2nd Pursuit Group, USAS
By Matt Bittner
Author: Jon Guttman
Publisher: Aeronaut Books
ISBN: 978-1-964637-51-8
Binding: Softcover
Pages: 187
Following up from his excellent book on the First Pursuit Group (1st PG), USAS, during World War I (WWI), Jon Guttman provides this history of the 2nd PG. Here's how the book is broken out:
- Chapter 1: Expanding the Fighter Force
- Chapter 2: Biddle Takes Charge of the Grim Reapers
- Chapter 3: Battlng [sic] von Boenigk's [sic] "Circus" and Reapers versus Ravens
- Chapter 4: Richtofen's Circus in Town
- Chapter 5: Postwar
- References
- Appendices
Like the 1st PG before it, the 2nd PG was formed to incorporate four of the newly formed WWI Aero Squadrons: the 13th, 22nd, 29th and 139th. The first squadron to see action was the 139th, with the other following in the months ahead of the 139th's 10 June debut. Sprinkled throughout the book are sections devoted to each squadron, and other sections toward some of the more famous pilots, for example David Putnam whom eventually transferred to the USAS 139th squadron from French Escadrille MS.159 and he was the leading US ace until he was brought down on 12 September 1918. He was only 19 years old.
The history of the 2nd PG is very well done in this book, covering not only the more famous pilots but also histories of each squadron. There is also a section on one of the main protagonists of the 2nd PG, German Jasta 74, that not only includes a short narrative and photos, but also color profiles of some of the aircraft Jasta 74 flew.
Speaking of color profiles, there are 41 of those, covering six different aircraft types, along with 288 photos. Truly, a mecca for the modeler.
To me, though, it feels like the book is rushed as there are many errors within the text and photo captions, and some of the color profiles as well. In addition, sections of the main text are broken up with pages of just photographs, as well as sections devoted to other topics, such as a section on David Putnam, etc. This makes it a little bit difficult to read and I found I had to mark my place from where the text of a section was broken up, so I could go back and look at the sections within the broken-up text.
However, even with this annoyance, I can whole heartedly recommend this book. We finally have a comprehensive history on the 2nd Pursuit group and that itself makes it worth picking up this historical reference. You can order this book through Amazon.