To Fly and Fight

by Clarence E. Anderson

Book Overview

Touching, thoughtful, and dead honest, To Fly and Fight is the story of a boy who grew up living his dream. During World War II Anderson flew with Chuck Yeager in the famed 357th Squadron where he became a triple ace by shooting out of the sky fifteen enemy planes. Following World War II, Anderson became a test pilot and later commanded jet fighter squadrons in South Korea and Okinawa. Then, in 1970, at an age when most pilots have long-since retired,...

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0553292404
• ISBN13: 9780553292404
• Release Date: August 1991
• Publisher: Bantam Books
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 4.2" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

To Fly & Fight

As an avid reader of World War Two History. And being a Viet Nam Veteran; I found this book to be a most fascinating history; Of "Not Only the Man"; But his recollections of his life growing up oin Rural California in the 1930's & 1940's. His enlistment in the Army Air Corp; And his experiences in England during the war. This is "No dry" mundane slow reading military text book. Colonol Anderson, tells of his love for flying and his vivid discriptions of Europe during World War Two; Help the reader to picture what it was like for an average guy; Who has a love for flying and trying his best to stay alive in a extremly hostile environment. He does not dwell on the sadder aspects of war. But trys to explain how he learned to cope with these stressors; And still fullfill his dream of flying. He also go's to great lengths to discuss the other aircraft he had flown. His adventures in P-39's and T-6 Texans. I found his book to be non-judgemental; But very fair to all the persons good and bad that he had come to know in his life. He only briefly discusses his flying career during the Viet Nam Conflict. But then this book was not written with Viet Nam in mind solely. This book is about the man; His love of flying.I found this book to enlightning; refreshing; funny; sad; extrordinary; And written with a smooth tempo and hums along like the engine of a P-51 Mustang. The Book and the Man are unseperable. He takes you up in his Mustang with him through his rememberences. And brings you home to the runway just as a good pilot would do today. I would recommend this book to anyone who has not only an intrest in World War Two. But an intrest in a "Great Man" who lived an extrordinary life. Fighting for all of us; Flying for all of us. This man is a "TRUE"; American Hero.

You're in the pilot's seat

I am an avid reader when it comes to flying. I've read works by authors such as Gann, Scott, Hoover, Yeager, etc. And I liked them all. But I really enjoyed "To Fly & Fight". This book transmits Bud Anderson's experiences in such a way as if you are there. You can almost smell the fumes, feel the G's, and hear the roar of that big Merlin and the vibrations of those six 50 cal. Brownings letting loose! His memory is so good that when he wrote this book, he could actually remember what he was thinking when he was locked in a vicious dogfight or doing some strange experimental test flight. It is a GREAT book and everyone should read it at least once!

Great Memories of a Triple Ace

Triple Ace Col. "Bud" Anderson takes you to his first encounters with aircraft as a young boy in rural California. With WWII Captain Anderson finds himself flying missions over Nazi Germany and encountering a number of talented Luftwaffe pilots as the 357th FG makes its effort for Air Supremacy in 1944. Follow this wonderful pilot as he tests aircraft for the Air force followed by a trip to Vietnam. As you read the book keep in mind the author is "still" flying OLD CROW at airshows! No lack of good adventure in "To Fly and Fight". Hard to put down once you pick it up!

Truly outstanding

Col. Anderson's accounts of his flying in WWII and as a test pilot are truly memorable. While the writing style is course, it reflects his verbal recollections. I heard Col. Anderson speak at a Test Pilot School graduation; the way he told his stories and his dry humor are as much evident in the book as when he was on the stage. The room was full of test pilots and their families, and you could hear a pin drop. One of the very best books on a man and his love of flying, duty, honor, country, and his family. A must read!

"...the finest pilot memoir of WW II."

"It is, I think, the finest pilot memoir of WW II. I have made it mandatory reading for all my historians." Quote attributed to: Dick Hallion, Historian of the U.S. Air Force, in "Mustangs and Legends," July 1999 AOPA Pilot Magazine, page 91.