Flyboys
A True Story of Courage
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4.3 • 270 Ratings
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
Over the remote Pacific island of Chichi Jima, nine American flyers-Navy and Marine pilots sent to bomb Japanese communications towers there-were shot down. Flyboys, a story of war and horror but also of friendship and honor, tells the story of those men.
Over the remote Pacific island of Chichi Jima, nine American flyers-Navy and Marine pilots sent to bomb Japanese communications towers there-were shot down. One of those nine was miraculously rescued by a U.S. Navy submarine. The others were captured by Japanese soldiers on Chichi Jima and held prisoner. Then they disappeared. When the war was over, the American government, along with the Japanese, covered up everything that had happened on Chichi Jima. The records of a top-secret military tribunal were sealed, the lives of the eight Flyboys were erased, and the parents, brothers, sisters, and sweethearts they left behind were left to wonder.
Flyboys reveals for the first time ever the extraordinary story of those men. Bradley's quest for the truth took him from dusty attics in American small towns, to untapped government archives containing classified documents, to the heart of Japan, and finally to Chichi Jima itself. What he discovered was a mystery that dated back far before World War II-back 150 years, to America's westward expansion and Japan's first confrontation with the western world. Bradley brings into vivid focus these brave young men who went to war for their country, and through their lives he also tells the larger story of two nations in a hellish war.
With no easy moralizing, Bradley presents history in all its savage complexity, including the Japanese warrior mentality that fostered inhuman brutality and the U.S. military strategy that justified attacks on millions of civilians. And, after almost sixty years of mystery, Bradley finally reveals the fate of the eight American Flyboys, all of whom would ultimately face a moment and a decision that few of us can even imagine.
Flyboys is a story of war and horror but also of friendship and honor. It is about how we die, and how we live-including the tale of the Flyboy who escaped capture, a young Navy pilot named George H. W. Bush who would one day become president of the United States. A masterpiece of historical narrative, Flyboys will change forever our understanding of the Pacific war and the very things we fight for.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The author of Flags of Our Fathers achieves considerable but not equal success in this new Pacific War themed history. Again he approaches the conflict focused on a small group of men: nine American Navy and Marine aviators who were shot down off the Japanese-held island of Chichi Jima in February 1945. All of them were eventually executed by the Japanese; several of the guilty parties were tried and condemned as war criminals. When the book keeps its eye on the aviators growing up under a variety of conditions before the war, entering service, serving as the U. S. Navy's spearhead aboard the fast carriers, or facing captivity and death it is as compelling as its predecessor. However, a chapter on prewar aviation is an uncritical panegyric to WWI aerial bombing advocate Billy Mitchell, who was eventually court-martialed for criticizing armed forces brass. More problematic is that Bradley tries to encompass not only the whole history of the Pacific War, but the whole history of the cultures of the two opposing countries that led to the racial attitudes which both sides brought to the war. Those attitudes, Bradley argues, played a large role in the brutal training of the Japanese army, which led to atrocities that in turn sharpened already keen American hostility. Some readers' hackles will rise at the discussion of the guilt of both sides, but, despite some missteps, Bradley attempts to strike an informed balance with the perspective of more than half a century. And with a CNN prime-time documentary to air at publication and a 25-city author tour, he should have no trouble reaching all comers.
Customer Reviews
Flyboys
The book was very compelling to read. I have always been interested in the Pacific war during WWII, and "Flyboys" gives a perspective that I had not read before. War is terrible for all involved and brings out the best in the best and the worst in the worst. This story personifies that. The thought process of all sides in the Pacific war is woven into the inconsequential but sad story of "Chichi Jima." I recommend to anyone wishing a better understanding of our war with Japan.
History comes alive
Very well written and researched, this book imparts facts that most Americans have never heard. It's also a very thought provoking book that looks at cultural differences as they related to strategies in the pacific campaign. Bradley included just enough biographical material on his fly boys that the reader is emotionally engaged with them. This is a fascinating book that will keep you interested all the way through. People like Bradley should be writing our nations high school history books. I would love to see him write on other historical times, the American Civil War, Vietnam, etc. When I first began the book I got to a few places which made me feel a bit "uncomfortable" as it "called the U.S. out" on some of our nations earlier policies. He was imparting the unfortunate truth but I wasn't sure if I thought it necessary.
Totally inaccurate
Worst story of WW II I have ever seen