James Stewart at War: His Career in the USAAF by Pavel Türk, 112 pages HB, 116 images, of which 21 in colour, £20 Pen & Sword, ISBN 1399066951
As an actor, Jimmy Stewart brought authenticity to every role he played, you could believe that he really was Glenn Miller or Charles Lindbergh or George Bailey (It’s a Wonderful Life). It should not be a surprise, therefore, to learn that he was a genuine war hero and a ‘total aviation person.’
I did not know that he had an MSc from Princeton or passed the time in his early days as an actor building a large-scale model of a Martin MB-1 biplane bomber with Henry Fonda – to begin with just two of the many interesting facts to be gained from this very professionally researched and written – if fairly concise – book.
He gained his PPL in 1938 and a CPL in 1941, volunteering for the USAAC (soon to be USAAF) in the same year – much against the wishes of his employer, MGM. The Stewart family had a strong tradition of military service, which he was determined to follow. His excellent flying skills soon received official endorsement and he could have easily spent the war in a safe billet in the USA as a flying instructor. However, he pressed hard for a posting to an operational unit, and, via a B-17 OTU, he transferred to a B-24 Bomb Group in 1943. In November of that year, he arrived at RAF Tibenham in Norfolk, flying his first mission with the 445th BG in December. He was promoted to Major in January 1944 and to Lieutenant Colonel in June. He flew 20 bombing missions, in the right-hand seat, mostly as a Wing Leader, earning a number of decorations, including the US Distinguished Flying Cross. One of his final sorties was in a Mosquito to Halle. His reputation as a ‘reliable and responsible officer’ resulted in postings as Group Ops Officer, Combat Wing Chief of Staff and as Commander of the 2nd Bombardment Wing. Lest it be thought that he was too good to be true – he also had to apologise to a general and two colonels for beating up a base at low level! He retired from active duty in 1945 as a full Colonel.
Post-war he maintained his close association with aviation, not only in several films, including the classic Strategic Air Command, not only owning a P-51 Mustang and a family Cessna 310F but also serving as a reserve officer for 23 years. He attained the rank of Brigadier General, converted to the B-47 and B-52, exceeded Mach 2 in a B-58 Hustler and took part in a B-52 bombing mission over North Vietnam in 1966.
I learned a lot from this book not only the text but also the absolutely terrific selection of photographs and specially commissioned colour plates. I would suggest that the reader might also like to purchase a good biography to read in tandem, setting out the rest of James Stewart’s remarkable life and would recommend James Stewart by Donald Dewey.
