Two Years in the Life . . .
Jack Ilfrey was a WWII fighter pilot in Europe and Africa. His colorful career is recounted here in very interesting detail. This is not just a "There I was inverted at 500 feet with both engines out" book but rather an overview of what ALL of a fighter pilot's life was like during the height of the war. We read about hijinks on the ground, fear and bravery in the air, and under it all, a great will to be done with it. Ilfrey conveys what it must have been like to be 20 years old, with terrific freedom, in a foreign country, during wartime. He was quite the nonconformist, which led to his being demoted several times. Still, his attributes as a fighter pilot kept him in the fight, to the benefit of us all. If you like WWII aviation, read this book. If you end up liking Jack Ilfrey, as I sure did, visit the web page dedicated to him, A Tribute to Jack Ilfrey.
-- Michael Terry, Cambridge, MA , January 20, 1999
No Writer Could Dream Up A Better Tale Than This!
"I commend to your attention the recollections of an intrepid Sky Dog of WW II. Jack Ilfrey's 'Happy Jack's Go Buggy' originally appeared in 1979 from Exposition Press. This edition has been revised and expanded to include many more photographs, totaling almost 200, in addition to profiles of Jack's planes, which included two P-38s and a P-51. It is a fascinating read. No writer of fiction with the wildest flights of imagination, hyperbole and invention could concoct such a tale; yet this one is true. Many of Ilfrey's experiences defy credulity. Examples: He survived a midair collision with an ME-109 over the skies near Berlin. This, just after he had shot down another Me-109. Somehow Jack was able to fly back to England with about 3 to 4 feet of his right wing torn off - the book includes a photo of this plane. The other pilot wasn't so lucky; he plummets to earth and Jack chalks up another victory - one of a total of 8 won in the MTO and ETO. In another sortie over North Africa he was hit by flak, machine gun fire and cannon. He nursed his way home with over 260 holes in his P-38. One 20mm shell, after destroying his radio, lodged in the armor plate behind his seat. Another shell hit a hydraulic fluid reservoir under his seat and left him ankle-deep in fluid. On D-Day plus six he was gunned down and survived a bailout at 600 feet. Once on the ground he was befriended by a French family who helped him pose as a one 'Jacques Robert, cultivateur'. With a fake ID he was able to get back to England to fight again, despite encountering Germans along the way. His list of accomplishments include the following: He flew 142 combat missions, logging 528 hours air time. This ex-Aggie and Houston native was one of the first Aces of WW II, indeed, the first ace of the 94th Hat In The Ring Fighter Squadron. He was interviewed by and featured in Ernie Pyle's classic, 'Here Is Your War'. Pyle wrote, 'It was hard to conceive of his ever having killed anybody . . . . Yet he mowed'em down.' He was also interviewed by Margaret Bourke-White, Life's famous photojournalist and featured in its August 16, 1943 issue. He was awarded the Air Medal, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Silver Star and the European and African Theater Ribbons and six Bronze Stars. One senses in Ilfrey something of what H.L. Mencken noted in Jack London, ' . . . a poignant sense of the infinite romance and mystery of human life.' This remarkable man, Captain Jack Ilfrey tempted fate innumerable times and yet his number never came up. Unfortunately, many of his buddies did'nt make it - he witnessed the deaths of three of his closest friends. Now retired after serving many years as an officer with the Alamo National Bank in San Antonio, Texas, he is currently editor of King's Cliffe Remembered, a newsletter of the 20th Fighter Group Association of the U.S. 8th Army Air Force. His death defying exploits would make a magnificent movie - but then, who would believe it?"
--Donald P. Jennings, San Antonio, TX, December 6, 1999
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REVIEWS OF "HAPPY JACK'S GO BUGGY"
