Torpedo Squadron Four - A Cockpit View of World War II

Download or Read eBook Torpedo Squadron Four - A Cockpit View of World War II PDF written by Gerald W. Thomas and published by Doc45 Publications. This book was released on 2010-10 with total page 282 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle.
Torpedo Squadron Four - A Cockpit View of World War II
Author :
Publisher : Doc45 Publications
Total Pages : 282
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9780982870907
ISBN-13 : 0982870906
Rating : 4/5 (07 Downloads)

Book Synopsis Torpedo Squadron Four - A Cockpit View of World War II by : Gerald W. Thomas

Book excerpt: Thomas, in the only combat account of World War II Torpedo Bomber pilot ever published, relates his 25 months of service with Torpedo Squadron 4 (VT-4) on the USS RANGER, USS BUNKER HILL, and USS ESSEX. Thomas served in both the Atlantic and Pacific Theaters, and in some of the most important World War II battles. While on the RANGER, he participated in OPERATION LEADER, the most significant attack on Northern Europe by a US carrier during the war. During LEADER, while attacking a freight barge carrying 40 tons of ammunition, Thomas' plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire. Surprisingly, in spite of the considerable engine damage, the plane made it back to the RANGER, where Thomas crash-landed. That landing was his 13th official carrier landing. In the Pacific, Thomas participated in the numerous actions against Japanese targets in the Philippines, including strikes on Ormoc Bay, Cavite, Manilla, Santa Cruz, San Fernando, Lingayen, Mindoro, Clark Field and Aparri. Following these actions, Thomas' squadron made strikes on Formosa, French Indo-China, Saigon, Pescadores, Hainan, Amami O Shima, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, and Japan. The attack on Japan was the first attack on Japan from an aircraft carrier since the "Doolittle Raid." While on the ESSEX, just after Thomas had returned from a strike on Santa Cruz, the ship was hit by a Kamikaze piloted by Yoshinori Yamaguchi, Yoshino Special Attack Corps. Yamaguchi was flying a Yokosuba D4Y3 dive bomber. The Kamikaze attack killed 16 crewman and wounded 44. Returning from a strike on Hainan, off the Chinese coast, Thomas' plane ran out of fuel. After a harrowing water landing, Thomas and squadron photographer Montague succeeded in inflating and launching one rubber boat and his crewman Gress another. After a long day in pre-Typhoon weather with 40 foot swells, the three were rescued by the USS SULLIVANS. In recounting the events in this book, Thomas draws upon his daily journal, his letters home, and extensive interviews and research conducted over 40 years with fellow pilots and crewman. The book cites 20 interviews and 5 combat journals, and contains 209 photos documenting the ships, planes, men, and combat actions of Torpedo Squadron 4. Many of the photographs were collected by Thomas during the war and include gun photo shots, recon photos, and, remarkably, a picture of the tail of Thomas' Torpedo plane as it sinks in the China Sea following his water crash landing.


Torpedo Squadron Four - A Cockpit View of World War II Related Books

Torpedo Squadron Four - A Cockpit View of World War II
Language: en
Pages: 282
Authors: Gerald W. Thomas
Categories: Biography & Autobiography
Type: BOOK - Published: 2010-10 - Publisher: Doc45 Publications

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Thomas, in the only combat account of World War II Torpedo Bomber pilot ever published, relates his 25 months of service with Torpedo Squadron 4 (VT-4) on the U
Cockpit Confidential
Language: en
Pages: 378
Authors: Patrick Smith
Categories: Travel
Type: BOOK - Published: 2018-06-05 - Publisher: Sourcebooks, Inc.

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A fascinating fear of flying book from a commercial airline pilot and author of the popular website askthepilot.com. For millions of p
QF32
Language: en
Pages: 504
Authors: Richard de Crespigny
Categories: Biography & Autobiography
Type: BOOK - Published: 2012-08-01 - Publisher: Macmillan Publishers Aus.

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

QF32 is the award winning bestseller from Richard de Crespigny, author of the forthcoming Fly!: Life Lessons from the Cockpit of QF32 On 4 November 2010, a flig
Excuse Me, Life is Calling
Language: en
Pages: 351
Authors: Christian Pedersen
Categories: Religion
Type: BOOK - Published: 2019-12-10 - Publisher: FriesenPress

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Theology and science are relatively poorly represented in today’s world, a world of biased facts, misrepre- sented realities, and lack of investigative enquir
Skyfaring
Language: en
Pages: 368
Authors: Mark Vanhoenacker
Categories: Transportation
Type: BOOK - Published: 2015-06-02 - Publisher: Vintage

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

A poetic and nuanced exploration of the human experience of flight that reminds us of the full imaginative weight of our most ordinary journeys—and reawakens