Wake Island Pilot - A World War II Memoir (Paperback)

"Wake Island Pilot" is the story of John F. Kinney - hero, POW escapee, and aviation pioneer. It contains the first full-length account of a successful escape by a Marine captured in one of the great battles of World War II. Within hours of the Pearl Harbor attack, the Japanese struck the small U.S. garrison on Wake Island. As his squadron's engineering officer, young pilot John F. Kinney used all his considerable ingenuity to oversee the cannibalization of crippled planes for spare parts when he himself was not in the air fighting off the Japanese assault. His gallant efforts helped enable the desperate Marine and Navy defenders to hold out for an incredible two weeks, a truly epic struggle. After the island's inevitable surrender, Kinney was a Japanese prisoner in China for the next three and a half years. During this time, he put his amazingly inventive mechanical skills to work, creating from scratch numerous items, including a radio, to improve his fellow POWs' situation. Toward the end of the war, Kinney escaped from a prison train and, with the assistance of both Nationalist and Communist Chinese troops, made his way to an American airfield. He was thus one of the few Americans to escape from Japanese captivity outside the Philippines. General Kinney's subsequent Marine Corps career was equally distinguished: He flew fighters in the Korean War and helped develop the classic A4-D Skyhawk.

General

Imprint:	Potomac Books Inc
Country of origin:	United States
Series:	Memories of War
Release date:	September 2005
First published:	September 2005
Authors:	James M. McCaffrey
Dimensions:	205 x 125 x 13mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Paperback
Pages:	220
ISBN-13:	978-1-57488-736-5
Categories:	Books > Fiction > True stories > War / combat / elite forces > General Books > Humanities > History > American history > General Books > Humanities > History > History of specific subjects > Military history Books > Social sciences > Warfare & defence > War & defence operations > Battles & campaigns Books > Humanities > History > World history > From 1900 > Second World War Books > History > American history > General Books > History > History of specific subjects > Military history Books > History > World history > From 1900 > Second World War Promotions
LSN:	1-57488-736-X
Barcode:	9781574887365

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