The Saga of Pappy Gunn

The Saga of Pappy Gunn PDF Author: George Churchill Kenney
Publisher: Lulu.com
ISBN: 1387652567
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 100

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Book Description
The Saga of Pappy Gunn is the biography of heroic World War 2 Air Force fighter pilot, Colonel Paul Irving Gunn.

The Saga of Pappy Gunn

The Saga of Pappy Gunn PDF Author: George Churchill Kenney
Publisher: Lulu.com
ISBN: 1387652567
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 100

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Book Description
The Saga of Pappy Gunn is the biography of heroic World War 2 Air Force fighter pilot, Colonel Paul Irving Gunn.

Pappy Gunn

Pappy Gunn PDF Author: Nathaniel Gunn
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781418437763
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 456

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Book Description
The name--..oft heard and heralded during and after World War II PAPPY GUNN ordinarily speaks for itself----------------------------however in this book, the unforgettable, untold to this day, human story of the legendary "Pappy Gunn," hero of the Pacific Air War and to his family who knew and loved him ------.this story is told with the understanding of one who had the foreknowledge and burning determination to sort out the facts and myths about him, Nathaniel Gunn, the author, fellow lover of flying, and his youngest son, who was with him until his untimely crash in Civilian life doing what he loved to do - flying, flying, flying!! You'll find the story intriguing in its discoveries, packed with Pappy's own personal original files, long forgotten letters, documents and photographs spanning Pappy's youth into the U.S. Navy, marriage, retirement in Hawaii and move to the Philippine Islands. Then, the untimely entrance of the United States in the WWII bombing and capture of Manila. Most of all, this story draws a perceptive focus on --.the man----as the person and courageous patriot he truly was, joining the U. S.Air Force he was at this time--. Fighting 3 wars at once His family imprisoned by the Japanese.. The brass who needed him to accomplish the impossible And, the enemy who had the upperhand, but not for long !! Thank God - his was a triumphant battle in all three!!!!

Indestructible

Indestructible PDF Author: John R Bruning
Publisher: Hachette Books
ISBN: 0316339393
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 242

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Book Description
In this remarkable WWII story by New York Times bestselling author John R. Bruning, a renegade American pilot fights against all odds to rescue his family -- imprisoned by the Japanese--and revolutionizes modern warfare along the way. From the knife fights and smuggling runs of his youth to his fiery days as a pioneering naval aviator, Paul Irving "Pappy" Gunn played by his own set of rules and always survived on his wits and fists. But when he fell for a conservative Southern belle, her love transformed him from a wild and reckless airman to a cunning entrepreneur whose homespun engineering brilliance helped launch one of the first airlines in Asia. Pappy was drafted into MacArthur's air force when war came to the Philippines; and while he carried out a top-secret mission to Australia, the Japanese seized his family. Separated from his beloved wife, Polly, and their four children, Pappy reverted to his lawless ways. He carried out rescue missions with an almost suicidal desperation. Even after he was shot down twice and forced to withdraw to Australia, he waged a one-man war against his many enemies -- including the American high command and the Japanese--and fought to return to the Philippines to find his family. Without adequate planes, supplies, or tactics, the U.S. Army Air Force suffered crushing defeats by the Japanese in the Pacific. Over the course of his three-year quest to find his family, Pappy became the renegade who changed all that. With a brace of pistols and small band of loyal fol,lowers, he robbed supply dumps, stole aircraft, invented new weapons, and modified bombers to hit harder, fly farther, and deliver more destruction than anything yet seen in the air. When Pappy's modified planes were finally unleashed during the Battle of the Bismarck Sea, the United States scored one of the most decisive victories of World War II. Taking readers from the blistering skies of the Pacific to the jungles of New Guinea and the Philippines to one of the the war's most notorious prison camps, Indestructible traces one man's bare-knuckle journey to free the people he loved and the aerial revolution he sparked that continues to resonate across America's modern battlefields.

General Kenney Reports: A Personal History of the Pacific War

General Kenney Reports: A Personal History of the Pacific War PDF Author:
Publisher: DIANE Publishing
ISBN: 1428913351
Category : Generals
Languages : en
Pages : 612

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Book Description
General Kenney Reports is a classic account of a combat commander in action. General George Churchill Kenney arrived in the South- west Pacific theater in August 1942 to find that his command, if not in a shambles, was in dire straits. The theater commander, General Douglas MacArthur, had no confidence in his air element. Kenney quickly changed this situation. He organized and energized the Fifth Air Force, bringing in operational commanders like Whitehead and Wurtsmith who knew how to run combat air forces. He fixed the logistical swamp, making supply and maintenance supportive of air operations, and encouraging mavericks such as Pappy Gunn to make new and innovative weapons and to explore new tactics in airpower application. The result was a disaster for the Japanese. Kenney's airmen used air power-particularly heavily armed B-25 Mitchell bombers used as commerce destroyers-to savage Japanese supply lines, destroying numerous ships and effectively isolating Japanese garrisons. The classic example of Kenney in action was the Battle of the Bismarck Sea, which marked the attainment of complete Allied air dominance and supremacy over Japanese naval forces operating around New Guinea. In short, Kenney was a brilliant, innovative airman, who drew on his own extensive flying experiences to inform his decision-making. General Kenney Reports is a book that has withstood the test of time, and which should be on the shelf of every airman.

Winning from Downunder

Winning from Downunder PDF Author: Noel Tunny
Publisher: Boolarong Press
ISBN: 1921555572
Category : World War, 1939-1945
Languages : en
Pages : 298

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Book Description
WINNING FROM DOWNUNDER discusses the three advantages namely Leadership, Largesse and Luck enjoyed by the U.S.A. and Australia that brought the Japanese conquest of South East Asia and much of the Pacific to an end. The book gives insights into the personalities of the senior leaders of the Allies as revealed by their own actions and by the opinions expressed by their contemporaries. Some contentious topics are analysed such as what did Churchill and Roosevelt know about the Japanese plans before Pearl Harbour, the facts behind L.B. Johnson's visit to Australia and his receipt of a Silver Star Medal and whether or not there was a 'Brisbane Line' defense planned for Australia. When discussing the Atomic Bombing,the Women who went to War, the Heroism and the Brutality of War, this book is faithful to Lord Byrons belief that there are deeds that should not pass away and names that should not be forgotten. and the observation of Sir George MacAuley Trevalyn referring to the impelling poetry of truth in Historical Study.

Race of Aces

Race of Aces PDF Author: John R Bruning
Publisher: Hachette Books
ISBN: 0316508640
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 534

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Book Description
The astonishing untold story of the WWII airmen who risked it all in the deadly race to become the greatest American fighter pilot. In 1942, America's deadliest fighter pilot, or "ace of aces" -- the legendary Eddie Rickenbacker -- offered a bottle of bourbon to the first U.S. fighter pilot to break his record of twenty-six enemy planes shot down. Seizing on the challenge to motivate his men, General George Kenney promoted what they would come to call the "race of aces" as a way of boosting the spirits of his war-weary command. What developed was a wild three-year sprint for fame and glory, and the chance to be called America's greatest fighter pilot. The story has never been told until now. Based on new research and full of revelations, John Bruning's brilliant, original book tells the story of how five American pilots contended for personal glory in the Pacific while leading Kenney's resurgent air force against the most formidable enemy America ever faced. The pilots -- Richard Bong, Tommy McGuire, Neel Kearby, Charles MacDonald and Gerald Johnson -- riveted the nation as they contended for Rickenbacker's crown. As their scores mounted, they transformed themselves from farm boys and aspiring dentists into artists of the modern dogfight. But as the race reached its climax, some of the pilots began to see how the spotlight warped their sense of duty. They emerged as leaders, beloved by their men as they chose selfless devotion over national accolades. Teeming with action all across the vast Pacific theater, Race of Aces is a fascinating exploration of the boundary between honorable duty, personal glory, and the complex landscape of the human heart. "Brings you into the cockpit of the lethal, fast-paced world of fighter pilots . . . Fascinating." -- Sara Vladic"Extraordinary . . . a must-read." -- US Navy Captain Dan Pedersen"A heart-pounding narrative of the courage, sacrifice, and tragedy of America's elite fighter pilots." -- James M. Scott"Vivid and gripping . . . Confirms Bruning's status as the premier war historian of the air." -- Saul David

They Fought With What They Had: The Story of the Army Air Forces in the Southwest Pacific, 1941-1942

They Fought With What They Had: The Story of the Army Air Forces in the Southwest Pacific, 1941-1942 PDF Author: Walter Dumaux Edmonds
Publisher: DIANE Publishing
ISBN: 1428915419
Category : World War, 1939-1945
Languages : en
Pages : 561

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Book Description


Confessions of a Hollywood Director

Confessions of a Hollywood Director PDF Author: Richard L. Bare
Publisher: Scarecrow Press
ISBN: 9780810840324
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 352

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Book Description
The excitement then continues as Bare takes us through the highs and lows of his life and career, always with humor."--BOOK JACKET.

Kirrama

Kirrama PDF Author: Barbara Gunn
Publisher: Xlibris Corporation
ISBN: 1479736848
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 118

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Book Description
Kirrama, Life on an Australian Cattle Station is real and as far removed from comfort and safety as anything you could find in the best fiction adventure novels. It is the true-life story of an average Texas ranching family who took a giant step across the boundary that lies between normal to extra-ordinary adventure and sacrifice. The Gunn family migrated from a small two-thousand acre Central Texas ranch in Williamson County, Texas, to a beautiful one hundred and six thousand acre (166 sq. mile) cattle station (ranch) in Queensland, Australia. The family in this book is living proof of the true strength and courage we all possess when faced with a challenge. How do we learn to live without modern comforts and the advanced technology that has become very much a part of our everyday existence? Little did we realize at the beginning of our journey that we had seen the last of automatic washers, dryers, hot water heaters and electricity for many years. Now, we would experience the use of concrete rub boards graduating to gas powered wringer type washers. The children would be home schooled. Outpost radio was the only means of communication with the outside world, as well as the Royal Flying Doctor Service for verbal diagnosis and treatment of all medical conditions. There was no landing strip on this property located on a rough, remote mountain range, therefore, the doctor could only be used to instruct in a verbal capacity. Kirrama (aboriginal meaning for lots of water) will take you through camping experiences on rivers infested with saltwater crocodiles, deadly snakes, sharks, wild hogs, and dingoes. You will enjoy the wild life of the graceful yet awkward looking kangaroos, curious emus, and beautiful colored parrots as well as the sad times of having to prepare a loved one for burial, while experiencing aboriginal life in the Great Outback of The Land Down Under. Sold on Reality? Time Magazine September 27, 2001, reported Reality TV such as Survivor II, "The Australian Outback," was watched by hundreds of millions of people in more than forty countries by people fascinated with excitement, adventure, and reality far removed from the everyday routine of their lives. Reality none the less, being experienced by ordinary people like themselves, it creates an awakening within them that each and everyone of us possess; the basic human as well as spiritual strength to survive in situations outside the safety and comforts of our own normal lives. Oprah's last show in Australia was a tremendous success. People are in awe of the huge cattle stations, the Great Barrier Reef, the unusual animals, and the whole of Australia in general. The stories in Kirrama will take you from our long forty-two hour travel time from Austin, Texas, U.S.A., to Cairns, Queensland, Australia; including the feelings and trials of moving to a new country on to the many moves to various cattle stations in very remote outback areas and finally to our new home with many more adventures and trials. People Weekly magazine in their February 5, 2001, addition covered the complete story of the arrival of the Survivor II crew to Goshen, which was the adjoining station to Kirrma Station. The faux Stone Age Tribal Council was actually built on the rocky edge above the Herbert River where Blenco Falls cascades for 500 feet into the Herbert River Gorge on Kirrama Station. Kirrama was purchased by the Gunn family from Doug and Ruth Farquhar, the Australian family who then purchased Goshen Station. Much of Kirrama is written about this area, as well as the very remote cattle stations in the Cape York Peninsula.

Operation PLUM

Operation PLUM PDF Author: Adrian R. Martin
Publisher: Texas A&M University Press
ISBN: 1603441840
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 385

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Book Description
They went in as confident young warriors. They came out as battle-scarred veterans, POW camp survivors . . . or worse. The Army Air Corps’ 27th Bombardment Group arrived in the Philippines in November 1941 with 1,209 men; one year later, only 20 returned to the United States. The Japanese attacked the Philippines on the same morning as Pearl Harbor and invaded soon after. Allied air routes back to the Philippines were soon cut, forcing pilots to fight their air war from bases in Java, Australia, and New Guinea. The men on Bataan were eventually taken prisoner and forced into the infamous Death March. The 27th and other such units were pivotal in delaying the Japanese timetable for conquest. If not for these units, some have suggested, the Allied offensive in the Pacific might have started in Hawaii or even California instead of New Guinea and the surrounding islands. Based largely on primary materials, including a fifty-nine-page report written by the surviving unit members in September 1942, Operation PLUM (from the code name for the U.S. Army in the Philippines) gives an account of the 27th Bombardment Group and, through it, the opening months of the Pacific theater. Military historians and readers interested in World War II will appreciate the rich perspective presented in Operation PLUM