David Alan Johnson. Yanks in the RAF: The Story of Maverick Pilots and American Volunteers Who Joined Britain's Fight in WWII. Amherst: Prometheus, 2015. 281 pp. $25.00, cloth, ISBN 978-1-63388-022-1.

Reviewed by Clay Bartels

Published on H-War (October, 2015)

Commissioned by Margaret Sankey (Air University)

David Alan Johnson, in Yanks in the RAF, in‐ enced pilots sufered through difcult seasoning troduces an original concept beyond the military experiences in combat against the Luftwafe, impact of the American volunteer pilots who eventually becoming successful frontline fghter joined the (RAF) prior to US in‐ squadrons for the RAF prior to transitioning to volvement in World War II. He approaches the Ea‐ the Army Air Force (USAAF) in Sep‐ gle Squadrons from a social perspective, attempt‐ tember of 1942. ing to tie the arrival of the frst American fghter In telling their story, Johnson captures the re‐ pilots to changes in British society and the US/ bellious attitude and sometimes outlandish be‐ British relationship. havior of the American pilots. They were general‐ Yanks in the RAF accurately describes the his‐ ly considered cocky, arrogant, and undisciplined torical backdrop of American isolationism and the “cowboys” who were practically impossible to resulting impact of the Neutrality Acts on the control on the ground and sometimes in the air. British and American populace. The story of the As Johnson explains, 71 “could make 245 pilots, 7 of whom fought in the Battle of more noise, day or night, than thirty Englishmen Britain, begins with the recruiting eforts of or ten Australians” (p. 61). Although not drastical‐ Colonel Charles Sweeney and . ly diferent than their allied counterparts, the per‐ Johnson is able to overlay the personal experi‐ sonality of the Eagle pilots in contrast to British ences of these recruits, such as original Eagles society is an essential theme of the narrative. Andy Mamedof, Red Tobin, and Shorty Keough, The author’s approach to linking the impact with this environment as the focus of WWII shifts of the Eagle Squadrons on British culture is to to Britain. Eventually, the American volunteers weave individual perspectives and anecdotes were grouped to form the Eagle Squadrons, num‐ throughout the historical story line. By doing so, bers 71, 121, and 133 of the RAF. The inexperi‐ H-Net Reviews

Johnson brings depth and color to the Eagle pilots them” without providing supporting evidence (p. from prewar experiences through combat. He pri‐ 48). Lastly, throughout the book he draws conclu‐ marily captures the RAF and British viewpoint sions about the attitudes of Air Marshall Sir Sholto through the lens of RAF leadership. In doing so, Douglas with little to no evidence. This approach he attempts to consistently reinforce the cultural is particularly problematic in Yanks in the RAF perception and realities of the Eagle Squadrons. because Johnson is attempting to capture the Some individual accounts in the book provide nexus of culture and history; to do so it is essen‐ strong frst-person support of Johnson’s social tial to accurately depict and prove key opinions methodology, such as Robert Raymond’s descrip‐ and motivations. These hanging statements de‐ tion of his impressions after transferring to the tract signifcantly from the point he is trying to USAAF from the RAF of enlisted ofcer interac‐ make. tions and “American get-up-and-go” (p. 203). Addi‐ Yanks in the RAF is an entertaining read, par‐ tionally, Johnson efectively uses opinion polls to ticularly for an airpower or WWII enthusiast. The illustrate common positions on both sides of the story of the Eagle Squadrons is compelling and Atlantic. signifcant, and Johnson attempts to view this Despite this, however, Johnson falls short of well-traveled history with a new perspective. Al‐ efectively proving his point on several fronts. though he introduces an intriguing idea, his un‐ First, the cause and efect relationship on British supported statements and disconnected logic ulti‐ culture and class standing remains unproven. The mately leaves the reader unsatisfed. This book preface clearly outlines that the American volun‐ does, however, provide a solid introduction to the teer pilots “began pushing life in Britain from a American volunteer pilots in the RAF. For a more class-bound society toward meritocracy” (p. 11). serious or in-depth perspective, readers should However, Johnson provides no discussion or evi‐ turn to Philip D. Caine’s American Pilots in the dence demonstrating how and why British society RAF: The WWII Eagle Squadrons (1998) or The changed after WWII, leaving readers to draw RAF Eagle Squadrons: American Pilots Who Flew their own conclusions. For an American audience for the Royal Air Force (2008), which provide a unfamiliar with British history this is a particular‐ more comprehensive study of the topic. ly serious faw. Adding an afterword or additional chapter that clearly ties together the themes and threads of the book would have avoided the abrupt ending and greatly enhanced the overall reading experience. Johnson also relies heavily on repetitive, un‐ supported generalizations throughout the work to describe British and American cultural perspec‐ tives and thoughts. For example, he states that “it was impossible for them [RAF ofcers] to under‐ stand how anybody who held the king’s commis‐ sion could mix with the working class” without of‐ fering citation or support (p. 122). Johnson also references President Franklin Delano Roosevelt as saying “the British were always sly and foxy and advised that it was prudent to be the same with

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Citation: Clay Bartels. Review of Johnson, David Alan. Yanks in the RAF: The Story of Maverick Pilots and American Volunteers Who Joined Britain's Fight in WWII. H-War, H-Net Reviews. October, 2015.

URL: https://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=44696

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

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