Flight of old 666 wwii pacific theater books

World war ii in the central pacific by sharon tosi lacey. The first bomber to hit japan after pearl harbor, the b25 mitchell was found in every theater of the war and was a rugged, multipurpose bomber beloved by her aircrew for its survivability and ease to fly. Popular world war ii pacific theater books showing 150 of 315 ship of ghosts. The impossible mission hardcover katy budget books. One mans rescue mission that changed the course of wwii. I was almost 15 years old when the japanese soldiers walked into malang. Flying fortress and a crew of misfits where the b17 name was old 666 after its tail.

The impossible mission that changed the war in the pacific. A books total score is based on multiple factors, including. Lucky 666 is a non fiction story of a wwii bomber squadron based in the pacific. Drury and clavin skillfully blend old 666s flight into the larger picture of pacific theater warfare. We were in the outer channel of pearl harbor when the japanese attacked.

Jay zeamer at the helm commanding his crew of eager beavers wasand remainsthe longest continuous dogfight in the annals of the united states air force. A look at the strategy and course of key battles in the pacific theater of operations during wwii. These are my memories of the bombing and the days that followed. But in the early days of wwii, the us and its allies had a europe first strategy which resulted in more troops, supplies, and attention being. By the end of the war, the 23rd had tallied nearly six hundred aerial victories and destroyed nearly four hundred more japanese aircraft on the ground. Heres your opportunity to let others know your favorite books on the war that led us from pearl harbor to tokyo bay. Wwii aviation in the pacific theater home facebook. The impossible mission that changed the war in the. For their valor, jay zeamer and joe sarnoski were awarded the medal of honor. A short history of the united states navy in the second world war by samuel eliot morison more times than i can count. Britton, william vaughan, herbert pugh, forrest dillman, johnnie able, ruby johnston. A fastpaced, wellresearched account of a b17 bomberknown as old 666 its crew, and a courageous flight. The flight dynamics of each accurately engineered aircraft capture the true experience of flying magnificent machines, from nimble zeros to lethal. He told me many stories of his times in the military.

Entries are listed below in alphanumeric order 1toz. List of books and articles about world war ii pacific theater. One of the best fighters of world war ii, the f4u corsair. A 28,800 bitspersecond bps or faster modem, a local area network lan with tcpip or ipx network protocol, or a nullmodem cable required for connection to other computers.

Drury and clavin skillfully blend old 666s flight into the larger picture of pacific theater warfare and. What are the best books on the pacific theater of wwii. The pacific theater in pictures, 19421945 four japanese transports, hit by both u. Lucky 666 book by bob drury, tom clavin official publisher page.

We think of world war ii aviation as a supremely bureaucratized. Fortunately, there is no shortage of worthwhile books about the. Guess they call her a flying fortress for a reason. The authors note that their return was not without peril however. And it was almost this symbiosis between the flying fortress and jay zeamer. Drury and clavin skillfully blend old 666s flight into the larger picture of pacific theater warfare and give gripping accounts of combat flights.

Combat flight simulator 2 supports forcefeedback game controllers requirements for multiplayer play. No single american fighter group in world war ii performed more varied missions, was more successful, or was more central to the war effort in its theater of operations. Pacific theater islandhopping us forces elected to focus on capturing only certain strategic islands in the pacific ones that would allow us bombers to get within striking range of japan and create a safe route for troop and supply movement. Jay zeamer and his crew piloted their b17 flying fortress nicknamed old 666 on a photo reconnaissance mission on june 16, 1943 zeamer and his men fended off 17 enemy fighters while accomplishing their mission. I was a supply officer with some of the concrete ships. The flight required flying over 600 miles of open sea to reach the target. There are a total of 37 ww2 pacific war fighter aircraft 1939 1945 in the military factory. Also, bombdamaged areas in japan including mushroom cloud over nagasaki, saipan, hong kong, maurua, burma, and new guinea. Joseph sarnoski each a medal of honor, and all other. Bob then shares how jay and his renegade crew took an old.

Battle of guadalcanal battle of iwo jima battle of okinawa battle of the coral sea midway pearl harbor philippines wake island comments. Flight nurse experiences are told in many other books, such as beyond the call of duty, army flight nursing in world war ii by judith barger. Pacific theater of operations the national wwii museum. Drury and clavin skillfully blend old 666 s flight into the larger picture of pacific theater warfare and give gripping accounts of combat flights. With unprecedented access to the old 666 crews family and letters, as well as. And though the battle locales that constitute the war in the pacific pearl harbor, midway, tarawa, guadalcanal, iwo jima are common knowledge, locations and statistics alone cant convey what it was like to have fought in those battles. With unprecedented access to the old 666 crews family and letters, as well as newly. Most decorated flight crew in wwiis pacific theater. I am only 33 years old and i just lost my grandfather 3 months ago. Good old 666, the cursed bomber that no one wanted to. Feb 27, 2020 its been nearly 75 years since victory in wwii. Lucky 666 jay zeamers incredible true story art of manliness.

During its final flight, old 666 endured one of the longest sustained attacks by enemy fighters in history. Combat flight simulator 2 takes you back to this historic time and place with exquisitely detailed aircraft, cockpits, and scenery. World war ii is sometimes thought of as primarily a fight against nazi germany, with the war in the pacific as an afterthought. Selected fulltext books and articles world war ii in the north pacific. The pacific ocean theater, during world war ii, was a major theater of the war between the allies and the empire of japan. He was a flight instructor at chico army air base in chico, ca.

The battle for the pacific and southeast asia during world war 2 required a special breed of aircraft and pilot. Flight nurses during wwii were in amazing situations many times. In his book lucky 666, bob drury shares the incredible story of a group of ragtag wwii airmen in the pacific theater and their ringleader, captain jay zeamer. A fast paced, well researched account of a b 17 bomberknown as old 666its crew, and a courageous flight. The incredible true story of the renegade wwii pilots who helped win the war in the pacific in 1942, the united states was fighting a war in two major theaters. Pacific during world war ii lucky 666 is really three stories in one book. Lucky 666 is highly recommended for wwii and aviation history buffs alike. And though the battle locales that constitute the war in the pacific pearl harbor, midway, tarawa, guadalcanal, iwo jima are common knowledge, locations and statistics alone cant.

Thats the overlooked world war ii story brought to life in lucky 666. Marines on guadalcanal, and in north africa with the british armored tank command, james reasoner puts readers into the thick of the most deadly action of world war ii. Its a little rough at points, but you get inside the terrors, joys and fears of a marine fighting in the pacific. The result is a story that history aficionados will find irresistible. Old 666 b17e 412666 was a world war ii b17 flying fortress bomber which was assigned.

The untold stories of the world war ii generation from hometown, usavoices of the pacific theater by matthew a. It was defined by the allied powers pacific ocean area command, which included most of the pacific ocean and its islands, while mainland asia was excluded, as were the philippines, the dutch east indies, borneo, australia, most of the territory of new guinea and. Lucky 666 jay zeamers incredible true story art of. The latest addition to my book collection is titled flight nurse. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read lucky 666. Lucky 666 tells story of daring aerial mission in pacific. Old 666 b17e 412666 was a world war ii b17 flying fortress bomber which was assigned to the united states 19th and 43rd bomb groups in 194243.

See more ideas about wwii, world war ii and world war. World war ii in the pacific stories of some who were there on the morning of december 7, 1941, i was eleven years old. By the time this creative crew had finished their unique modifications, they had managed to make old 666 the most heavily armed bomber in the entire pacific theater. Both zeamer and sarnoski would be awarded the medal of honor for their actions on this solo flight while the rest of the crew earned the distinguished service cross. For reasons big and small, understandable and unjustified, the war in the pacific during world war ii has largely been overshadowed by the allies war against hitler. Wwii in the pacific challenged pilots and machines as never before. Many of the books on my list are out of print but can found through the interlibrary loan dept. The impossible mission ebook written by bob drury, tom clavin. The story of the uss houston, fdrs legendary lost cruiser, and the epic saga of her survivors hardcover. It was defined by the allied powers pacific ocean area command, which included most of the pacific ocean and its islands, while mainland asia was excluded, as were the philippines, the dutch east indies, borneo, australia, most of the territory of new guinea and the.

Chronology and fact book by kevin don hutchison greenwood press. Aug 19, 2015 world war ii is sometimes thought of as primarily a fight against nazi germany, with the war in the pacific as an afterthought. It is notable for being the aircraft piloted by lt. A fastpaced, wellresearched account of a b17 bomberknown as old 666its crew, and a courageous flight. Feb 27, 2012 a look at the strategy and course of key battles in the pacific theater of operations during wwii. The best of wwii filmmaking, from japanese antiwar films to american propaganda. Island hopping aircraft carrier iwo jima pow treatment kamikaze pilots the atomic bomb. Jul 10, 2012 the flight required flying over 600 miles of open sea to reach the target. Pacific theater during the world war ii library of congress. Flag images indicative of country of origin and not necessarily the primary operator. Information about the air war in the pacific theater. From december 1941 to april 1945, the pacific ocean theater of world war ii saw a bitter confrontation between the allied forces led by.