Product Description

A biography of the "Arizona Balloon Buster," the first pilot to win the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Frank Luke, Jr., was an unlikely pilot. In the Great War, when fliers were still "knights of the air," Luke was an ungallant loner, a kid from Arizona who collected tarantulas, shot buzzards, and boxed miners. But during two torrid weeks in September 1918, he was the deadliest man on the Western Front. In only ten missions, he destroyed fourteen heavily-defended German balloons and four airplanes, a rampage unequalled even by the dreaded von Richtofen, and the second highest American tally of the entire war. Cocksure and constantly reprimanded, Luke was actually under arrest on the day of his final flight, but he stole a plane to join the fatal action that won him the first Congressional Medal of Honor awarded to a pilot.

Blaine Pardoe retraces and refreshes Frank Luke's story through recently discovered correspondence. What emerges is a portrait of a life out of an "Old West" that was, by the late Teens, colliding with modernity. Frantic, short, and splendid, the life of Frank Luke dramatizes the tragic intervention of an American spirit in the war that devastated Europe. 30 b/w photographs.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #27381 in Books
• Published on: 2008-07-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 320 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781602392526
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From Booklist
This painstaking biography of World War I ace Frank Luke will earn Pardoe kudos, even if some readers may prefer fewer romantic references to pilots flying into the sunset than Pardoe affords. Pardoe, however, has flown a very straight course in researching and recounting Luke’s myth-ridden life. Born to a respectable family in Phoenix, Luke certainly had a wild streak but was also a natural pilot. His combat career was short—basically, the autumn of 1918—but he ran up a score of 14 German balloons (more dangerous targets than German planes) and four enemy fighters before being shot down and killed by German ground guns defending a descending balloon. Thorough annotation makes the book that much more valuable to WWI aviation scholars as well as for more casual air-combat buffs. --Roland Green

About the Author
Blaine Pardoe is a novelist and military historian. He has written one previous book on the Great War, The Cruise of the Sea Eagle. He lives in Amissville, Virginia.

Customer Reviews

An exciting and revealing account of the great "Balloon Buster"
This book is a wonderful read. Mr. Pardoe does a great job providing the reader a glimpse into the entire life of Frank Luke. Not only does he do a masterful job of describing the battles fought by Frank Luke in the Great War, but he also provides an insight into his life and the people who he knew and held dear. Mr. Pardoe shows how the events of Frank Luke's life and the people in it helped to make him the man that he was.

The new information regarding Frank's fiance was fascinating as well. It showed a different dimension to the "ungallant loner". I also enjoyed the way that Mr. Pardoe presented and explained the background for the many myths and legends surrounding Frank Luke. I felt that he did a good job presenting the facts and leaving it up to the reader to decide what he/she believes.

All in all I feel that this is a great read for anyone, whether you enjoy military history or not. Probably more so if you do.

Best Frank Luke Biography Yet!
Though the WWI exploits of the 'Arizona Balloon Buster' have been covered in other biographies, TERROR OF THE AUTUMN SKIES is in a class by itself. Blaine Pardoe's book may, in fact, be THE definitive Frank Luke biography.

The exploits of few aces have been so mythologized as Luke's, especially those acomplished during his last mission. Using a wealth of research materials, Pardoe recreates Luke's early life and military career in an exemplary, easy-flowing fashion. (The book's bibliography is 20 pages long). Where information is lacking on various incidents, Pardoe has no qualms in stating his sequence of events is what probably happened!

Likewise he does an excellent job in bringing to life the headstrong, Medal of Honor-winning ace, his squadronmates,group and squadron commanders and so on. Using a wealth of first-person anecdotes, combat reports and other materials, Pardoe produces living, breathing human beings rather than stereotypes. And, along the way, he lays to rest various myths and distortions that have cropped up over the years regarding America's #2 WWI ace.

All in all, TERROR OF THE AUTUMN SKIES is an example of aviation research and aviation history at its best. Well-researched and well-written with a nice selection of photographs, Pardoe's book should be welcomed by all WWI aviation buffs. Unless something better comes along, it's in the running to be the definitive account of the Arizona Balloon Buster. It's just a shame it took 90 years for the truth to come out! Highly recommended.

Very enjoyable read!
A very enjoyable read. Anyone with an interest in the history of US aviation or military aviation will appreciate the attention to detail in this book. Mr. Pardoe obviously did a tremendous amount of work to ensure that Frank Luke is portrayed as not only an incredible WWI Flying Ace, but also as a human being with the usual foibles, drama and faults we all have. His interest and commitment to Frank Luke's story is apparent in each chapter as he describes the events of his life from his promising start in Phoenix, to his tragic end in Europe. Mr. Pardoe paints a picture of how brave and - quite frankly - crazy these Aces were by carefully describing what it must have been like in a dog fight, with little more than stiffened fabric as feeble protection. I appreciated how Mr. Pardoe focused not only the events surrounding the circumstances of Mr. Luke's death, but also the richness and depth of his short life. He brings the reader along for the ride with the extreme joy of the wonder of flight, and the sacrifices everyday heros must sometimes make.