An interesting and basically untold story; An interesting look at 1916 Yale and life and traditions of the time; a little repetitive of the eagerness for the founders to get started etc, very little description of the actual aviation training or flying scenes, good facts on some of the "Unit" members who became very prominent in later years.

This book does a great job in documenting an era of American history which most people are unfamliar with. Young people would be well-advised to take heed of the lessons learned by these idealistic college students who took up flying as a sort of lark and who felt that notions like honor and glory were part of their entitlement as the sons of upper-crust establishment families. Their bubbles quicly burst when they got to Europe and saw first hand, the horrific nature of war. Most of these brave men got with the program and grew up fast, to the extent that they served over and above what was expected of them. They essentially convinced the military establishment that a viable air force was viable and necessary. This book is well written and you really get a first hand sense of what the early flyers were up against.

Marc Wortman has constructed a highly readable account of The First Yale Unit, the few dozen Yale students from wealthy and prominent families who founded the Yale Aero Club in 1916. The unit's pilots went on to form the nucleus of U.S. Naval Aviation, and Wortman focuses on six of these.
Drawing on a wealth of original source material, Wortman makes his chosen half-dozen come alive as persons. We are not only captivated by stories of their collegiate and military alliances--and dalliances--we also care about them as individuals.
The author delivers excellent descriptions of aerial combat, accounts firmly based on the pilots' letters and writings. The author's telling of the role played in the young pilots' lives by the secret society Skull & Bones--before and after the war--takes us on a fascinating side trip.
Wortman has produced a compelling narrative of bravery under fire and leadership under pressure. He also addresses the virtual disappearance of Ivy Leaguers from the military--and the scarcity of the attitude and belief that America's elite might owe some obligation to their country beyond pointing out its flaws.
At the time of World War One, however, in Wortman's words, "Being a member of America's elite was not for the faint of heart."

This is a thoughtful and sensitive narration of the adventure which was sought by a small group of young men, mostly Yale students, who saw aviation as a great opporunity to make a contribution to our nation's effort in WWI.

I've read everything I could ever locate on this group of young men, but it remained for author Wortman to place their stories in the larger context, that of the educational and social milieu from which they originated. The depiction of the collegiate athleticism of their times is woven into the narration to give one a good understanding of what it was that would motivate these young men to willingly enter into the ultimate of human competition~ war itself.

The sheer joy of learning to master their aircraft and their determined intent to confront the enemy was soon tempered by the arriving emotion of a life long, pensive regret they'd realize over the untimely deaths of several of their most cherished small number.

Those who returned were to go on to astonishing heights in their service in Congresss and in other governmental roles, in business and in the higher military hierarchy of WWII. It's all clearly brought to us by Mr. Wortman: the seeking of honor and it's attainment~ then it all the glory being seen as in contrast to the disillusion and regret~ and then the return home to the women who loved them~ and long lives of distinctive further service to their country.


This is an always interesting and most impeccably written and edited book. Biographies and history are seldom so well melded. So many accolades have been voiced concerning it by other reviewers that it is difficult to find ways to further recommend it. I can only add that it would be a great gift for anyone who would be well reminded that there are times when a opportunity to make great sacrifice for a meritorious cause should be welcomed and celebrated.

John Masefield, once England's Poet Laureate of England, has spoken of "the power America has of making a complete man." The 'Yale Unit' in it's full complement, were such 'complete men'.

Anyone who has studied World War I (WWI) aviation to any great extent is surely familiar with fliers such as Albert Ball, Billy Bishop, Georges Guynemer, Frank Luke, Raoul Lufbery, Edward Mannock, and Eddie Rickenbacker, among others, and likely knows something of their exploits. It is unlikely, however, that most readers will be able to name even one Naval aviator from that war or have any idea what any Naval aviator, let alone any U.S. Naval aviator, may have done to help win that war. This book goes a long way toward filling that void, but it does much more than that.

In the beginning, it tells the reader much more about Yale University and life at that institution in the early 1900s than he or she may really want to know, but it also tells a lot about the mind-set of Yale's privileged youth of the time and about Yale's secret societies, including the much maligned "Skull and Bones." If one reads between the lines, it even offers some insight into the basis for what many believe to be a closely knit group of well connected elitists who have long striven to control American banking and industry and to operate behind the scenes to control America's elected government. But these are all by-products.

The real story is that of a small group of privileged Yale students led by a true visionary, Trubee Davison, who formed an aviation club in 1916, well in advance of America's entry into WWI. At the time of the club's formation, America's admirals and leading politicians saw no roll for aircraft in America's Navy and failed to recognize how woefully unprepared America was to fight a war. As a result, America's navy had only a few obsolete aircraft and few trained pilots. Foreseeing the need, Davison convinced his wealthy father to fund his club and buy the aircraft and facilities needed to train the club members to fly. His hope was that when the war came to America the Yale aviation club would be taken into the United States Navy as a unit and become the foundation for a much needed Naval Air Service.

This failed to happen exactly as Davison had hoped, but all the members of the club, with the exception of Trubee himself, did win their gold wings as Naval aviators and serve with distinction during the war. Many served in leadership roles and rose to high rank. Others were killed, and one became the Navy's only air ace of WWI. So, in a broad sense, it can be said that Trubee Davison's club did form the nucleus of America's Naval Air Service and that, at a critical juncture in American history, his vision and foresight, and the courage of his classmates, dragged America's navy into the 20th century.

The Millionaires' Unit is a very good book with a great story to tell: an elite group of Yale students took it upon themselves to prepare as pilots for the United States' entry into World War I. Not only is the story remarkable, it is remarkable that it hasn't been told before, (except in a privately published history in 1925). Starting as a privately funded militia, the First Yale Unit trained as pilots without recognition from the Navy until the U. S. officially entered the War. The young pilots were then among the first aviators flying for America to see combat over Europe.

The book is very good at setting the tone and profile of upper class Americans before the Great War, then shattering the romantic ideas of our isolated country about industrialized warfare as the young men struggle to uphold the highest ideals of duty and honor. The book evocatively portrays Yale as more of a social club than an academic institution, the difficulty of maintaining and flying primitive aircraft, and the nascent attempts of the Navy to come to grips with the importance of aviation.

Above all, The Millionaires' Unit is a human story told mostly through the correspondence of these erudite, passionate, and committed pioneer pilots. Those that survived went on to serve the country at the top of their fields in politics, finance, and aviation. Those that died elicit some of the most heartbreaking reactions from friends and families in wartime literature. It's a well-rounded book, touching on social, aviation, and military history as it delves into the personal reactions of a young America coming of age at the dawn of the 20th century. I found it a great read.

Darroch Greer

As a kid, my favorite book was, "Iron Men with Wooden Wings" by Lou Cameron. Stories of World War I pilots doing battle in the skies over France and Germany in primitive, cloth covered biplanes ignited my imagination. Years later, I earned a pilot's license and have enjoyed flying my own cloth covered plane.

Recently, I was delighted to learn about and read Marc Wortman's title, "The "Millionaires' Unit", which documents the grass-roots formation of a flying squadron of fresh-faced Yale boys almost a hundred years ago. A war was raging in Europe and America was decidedly unprepared for their eventual involvement. Their experiences together at Yale gave them a deep sense of duty to a greater cause. Their privileged upbringing and family connections gave them access to the money to fund their own military flight school and to the captains of industry and state to endorse and champion their mission. Millionaires' Unit is not simply a tale of "iron men with wooden wings", although we certainly grow with each of them from boys to men.

Much less a documentary and much more a narrative, Wortman weaves their personal ambitions and flaws together with their collective mission to fly and to serve. Not since "The Blue Max" has such a complex story of class, ambition, romance and defiance - set against the exhilarating and dangerous backdrop of the pioneering age of aviation - been told.