Dumb But Lucky!: Confessions of a P-51 Fighter Pilot in World War II (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780345476364)

Second lieutenant Dick Curtis arrived in Italy in May 1944-twenty years old and part of a shipment of P-51 Mustang fighter pilots so desperately needed that they were rushed into combat with less than thirty hours of flight time in their new high-performance aircraft.

Six of the twelve pilots assigned to the 52nd Fighter Group were shot down in the first two weeks. By his ninth mission, Curtis was the only one still flying. A maverick, he barely escaped court-martial with his high-flying antics. Escorting bombers sent to pound heavily defended oil fields was risky enough, but strafing the enemy supply lines, ports, and airfields was even more dangerous. Curtis may chalk up his success to dumb luck, but these missions took exceptional skill and courage. This hair-raising account captures the air war in all its split-second terror and adrenaline-pumping action.

Author: Richard Curtis
ISBN-10: 0345476360
ISBN-13: 9780345476364
Publisher: Presidio Press
Language: English
Published: 06/28/2005
Pages: 352
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.40lbs
Size: 6.84h x 4.26w x 1.00d

Review Citation(s):
Ingram Paperback Advance 07/01/2005 pg. 61