Heroes in the Skies: American Aviators in World War II

by Ian Darling, Clifton Truman Daniel (Foreword by)

Overview

Published to coincide with the 75th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, these gripping true stories capture the astonishing bravery of the fliers who helped win World War II. American pilots fought fierce and often deadly battles in every theater of war, and many overcame incredible obstacles to survive. Meet some of these courageous aviators, including George McGovern, who survived enemy fire that left 110 holes in his aircraft; George H. W. Bush, shot down in the Pacific; Jim Landis, a naval flyer stationed in Pearl Harbor who returned fire even after sustaining a bullet through his hand; Alex Jefferson, a Tuskegee airman shot down over France and taken prisoner; and Betty Blake, one of the little-known women pilots who aided the war effort. Clifton Truman Daniel, a grandson of President Truman, provides the foreword to this collection of carefully researched and vividly told profiles in courage that will transport you to the bullet-ridden, bomb-laden skies of the early 1940s.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781454937654
Publisher:	Sterling
Publication date:	10/01/2019
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	658,208
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Ian Darling hails from an air force family. His father and both uncles served in Britain’s Royal Air Force during World War II. For many years, he taught writing courses at Wilfrid Laurier University and was editorial writer at the Kitchener-Waterloo Record. He lectures on writing and World War II to various groups around the country. A member of the National Aviation Hall of Fame in Dayton, OH, he lives in Ontario with his wife.

Table of Contents

Foreword Clifton Truman Daniel ix

Introduction: What Makes a Hero xi

1 Shockwaves 1

2 The Volunteer 15

3 The Flying Fortress 33

4 White Cliffs 41

5 A Long Way to Bradenton 47

6 Locked in Place 81

7 The Salute 93

8 Natural Flyer 107

9 Dreaming of Trouble 117

10 Bulldogs of the Air 133

11 Surprise Flight 149

12 Remembering a Friend 151

13 Six Crewmates 173

14 Soft Landing 185

15 The Color Barrier 191

16 Mission to Remember 205

17 The Mysterious Pilot 217

18 Ignition Trouble 223

19 Devout Duty 225

20 Miss Steve 235

21 Fighting the Weather 249

22 Snapshot of War 255

Afterword: From War to Peace 267

Acknowledgments 271

Notes 273

Photo Credits 281

Index 283