Check Six!: A Thunderbolt Pilot's War Across the Pacific

There were no mission limits for a pilot in the Pacific during World War II; unlike in Europe, you flew until it was time to go home. So it was for James “Jug” Curran, all the way from New Guinea to the Philippines with the 348th Fighter Group, the first P-47 Thunderbolt outfit in the Pacific. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Curran volunteered to try flying in the blue yonder, and trained as an Army fighter pilot. He got his wish to fly the P-47 in the Pacific, going into combat in August 1943, in New Guinea, and later helping start the “Black Rams” fighter squadron. The heavy U.S. Thunderbolts were at first curious to encounter the nimble, battle-hardened Japanese in aerial combat, but soon the American pilots gained skill of their own and their planes proved superior. Bombers on both sides could fall to fighters, but the fighters themselves were eyeball to eyeball, best man win. Check Six! is an aviation chronicle that brings the reader into flight, then into the fight, throughout the Pacific War and back. This work, from someone who was there, captures the combat experience of our aviators in the Pacific, aided by pertinent excerpts from the official histories of units that “Jug” Curran flew with. It is a tale of perseverance, as Curran flew over 200 combat missions, and with the men of the 348th Fighter Group proved the Thunderbolt’s great capability as they battled their way against a stubborn and deadly foe. This work increases the body of knowledge on the critical role of aviation in the Pacific War, as U.S. fighter pilots took the lead in our counteroffensive against the short-lived island Empire. Table of Contents Dedication Foreword Preface Acknowledgements Introduction Part I – Getting to the War Chapter 1. The War Begins Chapter 2. Pilot Training Chapter 3. The Long Journey to the Pacific Part II – War in the Pacific Chapter 4. Into Combat Chapter 5. R&R in Australia Chapter 6. Fighting Westward Chapter 7. Wakde Chapter 8. With the Black Rams Chapter 9. Leyte Chapter 10. Into December Chapter 11. Tanauan Chapter 12. San Marcelino Part III – Pacific Aftermath Chapter 13. Going Home Chapter 14. Home from the War Chapter 15. Flying Again Epilogue Appendices Appendix 1. USAAF Pilot’s Issue Flying Gear Appendix 2. Pidgin English Phrases used in SWPA Appendix 3. Credit for Destruction of Enemy Aircraft, 25 October 1943 Appendix 4. 348th Fighter Group Air Combat Intelligence Report, 2 February 1944 Appendix 5. 341st Fighter Squadron Statistical Data for May, 1944 Appendix 6. Notes from Charles Lindbergh Lecture on P-47 Operations Appendix 7. 460th Fighter Squadron Monthly “A” to “L” Report for November, 1944 Appendix 8. Unit Narrative Combat Report, 10 December 1944 Appendix 9. Press Release by Fifth Air Force to All Correspondents, Circa May, 1945 Appendix 10. Combat Zone Missions of James C. Curran, July, 1943 to April, 1945 Appendix 11. Awards and Decorations of James C. Curran Appendix 12. Poem dedicated to the 341st Fighter Squadron Appendix 13. A Brief History of the 460th Fighter Squadron Appendix 14. 460th Fighter Squadron Combat Losses in World War II Glossary Bibliography Index
ASIN: 161200654X
VSKU: LFV.161200654X.VG
Condition: Very Good
Author/Artist:Curran, Jim|Popravak Jr., Terrence
Binding: Paperback
Note: Any images shown are stock photographs and product may differ from what is shown.
Condition Notes: Book is in very good condition. Clean with little to no signs of wear or markings highlights.