Janey: A Little Plane in a Big War, by Alfred W. Schultz with Kirk Neff, Southfarm Press, Middletown, Conn., 1998, $30.

Contrary to the popular World War I image of the dashing flying ace and his personal–and personally decorated–aircraft, relatively few World War II pilots had such an intimate relationship with a single airplane. Most simply hopped into the cockpit of the first plane they came to as they scrambled for a mission.

One of the exceptions was Lieutenant Alfred W. Schultz, who flew the same airplane, named for his wife-to-be Jane Willis Reese, from its arrival at Casablanca in December 1942 until the German surrender in May 1945. The remarkably durable machine that carried him from North Africa to Sicily, up the spine of Italy and through southern France and Austria to Adolf Hitler’s “Eagle’s Nest” at Berchtesgaden was neither a racy fighter nor a mighty bomber, but a fragile-looking Piper L-4B Cub. Still, “Dutch” Schultz and Janey became well known to the troops of the 3rd Infantry Division who they supported with reconnaissance and artillery spotting flights. Schultz also transported senior officers such as Maj. Gens. Lucien Truscott, Jr., and John “Iron Mike” O’Daniel, and General George S. Patton.

On one occasion in September 1943, Schultz did get a chance to emulate the World War I aces he had read about as a child–whether he wanted to or not–when a Messerschmitt Me-109 tried to destroy his observation plane. Matching the Cub’s low stalling speed and maneuverability against the Messerschmitt’s speed and cannon armament, Schultz led his determined antagonist on a desperate low-level chase until the German miscalculated his approach and crashed into a hillside.

Janey: A Little Plane in a Big War is a series of chronologically arranged vignettes, told with candor and a spot of humor, that add up to a long and interesting yarn. Memoirs by WWII airmen have been proliferating lately, but few have dealt with the often-overlooked contribution made by the Army observation pilots. Janey flew in a different environment from other aircraft, where groundfire was a constant danger and the most feared enemy aircraft was the Fieseler Fi-156 Storch rather than the Me-109. The U.S. Army Air Forces seldom came into contact with ground troops; Janey and her sisters were meant to be in constant contact with the soldiers. Janey: A Little Plane in a Big War is a splendid addition to the collections of scholars of WWII aviation with an interest in “Grasshoppers,” and a reminder that old-fashioned seat-of-the-pants flying was still relevant amid the technological advances of that conflict.

Jon Guttman

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