World War Ii Aviation

On August 20, 1942, twelve Marine dive-bombers and nineteen Marine fighters landed at Guadalcanal. Their mission: defeat the Japanese navy and prevent it from sending more men and supplies to "Starvation Island," as Guadalcanal was nicknamed. The Japanese were turning the remote, jungle-covered mountain in the south Solomon Islands into an air base from which they could attack the supply lines between the U.S. and Australia.

A retired Marine returns home to Texas from his job in the Arabian Gulf to say goodbye to his ailing father. There, he learns that his younger brother was somehow involved in stealing a restored World War II bomber during an airshow. Chris Boone is then forced to form an awkward partnership with the aging pilot who surrendered the plane to keep his brother out of jail, help restore the pilot's reputation, and find the national treasure. But someone’s kept a secret for decades … "A great read!" Chris Polhemus - Warbird Pilot, Wright Bros. Master Pilot Award Recipient "One of the most ...

On August 7, 1942, two events of major military importance occurred on separate sides of the planet. In the South Pacific, the United States went on the offensive, landing the First Marine Division at Guadalcanal. In England, 12 B-17 bombers of the new Eighth Air Force’s 97th Bombardment Group bombed the Rouen–Sotteville railroad marshalling yards in France. While the mission was small, the aerial struggle that began that day would ultimately cost the United States more men killed and wounded by the end of the war in Europe than the Marines would lose in the Pacific War.

This is the autobiography of Group Captain Sir Hugh Dundas CBE, DSO, DFC, who was one of the most distinguished fighter pilots of World War II. He writes of his wartime experiences, and particularly of his period as Squadron Leader and Wing Commander and his involvement in the Battle of Britain.