One of the best recognized American fighter units of WWII was the 23rd Fighter Group. Born from the remnants of the AVG or Flying Tigers, the 23rd had the unenviable task of fighting the Japanese at what was pretty much the far end of a very long supply chain in a theater of operations that was frequently quite low on the list of priorities for men and materiel. In fact, it was China where the Japanese Army made its greatest gains of the war and that was as late as 1944. This meant that the 23rd had to be quite mobile when their forward bases were frequently over-run and then re-taken at a later date.

What was lacking in materiel was not lacking in the calibre of the men flying the aircraft. Though the 23rd was operating the P-40 long after other units had traded theirs in for more modern planes, they did a superb job of flying these planes and were able to exact a toll of the enemy in the process. Little known to most is that the 23rd did fly the Allison powered P-51A for a period of time, these planes coming from the 311th  FBG, and not exactly the ones in the best condition, either. But Mustangs they were and well received by the group. Eventually, the 23rd became an all-P-51 unit with the arrival of B/C models and late in the war, the P-51D. As always, Europe took precedence or they'd have had these aircraft sooner.

The book covers the exploits of the men and various units as they moved from base to base in China during the course of the war. Some of the larger missions and events are highlighted and you get the usual 'There I was', first hand accounts that we so love to read. The book is full of superb photographs, many of which I have not seen in print before. Author Carl Molesworth does a superb job of telling the story of the 23rd FG. His knowledge of the subject and access to former pilots and crews over the years has made this an outstanding book. This is further enhanced by the excellent art work of Jim Laurier and some rare color photos. This book on the 23rd is one of the best around and one I can recommend to you without reservation.

July 2009

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