Part II: The People
The
Jolly Rogers: The Story of Tom Blackburn and Navy Fighting
Squadron VF-17
By Tom Blackburn
Orion Books
The autobiography of Tom Blackburn,
who commanded one of the Navy's only land-based fighter
squadrons of WW II, VF-17 "Jolly Rogers." Pulled
from carrier duty due to initial problems with the F4U-1
/ -1A in the carrier landing environment (they had a tendency
to bounce and flip over) Tom found a home for his squadron
in the Solomon Islands in the summer of '43. During the
next half year, the Jolly Rogers out shot all other units
in the theater, racking up nearly 200 kills and making many
aces within the squadron's ranks (they handily out-shot
Boyington's Black Sheep, who were in theater at the same
time). Tom's book is a study in leadership principles, wherein
he emphasized teamwork in the air over individual performance.
He also kept his squadron "bounced up" (practice
carrier approaches and landings while ashore) so as to be
ready to use a carrier if the opportunity arose. It did
and the squadron was able to make a huge contribution to
a particular set of strikes by flying a mission, landing
on a nearby carrier to refuel and rearm, then flying another
mission. A great read.
Fateful
Rendezvous: The Life of Butch O'Hare
By Steve Ewing and John B. Lundstrom
Naval Institute Press
Telephone: 800.233.8674
http://www.nip.org
This biography traces the life and
death of Edward "Butch" O'Hare, the Navy's first
WW II ace-in-a-day and the namesake for O'Hare International
Airport in Chicago. Butch was a dynamic character and is
well portrayed in the book. Flying Wildcats in early '42,
Butch shot down four attacking Betty bombers and damaged
a fifth (he was given credit for five kills at the time)
on one sortie in the South Pacific. Since the US was still
clearly on the losing end of this new war, Butch became
an instant hero and was whisked out of theater to sell war
bonds in the states. With meritorious promotion in hand
and given command of a Hellcat squadron, Butch eventually
made it back to combat in '44, this time pioneering innovative
new night fighter tactics for carrier defense. It was the
implementation of these tactics that cost Butch his life
in a mysterious accident. The book is a little ponderously
written in parts, and is composed in a syntax that feels
reminiscent of the period in question. But the story is
fascinating and a definitely worth the time.
The
Black Sheep: The Definative Account of Marine Fighting Squadron
214 in WW II
By Bruce Gamble
Presidio Press (available at Barnes & Noble, Borders
and Amazon)
No, this is not "Baa Baa Black
Sheep" by Greg Boyington. Bruce Gamble is an ex-Naval
Flight Officer (NFO) who has painstakingly researched all
available wartime documentation and after-action reports
from VFMF-214 and interviews with surviving pilots, flight
surgeons and intel officers. Originally named the "Swashbucklers,"
VMF-214 was a modestly successful F4U-1 unit until a shameless
Greg "Gramps" Boyington (Pappy is a "media-ism")
virtually stole the squadron while the Swashbucklers were
on leave in Sydney. For those familiar with the TV series
(who isn't), most of the premise of that show is false and
so noted by Gamble in the book. What emerges is a story
of a man (Boyington) who is truly a "break glass in
case of war" kind of guy — superb wartime leader,
but borderline criminal by any peacetime definition. This
book is absolutely spellbinding, and the combat descriptions
are very detailed from the resources available to the author.
All of the myths about Boyington (mostly spread by himself)
are debunked in this superb book. A must read for Corsair
fans (like me).
The
Black Sheep One: The Life Of Gregory “Pappy” Boyington
By Bruce Gamble
Presidio
If you’ve ever read Greg Boyington’s
autobiography “Baa Baa Black Sheep” or watched
the TV series ”Black Sheep Squadron” and thought
you knew who Boyington was and what his life was really
like — forget it. You don’t know anything —
yet.
Leveraging his research of VMF-214
in WW II, author Bruce Gamble expanded his search for information
specifically on the life and times of Greg Boyington the
man. What emerges in this book is a utterly fascinating
human interest story of a true “Break Glass In Case
Of War” individual, a wild character who in peacetime
was a borderline criminal and outright liar but under the
pressures of world war became an inspired leader and deadly
warrior in the skies over the South Pacific. Gamble starts
the tale with the stories of Boyington’s grandparents
and parents. Boyington’s life is then covered in delightful
detail, including his childhood, his pre-war military service
and family life, his actions in WW II both as an aviator
and POW, as well as his post-war years and his time as technical
advisor to the TV series. The book concludes with his death
and the tale with Boyington’s children. Gamble's extensive
research and exciting text paint a more robust picture of
Greg Boyington than we’ve ever seen before, and in
the process we find that most of what we thought we knew
about this WW II hero was incorrect. What emerges is a story
in contrasts about a larger-than-life character whose strengths
and weaknesses were as over-the-top and divergent as any
fictional movie character. This is one fascinating book
about a truly human war hero, and I highly recommend it.
Jungle
Ace: Col. Gerald R. Johnson, the USAAF’s Top Fighter
Leader of the Pacific War
By John R. Bruning
Brassey’s Inc.
John Bruning’s "Jungle
Ace," ranks without a doubt as one of the best biographies
that I have ever read. The author spent several years painstakingly
researching this book, and it shows in the incredible level
of detail contained in these pages. Reading more like a
fiction piece than a biography, the book highlights John's
ability to tell a story with just the right word selection
to paint a vivid, movie-like picture in the reader's mind.
"Jungle Ace" follows the life of P-38 fighter
ace Jerry Johnson from schoolboy to aviation candidate to
grisly combat conditions, all in amazing clarity that will
immerse you into the story, as if you were standing side
by side with Johnson himself. As tense and taughtly written
as a best-selling fiction novel, author Bruning has created
a story that even non-aviation history buffs will enjoy
thoroughly...
For those readers looking to see
just how demanding, unforgiving and gruesome air combat
in the steaming jungles of the South Pacific islands could
be, this is the book for you. "Jungle Ace" is
a rich, vivid and thoroughly honest chronicle of a young
Oregon man who helped save the world. A rewarding read that
goes beyond the military history genre.
Into
The Teeth of The Tiger
By Donald Lopez
Smithsonian Institution Press
Now the deputy director of aeronautics
at the Air and Space Museum, Don Lopez was once a fighter
pilot in the CBI (China/Burma/India) theater during WW II.
Flying by-then outdated P-40 fighters in 1943/44, the author
takes us through his flight training and eventual combat
experiences in the skies of China. An interesting read.
US
Naval Aviator, 1941-45
By Robert Hargis
Osprey Warrior #52
Imperial
Japanese Naval Aviator, 1937-45
By Osamu Tagaya
Osprey Warrior #55
The
Osprey Warrior series’ focus is to tell you what it
was like to train to become, and operate as, naval aviators
for the US and Japanese Navies, respectively, during WW
II. The focus is on entrance requirements, training regimens,
living accommodations and aircraft capabilities during the
conflict. These are also fascinating reads, and can help
you to better understand what it was like to be in these
two warfighting organizations during combat.
