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Above the Pacific: Three Medal of Honor Fighter Aces of World War II Speak
Three legendary fighter pilots from the Pacific War—all recipients of the Medal of Honor—tell their own stories in this remarkable collection.
Marine ace Pappy Boyington is perhaps the most celebrated of all American pilots in the war against Japan, fighting in the skies with both the famed Flying Tigers and his own Black Sheep Squadron. Marine Joe Foss joined Guadalcanal’s Cactus Air Force and destroyed a Japanese Zero on his first mission—the first of twenty-six aerial kills achieved during the war. Navy captain David McCampbell didn’t notch his first kill until June 1944, but he would quickly go on to assemble one of the most remarkable aerial-combat records in history with thirty-four victories, including nine in one day. In this gripping oral history—which spans the entire war— from the Americans who fought the Japanese in China to the final, desperate battle for Okinawa, these three heroes tell their own stories, in their own words. These interviews, personally conducted by military veteran and historian Colin Heaton, are the final testimony of some of America’s greatest warriors.
Marine ace Pappy Boyington is perhaps the most celebrated of all American pilots in the war against Japan, fighting in the skies with both the famed Flying Tigers and his own Black Sheep Squadron. Marine Joe Foss joined Guadalcanal’s Cactus Air Force and destroyed a Japanese Zero on his first mission—the first of twenty-six aerial kills achieved during the war. Navy captain David McCampbell didn’t notch his first kill until June 1944, but he would quickly go on to assemble one of the most remarkable aerial-combat records in history with thirty-four victories, including nine in one day. In this gripping oral history—which spans the entire war— from the Americans who fought the Japanese in China to the final, desperate battle for Okinawa, these three heroes tell their own stories, in their own words. These interviews, personally conducted by military veteran and historian Colin Heaton, are the final testimony of some of America’s greatest warriors.
256 pages, Paperback
Published February 7, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 18, 2023
In Above the Pacific, Colin Heaton, a military historian who has interviewed some of the most distinguished aviators (Allied and Axis) of World War II, conducted a series of interviews with 3 Medal of Honor winners who were distinguished fighter aces and leaders during the Pacific War. Two of them --- Gregory "Pappy" Boyington and Joe Foss -- were Marine pilots who had seen considerable combat from China (where Boyington had a combat stint with the American Volunteer Group, aka The Flying Tigers) to the South Pacific.
The third pilot Heaton interviewed was Captain David McCampbell of the U.S. Navy, a prewar graduate of the Naval Academy, who holds the record as the Navy's top ace, having shot down 34 Japanese planes during his combat tour (April - December 1944) with Air Group 15, operating from the carrier Essex. McCampbell distinguished himself in a single action in October 1944, when he and his wingman took on 60 enemy planes intent on attacking the U.S. fleet. During this action, McCampbell shot down 9 planes and his wingman downed 6 of the enemy.
Heaton does a fine job of outlining the various campaigns in which the 3 pilots were involved, as well as identifying the names of some of the officers under whom Boyington, Foss, and McCampbell served during their military careers. What's more: Above the Pacific is highly readable, with each man given the freedom to speak plainly and honestly about himself and his World War II service.
The third pilot Heaton interviewed was Captain David McCampbell of the U.S. Navy, a prewar graduate of the Naval Academy, who holds the record as the Navy's top ace, having shot down 34 Japanese planes during his combat tour (April - December 1944) with Air Group 15, operating from the carrier Essex. McCampbell distinguished himself in a single action in October 1944, when he and his wingman took on 60 enemy planes intent on attacking the U.S. fleet. During this action, McCampbell shot down 9 planes and his wingman downed 6 of the enemy.
Heaton does a fine job of outlining the various campaigns in which the 3 pilots were involved, as well as identifying the names of some of the officers under whom Boyington, Foss, and McCampbell served during their military careers. What's more: Above the Pacific is highly readable, with each man given the freedom to speak plainly and honestly about himself and his World War II service.
July 15, 2023
Exciting to read. Well written. I felt like I was a fly on the window of their canopies.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews