WWI, ENEMY ACE, JOE KUBERT, nuff said.
926285
I remember reading the original series starting in Showcase so it was a nice surprise to discover additional stories from OAAW as well as the stories from the Unknown Soldier. What can I say, no one drew war stories better then Joe Kubert and the art alone, even in b&w, is worth the price. I was amazed that the Frank Thorne artwork was spot on to Kubert's art and had to check the index to see when the change occurred. Another great war artist is John Severin and it was great to see his war art again. The stories were all great although the Batman was a bit of a stretch it was still a welcomed addition to the EA saga. Definitely recommended and I will probably now purchase the colored collected versions to complete the collection.
647603
Albert Ball was one of the first World War One aces that I ever read about.  I read Gene Gurney's book as my introduction!&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Flying-Aces-of-World-War-I/dp/B000GS5K3I/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Flying Aces of World War I</a>&nbsp;I was always impressed by his "all out" aggressive tactics and idiosyncrasies.  This is a well researched book, based heavily on Ball's written correspondence, but also based on the historical record, and previous research.  I found this book to be enlightening on many facets of Ball and WW 1 aviation in general, but it also created a need for more information.  I would also recommend these resources for a complete examination of Albert Ball:  Chaz Bowyer's title&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Albert-Ball-VC/dp/0947554890/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Albert Ball VC</a>&nbsp;Alex Revell's titles&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/No-56-Sqn-RAF-RFC-Aviation-Elite-Units/dp/1846034280/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">No 56 Sqn RAF/RFC (Aviation Elite Units)</a>&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/No-60-Sqn-RFC-RAF-Aviation-Elite-Units/dp/1849083339/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">No 60 Sqn RFC/RAF (Aviation Elite Units)</a>&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Victoria-Cross-WW1-Airmen-and-Their-Aircraft/dp/1891268007/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Victoria Cross WW1 Airmen and Their Aircraft</a>&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/High-in-the-Empty-Blue-The-History-of-56-Squadron-Rfc-Raf-1916-1920/dp/0963711032/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">High in the Empty Blue: The History of 56 Squadron, Rfc/Raf 1916-1920</a>&nbsp;and his latest title&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Fall-of-Eagles-Airmen-of-World-War-One/dp/1848845278/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Fall of Eagles: Airmen of World War One</a>.  You may also enjoy&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/MANNOCK-The-Life-and-Death-of-Major-Edward-Mannock-VC-DSO-MC-RAF/dp/1906502129/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">MANNOCK: The Life and Death of Major Edward Mannock VC, DSO, MC, RAF</a>&nbsp;by Norman Franks and&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/BRIEF-GLORY-The-Life-of-Arthur-Rhys-Davids-DSO-MC/dp/1848841620/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">BRIEF GLORY: The Life of Arthur Rhys Davids DSO MC*</a>&nbsp;by Alex Revell.
4887910
They also enable you to plot the progress of the war. They are chosen from most of the combatant nations (apart from Japan) and are very interesting and engrossing, in the way that picture and map books often are. Also many of them are still very funny: the motorist asking for directions in a fuel-starved Britain suspicious of possible spies (or traitors -'fifth columnists') is obviously addressing this suspicion when he says 'If I were a spy or fifth columnist, you still would not want me to waste petrol, would you? Another one shows an irate householder, with a bomber thundering over his roof, just missing it, with a comment about how he thinks he will delay building the extension until after the war.

I found the cartoons produced by the Dutch, Danish and French underground interesting. There are artistic ones, such as 'Autumn' which shows swastikas tumbling like leaves from the trees and being swept up by a figure of death, as a skeleton. There is another harrowing one drawn by an inmate in a concentration camp which shows the air raid siren as thousands of people screaming. Awful.

On a lighter note, one of the most memorable shows two British troops (we drive on the left, unlike you and the Continental Europeans) in a jeep, driving like madmen down a road being shelled, bombed, strafed. The caption is:'You fool, do you realise you are driving on the wrong side of the road?' (as if you'd care!)

Wonderful value and great presentfor a relation who remembers the Second Great Unpleasantness. Get it!
668864
Bill Everet had yet to join the military for world war 2. So he was the artist on all these sub mariner tales.  Paul gustaven was still around too , so his artwork is in this volume of the reprint of the first four issues of submariner comics.  This is prime anti axis material as the heroes here battle against the forces of darkness of the time.  The submariner though was just as liable to turn on America though at this stage of his career. The hard cover version of this is a lot more expensive so this volume is a better deal for sure.  The art is  remastered and it is NOT scans of old comics. Something that sucks but is what a lot of reprinters do.  So this volume is a blast from the golden age at a very affordable price.
977775
The reason this pilot survived 5 years on the western front is because he analyzes his enemys tactics and modified his fight game never to put himself at the Germans advantage. With 57 kills and the VC his story is a real adventure. I learned more about WWI aviation from this book than any I have read to date
3783440
The air war in Europe told through the words of four participants.  Some great, never-seen-before combat photography.
3144406
The film starts with a view of the heavens. The recently invented flying machine was adopted by armies as an observation platform that was better than the earlier tethered balloon. In September 1914 an observation airplane saw the German flanking attack, they were able to stop it at the first Battle of the Marne using the taxis of Paris (fast mechanized deployment). The way to stop observation airplanes was to shoot them down with another armed airplane. First rifles, then machine guns. The way to stop an armed fighter was with another armed fighter. Bombing was another development, as well as anti-aircraft guns. Trench warfare prevented the maneuvers used by generals of the past. A stalemate followed.

A young man in Texas wants to get out of town. Another leaves Nebraska for "The War to End War". An American boxer joins the Lafayette Escadrille. So too a dropout from Harvard. The men meet their mascot "Whiskey" and the issue of racism. The men undergo elementary training in flying and tactics. The average life of a pilot was six weeks. The German Air Force predominated in 1916. Fighters will accompany Handley-Page bombers to attack German supplies. No parachutes for pilots. "Beware of the Hun in the sun!" There is a dogfight, some are shot down. One flyer seeks love. There is a pleasant scene. Then they are scrambled to pursue German bombers. Another dogfight with wins and losses.

One flyer returns to see a girlfriend. There is a drama in the history of one flyer. Why did he miss his target? A flight of Fokkers attacked a town, the Lafayette Escadrille comes to the rescue. One pilot lands in No Man's Land, and is rescued in an incredible manner. Was the war meaningless? Who will win? Can one flyer rescue his girlfriend? [Did anyone fly at night then?] It was a dramatic rescue. "Don't ever do that again!" Next they attack a Zeppelin. [These bombed London at night.] The film shows the effects of machine gun fire on the pilots and airplanes. The hospital is being evacuated. Will they meet again? There is another mission to attack Jametz. This time it will be a flanking attack to surprise the enemy with escorted bombers. There is another dogfight to let the bombers get through. There is a last dogfight between the fighter airplanes. Will the good guy survive? The last scenes tell about the flyer's future.

This is a good film in spite of the story. This film uses CGI to recreate the known past. A better story makes a better film. You may find a book about this subject educational. Hollywood provides entertainment, not history. ["They Fought for the Sky" by Quentin Reynolds.]
4156112
John Weal, a real expert on Luftwaffe aces, focuses in this volume on the many German Bf109 pilots who shot down 50 to 100 Soviet aircraft on the Eastern Front in 1941-45 - the so called "semi-centurions". The stories of these aces are full of action, terrific battle achievements but also fatal accidents, unlucky mid-air collisions and grievous losses due to the murderous Soviet flak fire. A lot many of these Luftwaffe aces lost their lives trying to beat the Red Air Force and in many cases the coveted Knight's Cross was awarded posthumously. Most of the aces mentioned are totally unknown to the casual reader of World War II literature, but they nevertheless put up a terrific fight for Hitler's Germany even when it was obvious that the war was irrevocably lost and all sacrifices were in vain. The book follows a strict chronological structure beginning with the initial phases of operation "Barbarossa" (when kills were coming rather easily for the Luftwaffe fighter pilots) and continuing with the 1942 battles, the Stalingrad disaster, the Kursk summer battle of 1943, the long retreat of 1944 and the last months of frantic action in 1945. Mr Weal describes very well the improvement of the Red Air Force both in material and pilot quality, as well as the tremendous numerical superiority it enjoyed in every sector of the front resulting in gaining aerial supremacy during the last months of the war. For an additional visual tour on the Eastern Front Luftwaffe units and a look on the many aces who gained fame there I would also recommend Werner Held's awesome pictorial book "The German Fighter Units Over Russia" published by Schiffer in the 1990s.
3178300
Frank Luke was born in Phoenix, Arizona May 19. 1897.  He was America's 2nd leading ace of World War One officially credited with 18 victories.  Eddie Rickenbacker was the leading ace with 26 victories.  Both men received the Congressional Medal of Honor.  Luke Air force Base in Arizona is named in honor of Frank Luke.  He was assigned to the US 27th Aero Squadron tasked with destroying German Observation balloons.  He was perceived as arrogant and tended to fly alone and disobey orders.  He was disliked by some of his peers and superiors but had one great friend, Joseph Wehner who flew with him and watched his back.  On September 29, 1918, he died dramatically in a shoot out with German infantry after being brought down by anti aircraft fire.  This book elucidates the character and career of the "Rogue Ace".  I highly recommend it for any aviation enthusiast.  Other recommended titles:&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Fighting-the-Flying-Circus-The-Greatest-True-Air-Adventure-to-Come-out-of-World-War-I/dp/0385505590/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Fighting the Flying Circus: The Greatest True Air Adventure to Come out of World War I</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Balloon-Busting-Aces-of-World-War-1-Aircraft-of-the-Aces/dp/1841768774/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Balloon-Busting Aces of World War 1 (Aircraft of the Aces)</a>.
3999144
This volume is a companion volume to preeminent aerohistorian Jon Guttman's Naval Aces of World War 1 part 1.  If you are a serious aviation enthusiast, you must acquire this volume, especially if you already own part 1!  Part 2 examines the Naval aces who flew alongside or against those of the RNAS.  I found this volume to be so fascinating because of the variety of floatplanes and flying boats employed and it was refreshing to read about operations along the coast of Flanders, the Adriatic and the Baltic Seas!  Highlights include the careers of Friedrich Christiansen, Theodor Osterkamp, Gotthard Sachsenberg, Aleksandr de Seversky, Gottfried Banfield, and David Ingalls (the sole US Navy ace!).  Once again, Harry Dempsey's color profiles are fabulous, and Mark Postlethwaite's cover artwork is amazing!  You do not really need to have Part 1 to enjoy this book but I will provide a link for it in case you are a purist like I am!&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Naval-Aces-of-World-War-1-Part-I-Aircraft-of-the-Aces/dp/1849083452/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Naval Aces of World War 1 Part I (Aircraft of the Aces)</a>.  Other Osprey volumes by Jon Guttman that I heartily recommend:&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Pusher-Aces-of-World-War-1-Aircraft-of-the-Aces/dp/1846034175/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Pusher Aces of World War 1 (Aircraft of the Aces)</a>&nbsp;the "Pusher" aircraft were as unique in their own way as the floatplanes!  and&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Balloon-Busting-Aces-of-World-War-1-Aircraft-of-the-Aces/dp/1841768774/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Balloon-Busting Aces of World War 1 (Aircraft of the Aces)</a>&nbsp;the Balloon buster aces were a unique breed of pilot!
969749
My review title says it all. If you are a serious reader of world war one histories then this book needs to be on your shelf. Occasionally (and just occasionally) the tactical descriptions of various combat encounters get a little dry but the first part of the book dealing with the outbreak of the war is one of the best going. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
4300692
"Abraham Stone: Country Mouse City Rat" could only be better if it were bigger The late, great Joe Kubert really delivers! The art is classic Kubert! The story is engaging and powerful.
1382520
Tim Kurkjian, a popular and witty ESPN baseball guy, has written Im Fascinated by Sacrifice Flies, a light-hearted look at the sport he loves.

Tim Kurkjian;  You can spot his likeness in any elementary school class picture from the 1960s: shorter than most of the boys and all of the girls, neatly groomed hair and a face commonly described back in the day as an impish mug.

Tim Kurkjian:.  Was probably a bit of a Class Clown.  Good at sports.  Better at writing about sports.  Handsome and articulate.  Made a seamless transition from print journalism to cable TV.  Hes been the butt of countless short jokes but if he were part of an infield quartet of Freddie Patek, Harry Chappas and Joey Cora, Kurkjian would be assigned to first base due to his superior height.

Im Fascinated by Sacrifice Flies is chock-full of baseball trivia and obscure facts; what the author calls Quirkjians.  And his stories of the too-short life of Mike Flanagan and of baseball lifer Don Zimmer shed a great deal of light on the relationships that can develop over time between baseball men and respected journalists.

Eighty percent of these Quirkjians belong in the Silly File (Bartolo Colon joined Diomedes Olivo as the only players ever to record their first career extra-base hit as a forty-year-old) but the other twenty per cent could be a key observation in an advance scouts report (In 2013, Kurt Suzuki went 113 plate appearances without swinging at the first pitch).  Kurkjian doesnt separate the wheat from the chaff and its probably better that way.

A classic light summer read, Im Fascinated by Sacrifice Flies can be read start to finish or random paragraph to random paragraph.  If you prefer your baseball book with gravitas mixed in with the mirth, Im Fascinated by Sacrifice Flies features a Forward by George Will.
1757021
Hill lad writes like many on the Nazi side of the fight against the Communists, with no thought the Germans started the war. It is clear the world would be better off without Communists, that is true. It would also be better without National Socialists.  Those points aside this is an interesting look into the hell that is land battle at the infantry level.

Hap Arnold, LTC, USAF CA ANG Retired
Phantom Pilot
671730
A great look back at the AWA,with my favorite parts being the comments and imput from the likes of Brunzell,Von Rashke,Bockwinkle,ect. Great old matches are shown,also. I can't give this 5 stars,though,because hardly a mention of these great mid-late 70's superstars...Black Jack Lanza,King Kong Mosca,Lord Alfred Hayes,Bobby Duncum,Billy Robinson,Pedro Morales,ect. Hey Vince,how about a volume two?
3886590
For the price, can't beat it.  The writing and editing for mechanical construction are very good, although there are some wrong word (not homophone) issues.  The narrative and dialogue flow well and smoothly, and the combat action is well drawn and for the most part nicely detailed.

The fact checking leaves a lot to be desired.  In many cases, when the author tries to show just how much he knows about WWII, he gets it flat-out wrong:
*  General Rommel - sometimes his first name is Irwin and sometimes it's Erwin (real-life, it was Erwin).
*  The Lewis gun was NOT a Gatling gun.
*  British Major General insignia is pip with crossed sword and baton, not 'two stars' (that's American).
*  No Fokker combat aircraft used by the Luftwaffe in WWII.
*  Even though the Brits pronounce it 'leftenant', it's still spelled 'lieutenant'.

There's more, but these are the ones that stuck in my mind.

Many of the real-world big-name players are presented as cartoon-like caricatures - especially Hitler.  The German phrase 'Teppich Fresser' (carpet chewer) is equivalent in meaning and usage to the American English phrase 'hit the roof'.  Just as a really angry American would not literally go outside, climb a ladder and strike the roof, neither would a really angry German literally chew the carpet - it's an expression.

'Poo-poo Hitler', despite occasionally appearing in popular fiction, is at best anecdotal and really adds nothing to the story line.

The character I liked best was Strudza the donkey.

The baseball material, while well done, is distracting and goes nowhere.  Who is the mystery announcer with the non-existent coffee company sponsor?  What's he doing, and why?  Who's really backing him?  I kept waiting for something interesting that was somehow tied in with Germany defeating England, but it never happened.

So, late 1941, Germany's conquered all of Western Europe and the Middle East.  Then all of a sudden - BOOM!  It's 1944 and Governor Heydrich is attending a soiree in conquered Moscow, with absolutely nothing about how the defeat of Russia happened.

Short version - where it's good, it's real good; but the fact-checking and continuity issues really detract from the whole experience.
2546159
Well written look into the life and times of American Heroes of WW1.
I enjoyed this immensely.
The story of the Birth of the American Air Force in the words of one of the foremost American aces of World War One.