Free Downloads The Black Sheep: The Definitive History Of Marine Fighting Squadron 214 In World War II
With their renowned squadron leader Greg “Pappy” Boyington, Marine Fighting Squadron (VMF) 214 was one of the best-known and most colorful combat units of World War II. The popular television series Baa Baa Black Sheep added to their legend—while obscuring the truly remarkable combat record of the Black Sheep and Boyington. A retired naval flight officer and former historian for the Naval Aviation Museum Foundation, Bruce Gamble provides a highly readable account that serves to both correct and extend the record of this premier fighting force.
Mass Market Paperback: 544 pages
Publisher: Presidio Press (September 30, 2003)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0891418253
ISBN-13: 978-0891418252
Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 1.2 x 6.9 inches
Shipping Weight: 7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (80 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #788,735 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #185 in Books > History > Military > Regiments #1535 in Books > History > Military > Aviation #6886 in Books > History > Military > World War II
The Black Sheep is a great book. I enjoyed reading it and encourage all others to read it. It covers the entire WW2 history of VMF-214 from Wildcats and Swashbucklers to Corsairs and Black Sheep to the USS Franklin - all 5 tours. Lots of air combat in those pages. There's also lots of interesting information on the Corsair's (and the Pratt & Whitney R-2800's) introduction to combat, and the difficult process of working out the flaws to produce one of the finest fighter aircraft of the war. It's clear that Bruce Gamble did a lot of serious research - combining official US records, Japanese records, other first-person accounts, and personal interviews with surviving pilots. He cross-checked and synthesized all that information to give the most faithful account possible. Furthermore, he includes a lot of personal stories of the participants that give you a feel for the personalities involved, rather than just the facts and figures. To me, that is the mark of a great book - the kind I enjoy reading.Reading through other reviews, the thing that determines whether a reader likes or does not like the book is Gamble's assessment of Pappy Boyington. The fans of Boyington seem to view anything negative about him as character assassination. The detractors of Boyington seem to enjoy seeing him knocked down a peg.Here's my take on Boyington. He is the most famous American fighter pilot, and surely always will be. The following events made him compelling. The fact that he scored a victory to tie for first in the ace race but was then shot down and declared missing on that very same mission put him in the national spotlight. Officially listed as missing, but assumed dead by most, he was awarded the Medal of Honor.
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