Finished and loved Clostermann's 'The Big Show'. Any other recommended books/memories?

[nachinus]

Hi all,

I thoroughly enjoyed Pierre Clostermann's WW2 memories 'The Big Show'  -I have to thank @Reflected and his wonderful DCS Spitfire campaign for that- and I'm wondering if you people know of any other good books similar to this one or as enjoyable for a flight simmer.

Usually books about air war history don't go so deep into the feeling of flying and fighting in those machines and into the handling and tecnical details, and that's what I loved about Clostermann's memories. Everything sounded so familiar and yet so different -the difference between being comfortably seated at home or frozen at 15k+ feet, flipping switches and stuff with big uncomfortable leather gloves, oxigen mask and goggles, with your guts cramped in fear. Also the guy really knew how to write.

Edited June 28, 2024 by nachinus

[Tzigy]

One of my all-time favorite aviation books. Must have read at least 5 times, may be more...  Throughout the years some of his accounts have been questioned/discredited but still ...the way he writes about flying and combat - one of the best

[Slippa]

Bottom right, Paul Richeys Fighter Pilot for early ‘in the cockpit’ experiences.

If you haven’t already, have a look at Fighter Boys, it’s brilliant. Bomber Boys is too, both choked me up at times but they’re great.

Geoff Wellums First Light’s an easy read and a must. He signed mine for me and was an absolute pleasure to chat with. As I told him, I felt like I was right there in the cockpit reading it and loved it.

‘Stapme’ by David Ross is great as is Richard Hillary by the same author. They’re brilliantly written and have plenty of details from ORBs etc too. I knew Stapme a bit and was lucky enough to spend some quality times with him. An absolute diamond fella. - Incidentally, he had full confidence in my ability to fly a Spitfire, even though he knew I only ever had 3hrs in a Cessna . He might have been pulling my leg a bit but as far as I’m concerned that’s good enough for me and I’m qualified.

Richard Hillary’s The Last Enemy is really well written. Stapme and Richard Hillary were in 603Sqn together during the Battle of Britain. if you don’t know, I won’t spoil anything for ya. No, I don’t mean the outcome of the war .

For a deep tactical wider picture, a thorough going over the ‘big wings’ and flying with Dougy Bader - Peter Browns Honour Restored is good too. I met Peter a couple of times as well. Another lovely fella and trotting about like a butchers dog into his 90s.

I’d better stop here, or by the time you get done reading my list you’ll have felt like you’ve read a book already. - This one’s good, he signed it for me too gets a bit much for anyone, even me but who wouldn’t give em all a mention?

Al Deeres Nine Lives , there’s another one. Good book I mean, I never met him .

The only one I’d say you shouldn’t read is ‘Paddy’. Paddy Barthropp gave me a funny look when I pulled that out of my bag for him to sign. He did, reluctantly, telling me “they got it all wrong” and that it was awful so best leave that one.  He’s right, it wasn’t really that good. I can hear him now “Oh you didn’t buy it”

I’ve still some to get through that I haven’t started. More on the Mossies and PFF, I just never get to read anything properly lately. 

 

[nachinus]

Oh, man, that is one helpful post! Thank you very much, sir. I'll make that the checklist for my summer readings.

Edited June 29, 2024 by nachinus

[DD_Fenrir]

I can also recommend:

Tumult in the Clouds by James Goodson

American Aces by Edward H Simms

Yeager by Charles E Yeager

Malta: the Thorn in Rommel’s Side by Laddie Lucas

Flying Start by Hugh Dundas

One Man’s Window by Dennis Barham

Night Flyer by Brandon Lewis

 

[nachinus]

Thank you too, Fenrir! I just bought the P51 module in the summer sale, so some of these may just be the cherry on top.

[Oscar1984]

В 29.06.2024 в 00:49, Slippa сказал:

Bottom right, Paul Richeys Fighter Pilot for early ‘in the cockpit’ experiences.

If you haven’t already, have a look at Fighter Boys, it’s brilliant. Bomber Boys is too, both choked me up at times but they’re great.

Geoff Wellums First Light’s an easy read and a must. He signed mine for me and was an absolute pleasure to chat with. As I told him, I felt like I was right there in the cockpit reading it and loved it.

‘Stapme’ by David Ross is great as is Richard Hillary by the same author. They’re brilliantly written and have plenty of details from ORBs etc too. I knew Stapme a bit and was lucky enough to spend some quality times with him. An absolute diamond fella. - Incidentally, he had full confidence in my ability to fly a Spitfire, even though he knew I only ever had 3hrs in a Cessna . He might have been pulling my leg a bit but as far as I’m concerned that’s good enough for me and I’m qualified.

Richard Hillary’s The Last Enemy is really well written. Stapme and Richard Hillary were in 603Sqn together during the Battle of Britain. if you don’t know, I won’t spoil anything for ya. No, I don’t mean the outcome of the war .

For a deep tactical wider picture, a thorough going over the ‘big wings’ and flying with Dougy Bader - Peter Browns Honour Restored is good too. I met Peter a couple of times as well. Another lovely fella and trotting about like a butchers dog into his 90s.

I’d better stop here, or by the time you get done reading my list you’ll have felt like you’ve read a book already. - This one’s good, he signed it for me too gets a bit much for anyone, even me but who wouldn’t give em all a mention?

Al Deeres Nine Lives , there’s another one. Good book I mean, I never met him .

The only one I’d say you shouldn’t read is ‘Paddy’. Paddy Barthropp gave me a funny look when I pulled that out of my bag for him to sign. He did, reluctantly, telling me “they got it all wrong” and that it was awful so best leave that one.  He’s right, it wasn’t really that good. I can hear him now “Oh you didn’t buy it”

I’ve still some to get through that I haven’t started. More on the Mossies and PFF, I just never get to read anything properly lately. 

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Wow! Great library!

Edited September 12, 2024 by Oscar1984

[Gianky]

On 6/28/2024 at 6:45 PM, nachinus said:

Hi all,

I thoroughly enjoyed Pierre Clostermann's WW2 memories 'The Big Show'  -I have to thank @Reflected and his wonderful DCS Spitfire campaign for that- and I'm wondering if you people know of any other good books similar to this one or as enjoyable for a flight simmer.

Usually books about air war history don't go so deep into the feeling of flying and fighting in those machines and into the handling and tecnical details, and that's what I loved about Clostermann's memories. Everything sounded so familiar and yet so different -the difference between being comfortably seated at home or frozen at 15k+ feet, flipping switches and stuff with big uncomfortable leather gloves, oxigen mask and goggles, with your guts cramped in fear. Also the guy really knew how to write.

 

If you're not interested just in WW2 and airplanes, I can wholeheartedly recommend:

Ed Rasimus When Thunder rolled (his first Vietnam tour in the F-105)

Ed Rasimus Palace Cobra (his second Vietnam tour in the F-4E)

Robert Mason Chicken Hawk (his service in Vietnam as a UH-1 pilot)

Keith Rosenkranz Vipers in the Storm (his partecipation to Desert Storm in the F-16)

Jay Stout Hornets over Kuwait (same as above, but with the legacy Hornet and in Marines style)

Michael Franzak A Nightmare's prayer (his tour in Afghanistan as a Marine AV-8B pilot)

Dave Morgan Hostile Skies (his partecipation in the Falkland War, as a Sea Harrier pilot)

Rasimus' and Mason's books are especially good, that's why they popped into my mind first, the other ones are good too and in no particular order.

This thread is really good, we should use it to exchange titles of this kind of books and our opinions!

Edited September 11, 2024 by Gianky

[nachinus]

Thanks! My interest in winged stuff that files -both virtual and real- is indirectly proportional to the amount of digital stuff in the cockpit. 

I think I can enjoy the first two in your list.

[Gianky]

6 minutes ago, nachinus said:

Thanks! My interest in winged stuff that files -both virtual and real- is indirectly proportional to the amount of digital stuff in the cockpit. 

I think I can enjoy the first two in your list.

You're welcome!

Sorry if most of the stuff is modern, but, although I love every era of aerial combat, lately (maybe because I mostly flew the F-18 in DCS) I read mainly books about recent wars.

I'm sure you won't be disappointed by Rasimus' books (especially the first one), but I strongly recommend Chicken Hawk, too, even if it's rotary wings: it's a truly immersive and gut wrenching memoir of the early Vietnam war (1965/1966), that delves not only into flying operations and combat, but even into the life or Army chopper pilots.

[whiteladder]

Luftwaffe Fighter Ace : Norbert Hannig

 

Great book, feels very much like Pierre Clostermann book, but from the opposite perspective.  Has interesting insights on the difficulty in fighting in the East (Navigation over the Russion step for example).

 

Well worth a read.

[Hog_driver]

On 9/11/2024 at 12:47 PM, Gianky said:

 

Rasimus' and Mason's books are especially good

 

Yes, I really liked the book by Rasimus and as far as Mason is concerned, he also wrote a sequel about what happened to him after the war (he had PTSD-related mental problems, tried to smuggle drugs and spent some time in jail).

[Bozon]

My recommendations:

• ”Terror in the starboard seat” by Dave McIntosh. Best written of them all by a margin. A tour of Mosquito intruder crew. My absolute favorite.
• ”Thunderbolt!” by Robert Johnson, a must for P-47 fans.
• ”I flew for the Fuehrer” by Heinz Knoke. A great 109 pilot memoir from the dark side perspective of the western front - the other side to Johnson’s book.