Race of Aces: WWII’s Elite Airmen and the Epic Battle to Become the Masters of the Sky

Military historian Bruning (Indestructible) delivers a wide-angled view of the careers of America’s top WWII fighter pilots in this encyclopedic work. Stemming from Gen. George Kenney’s challenge to his Fifth Air Force fliers to break WWI ace Capt. Eddie Rickenbacker’s record of 26 kills, the race to become “America’s ace of aces” included, among others, Lt. Col. Gerald Johnson, recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross; Col. Neel Kearby, the first fighter pilot to win the Medal of Honor; and Maj. Richard Bong, who eventually claimed the title by downing 40 Japanese aircraft. Bruning recounts the drama from the front lines as well as the home front, noting that America’s top fighter pilots were major celebrities of their day; newspapers printed box scores keeping track of their tallies. Their families, however, paid a steep price—of the five fliers profiled, only one lived past 1945. General readers may find Bruning’s descriptions of dogfights too repetitive, and the minutia of wartime record keeping threatens to bury the action under facts and figures. Military aviation buffs, however, will relish the level of detail. Agent: Jim Hornfischer, Hornfischer Literary Management. (Jan.)