Dead Reckoning: Experiences of a World War II Fighter Pilot

In 1943, Abner, 22 years old and deeply affected by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, volunteered to join America's efforts in WWII. In short order, the Oregon farm boy became a U.S. Army Air Corps pilot flying the legendary P-51 Mustang with the 357th Fighter Group in Europe. This was a time when military pilots still flew ""by the seat of the pants"" and enjoyed more liberties--and often were exposed to more dangers--than their modern counterparts. Abner's inevitable adventures are recounted with flair in a memoir that extends to the day in 1945 when Abner was grabbed by a ""wild-eyed Londoner"" who announced, ""It's over, Yank! The bastards surrendered! It's all over!"" Even after a half century, Abner has marvelous recall of curious anecdotes about his days in service. At one point, the young pilot, overwhelmed by the vastness of London, takes a cab to the American Red Cross, where he encounters the infamous Nancy Langhorne, the Virginia woman who married an English viscount and became Britain's Lady Astor. Less satisfying is the story of Abner's girlfriend, Lolly, for whom the author professes love yet on whom he inexplicably cheats while in England. Abner's memoir manages to be lightly engrossing, but its series of wartime vignettes lack a cohesion that more, and deeper, introspection might have provided. Photos. (Sept.)