Product Review

The Other Ninth Air Force takes a detailed look at how the Artillery Air Section of a US Army Headquarters functioned during the Second World War in Europe. It relates how its Air Observation Post aircraft were procured, crewed and operated as recorded by the officer responsible for such matters. In this instance, the HQ was that of Ninth US Army and the officer concerned was the late Lt-Col. Robert M. Leich. As Artillery Air Officer, Leich maintained a daily journal and this is the principal source on which this book is based. The result is a book of a different kind, covering both operational and administrative matters. Also revealed is the close cooperation that existed between Ninth Army and the two USAAF 'air' units attached to it, namely the 125th Liaison Squadron and the 50th Mobile Reclamation and Repair Squadron