57th Fighter Group
By Chris Banyai-Riepl
Aviation Elite Units 39
Author: Carl Molesworth
Publisher: Osprey Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-84908-337-9
Binding: Softcover
Pages: 128
A new title in Osprey's Aviation Elite Units series, this book covers the famous 57th Fighter Group, from its creation in 1941 through to the end of the war. The 57th first saw combat in North Africa in 1942, flying P-40 Warhawks. By the end of the war, the unit had moved up through Sicily into Italy, and transitioned into the P-47 Thunderbolt. During that time, the 57th had its fair share of aces and helped pioneer the fighter-bomber role.
The 57th Fighter Group was made up from the 64th, 65th, and 66th Fighter Squadrons, and the book begins with their activation stateside in early 1941. Flying from Mitchel Field in New York (misspelled in this book and so many others in print), the 57th Fighter Group was officially given the duty of air defense but really was engaged in training, as most figured it would not be long before the US would be drawn into the war in Europe. Indeed, that is just what happened, and the 57th embarked on ships and sailed to North Africa in early 1942, beginning their combat history.
The book follows this history from those origins at Mitchel Field through to their deployment in North Africa and on to Sicily and Italy. The chronological text is well written, with plenty of personal recollections that draw the reader in. Of course, for the modeler, photo references are a great boon, and this book has a great number of those, covering the gamut of P-40s and P-47s. Of course, nose art was rampant on US aircraft, and the 57th Fighter Group was no exception, and many of these are shown to great effect. Complementing these are the color profile illustrations, which are done to a high quality.
This is a great addition to the Osprey Aviation Elite Units and should provide plenty of new material for those who are interested in P-40s and P-47s. My thanks to Osprey Publishing for the review copy.
