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Lords of the Sky: Fighter Pilots and Air Combat, from the Red Baron to the F-16 is the third book written by Dan Hampton and is a non fiction book revolving around the history of fighter aircraft and their pilots. It was published in June of 2014 with a genre of non-fiction and military history.

Synopsis
The book contains 15 chapters and goes in chronological order from April of 1915 through to February of 1991 and covers major leaps forward in aircraft technology as well as describes what being a fighter pilot was like through the years.

In the author's note, Dan Hampton explains that his intent in the book is to "provide snapshots into key people, important technological innovations, and the places in which these aviators fought in order to better understand the impact that this past century has upon us all". Dan Hampton finishes his author's note by explaining that the book will uncover the debt that we all owe to a small handful of pilots.

The first five chapters of the book form part one and is called "The war to end all wars: 1914-1918". In these first five chapters, Dan Hampton gives brief stories of fighter pilots and explains the origin of air combat and how it was implemented in WWI. Part one starts off with a story of a french pilot shooting down a german reconnaissance aircraft in early April of 1915 and then leads on to explain how aircraft evolved and joined WWI.

Part two is titled "In the lap of the gods: 1919-1939" and contains chapter six. In the start of the sixth chapter, post WWI military events are explained as well as the roles of aircraft in them. One of the military events explained in this part of the book is the Russian Civil War. Throughout his explanation of it, he described the advancement of Russian aircraft as well as leaps forward in tactics and tells the reader how aircraft made the civil war occur the way it did. Dan Hampton then leads on to talk about the Spanish Civil War. Once Nazi Germany joined the fight, Hampton describes the evolution of fighter squadrons in the German luftwaffe and their attempts to beat back Russian made I-15 s in their He 51 aircraft. After German fighters were outclassed by Russian made I-15s, the entering of the Bf 109 is explained along with why it was such a successful aircraft. Part two ends with Hampton explaining how the Spanish Civil War served as testing grounds for German fighter aircraft.

Chapters 7 through to 11 form part three of the book and is titled "Cataclysm: 1939-1935". Part three starts off with the use of German aircraft during Germany's invasion of Poland in 1939 and begins with the development of the German Stuka dive bomber aircraft. The book then moves on and describes Germany's invasions of Denmark and Norway and then moves on to the development of the British Hurricane fighter aircraft. The German invasion of France is described in detail along with the role's of early British Spitfires and their outdated tactics for their time. Hampton then includes stories of air battles during the British evacuation of their military from France. The book then includes outlines of what German and British flight schools were like to give an idea of why fighter pilots turned out as they did. The development of British and German aircraft are then contrasted and Hampton describes their roles in The Battle of Britain along with the use of British radar. This leads into Allied and German pilots battling in North Africa in The Battle of Gazala and later on into German and Russian air battles in The battle of Stalingrad. Chapter 10 starts out with a story of a fighter pilot during the Attack on Pearl Harbor in a P-40. The rest of part three explains what the USAAF and Japanese training program were like along with battles in the Pacific and the entry of the P-51 and the final days of WWII.

The final four chapters form the fourth part of the book and is titled "Dawn of the Jet Age". Part four starts off with a story of an American F-86 pilot in combat with MiG-15 s and then leads on to battles and advancements in technology during The Korean War. In the second chapter of part four, the beginning of The Vietnam War is explained in high detail from a fighter pilot's perspective along with outlining the technological advancements in anti-aircraft weaponry. In the fourteenth chapter, the end of The Vietnam War is explained and Dan Hampton continues on to the Yom Kippur War and new technologies that had developed from The Vietnam War. The final chapter in the book begins with a story of a US fighter pilot in Northern Iraq in 1991 and then leads into Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait in The Gulf War. After The Gulf War is explained from a fighter pilot's view, Dan Hampton describes modern USAF training and then enters the F-16. The book ends with a story of a fighter pilot in a F-16 in Iraq in 2003 destroying ground targets.

In the epilogue, Dan Hampton states that the nature of fighter pilots have not changed despite the immense gains in technology and that they will never loose their "fighting spirit". He ends with "Fighter pilots who are proud; these lords of the sky who fight and die for those they love and that which they hold dear. Indeed, everything has changed. And nothing has changed"

Other work by Dan Hampton

 * Viper Pilot: A Memoir of Air Combat
 * The Mercenary
 * The Hunter Killers