Recommended honest biographies / autobiographies

I’m starting to wonder, with the countless books already published, are there any authors/publishers sitting on manuscripts until the subject shuffles off in the hope of better sales?

Another vote for Jack Currie’s ‘Lancaster Target’, and of course, Wellum’s ‘First Light’.

Also by Mel Rolfe about Bomber Command ‘Flying Into Hell’ and ‘Hell on Earth’, mine all came from East Kirkby.

‘Night Fighter’ is also a long term favourite of mine, from what I have read in other publications and with his modest manner I would imagine that John Cunningham would have read and approved the text before allowing it to be published.

It seems that way doesn’t it? By the way I should add a thank you for mentioning the other two Mel Rolfe books. I have realised that the reason I was only aware of Looking Into Hell was because I bought it within a couple of months of it being available in paperback and didn’t read the page at the front of the book where other books by the same author are mentioned.

Mike,

I’ve been and had a look on the shelf and the follow up to ‘Looking into Hell’ is ‘To Hell and Back’.

Thanks Alan I must look for that, needless to say from my question it’s obvious that’s one I’ve not read.

“Tempest Pilot” by Jim Sheddan DFC

My personal fave

Also by Mel Rolfe about Bomber Command ‘Flying Into Hell’ and ‘Hell on Earth’, mine all came from East Kirkby.

‘Night Fighter’ is also a long term favourite of mine, from what I have read in other publications and with his modest manner I would imagine that John Cunningham would have read and approved the text before allowing it to be published.

Mike,

I’ve been and had a look on the shelf and the follow up to ‘Looking into Hell’ is ‘To Hell and Back’.

If you include hang glider pilots as being worthy of a biography I would reccommend
Flying With Condors by Judy Leden

The Struggle by Franciszek Kornicki
A Test Pilot’ Story by Jeffrey Quill
Mosquito Pathfinder by Albert and Ian Smith

I can see that I have had preferences for the Vietnam Era now that I ‘dig in’ my book list.

Some of them are read a long time ago hence it is not always I remember the details.

Denis Barnham: “Spitfire Ace Over Malta: A Personal Account of Ten Weeks of War, April-June 1942”
A good account on the hardships of the defenders of Malta written in a low key

Eric Brown: Wings of the Luftwaffe: Flying German Aircraft of the Second World War
Liked this book very much, many details of the characteristics of German aircraft

Alex Henshaw: Sigh for a Merlin: Testing the Spitfire
A story from the home front, well written

Tim Mason: The Secret Years: Flight Testing at Boscombe Down, 1939-1945
If your are into tech this is for you. “An extraordinary look at more than 1,500 British, U.S., and German aircraft and armaments, including experimental machines”

Gordon Wallace: Carrier Observer
As I remember it this was ok.

Ken Bell: 100 Missions North: A Fighter Pilot’s Story of the Vietnam War
Not the best book I have read, but ok

Jack Broughton: Thud Ridge: F-105 Thunderchief missions over Vietnam
Jack Broughton: Going Downtown: The War Against Hanoi and Washington
These books are good reads. But no doubt that the author was an outspoken member of the ‘The-politicians-tied-our-right-arm-on-our-back’ wing

Ed Cobleigh: War For the Hell of It: A Fighter Pilot’s View of Vietnam
I liked this book, written in a low key manner. The mans love of flying shines through

Richard S. Drury: My Secret War
Flying the Skyraider, the anachronism of the Vietnam war. One of my first books in English and still one of my favorites

Paul T. Gillcrist. Vulture’s Row: Thirty Years in Naval Aviation
Paul T. Gillcrist. Tomcat!: Grumman F-14 Story
Paul T. Gillcrist. Crusader! : Last of the Gunfighters
Paul T. Gillcrist. Feet Wet: Reflections of a Carrier Pilot
These books are very good. A good mix of facts and ‘sea stories’. Laughed out loud may times

Marshall Harrison: A Lonely Kind of War: Forward Air Controller, Vietnam
Have a soft spot for the OV-10 Bronco. A good read

James L. Holloway III: Aircraft Carriers at War: A Personal Retrospective of Korea, Vietnam, and the Soviet Confrontation
As seen from the very top of the totem pole, I liked the book

Mika Jackson: Naked in Da Nang: A Forward Air Controller in Vietnam
Ok book

Hugh L. Mills Jr: Low Level Hell: A Scout Pilot In The Big Red One
An action packed account

Kit Lavell: Flying Black Ponies: The Navy’s Close Air Support Squadron in Vietnam
Another of my ‘first’s’ and favorites. Highly recommendable

Dick Lord:; From Fledgling to Eagle: The South African Air Force During the Border War
Not all air wars has to involve huge numbers of aircraft as e.g. the Vietnam War. A bit too detailed for my taste though, more like a combat report than a ‘traditional’ book on the subject

George J. Marret: Contrails Over the Mojave: The Golden Age of Jet Flight Testing at Edwards Air Force Base
George J. Marret: Testing Death: Hughes Aircraft Test Pilots and Cold War Weaponry
Well written books

Robert Mason: Chickenhawk
Liked this book for it’s straight forwardness

Dan McKinnon: Rescue Pilot : Life-Saving At – Sea Navy Helicopter Missions
From the infancy of rescue helicopters, interesting

Robert Prest: F4 Phantom: A Pilot’s Story
A RAF pilots peace time experience with The Phabulous Phantom. Told in a low key manner, very British and a good book.

Ed Rasimus: When Thunder Rolled: An F-105 Pilot over North Vietnam
A favorite of mine.

Warren Thompson: Bandits Over Baghdad: Personal Stories of Flying the F-117 Over Iraq
The first over the target

David Kirk Vaughan: Runway Visions: An American C-130 Pilot’s Memoir of Combat Airlift Operations in Southeast Asia, 1967-1968
Stories about the boredom of hauling ‘ass’n’trash’ as well as harrowing combat missions into e.g. Khe Sahn

Randy R. Zahn: Snake Pilot: Flying the Cobra Attack Helicopter in Vietnam
Like ‘Low Level Hell’ an action packed account

Enjoy, and take care

J

“Piece of cake” by Geoff Taylor – not to be confused with the TV drama! An absolutely gripping read about an Australian Lanc pilot, from the day before being shot down, his incarceration, escape attempts, through to his repatriation to England at the end of the war. Sometimes sad, other times extremely funny.

I can’t remember off hand Alan but I think you are correct. I didn’t know there was a follow up book, what was the title?

Looking into Hell and its follow up were Mel Rolfe from memory, I remember reading those a long time ago, and occasionally still get them off the shelf.

I have just started Sagittarius rising by CS Lewis, what a beautifully written and descriptive book so far.

A Thousand Shall Fall by Murray Peden is still my yardstick.

Yes that can be added to my previous list as can the following:

Looking into Hell (Can’t remember the author)
Ted The Lad (Ted Catchart, Lied about his age to join up and was flying on bombing raids over Germany at the age of 16, Flight Sergeant at the age of 17 if memory serves correctly)
Bomber Boys.

There are so many out there it’s hard to pick my favourites, I get the impression a lot of the contributors to this thread are like me and read every one they can get hold of.

Warburton’s War about Arian Warburton
Sharkey’s War (Cmdr Sharkey Ward. Admittedly it’s modern and less a biography than an account of the air war over the Falkland Islands.

Also if you can get hold of it there’s a book about a Stuka pilot who’s name I am not sure of and cannot check a I lent the book to someone years ago and it never came back. I think the chap’s name was Hans Rudel.

I hope some of these have given people some ideas. I’ve tried to add titles which no-one else has mentioned rather than repeat the titles others have listed. Let’s just say that I have read most of the titles mentioned by the other posters on here and would not disagree with any of them. I may be able to add some more that haven’t been mentioned when I get home in the morning and take a look at my library.

The Man In The Hot Seat by Doddy Hay (guinea pig for Martin Baker)
Fate Is The Hunter
Wings On My Sleeve
First Light
We Landed By Moonlight (Hugh Verity
Spitfire On My Tail (Ulrich Steinhilper)
My Piece of The Sky (Roland Beamont)

Those are just a few that come to mind.

It’s a while since I read it but I would recommend ‘Shot Down in Flames’ by Geoffrey Page.

Agree with Night Fighter. Also Carrier Pilot by Norman Hanson, a little different as it’s about him as an FAA pilot in the Pacific…

I remember reading this;
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Straits-Messina-Johannes-Steinhoff/dp/0233963138
30+ years ago and enjoying it, must grab a copy for another read sometime and see if it passes the test of time.

Flying Start by Hugh Dundas is the most modest and truthful account that I have read in many a year. Strongly recommended.

SaJad Haider’s Flight of the Falcon is a brutally honest view on the PAF and Pakistan politics – a truly collector’s item and a fascinating insight