The 357th Fighter Group produced 42 aces, more than any other group within the USAAF. It was also the first group in the Eighth Air Force to be equipped with the P-51. Thanks to this fighter and the talented pilots assigned to the group (men such as Bud Anderson, Kit Carson, John England and Chuck Yeager) the 357th achieved a faster rate of aerial victories than any other Eighth Air Force group during the final year of the war. It also claimed the highest number of aerial kills - 56 - in a single mission. The group was awarded two Distinguished Unit Citations (the unit equivalent of the Medal of Honor). Written by Chris Bucholtz, this book is crammed full of first-hand accounts, superb photography and some of the most colorful profiles to be found in World War II aviation.

Author Biography

Chris Bucholtz spent six years in the navy before starting a journalism career that has spanned the gamut from rock music critic to scientific journal editor. Most recently, he's worked as the editor in chief of Forecasting Clouds, a website specializing in helping small business understand business software. At the same time, he's built a parallel career as an aviation historian and noted scale modeler, editing the U.S. branch of the International Plastic Modeling Society's Journal and contributing articles to such magazines as Flight Journal and Air Enthusiast. He's also the aviation editor of Internet Modeler (www.internetmodeler.com), where his long-form "Pilot and His Plane" series serves to tie together history and the hobby.