During World War II, only a few pilots succeeded in shooting down five or more enemy planes. But collectively they accounted for almost half the aircraft destroyed in air-to-air combat. They were known as aces. And five of them were engaged not only in patriotic duty but in a fevered competition to become America’s greatest fighter pilot: the “ace of aces.” Their incredible story is told for the first time in bestselling author John Bruning’s exhilarating new book, “Race of Aces: WWII’s Elite Airmen and the Epic Battle to Become the Master of the Sky.”
The race began when WWI hero Eddie Rickenbacker bet a bottle of bourbon that no pilot could break his record of 26 enemy planes destroyed. General George Kelly, whose air force in the Pacific had been demoralized by Japan’s relentless air raids, used it as motivation. What ensued was a three-year quest for immortal fame and glory. And these once ordinary men quickly became national heroes as word of their feats spread.
In stunningly rendered, intimate detail, Bruning tells of how these pilots inspired the country to believe that we could defeat the most formidable enemy America had ever faced – and the inconceivable human cost and moral ambiguity they would need to reckon with. The race escalated as the casualties mounted, while the lines between service and individual accolades blurred, the pilots at times succumbing to bitter rivalries or the temptation to take undue risks to cement their legend. As the war reached its climax, some of the pilots began to see how the race’s spotlight warped their sense of duty, emerging as leaders, beloved by their men as they chose selfless devotion over national accolades.
Spanning the vast seas and blistering skies of the Pacific theater, “Race of Aces” is a gripping action story and – with America’s Air Force increasingly relying on unmanned drones – an inspiring reminder of a time when soldiers were devastating artists of the dogfight.
About John: John is the author of “Indestructible: One Man’s Rescue Mission That Changed the Course of WWII,” a national bestseller. Well-traveled as an embedded combat correspondent, Bruning was awarded the Department of Defense’s 2010 Thomas Jefferson Award for his reporting in Afghanistan. For his work with the Oregon National Guard, he was inducted into the 162nd Infantry Regiment as an honorary member. John lives in Independence, Oregon.