This is the story of the band of young American fighter pilots and their gritty, close-quarters fight against Hitler’s vaunted military. The “Hell Hawks” were the men and machines of the 365th Fighter Group. Beginning just prior to D-Day, June 6, 1944, the group’s young pilots (most were barely twenty years old and fresh from flight training in the United States) flew in close support of Eisenhower’s ground forces as they advanced across France and into Germany.
Robert F. Dorr is an air force veteran (Korea, 1957–1960) and the author of sixty books. He has written thousands of articles for publications like Air and Space Smithsonian, Flight Journal, Air Forces Monthly, Air Power History, Aerospace America, and Air Force Times. Dorr lives with his family in Oakton, Virginia.
Thomas D. Jones is a veteran astronaut and consultant. He holds a Ph.D. in planetary sciences, flew on four space shuttle missions, and piloted B-52D bombers before joining NASA. He has written for Air and Space Smithsonian, Aerospace America, and Popular Mechanics. His autobiography is Sky Walking: An Astronaut’s Memoir. Jones lives in the Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C.