good job of tracking the constant redeployments, and describes the results of the major air actions as the campaign progressed. Also included is the commitment of the Luftwaffe’s Fallschrimjäger. The LRDG attacks of Luftwaffe airfields are mentioned as well but only briefly. In the last third of the book there are several first-hand accounts from pilots which are interesting, although one from Arman Köhler’s diary appears to have been inadvertently omitted.
There are quite a number of photographs reproduced in this book, many of which were new to me. They include some original color examples which are presented well and are generally well captioned. There are also fifteen very nicely done color profiles, but these have only the briefest of descriptions.
Overall a nice presentation and a quick read. A few first-hand accounts in the beginning of the book would have been welcome, but this book provides a good overview of the campaign.
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