William T. Y'Blood's
career as a pilot, first in the U.S. Air Force flying Boeing B-47s and later as a commercial pilot for Continental Airlines
was reflected in the subjects he chose to write about. His first publication, Stratojet in Action,
is a pictorial history of the B-47 that he knew so well. Red Sun Setting, his account of the Battle
of the Philippine Sea, contains classic descriptions of dogfights and aerial attacks on Japanese carriers. He turned his focus
to escort carriers in his next two books, Hunter-Killer and The Little Giants,
earning praise and awards from the Burma Star Association and Escort Carrier Airmen and Sailors.
Later in life, William T. Y'Blood took a position with the
Air Force History office at the Pentagon as a historian, where he remained until his death in 2006. He turned his attention
to other wars, focusing considerable effort on the Korean War and the overlooked role air power played in that conflict. As
one critic from the Air Power Journal said, "Y'Blood's writing is concise, well written, and accurate. It is
popular history at its best."
William
T. Y’Blood is the author of Stratojet in Action; Red Sun Setting; Hunter-Killer;
The Little Giants;;The Three Wars of Lt. General
George E. Stratemeyer; MiG Alley: The Fight for Air Superiority; Reflections and Remembrances: Veterans of the United States
Army Air Forces Reminisce about World War II; and, Down in the Weeds: Close Air Support in Korea.
According to the book description of Air Commandos
Against Japan: Allied Special Operations in World War II Burma, “In 1943 the U.S. Army Air Forces created
what would become the Air Commandos, a unit that marked a milestone in tactical operations in support of British ground forces
invading Burma. William T. Y'Blood tells the story of how these daring American aviators trained and went into combat
using unconventional hit-and-run tactics to confuse the enemy and destroy their lines of communication and supply. The force
comprised light planes to evacuate wounded, transports to move heavy cargo, fighters, bombers, gliders, helicopters, and more
than five hundred men. The book describes how this top secret force successfully attacked the enemy from the air, resupplied
British commandos on the ground, and airlifted the wounded out of the battle area--eventually driving the Japanese out of
Burma.”
According to the book description
of Hunter-Killer: U.S. Escort Carriers in the Battle of the Atlantic, “The pursuit of German
U-boats in the Battle of the Atlantic has long been considered one of the most exciting stories of World War II. This definitive
study takes readers into the cockpits and onto the flight decks of the versatile and hardy U.S. escort carriers (CVEs) to
tell of their vital, yet little-known contribution to the anti-U-boat campaign. Sailing apart from the Allied convoys, the
CVE captains had complete freedom of action and frequently took their ships on "hunt and kill" missions against
the enemy. The German submarines were allowed no respite and no place to relax without the fear of discovery.
World War II historian William Y'Blood
explains that in the eighteen months between the Spring of 1943, when the escort carriers began to prowl the Atlantic, to
November 1944, the average number of U-boats in daily operation was reduced from 108 to a mere 31. Though land-based aircraft,
various support groups, and the convoy system itself helped win the Battle of the Atlantic, the escort carrier groups'
influence was profound. In addition to documenting the escort carriers' exciting operational history, the author also
traces the CVE's development and construction and examines its tactical and strategic uses.”
