This is the astonishing untold story of the Second World War airmen who risked it all in the deadly race to become the greatest American fighter pilot, according to critics. John R. Bruning’s story focuses on Richard Bong, Tommy McGuire, Neel Kearby, Charles MacDonald, and Gerald Johnson, who through training, became the deadliest aces during the Pacific War. Race of Aces “is an educational, powerful, and intense read, with a behind-the-scenes look at the Southwest Pacific Theater of Operations in the Second World War,” said a review in goodreads.com. It added: “In the early years of the war, air forces from the US, Australia, and Japan engaged in an unrelenting struggle for superiority in the skies over New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. Allied forces were operating under primitive conditions in a largely unknown and noxious physical environment.” Bruning “explores the technology and tactics, the multi-dimensional battlefield, and the leadership, living conditions, medical challenges, and morale of the combatants,” said the review.