Reflections of a Military Pilot
Author: Gerald M. French
Retired USAF Major
The Youngest Pilot and Flight Commander
of
A 4-Engine Bomber Plane
in
World War II
| "The anticipation of combat probably was the greatest mental hazard for most crews. As with any form of
initiation, there was no adequate way to prepare for it, no way to answer the overriding question. Will I be too
scared to function?" --excerpt from the book "…Axis Sally would come on the radio and say something like, 'OK, you 15th Air Force, you B-24’s, we know what you did today…you pulled a dirty trick. You surrendered and then you shot down two of our escort airplanes. We’ll be waiting for you tomorrow.'" --excerpt from the book "In Korea, during the time I was over there, which was the early part of the war, we didn’t have but very few fighter intercepts. Later on, the fighters got pretty heavy, especially when the Chinese came across the border. We made a lot of missions where we didn’t see any fighters at all, but we got an awful lot of flack. The flack was more accurate than it was in Europe, because by this time, they had what they called 'proximity fuses.'" --excerpt from the book |
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| "In his book, he describes certain events with a passionate connection to those who served their
country. His book is powerfully moving, and yet light-hearted enough that the reader wants more. He
explains his time during WW II with an energetic, yet tenacious, determination that accomplishment of
duty equals success." Paula French Eldest Daughter |
Book can be purchased at the following locations:
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www.Amazon.com
www.Abebooks.com
www.Alibris.com
Book-on-line can be purchased at the following locations:
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www.GlobalBooksinPrint.com
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| THEN - 1943, 18 years old Second Lieutenant |
NOW - 2007, 83 years old Retired |