After finding my answers getting briefer and briefer, I realized that the 20th person to ask a question deserved the same detailed answer as the first person who asked it.
This FAQ section allows me to provide a full (if general answer) most questions that come up. By all means, if your question isn't answered here, then please, I would love to hear from you. Webmaster
While this site started with a few profiles of a few high-ranking
aces, it has grown and grown, taken on a life of its own. Maybe
someday, I will have all 1200.
I would like to contribute an article or photos about a particular
pilot.
Great! Send me an article, similar to the ones written here, in an
electronic format (HTML file, Word document, or text file) and I'll fit
it in somewhere. You might notice that this question closely resembles
the previous question, revised and with a different orientation.
But a caution on timing. This website is a part-time hobby for me, which I squeeze in between my job, my kids' soccer games, and other activities. I update it when I can and when the spirit moves me. I can't guarantee any sort of "turnaround time" on information sent in. But I do welcome it, and will get to it, eventually.
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Update, June, 2005: Here they are, on DVD!
How accurate are the book and the TV show "Baa Baa Black Sheep?"
Boyington's book is self-serving and inaccurate. The TV show was
totally fictionalized. Except for the names of few Marine officers and
the name/number of the squadron, all the episodes were made up, but
it's still a lot of fun.
I thought that Greg Boyington shot down 28 enemy planes. Why do you
show 22?
Uh-oh. This one gets me into more trouble than any other. In short,
Pappy
lied and inflated his record. Pappy was a great leader and fighter
pilot, however many planes he shot down. For those who would like to
understand more about this complex man (and his combat record), I
heartily recommend Bruce Gamble's Black
Sheep One: The Life of Gregory "Pappy" Boyington. Most other
web sites, and the USMC "official" records do credit Pappy with
28 kills.
Another way to look at it would be to note that 6 of Boyington's 28
were claimed with his service with the Flying Tigers in China. And
since the website only covers U.S. aces, those six weren't included.
But it gets complicated. Some of those six are in question, and even
some of the 22 are in question. The words here "in question" go beyond
the doubt that accompanies virtually all aerial claims. Pilots always
"over-claim," but generally in good faith.
Can you help me research a particular pilot (such as grandfather,
father, uncle) who served in World War Two?
Actually, I'm not very qualified to write about this topic, because
I haven't done any primary research. I've found everything on my
website in published sources: books and other websites.
But since I've had a number of e-mails asking for help on this task, here are a few links which should help:
One thing I do know is that the better you can identify your
relative, the better chance the administrators can find something.
Name, rank, serial number, branch of service, unit, dates of service,
date of birth, etc. are all very helpful.
Can you tell me details about a particular plane that I am
interested in?
I can try. If it's one of my reference books, I'd be delighted to
help. If not, try some web searches on Google, or try to find a book on
the topic.
Please tell me everything you know about a certain ace.
Sorry, the information I've summarized for the various pilots is on
the web site. There are many books containing more details for
virtually all of the aces covered here.
The web is an ever-growing source of all information. Generally, I
have the most complete coverage of any pilot (except for Lindbergh,
Earhart, and Yeager). But I encourage anyone with an interest in any
pilot, or other aspect of WW2 aviation, to search the web thoroughly
(Google is excellent). I would also be delighted to add a link to any
sites that offer more detailed info on any pilot.
Do you have pictures of a particular airfield, airplane, pilot,
base, city, or island that figured in World War Two
Once again, I would direct you to the web, using Google, or some
other search engine. With a few exceptions, the photos on my site were
obtained from public domain web sites, or from scans from books I own.
I am doing school project/paper on a WW2 aviation topic. Can you
help me?
I am always delighted when students are studying World War Two, and
I want to help in any way I can. Of course, that deosn't mean that I
will write a paper for someone, not will I direct a student in his or
her research. But I would be delighted to share my thoughts on
interesting questions and issues related to a certain topic.
For example, a typical inquiry might be "I am writing a paper on Pappy Boyington, please help me." (By the way, it probably does not help to add, "My paper is due on Tuesday, so make it snappy.") In response to that assignment, I would recommend that the student read my pages on Pappy Boyington carefully, read a couple books about him, and then think about the following type of questions:
For the month and year published, check the What's New page to see the date of the article. If you don't see it there (and you may not), you can use August, 1999 - when I started the site.
You can check this Style Manual
from Columbia University for question about proper citation of
electronic sources.
I noticed a factual error (e.g. date, name, place) or typo in your
website. Are you interested?
Please let me know that right away. Accuracy is the most important
feature of any historical website or book. I make every effort to fix
factual errors as promptly as possible. In a sense, no detail is too
small. For example, if I wrote that on a certain date, a certain
squadron landed at Munda, but you know they landed at the Russells, let
me know.
Bad or outdated links are also of interest to me, and I'll try to fix these too, but perhaps with a little less urgency than historical, factual errors.
What about these books you offer through Amazon.com? What's the
deal?
Amazon pays me 5% to 15% for each book that a visitor from this
site buys, by clicking thru to Amazon. Commissions average out at about
6%. In a good month, I make about $100 from this. So I'm not retiring
on it yet, but it covers the web hosting, ISP, and telephone costs.
What actor and WW2 airman had a $5,000 bounty put on his head by Hermann Goering? (Clark Gable, not Jimmy Stewart as I had guessed)
Where was Dick Bong's wedding reception held? (Don't know)
Did World War Two really happen? (Yes)
I mean no disrespect to the readers who posed these questions. Actually I wish I had more unusual questions.
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