The San Joaquin Siren, an American Ace in WWII's Cbi

The 459th Fighter Squadron probably does not ring a bell with most enthusiasts. Furthermore, most would not associate the P-38 with the China-Burma-India theater. However, the P-38 did serve in several squadrons in the CBI, and this book fills a gap in the historical record. It's well-written and well-worth reading.The author does a good job of describing his training, his path to combat, his experiences in combat, and day-to-day life in theater and on R&R. The book flows smoothly and is easy to read. He did appreciate the twin engine layout of the P-38, and informs us that 29 pilots in his squadron returned from combat missions on one engine. He talks about the victory confirmation process, as he was officially credited with 4 victories by the USAAF, but had a 5th claim that would have made him an ace that was not attributed to him under unusual circumstances.I found the book to be reasonably accurate, but as with an account written 50+ years after the fact by a man in his 80s, there were a couple of errors. They are minor, and should not dissuade you from reading the book, but the author and his co-author could have used an editor knowledgeable on WW2 aircraft and operations. These types of errors are not uncommon in pilot memoirs. I'll mention them below just so the more casual reader will not come away with incorrect information.For example, the book states that, "Lightnings scored the first American victory of the war against both the Japanese and the Germans and went on to destroy more enemy aircraft than any Allied plane." It is true that the P-38 scored the first American victory over a German aircraft. The P-36 & P-40 scored the first American victories over the Japanese at Pearl Harbor, not the P-38. In terms of destroying enemy aircraft, the P-38 (3700 claims) is third on the US list behind the Mustang with around 5900 claims, and the Hellcat with around 5200 claims. In all likelihood, British & Russian types are ahead of it as well.The author claims to be fighting Japanese Zeros quite often (or "Hamps" which was the Allied code name for a particular model of the Zero with squared-off wingtips). The CBI theater was under the control of the Japanese Army, and as such he was almost certainly fighting Ki-43 Oscars there. He does mention fighting the Oscar on a number of occasions as well. That is a common mistake, as the two aircraft are similar in appearance, and given the Zero's formidable reputation created at the start of the war, most Allied pilots believed they were fighting Zeros early on. As aircraft recognition became better, that notion started to fade as the war went on.The author states the P-38 could fly at 400 mph on one engine. The top speed of the ultimate P-38 - the "L" model - was 414 mph. You cannot cut the power of a P-38 in half and still expect it to go 400 mph in level flight. I don't know what the P-38 single engine top speed is, but based on basic aerodynamic principles, it is not 400 mph.He flew one combat mission in the P-47, and liked the aircraft. He points out that the P-47 had less range than the P-38, which is true. His comparison is not apples-to-apples, though. He says the P-47's range was about 450 miles, which was about right for the very early versions of the P-47. He says the P-38 range is 3000 miles. I'm not sure if the P-38 was capable of 3000 miles of range, but that could only be in the ferry configuration with two 300 gallon drop tanks. Wiki says the P-38L has a combat range of 1300 miles, which is impressive. It says a P-47D-30, which was in service at the same time as the P-38L, had a combat range of 800 miles, and a ferry range of 1800 miles. So, you can see that the P-38 does indeed have quite a bit more range than the P-47, but not nearly to the extent claimed in the book.He also equates the RAF rank of Wing Commander to a General Officer, but an RAF Wing Commander is actually the equivalent of a USAAF Lieutenant Colonel.A few minor technical inaccuracies, but I thought I'd point them out for those interested.

This is the story of the making of a P-38 ace in the CBI (China, Burma, India Theatre in WW II). It definitely is a quick read and moves along very well. Bill has some very strong feelings about military life and those who are on the inside and those who were on the outside of leadership especially on counting kills vs probables. The author also does a great job of describing military life in the R and R areas as well as the great distances that had to be travelled just getting to the CBI theatre. However, what I enjoyed most was the author's description of the different aircraft that Bill flew and how each one performed. I just could not give it 5 stars, because I have read some better books, but I still think it deserved 4.5 stars, especially for its heart and honesty . I have to agree with Bill Behrns my favorite plane of W W II is the P-38. Thanks for a great effort and your service Bill.

This is an autobiography of a young man who grew up in the Depression and became a WW2 fighter pilot in the CBI theater. If either period interests you, it is well written and a fast, fluid read. However beyond this the author [and his ghost writer] have no special insights or unusual experiences. So it is worth an ebook price but is probably not a book you will choose to read twice. It is especially flat on getting a feel for the CBI beyond snakes and monkey feces.

Being a jet fighter pilot, I was very interested in this book. The P-38 from stories of my commanders, was a wonderful machine. This book starts from a farm boy in California and traces his entire WWII experience as a fighter pilot . In addition it took place in the Japanese area of the war. They didn't have much, but made the best of it. I highly recommend this bit of our WWII history from a fighter pilot aces view. boyd

Easy to read and it follows along the India- Burma ww2 theater real well.The p-38 detail is exceptional along with the bio of the author .Worth the money

Great book on a forgotten subject. Too bad the images are not better (and bigger)...

Useful information on a mostly forgotten theater of war.

Not enough technical plane details, not enough combat encountered to make it exciting.I guess that theatre was not in much action. Personal details were interesting.

Good book