Maxwell Leslie

Wings of War: Fighting World War II in the Air by Jeffrey L. Ethell, Naval Institute Press, 118 Maryland Avenue, Annapolis, Maryland 214025035, 1994, 136 pages. $39.95

Battle of Midway

This book, one of the latest from prolific aviation writer Jeff Ethell, is an extremely interesting collection of color photographs and first-person accounts from the World War II era. Many of these accounts come from the providers of the photos themselves, greatly enhancing the overall appeal of the book.

Wings of War is divided into seven chapters: "The Zone of Interior," "China-Burma-India," The Mediterranean," "The European Theater," "The Naval Air Force," "The Pacific Theater," and finally "The End of an Era." Each chapter contains a large assortment of color photos pertaining to each particular theater. The photo captions are detailed and accurate, with the data coming directly from the contributors of the photographs, who in most cases were there. Interviews and reminiscences comprise the text for the chapters. Readers familiar with World War II history will recognize some of the personalities in these accounts. Contributions from airmen such as Tommy Blackburn, Marion Carl, David McCambell, Max Leslie, Bernie Lay, Jr., Lefty Grove, and Don Lopez appear with accounts from many other lesser-known but no less heroic participants, military and civilian. This almost wholly American story is balanced somewhat by brief narratives from Axis aces Saburo Sakai of Japan and Erich Demuth of Germany.

The process of obtaining the photographs for Wings of War is a story in itself. The author states in his introduction that he (probably like most of us) thought for a long time that World War II was a "black-and-white" war. The vast majority of previously published works on World War II reinforce this; most have photos only in black and white. Color photos from any source were rare, and the same color photos tended to appear repeatedly in different works. However. while most photos were black and white, not everyone was content to use them. Apparently thousands of soldiers, sailors, and airmen recorded the war in Kodachrome, a fact Ethell discovered on a hunch while doing interviews for books. The simple question, Do you know of any color photos? started a collection that now exceeds 10,000 color photographs, with more arriving daily. He takes pains to point out that the photographic coverage is not uniform from theater to theater. Color film suffered from the heat of the Pacific region . Because the maritime environment was also harsh on the film, Army Air Corps units tend to get better representation in the photos. Due to Ethell's efforts, however, this inequity is not reflected in the book.

Wings of War is not the first book containing strictly color photos published by this author. Other works include his Bomber Command, Fighter Command, andThe Victory Era.Some of the photos in Wings of War also appear in the latter book. In addition, Ethell has just released an allcolor volume on the US Army in World War II.

In conclusion, Wings of War has far more to offer the reader than just a superb collection of photos. Although the photos are the centerpiece of the book, Ethell is to be congratulated for publishing them in this format, complete with detailed captions and appropriate narrative. I recommend Wings of War without reservation to anyone interested in World War II and aviation. The serious model builder will enjoy the work as a reference for color and markings. Also, more serious students of military history may find the photos with captions as well as the narratives useful.

Lt Col Dave Howard, USAF
Maxwell AFB, Alabama

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