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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 found the following review helpful:
The Hellish Vortex: Between Breakfast and Dinner Jan 18, 2007
By Donald E. Cox
I want to first mention that I am a friend of the author, Richard Baughn. He and I occasionally walk together in our Austin, Tx neighborhood. He and his bride, Mary Pat, are a very special part of our "greatest generation!"
I found this book to be riveting from both the perspective of the story line and the "underacknowledgement" of the sacrificies of the Army Air Corp in WWII. As a "baby boomer" (age 59) myself, I have made it a point to try to understand what was going on in the world, before, during and after WWII. This book has helped enlighten my understanding of the issues, both foreign and domestic, that, in many ways are still with us today. It is very evident, and I thank God, that the author lived through this "Hellish Vortex." May we never forget those who did not!
Sincerely,
Don E. Cox
Don@DonCoxandAssociates.com
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
A Great Read Apr 15, 2007
By Kevin A. Gilroy
Dick Baughn does a superb job in telling how it really was, flying P-51s in support of the bomber raids over Europe. He describes the flying and combat events with a realism that puts you in the cockpit. The book is more than a great combat story. His description of life in England during the war adds luster and poignancy to an already great read. This is the best WW-2 flying story yet written.
JTC'S REVIEW Jun 01, 2011
By JEROME T. CASSIDY
THIS IS AN EXCELLENT BOOK AND I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT TO ANYONE INTERESTED IN THE USAF, WWII, OR ANY ASPECT OF UNITED STATES HISTORY. THE AUTHOR CLAIMS IT TO BE OVER 99 PER CENT FACTUAL, BUT ADDED A FEW EMBELLISHMENTS TO MAKE IT A NOVEL.
"A GREAT READ", AS THEY SAY, AND AMAZON HAS IT FOR A SONG.
Super Book on WWII Aviation Jul 27, 2008
By Jeffrey D. Blair
I am still reading the book and am now on page 186. I feel compelled to add my review now before finishing the book. I am 63 and came along too late for WWII. All of the airmen Dick Baughn talk about in this book are my heros! The pilots and air crew members mentioned are old enough to be my parents. They were honorable, very talented people who made many sacrifices so I could grow up in the relatively safe, secure time from 1945 to 1963. Thank you General Baughn!
Jeffrey Blair
Wharton, TX
When Heroes Roamed the Skies over Europe Jul 20, 2008
By Ron Standerfer
"Author, The Eagle's Last Flight"
The Eagle's Last Flight
Brigadier General Richard M Baughn (USAF, Retired) is one of those rare authors who can pull a period of World War II history off a dusty book shelf and breathe fresh new life into it. In his latest book, The Hellish Vortex, he describes the air campaign in the European theater between 1943 and 1945, during which waves of American B-17 and B-24 bombers, escorted by P-38, P-40 and P-51 fighters, pounded Germany. In the same narrative, he chronicles the daily lives of the men who flew them. The result is pure magic; a book well worth reading. How did he do it? It's simple. For one thing, he is a good writer and for another, he flew P-51s in Europe during the same period. As the saying goes, he has "been there, done that." It works every time!
The principal character in the book is 2nd Lt. Robb Baines, a nineteen year old fighter pilot who arrives in the U.K. underage and under trained for his new assignment flying P-51s and escorting bombers to Germany. Like most nineteen year olds, Baines, who I suspect is General Baughn's alter ego, secretly wonders if he is up to the task at hand. But tangling with German ME 109s and ME 110s is dangerous business with no margin for self doubt, as Baines quickly found out. In time, he became a seasoned combat veteran, a confident leader, and a candidate for bigger and better things in what would become the United States Air Force in 1947.
There are several other characters in the book worth mentioning. There is "The Colonel", a veteran of the Spanish Civil War, the group commander who led his pilots with a calm steady hand; "Big John," a sergeant whose well meaning support for the war effort included seducing the wife of a local chicken farmer to get eggs for the pilots' predawn breakfasts; and "Rocco", Baines' long suffering wing man who lives his life with characteristic gritty, New York City bravado. These characters, and many others like them, add spice to an already well prepared dish. Speaking of spices, there is love, romance and sex in the book as well; but the author is careful not to let these asides draw him off the main theme of the book.
One of the things I like about The Hellish Vortex, is that the author periodically inserted excerpts from a paper entitled "The Army Air Forces and 8th Air Force during World War II," purportedly written by Baines while at The Armed Forces Staff College. These asides afford the reader a chance to take a break and look at the big picture. It was there that I learned things I never knew, or had forgotten, about the growth of American air power between World War I and 1947. And it was also there that I read a statistic I still can't get out of my mind; namely, "There were 41,802 airmen killed in a force that never exceeded 100,000 pilots, navigators, bombardiers, and aerial gunners." This grim statistics reinforces something I have always believed, namely: that it is tempting for warriors to tell their stories loudly, garnering praise and admiration wherever and whenever they can. But the plain truth is that not all warriors are heroes; just as not all heroes are warriors; and those that are, often prefer to speak softly in deference to the heroes that never made it home.
This is a book about real heroes, written by a soft spoken man who remembers those who could not make it home. It is a book to read and remember.
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