Fatal Error: The Final Flight of a Navy WWII Patrol Bomber

by Gary Cooper

In a PBM-5 seaplane bomber riddled by Japanese shells, Del Croze and his U.S. Navy air crew of thirteen men limp into a sparsely-occupied Pacific Island. Struggling with exhaustion and injuries, they await a rescue plane with fading hope. Will it arrive before the Japanese find them? In Fatal Error, author Gary Cooper tells the nearly forgotten story of their valor in the face of overwhelming odds. Inspired by letters and newspaper clippings found in a discarded suitcase, Cooper spent years researching navy archives, Japanese war crime records, and the recollections of family members to discover who the crewmen were and what they endured. Their story begins with months of routine training and culminates in the horrors of imprisonment by the dreaded Japanese Kempei Tai. It is a story of ordinary young Americans who fight with courage and endurance against unbeatable odds.

170 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 20, 2015

Reviews

[Nancy Dohety · Rating 5 out of 5]

My mother's first husband, DeLand Croze, was the pilot of the Navy plane in the story.

[RoseMary author · Rating 4 out of 5]

During a lunchtime discussion of the Best True Stories of World War II with a friend, a friend of hers joined us and told me about this book. The author had reached out to Nel's wife, Maurine Unrath to ask for information about her uncle, Edward Calhoun. He was the Junior Radioman from McKeesport, PA.

Eleven US Navy men were killed after their PBM-5 was shot down by Japanese forces near Borneo. Three Australians were killed while trying to save them. Knowing the ending ahead of time didn't make the anticipation of reading the story any less exciting or sad.

Mr. Cooper, retired Navy Commander, did an amazing amount of research to write a plausible narrative of events he wasn't privvy to. The story that launched his investigation is enough to make any avid reader want to plunge into the tale.

[AngelaSongstad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unbelievable what they went through. My Uncle Lyle Bumpas was always a kind and quiet man- so thankful he lived through this and was a part of my family.