Aces in Command: Fighter Pilots as Combat Leaders

Aces in Command reveals the qualities - many but not all of them shared - that permitted four famous American pilots to become aces. However, it goes beyond their personal combat records to a far more important subject. What enabled men of widely different backgrounds to overcome not only the enemy but also the difficulty of whipping a combat unit into shape? Aces in Command Accs puts you into the cockpit in four wars, in fighter planes that varied vastly in technology, against enemies of ever increasing capability. It takes you in a SPAD XIII with Rickenbacker in fights with von Richthofen's Flying Circus. It puts you into a Thunderbolt with Zemke, deep over Germany, breaking all the rules, but shooting down Germans. Then you fly with Blesse in a Sabre, getting your victories deep inside North Korean lines - and never losing a wingman. Finally, it tells you of the exploits of the maverick Robin Olds in two wars, learning the trade in a Lightning over Germany and using all he learned to whip a Phantom wing into shape in Vietnam.