Too young to Die, anyone read it?

[elephantshampoo]

"Too Young To Die" is a memoir written by an NZ fighter pilot who flew Corsairs on occupation duties in 1945 post-war Japan.
The book lists various encounters between the Kiwi Corsairs [FG-1] & Australian Mustangs [Australian built P-51D].

"Whilst on patrol, we frequently engaged in dogfights with Australian Mustangs & found that the Corsair had superior manoeuvrability, particularly if we employed the man/flap setting of up to 20`which could be applied at up to 175 knots. Under these conditions, as we tightened the turns the Mustangs would eventually flick out & we had no difficulty in keeping behind them."


www.pulist.net/too-young-to-die-the-story-of-a-new-zealand-fighter-pilot-in-the-pacific-war.html

[starr]

Read it several times. Also Pacific Scrapbook by same author. Happens to be my cousin.

[Dave Homewood]

Yes I have read it a couple of times too, and it's a very popular book among New Zealand enthusiasts. And I am proud to say too that the author Bryan Cox is not only a friend of mine but he is also a regular reader of this forum and has been pretty much since it began.

He's an aviation legend in NZ, not just for his books (which also include 'Cats Have only Nine Lives' and a fourth book on flight training, but also for having trained hundreds of people to fly after the war over the decades. He was a also well known airshow performer with a crazy flying act in a Cessna dressed as 'Cynthia' the novice pilot.

If you have any questions for Bryan he'll be all too happy to answer them I'm sure. He reads the forum but does not post, but I am sure he'd be happy for me to post his answers on his behalf.

[elephantshampoo]

Well, how bout that?

Oshkosh 2002..

More Peak Moments from Osh 2002

Numerous attendees asked the featured pilots to comment on comparing the Corsair to the P-51 Mustang, the F8F Bearcat, the F6F Hellcat and the AD Skyraider. Between the two, they had a chance to fly at least one of these other types and their comparisons , including the operational history of each type, were as follows: The P-51 could beat a Corsair above 15,000 feet, but "down below" the Corsair ruled;

www.aero-news.net/index.cfm?do=main.textpost&id=3d628fb1-54ce-4ee6-ad64-bcd1b2b9b434

[planecrazy]

I Have a copy as well, the most interesting thing I thought it really conveys how hard it
was to operate and fly these machines in the conditions, great book well worth it.

[elephantshampoo]

US Brig General's view

In 1941, he joined the RCAF and was trained on Hurricanes. He flew Spitfires in Britain and eventually transferred to the USAAF. He flew P-51s in the ETO. Post war, he stayed in the Air Force Reserve. Sometime prior to the Korean war, he encountered a Navy F4U-4B while flying a P-51D. The two pilots engaged in some determined mock combat. His description of the fight was simple and directly to the point. "My Mustang had nothing for that Corsair. I could not prevent it from getting on my tail and then could do nothing to shake it off."


bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php?action=printpage;topic=259878.0

[elephantshampoo]

I also think that if the Corsair operated in Europe, it would have gotten much more publicity as the P-51 did. & if it had got 20 mm cannon 43-44, plus something to alleviate the stall issue, slats perhaps, it would stand out as the unquestioned best US fighter.

My neighbor, ( now passed away), flew 50 missions in a P38 L model in Pacific, they called him Mr Coffee, or just plain old Coffee. he mentioned he flew 1 time for 7 hours! Show me a P-51 that can do that! he was in his 80's & you didn't argue, you just listened. Bud Anderson said he once flew 6 hours & 55 minutes in a P-51 D.

He mentioned having mock dogfights with Corsairs over Santa Barbara, & that the Corsairs would sometimes stall out. I asked him if it happened from flying slow of flying fast? He said fast. 1 guy crashed & died & we were then ordered not to do it anymore. I asked who got the better of it, he said: I think we did, but then I'm not biased. He had a few other good stories, A Japanese soldier shot his plane with a rifle, ( they found the bullet near his turbo), & he winged over & slotted the guy. He said; If I'd been in a P-51, I coulda missed!, ( he wasn't a fan of the gun crossover that happened with midwing gun setup). Also said the Merlin threw oil, ( upwards out & over the valve covers, even showed me a photo from Reno of a Merlin that had just done it).

Then he told a story of strafing a Japanese ship in a river & was so intent on hitting it at the water line, he didn't pay attn to the trees coming up fast, he then rolled sideways to slip between 2 trees then realized to his horror he was gonna go between the 2 stacks & there was always a cable between 2 stacks but there was no time to avoid it, he clenched his teeth & waited for the inevitable wing being sawed off, then nothing happened, no cable on this one.

[Dave Homewood]

TRhe Corsair did operate in Europe. The Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm flew it there.

[kiwithrottlejockey]

I've got Too Young To Die and I have read it several times.

I have also got Lance Adlam's The Quest For Wings (another Corsair book).

Kittyhawks And Coconuts by Keith Mulligan is also a great read, although it is from the earlier part of the Solomons campaign when they were operating P-40 Kittyhawks.

Another great book covering that era is The Avengers by Wally Ingham. It is more about the ground staff of No.30 Squadron, but it contains a lot of interesting stuff about flying operations in it too.

[Dave Homewood]

You might also enjoy Tiger Moths and Butterflies, Bruce. It's by the late Peter Norman, from your own neck of the woods, Masterton. He flew Corsairs in action with No. 14 Squadron.

[kiwithrottlejockey]

Is that book published by the Wairarapa Archive, Dave?

I've got a heap of their books I've never got around to reading, and I have a sneaking suspicion that book (or another with a similar title) is amongst the pile.

I'd forgotten all about it, but I must go and locate that stack of Wairarapa Archive books from my spare bedroom some time and see what is amongst them.

[elephantshampoo]

OK, Corsair had o or 1 encounters with the Luftwaffe, still not remembered for any achievement there.



FG-3...Attempts to increase the Corsair's performance at altitude led to the experimental turbo-supercharged XF4U-3. While a few FGs were modified late in the war to the FG-3 configuration, they did not become operational.






Ralph Alshouse FG-3

During WWII I flew 28 different Navy airplanes. The Corsair was by far the best of all. It could do snap rolls all day long if your body could stand it! For example I was flying a FG-3 at 13000feet,a shining new P-51 came along side wanting to race using hand signals. I signaled no three times, then he gave me the finger---we were on. He pulled more inches of manifold pressure, so he jumped ahead until I got my 4 blade prop cranked up with 45 inches of manifold pressure. I caught up to him and was passing giving him my tomcat grin. He leaned forward pushing something, pulling away. He would not put his blower on at 1300feet, but he did. So I turned my blower on. Catching him again, I was watching my cylinder head temp. It was approaching the red. I poped open the water injection and waved good bye to the P51. Do not do that it's too hard on engines.

www.aviastar.org/air/usa/chance_corsair.php

[Dave Homewood]

Bruce, it's published by Hazard Press.
www.amazon.com/Tiger-Moths-Butterflies-Peter-Norman/dp/1877270431

[kiwithrottlejockey]

Now that I can take a look at the cover on the Amazon site, I have got that book somewhere.

I tend to collect books at times faster than I can read them and sometimes the occasional book gets stashed away and forgotten.

As has happened with this particular book. The question is....where is it?

[Dave Homewood]

I'm the same!