PT 109: John F. Kennedy in World War II

PT 109: John F. Kennedy in World War II PDF Author: Robert J. Donovan
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 164

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PT 109: John F. Kennedy in World War II

PT 109: John F. Kennedy in World War II PDF Author: Robert J. Donovan
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 164

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Book Description


PT 109

PT 109 PDF Author: William Doyle
Publisher: William Morrow
ISBN: 9780062346582
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
The extraordinary World War II story of shipwreck and survival that paved John F. Kennedy's path to power – hailed as a “breathtaking account” by James Patterson, “masterfully written” by historian Douglas Brinkley, and “the finest book” ever written on the subject by Lt. Commander William Liebenow, the man who rescued JFK and the PT 109 crew in August 1943. In the early morning darkness of August 2, 1943, during a chaotic nighttime skirmish amid the Solomon Islands, the Japanese destroyer Amagiri barreled through thick fog and struck the U.S. Navy's motor torpedo boat PT 109, splitting the craft nearly in half and killing two American sailors instantly. The sea erupted in flames as the 109's skipper, John F. Kennedy, and the ten surviving crewmen under his command desperately clung to the sinking wreckage; 1,200 feet of ink-black, shark-infested water loomed beneath. "All hands lost," came the reports back to the Americans' base: no rescue was coming for the men of PT 109. Their desperate ordeal was just beginning—so too was one of the most remarkable tales of World War II, one whose astonishing afterlife would culminate two decades later in the White House. Drawing on original interviews with the last living links to the events, previously untapped Japanese wartime archives, and a wealth of archival documents from the Kennedy Library, including a lost first-hand account by JFK himself, bestselling author William Doyle has crafted a thrilling and definitive account of the sinking of PT 109 and its shipwrecked crew's heroics. Equally fascinating is the story's second act, in which Doyle explores in new detail how this extraordinary episode shaped Kennedy's character and fate, proving instrumental to achieving his presidential ambitions: "Without PT 109, there never would have been a President John F. Kennedy," declared JFK aide David Powers. Featuring castaways on a deserted island, a spy network of Solomon Island natives, an Australian coast watcher hidden on the side of a volcano, an S.O.S. note carved into a coconut, and a daring rescue attempt led by Kennedy's fellow American PT boats, PT 109 is an unforgettable American epic of war and destiny.

In Harm's Way: JFK, World War II, and the Heroic Rescue of PT 19

In Harm's Way: JFK, World War II, and the Heroic Rescue of PT 19 PDF Author: Iain Martin
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
ISBN: 1338185691
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 271

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Book Description
A thrilling true survival story that follows one of America's most beloved presidents, John F. Kennedy, as he fought to save his crew after a deadly shipwreck in the Pacific during World War II. In September 1941, young Jack Kennedy was appointed an Ensign in the U.S. Naval Reserve. After completing training and eager to serve, he volunteered for combat duty in the Pacific and was appointed commander of PT 109.On August 2, 1943, Kennedy's PT 109 and two others were on a night mission to ambush an enemy supply convoy when they were surprised by a massive Japanese destroyer. The unsuspecting Americans had only seconds to react as the Japanese captain turned his ship to ram directly into Kennedy's. PT 109 was cut in half by the collision, killing two of Kennedy's 12 crewmen and wounding several others in the explosion.In Harm's Way tells the gripping story of what happened next as JFK fought to save his surviving crew members who found themselves adrift in enemy waters. Photographs round out the exciting narrative in the first book to cover this adventurous tale for young readers.

Collision with History

Collision with History PDF Author: Robert D. Ballard
Publisher: National Geographic
ISBN: 9780792268765
Category : Excavations (Archaeology)
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
JFKUs heroic efforts to save the 11-man crew of "PT 109" are brought to vivid life, interwoven with a comprehensive history of PT boats and the World War II campaign in the Solomon Islands.

Into the Dark Water

Into the Dark Water PDF Author: John J. Domagalski
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
ISBN: 1612002358
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 429

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Book Description
The complete World War II record of one of the most celebrated warships in American history—made famous by her final commanding officer, John F. Kennedy. Fleshing out the little-known chronicle of this patrol torpedo boat under two officers during the swirling battles around Guadalcanal, “John Domagalski brings PT-109 and her crew back to life once again and, in doing so, honors all who served in the patrol torpedo service” (Military Review). In these mainly nocturnal fights, when the Japanese navy was at its apex, America’s small, fast-boat flotillas darted in among the enemy fleet, like a “barroom brawl with the lights turned out.” Bryant Larson and Rollin Westholm preceded Kennedy as commanders of PT-109, and their fights leading the ship and its brave crew hold second to none in the chronicles of US Navy daring. As the battles moved on across the Pacific, the PT-boat flotillas gained confidence, even as the Japanese, too, learned lessons on how to destroy them. Under its third and final commander, Kennedy, PT-109 met its fate as a Japanese destroyer suddenly emerged from a dark mist and rammed it in half. Two crewmen were killed immediately, but Kennedy, formerly on the swim team at Harvard, was able to shepherd his wounded and others to refuge. His unsurpassed gallantry cannot resist retelling, yet the courage of the book’s previous commanders have not until now seen the light of day. This book provides the complete record of PT-109 in the Pacific, as well as a valuable glimpse of how the American Navy’s daring and initiative found its full playing field in World War II.

World War II Warships

World War II Warships PDF Author: John Batchelor
Publisher: Courier Corporation
ISBN: 0486451631
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 36

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Book Description
This fleet of 28 accurately detailed ships includes the ill-fated PT-109, commanded by a young John F. Kennedy, a German U-boat, and the USS Missouri, the battleship on which the Japanese surrendered.

PT Boats

PT Boats PDF Author: David Doyle
Publisher: Schiffer + ORM
ISBN: 1507301723
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 312

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Book Description
History of the design, development, and deployment of the US Navy's famed fleet of PT boats Chronicles the construction, launch, commissioning, and combat use of PT boats, including John F. Kennedy's ill-fated PT-109 Profusely illustrated with scarce archival photographs from diverse collections, including previously unpublished images

At Close Quarters: PT Boats in the United States Navy

At Close Quarters: PT Boats in the United States Navy PDF Author: Robert J. Bulkley
Publisher: Historical Studies
ISBN: 1622800044
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 683

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Book Description
Small though they were, PT boats played a key role in World War II, carrying out an astonishing variety of missions where fast, versatile, and strongly armed vessels were needed. Called "weapons of opportunity," they met the enemy at closer quarters and with greater frequency than any other type of surface craft. Among the most famous PT commanders was John F. Kennedy, whose courageous actions in the Pacific are now well known to the American public. The author of the book, another distinguished PT boat commander in the Pacific, compiled this history of PT-boat operations in World War II for the U.S. Navy shortly after V-J Day, when memories were fresh and records easily assessable. Bulkley provides a wealth of facts about these motor torpedo boats, whose vast range of operation covered two oceans as well as the Mediterranean and the English Channel. Although their primary mission was to attack surface ships and craft close to shore, they were also used effectively to lay mines and smoke screens, to rescue downed aviators, and to carry out intelligence and raider operations. The author gives special attention to the crews, paying well-deserved tribute to their heroism, skill, and sacrifice that helped to win the war.

Lost Destiny

Lost Destiny PDF Author: Alan Axelrod
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
ISBN: 1466879122
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 306

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Book Description
Alan Axelrod's Lost Destiny is a rare exploration of the origin of today's controversial military drones as well as a searing and unforgettable story of heroism, WWII, and the Kennedy dynasty that might have been. On August 12, 1944, Lieutenant Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr., heir to one of America's most glamorous fortunes, son of the disgraced former ambassador to Great Britain, and big brother to freshly minted PT-109 hero JFK, hoisted himself up into a highly modified B-24 Liberator bomber. The munitions he was carrying that day were fifty percent more powerful than TNT. Kennedy's mission was part of Operation Aphrodite/Project Anvil, a desperate American effort to rescue London from a rain of German V-1 and V-2 missiles. The decision to use these bold but crude precursors to modern-day drones against German V-weapon launch sites came from Air Corps high command. Lieutenant General Jimmy Doolittle, daring leader of the spectacular 1942 Tokyo Raid, and others concocted a plan to install radio control equipment in "war-weary" bombers, pack them with a dozen tons of high explosives, and fly them by remote control directly into the concrete German launch sites—targets too hard to be destroyed by conventional bombs. The catch was that live pilots were needed to get these flying bombs off the ground and headed toward their targets. Joe Jr. was the first naval aviator to fly such a mission. And—in the biggest manmade explosion before Hiroshima—it killed him.

Jack Kennedy

Jack Kennedy PDF Author: Chris Matthews
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1451635095
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 496

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Book Description
Based on interviews with some of his closest associates, a portrait of the thirty-fifth president discusses his privileged childhood, military service, struggles with a life-threatening disease, and career in politics.