Our Book Review editor, a stem Dutchman, suggested that I might like to review this book. I agreed. If you knew him you'd agree too.

     You might as well know at the beginning, instead of waiting until the end, that Dik Daso's work on Hap Amold is excellent. It is well presented, well researched, concise and "well done." As the heroes of Flight Test would say, "It's crisp."

     Hap Arnold was a five star General of whom little is known to the masses. Consider that Marshall, MacArthur, Eisenhower, Bradley, Nimitz and King are all given space in my AmericanHeritage College Dictionary, but not Amold. When you finish with your reading you'll wonder why and, immediately, will understand why. You'll see that General Amold was far from a showman though many of his feats were of show business quality. He was a behind-the-scenes operator in operations, research and politically as well.

     The book opens with a quote of his which will help explain his philosophy: "We damned airmen were "too cocky, too big for our boots, undisciplined, too damned free all around!" my answer to that is one which I feel more strongly towards today than I did then. Of all the Air Force faults, its greatest has always been the fact that it has made its work seem too easy." AMEN.

     To the Foreword by Richard Overy. Richard Overy is a professor of modem history at King's College, London. I had not read him before, but my granddaughter who was completing her Masters at the University of Pennsylvania suggested his "Why The Allies Won." After finishing his Foreword to this book a question surfaced in my head as to why I should do a review when Professor Overy's work amounts to a review of such accuracy, class and clarity that I became humble about attempting one. Now you're saying that you agree, but let's press on.

     Dik Daso's Preface is a fine introduction. He dedicates his book to General Ronald Fogleman who was Air Force chief of staff and who he describes as representing the finest of a dying breed, the true soldier/scholar. Here's another airman whose accomplishments are little known. Have you forgotten his testimony before Congress on the Lady B-52 Copilot?

     Right off the bat on page 4 of the Introduction is General Amold's definition of the differences between Air Force, Air Power, Air Corps and Air Service. They were defined in 1945 to theSecretary of War. Fog is cleared on what is what.

     The book smoothly carries you though his life and so much that happened and makes you realize what a blinking jewel we had in him: His early years in Pennsylvania - West Point in the early 1900s followed by his tour with a real grunt army in the Philippines - Especially interesting were his contacts that long ago with Japanese "photographers," "botanists," and "Peddlers" who just happened to be in the same area as the troops - A close friend of the Wright Brothers and their family - They even had a simulator in their school in Dayton - "The period prior to and during WWI - The use of industrial and academic advisors during the WWII buildup and continuously afterwards - Interest in missile development during and after - Research and Development in a big way - The massive expansion of training programs for both air and ground crew - His combat strategy - Chief of the Army Air Corps - Commanding General of the Army Air Forces - General of the Army - General of the Air Force - Family Man.

     Hap Amold was a man of the line. Even though he was often mired in Administration and Headquarters of various levels his actions and his heart were in the best interests of the line. A senior officer who so thinks is rare, and so is tops in the minds of the airmen. And still, I never heard him speak either in person, in films or on the air. He was truly an inside man in the skunk works.

- L.F. Burke

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