Intrepid Aviators

Description

The true story of the World War II Pacific naval battle that pitted the USS Intrepid’s naval aviators against Japan’s superbattleship Musashi during the Battle of Leyte Gulf.

October 24, 1944: As World War II raged, six young American bombers from Torpedo Squadron 18 were sent on a search-and-destroy mission in the Sibuyan Sea. Their target: the superbattleship Musashi, the pride of the Imperial Japanese Navy. The pilots were tasked with preventing the immense enemy warship from inflicting damage on American supply ships. Little did these men know that they had embarked on the opening round of history’s greatest—and last—epic naval battle.
 
Two bomber crews launched in the first wave of attackers were shot out of the sky. Only pilot Will Fletcher survived the crash landing. Adrift at sea, Will made his way to land and escaped into the jungles of the Philippines, where he eluded capture by the Japanese with the help of Filipino guerrillas, whose ranks he joined to fight against their common enemy.
 
Intrepid Aviators is the thrilling true story of these brave bomber pilots, their daring duel with the Musashi, and Will Fletcher’s struggle to survive as a guerrilla soldier. The sinking of Musashi inflicted a crucial blow in the Battle of Leyte Gulf and marked the first time in history that aviators sank a Japanese battleship on the high seas.

“An incredibly well-researched story. Its scope is awesome and the writing superb.”—The Washington Times

“Intrepid Aviators stands out from more standard historical treatments of World War II…this book is an impressive production.”—Knoxville News Sentinel
 
“The author is to be congratulated for his effective introduction to naval warfare and the men who were doing the fighting. For anyone who wonders why Navy pilots were so good in the last half of the war, this book provides a detailed answer…a must read.”—St. Joseph News-Press
 
“A thrilling, deeply moving literary memorial to the American flyboys whose immense sacrifice and courage really did change the world.”—Alex Kershaw, New York Times bestselling author of The Longest Winter 
 
“A rare look at a successful but little appreciated unit in the Pacific War…Fletcher portrays the men of Torpedo 18 as recognizable individuals whom the reader comes to know, to admire—and, too often, to mourn.”—Barrett Tillman, author of Clash of the Carriers

Gregory G. Fletcher served as a naval aviator from 1969 to 1974, and is now a practicing attorney. He is the son of USS Intrepid pilot Will Fletcher, who was awarded a Navy Cross of heroism for his actions in World War II.US

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