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Great name January 24, 2008 0 out of 4 found this review helpful
Ive got a copy of this book, havent gotten into it yet, should be fascinating enough on subject matter alone, which as some other reviewers note, gets scant attention except perhaps in highly specialised-and pretty expensive- pubs like "Squadron" profile books. You know what really made a winning 1st impression with me? The Title, I think that is a simple but masterfully emotive title."Crimson Sky", that really flies like the swept wings of a MiG, imo..What does the Crimson refer to? Bloody ?? Communism? the Reddish brown and Red of the N.K. and PRC flags and insignia? Works for me, and helps flag the book as being about something less banal. Thank God he didnt call it "MiG Alley" or some cornball variation of that!!
Air Battles during the Korean War. May 28, 2005 5 out of 5 found this review helpful
First, I commend the author for writing a book about a little explored topic. Many books tell of the land warfare in Korea, but few detail the air battles involving Mig 15s and Sabrejets F-86s. This book attempts to do this, and I think suceeds in showing the violence of the air war. The author breaks his book into chapters detailing the exploits of individuals waging this battle. Unfornatunately, it tries to cover too much in a very short book. One gets a good sense of the first year of the air battles, but nothing of the last two years. This is a good, though average read. The material covered is unique. I just think the author tried to be too broad in his historical approach and personal stories, and didn't do either very well. An average read about a little written part of the Korean War.
Interesting, Good first hand accounts July 29, 2001 7 out of 8 found this review helpful
The first person accounts of the action are riveting. Being new to studying the Korean War the book helped me get a better understanding of the conflict and what our pilots faced. If you like first person accounts, then this would be a good book for you. The only disappointment I had was not enough "big picture" information and I felt that at times the book skipped through the war, just focusing on a few random battles. It left me wanting more, which is both good and bad.
A good remembrance November 29, 2000 4 out of 4 found this review helpful
The author stated that he wrote "Crimson Sky" to remember Korean War aviators as the United States approached the 50th anniversary of the conflict's beginning. Mr. Bruning has done a good job. He has interviewed veterans and put their stories into the book in a fast-paced, you-are-there style. Bruning used episodes from the war to point out important chapters in the history of military aviation. For example, Bruning's first and second chapters are entitled "The First Jet Kills" and "The Birth of Combat SAR," respectively. Particularly worthwhile is the author's penultimate chapter, which deals with Soviet involvement in the Korean air war.At times, Bruning's episodic approach causes the narrative to seem disjointed. In addition, the author could have said more about the night air war, and some mention might have been made of UN pilots who were not American. Those things are the worst things that can be said about "Crimson Sky," however. The book is well-thought out and well written--well worth four stars.
Just OK September 7, 2000 3 out of 5 found this review helpful
This book is a scholarly and detailed examination of the many aspects of aviation in the Korean conflict. It was interesting and informative, but lacked emotion and any real human energy or excitment. The author appears not to be an aviator and lacks some understanding of the difficulty and complexity of air combat, therfore no real emotional connection is made. It filled in some knowledge gaps and clarified others (Dambusters navy lore is completely different, so this explaination was worth the price of the book for me). I would recommend this book for aviation history buffs, but not necessarily for those looking for aviation combat stories with gut churning reality and emotion.
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