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23rd Fighter Group AEU 31 Carl Molesworth | ||||||||||||||
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Cena okładkowa: 14.00 GBP
Cena detaliczna: 49.00 zł
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| Opis w j. angielskim: Staffed with inexperienced USAAF pilots led by a handful of seasoned veterans of the American Volunteer Group (AVG), the 23rd FG was formed in the field at Kunming, in China, on 4 July 1942 and flew combat missions that same day. The group?s three squadrons ? the 74th, 75th and 76th Fighter Squadrons ? were initially equipped with war-weary P-40s handed down from the AVG. These were supplemented by the attached 16th FS, flying new P-40Es, and all squadrons adorned the noses of their aeroplanes with fearsome sharksmouth designs (the most iconic fighter emblem of World War 2). The 23rd FG fought a guerrilla war against the Japanese, steadily moving pilots and aircraft from one remote air base to another to keep the enemy off balance. Because China could only be supplied by air from India, there were constant shortages of aircraft, fuel and ammunition to contend with, not to mention the determined and skilful enemy forces. The 23rd FG met these challenges head-on, and by the end of the war its pilots had compiled a score of 594 aerial victories and nearly 400 ground kills, while also taking a heavy toll on enemy lines of communication during strafing and bombing attacks. Among the 47 aces who flew in the 23rd were colourful characters such as David L ?Tex? Hill, Robert L ?Bob? Scott, Clinton D ?Casey? Vincent, John C ?Pappy? Herbst and Albert J ?Ajax? Baumler. The human cost was high, however ? 126 pilots lost their lives in China while serving in the 23rd. Contents * Introduction * Chapter 1: The AVG Passes the Baton * Chapter 2: China Air Task Force * Chapter 3: Action in the East * Chapter 4: The Mustangs Arrive * Chapter 5: Battling Ichi-Go * Chapter 6: Victory at Last * Appendices | ||||||||||||||