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Title details for Never Call Me a Hero by N. Jack Kleiss - Available

Never Call Me a Hero

A Legendary American Dive-Bomber Pilot Remembers the Battle of Midway

by N. Jack Kleiss
Timothy Orr
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The bomber pilot whose bravery in the Battle of Midway changed the course of WWII recounts his story in this extraordinary memoir: "An instant classic" (Dallas Morning News).
On June 4, 1942, above the tiny Pacific atoll of Midway, Lt. (j.g.) "Dusty" Kleiss piloted his SBD Dauntless into a near-vertical dive aimed at the heart of Japan's Imperial Navy. The greatest naval battle in history raged around him as the U.S. desperately searched for its first major victory of the Second World War. Then, in a matter of seconds, Dusty Kleiss's daring 20,000-foot dive helped forever alter the war's trajectory.
Amid blistering anti-aircraft fire, the twenty-six-year-old pilot zeroed in on the aircraft carrier Kaga, one of Japan's most important capital ships. He released three bombs at the last possible instant, then desperately pulled out of his gut-wrenching dive as Kaga erupted in an inferno.
Dusty returned to the air that same afternoon, fatally striking the enemy carrier, Hiryu. Two days later, he contributed to the destruction of the cruiser Mikuma, making Dusty the only pilot from either side to sink three ships. By battle's end, the humble young sailor from Kansas had earned his place in history—and yet he stayed silent for decades.
Now his long-awaited memoir, Never Call Me a Hero, tells the Navy Cross recipient's full story for the first time, offering an unprecedentedly intimate look at the "the decisive contest for control of the Pacific in World War II" (New York Times)—and one man's essential role in helping secure its outcome.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    March 19, 2024

  • Formats

    • Kindle Book

    • OverDrive Read

      • ISBN: 9780062692368
      • File size: 4812 KB

    • EPUB ebook

      • ISBN: 9780062692368
      • File size: 4989 KB

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Library Journal

      Starred review from May 15, 2017

      Kleiss (1916-2016) never considered himself a hero. After joining the U.S. Navy, he became a dive bomber pilot on the USS Enterprise in May 1941. Kleiss was on the aircraft carrier when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. With coauthors Timothy Orr (military history, Old Dominion Univ.; Last To Leave the Field and Cities at War) and Laura Orr (deputy education director, Hampton Roads Naval Museum), Kleiss recounts that awful day, the ensuing bombs on the Marshall Islands, and the 1942 Battle of Midway. He relives these conflicts in incredible detail, including his three direct hits on enemy ships, using memories from his own logbook and official after-action reports from his squadron. Interspersed throughout are personal letters that Kleiss wrote to and received from Eunice Marie Mochon, whom he nicknamed Jean and who later became his wife, along with humorous stories about how he earned the nickname "Dusty" and spent his downtime. VERDICT A standout autobiography for anyone interested in bravery, courage, and first-person accounts of military heroics during World War II. A worthy addition to all libraries as the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Midway arrives in June 2017.--Jason L. Steagall, Gateway Technical Coll. Lib., Elkhorn, WI

      Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Formats

  • Kindle Book
  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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