WINGED VICTORY

Perret's There's a War to be Won, to be Won (1991) examined the role of US Army ground troops in WW II. Here, the author focuses on the part played by the Army Air Forces in the same conflict, and also covers how WW I's fledgling Army Signal Corps air service evolved into the world's mightiest air force. But despite its exultant title, Perret's chronicle is one not only of a hard-won triumph but also of errors and terrors; of political battles for turf between and within the military services; of leaders with heads in the clouds and feet of clay; of American aircraft often inferior than that flown by our enemies; and of the heroism of—and sometimes horrifying price paid by—the bomber and fighter crews who had to fly through hell and back in order to attack their targets. Both a valuable military history, then, as well as a notable contribution to the long-running debate over the ability of air power alone to achieve national objectives. (Sixteen pages of b&w photos—not seen)