TURN THE TIGERS LOOSE

The scene is Korea- an airbase from which the outmoded B-26's were flying night assignments designed to stop the shuttling of trucks and trains into North Korean bases. The personnel are the officers and non-come, in particular Tom Loring, senior pilot in the USAF and his crew. The issues- the usual ones of inadequate staff, inadequate equipment and fatigue that three or four hours of sleep could not touch. (This more than the dangers of night flying in vile weather, flak, and Miga.) Loring has another problem, a pilot who has turned back three times, using excuses of engine trouble, gas, etc. Loring proves his own suspicions- that the man is yellow, claiming fear. And later another man in another unit follows the same pattern and then- to avoid court marshal- flies- and crashes in panic. There is no build up of plot- just the round of what happens day in, day out, whether flying, handling desk details; organizing for better operation, seeking to solve personnel problems. On these scores, the book measures up to a good level of presentation; on the plot score, on dialogue, it seems a bit contrived. The flying fans will be the best customers.