What was your next book?
Eric Hammel of Pacifica Military History asked me to approach Hamilton "Mac" McWhorter and collaborate with him to write about his World War II experiences as a Navy fighter ace. Eric is one of the savviest and best World War II historians around and he understood the value of getting Mac to record his experiences.
Mac is one of the finest gentlemen I know. He is genuine and modest and understands that war isn't about blowing things up and covering oneself in glory. Instead, he knows it's about dead friends and dead sons, dead brothers, dead husbands and dead fathers. Working with him to help him write his book was a pleasure although sometimes he was so modest I had to really press him for details, otherwise the reader would have had nothing to work with. "And then I shot him down" just wasn't enough! We made it work though, and I'm pretty proud of what we produced. This is a fine book about one of the finest aerial marksmen of all time.
What came next?
At Eric Hammel's suggestion I wrote "Fortress Ploesti." Although a gob of books have been written about the big low-level raid of August 1, 1943, no one had ever covered that story and the subsequent campaign the next year that turned the place into rubble. I really spent a great deal of time researching this work which was published by Casemate in 2003. It's a one-of-a-kind effort and I've never had anyone say anything negative about it. Instead, I've gotten a ton of responses from veterans who are genuinely happy that someone put what they were doing so long ago into context. The Fifteenth Air Force in Italy did a lot of tremendous work but never got the publicity that the Eighth Air Force in England got. Anyway, I wish that this title had gotten more press; I still love reading it and it's one of my best books.
Frequently Asked Questions, Page 3