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Wing Leader: The Top Scoring Allied Fighter Pilot of WWII (Fighter Pilots) Paperback – December 14, 2010

by Johnnie Johnson (Author)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 84 ratings
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The thrilling story of the top scoring Allied fighter pilot of World War II 'Johnnie' Johnson, who served with Fighter Command squadrons throughout the war, scoring his 38th and final victory in September 1944. From the moment the author joins his first operational Spitfire squadron in August 1940, the reader is taken on an epic journey through the great aerial fighter actions of the war including the Battle of Britain, sweeps across the Channel and over France, Dieppe and Normandy; and finally, operations across the Rhine and into Germany itself.
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  1. Print length
    320 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Crecy
  4. Publication date
    December 14, 2010
  5. Dimensions
    5 x 0.94 x 7.88 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0907579876
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0907579878
  8. See all details
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The Amazon Book Review
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"...the story remains compelling and should be considered a must read for any Spitfire enthusiast. I highly recommend Wing Leader." -IPMS, reviewed by Anthony Tvaryanas, May 2012 (IPMS 2012-05-03)

"...you will find it to be a superb book and one that I can easily recommend to you." -Modeling Madness, reviewed by Scott Van Aken, May 2012 (Modeling Madness 2012-05-03)

"Told from his own perspective, this book is both personal and historical, and it is that combination that makes it such a wonderful read." -Internet Modeler, reviewed by Chris Banyai-Riepl, May 2012 (Internet Modeler 2012-05-01)

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Crecy (December 14, 2010)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0907579876
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0907579878
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 10.4 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5 x 0.94 x 7.88 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 84 ratings

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J. E. Johnson

J. E. Johnson

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Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
84 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Richard Saltus
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best memoirs of World War II air combat by a renowned Spitfire ace
Reviewed in the United States on October 20, 2016
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This is superb account of a fighter pilot's experiences in combat during World War II, from the Battle of Britain to the end of the war in Germany, told by the leading Allied ace in the European theater. Johnnie Johnson was an outstanding pilot, leader, and tactician who managed to survive countless dogfights and only have his plane damaged once. He flew the iconic Spitfire in many of its continually improving versions, and is candid about its weaknesses as well as its many strengths - and of course, its graceful shape and manners. I think he wrote this about a decade after WWII ended, and his descriptions of what he did and saw, and how he maneuvered his way in and out of intense battles in the crowded sky are amazingly detailed. Unlike a lot of other fighter pilot memoirs - and I've read plenty - Johnson has a lot to say about how the RAF deployed its aircraft and the tactics used - for better and worse - and how they evolved over the course of the war. I found this extremely interesting. This book is slightly old-fashioned in its writing, but really captures the personalities and banter of those Brit fighter pilots. I first read Wing Leader in junior high not long after it was published, and many years later had the privilege of meeting Johnson and other pilots at a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, shortly before he died of cancer - a real gentleman.
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Kenneth Nielsen
5.0 out of 5 stars Classic on WWII Air combat
Reviewed in the United States on February 5, 2014
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This one of the early classics on the airwar in Europe during WWII. Johnson fought from the Battle of Britain to the end in Europe.
A distinguised Ace and a great leader. Keeps you interested all the way through. Highly recommended.
2 people found this helpful
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Andrew Stojanovic
5.0 out of 5 stars Simply Brilliant
Reviewed in the United States on January 4, 2017
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Well written and provides a great insight into Fighter Command operations of the RAF during the Second World War. A must read for anyone interested in WWII aviation.
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RAS
5.0 out of 5 stars Good story line
Reviewed in the United States on August 17, 2020
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Book was well done
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Jersey Kid
4.0 out of 5 stars Great narrative about WW2 fighter action by an Ace
Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2016
Like some other reviewers, I first read this book in the 1960s when it was published by an outfit named Ballantine Books. That company produced a bunch of narratives by pilots of WW1 and WW2. After having visited a number of Battle of Britain airfields in the last few years, including several mentioned by the author, I decided I needed to reread it.

From an aesthetic point of view, the 'Wings of War' version by Time-Life is fantastic! Hardbound with an embossed cover; gold trim on the top and bottom page edges and an attached fabric bookmark, the book looks like it should be in a library. Time-Life put out 20-odd books in this series, many of which I can also remember reading in the mass-market paperback versions.

Anyway, on to 'Wing Leader,' by John E. Johnson.

Johnson was the leading fighter ace for the Royal Air Force (RAF) in WW2 with 34 victories. In addition to being remarkably skilled fighter pilot, he also had a command ability as over the course of the war, he rose in rank from an entry-level Pilot Officer (Second Lieutenant) to Group Captain (Colonel). Post-war, he remained in the RAF, rising to the equivalent of general rank before retiring in the mid-1960s. The narrative is primarily about his career in the RAF though we are given a bit of his pre-war background and marriage.

As is sometimes the case with these sort of autobiographical works, there is a imbalance in the balance of the narrative. The first two thirds of the book covers a roughly two year period in which we observe Johnson learning his trade. We read of his entry into the RAF, time spent in flight school and first assignment to a combat unit. We also see his career almost5 come to an early end due to an injury that occurred before the war. Corrective surgery and recovery caused him to miss most of the Battle of Britain, but thereafter he was in aerial combat for most of the remainder of the war. In this period, the RAF is synthesizing its air combat doctrine, moving from formations that were essentially designed for airshows to formations that were aimed at keeping pilots alive. Johnson and a few other peers and superiors were the prime movers in the strategy shift that itself continued to evolve as the combat role moved from defensive to offensive.

The back third of the book covers the much more brief period from D-day in June 19944 to the end of the war in May 1945. In these chapters, the narrative is more episodic and gives a sense of being rushed. Johnson's rise in rank corresponds to the RAF giving him more and more responsibility in terms of subordinates. By the end of the war, he commands a group of about 50 fighter aircraft and the associated support equipment and personnel.

Johnson's writing style is good; very good in point of fact. He breaks the technical down into easy to understand words. He can also be quite lyrical when describing less technical aspects such as the beauty of the countryside in England and France. The book is more an eyewitness account than a grand strategy tome. However, harking back to the comments I made about formations, Johnson does posit a big picture notion of how air combat moved during the war from formations against formations to smaller and smaller groups.

The book has photos interspersed throughout. Most are of the personalities mentioned and aircraft. I know the paperback version did not have any photos, which leads me to this strange, I'm sure, comment. I also believe the paperback was edited down, omitting a few vignettes. You can say I'm crazy or that I have simply forgotten them. All I know, is that is what I think.

Well worth reading in any version, however.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the all time great war diaries about the Battle of Britain and beyond
Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2015
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One of the all time great war diaries about the Battle of Britain and beyond. Highly recommend it for history and war buffs.
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peter vaillancourt
5.0 out of 5 stars Well written
Reviewed in the United States on March 26, 2019
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Liked the hard cover
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avjaszlics
5.0 out of 5 stars WL
Reviewed in the United States on April 13, 2013
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Read the book decades ago, and have found it just as enjoyable re-reading it. Clearly, it's an honest account by a man in the middle of the terrible struggle of The War.
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Spencer Estrada
4.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully written first-hand account on WWII air fights
Reviewed in Spain on June 11, 2019
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I loved how Johnnie Johnson describes his war experience in a beautiful and honest way. My main critic is that the author seems to imply that the reader has knowledge about specific aviation terms which I don't have. Other than that, the book is great.
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W.MacLeod
5.0 out of 5 stars Simply superb.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 20, 2011
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It does what it says on the tin. The book covers Johnsons' climb from a green Auxiliary pilot to his command of two Spitfire wings, touching on his staff work in between. It's a bare knuckle ride at times, Johnsons' restrained style making his harrowing account of deadly aerial combat even more immediate. He takes time in the narrative to explain the mechanics of fighting in the air, the role of the different members of a squadron and their ground controllers. He talks the reader through aerial tactics in laymans' terms, including the different approaches to formation flying and how the tactics employed by both sides evolved over the course of the war.
He doesn't hold back on criticising his senior officers' decisions. His account of defying their pet theories is typically dry, but his stopping regular `rhubarbs', dangerous, low level fighter raids over occupied Europe, doubtlessly saved many allied pilots lives.
Finally, after describing the sacrifices of the long, hard fighting, he recalls an air show he arranged at the wars' end. Nothing Johnson did was entirely without purpose and the show was no exception. The Danes had suffered at the hands of the RAF in a wartime raid. Ticket sales from the air show would go to victims of the attack, while the demonstration of Western air power went some way to reassuring the Danes that they would be suitably protected from the potential of Soviet expansion. Like most things Johnson did it was a tremendous success.
He was the genuine article, a real hero in spite of his modest account. I can't recommend this book enough.
13 people found this helpful
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James Allan
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating first hand account
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 30, 2013
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I've read a number of WW2 Fighter pilot memoirs and this doesn't disappoint. Johnson's style is no-nonsense - there's little florid description here or self analysis - rather it feels like it's been taken from flight journals and diaries (unsurprisingly) and then given some polish and charm. As the top-scoring Allied pilot in WW2 he's modest without being afraid to admit his desire to achieve the record. From everything I've read, shooting down a plane was an incredibly difficult thing to do just once - to manage 34 and survive more or less unscathed is utterly incredible. There are plenty of anecdotes and close shaves and yet doesn't pull punches when it comes to describing the horror of war.

It's also important to remind yourself how incredibly young these men were - Johnson finishes the war aged just 30 but as a highly decorated Group Captain with responsibility for numerous men. It's a degree of maturity and character hard to imagine now. I devoured this book and I suspect anyone with a fascination for the era will enjoy it as much as I did.
One person found this helpful
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KTB
5.0 out of 5 stars A quiet Hero
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 30, 2014
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I read this book years ago before I joined the service myself and since then have had chance to meet some of JEJs' contemporaries and read their stories and I can only say this is probably the most modestly written book I have ever read. The exploits inside do not do justice to the man but do show that JEJ lacks the ability of self advertising that some of his era have[ Bader] This book epitomises the the old adage, the harder I work the luckier I get. Thankyou JEJ and the rest of the wartime RAF.
One person found this helpful
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aviator789
5.0 out of 5 stars Wing Leader
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 3, 2010
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Fantastic read that came alive for me because of some of the additional detail when not in the cockpit. One also gets a great sense of the ongoing battle as the front moves eastwards eventually reaching Berlin which gives this broader scope than other books purely focusing on the Battle of Britain for example. Because of the time served in the sky it is also interesting to see the development of Luftwaffe aircraft culminating in the Me 262 first appearing in the skies.
One of those books I was sad to see end.
8 people found this helpful
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