4th Fighter Group

Book excerpt: With first-hand accounts and colour artwork, this title describes the planes and pilots of the famous 4th Fighter Group 'Fourth but First' that became the highest-scoring unit of the mighty 8th Air Force in World War 2. Formed around a nucleus of pilots already seasoned by their experience as volunteers in the RAF's Eagle Squadrons, the 4th Fighter Group was established in England in October 1942. Initially flying Spitfires, the Debden Eagles went on to fly the P-47 and P-51, becoming, in July 1943, the first Eighth Air Force fighter group to penetrate German air space. The group's record of 583 air and 469 ground victories was unmatched in the Eighth Air Force, and the group produced a cast of characters that included legendary aces Don Blakeslee, Pierce McKennon, “Kid” Hofer, Duane Beeson, Steve Pisanos and Howard Hively. Involved in the D-Day landings, Operation Market Garden, the Battle of the Bulge and the crossing of the Rhine, the group's achievements came at a high price, with a 42 percent casualty rate. Packed with pilots' experiences, detailed aircraft profiles and full combat histories, this book is an intriguing insight into the best-known American fighter unit in World War II.