The turbulent life of Gregory Pappy Boyington; the top U.S. Marine ace of the Pacific; is captured in memorable detail by the acclaimed author of One Square Mile of Hell: The Battle of Tarawa. Wukovits pulls no punches in describing the controversial World War II fighter pilot; who was a hero to some; and a villain to others in the Corps. Boyington was a little of each as this biography of the legendary but complex figure shows. The book details the Marine's early life with abusive parents and frequent moves and his early military career and service with the Flying Tigers in Burma and China. His feats as a Corsair pilot in the South Pacific and his time in Japanese prison camps are also given full coverage. Wukovits contends that Boyington performed miserably when shunted to the sidelines and amassed a spotty record with the Flying Tigers because they treated him as an outsider. He excelled; however; when others looked to him for advice. When put in command of the Black Sheep Squadron; where the men considered him a teacher and leader; he triumphed; making his squadron the most effective in the Pacific. Called one of the preeminent historians of the Pacific War; Wukovits paints a complete portrait of Boyington that allows readers to understand the colorful World War II ace as never before.
#631612 in Books Gandt Robert 2010-10-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.96 x .70 x 6.58l; .80 #File Name: 1591143039264 pagesChina Clipper The Age of the Great Flying Boats
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. China Clipper; The age of the great flying boatsBy lawrence edward weitzmanIf you love aviation or history you will enjoy China Clipper which recaptures the history of flying boats with detail; data and accurracy. Gandt's insight is remarkable on the mover and shakers of this era; how the history unfolded; the politics and why. You learn who were the visionaries and who were the luddites. How the barriers to aviation; flight and design were overcome. And you learn about airplanes that you didn't know existed (such as the Latecoere 631) and what happened to them. This book is not solely about the Martin M-130; the China Cliiper; but all significant aircraft of that era; their designers and why and how they were designed. It is another Gandt book you can't put down and while Gandt paints a vivid picture; the book is well illustrated (including the mammoth Latecoere 631). One thing I did figure out was the actual China Clipper a Martin M-130 must have been so named a model M-130 for its wingspan of 130 feet as a later model an M-156 (called the Russian Clipper) had a wingspan of 156 feet.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. A Great AdventureBy Nick HarissisWas a good read. Enjoyed the intertwining of history with technology. However; I'm guessing the market scope is pretty limited to the few aviation nerds such as myself. But; anyone who likes to fantasize about what it might have been like back when Trans-Pacific commercial aviation was a real adventure this is a book is for you.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Enjoyable Read on flying boats and their histories.By Jet Jockey Phoenix AZI purchased the Kindle version and enjoyed the read. I had previously read Robert Gandt's Sky Gods; and became interested in reading more about the flying boats and their histories. This book covers them all; but also includes a few repeats of information found in Sky Gods. The only downside of the book is the Kindle formatting whereby you must to go to the end of the book to see pictures or diagrams of the flying boats the author discusses.Great history and a excellent read on a bygone era.
