Night Flying Avenger Author:Pete Grant In this exciting book about the first naval aviators who took off and landed at night on carriers during World War II, Pete Grant, a combat pilot, takes you into the cockpit of his night torpedo bomber as he and his fellow pilots attack German submarines in the mid-Atlantic Gap and later participate in the first night carrier raids over Tokyo on... more » February 16, 1945.
With realism that only a navy pilot who was there can recall, he dramatically describes the fighting and tells what it felt like to be shot off a catapult at night, at full throttle, from the deck of the U.S.S. Saratoga, the "Queen of the Flattops."
The reader experiences the fears and heartaches of these pioneering night pilots as they pepare for battle, fly their missions, and then attempt safe landings at night on a carrier bobbing around in the middle of the ocean.
Grant presents new insight into what actually happened on February 21, 1945, when the Sara was hit by seven Japanese kamikaze planes and almost sunk off the coast of Iwo Jima. The Japanese were attempting to finish off the Saratoga as she gave air support for the marines trying to take the island.
He dramatically illustrates the problems and disasters that can develop in combat when quick decisions have to be made in interpreting a blip on a radar screen in a plane or in a ship's combat intelligence center. The "Avenger" torpedo bombers, piloted by Pete Grant, and other naval aviators, played an important role during World War II and is similar to the plane flown by President George Bush when he was shot down in the Pacific.« less