Makos, Adam

Traces the inspirational story of famous Navy aviator duo Tom Hudner and Jesse Brown, recounting how they defied convention to serve their country, overcame racial barriers, and protected one another on a daring Korean War mission.

"Clarence Smoyer began the war as a gentle giant, a factory worker from Pennsylvania coal country reluctant to unleash the power of the Sherman tank he crewed. But as his tank platoon fought its way from Normandy to the Rhine and beyond, and he watched his friends cut down one by one, he learned to kill with deadly accuracy and efficiency. His fight would climax in Cologne, in the shadow of the great cathedral, where he took a shot immortalized by a chance photograph--and where he would later forge a friendship with the German tanker he tragically dueled soon after"--Provided by publisher.

"Lieutenant Tom Hudner and Ensign Jesse Brown, both Navy pilots during the Korean War in 1950, come from different backgrounds: Hudner is a white New Englander, a son of privilege; Brown is an African American son of a sharecropper from Mississippi. When the two men join forces in Fighter Squadron 32, they forge a deep friendship at a time when racial inequality was prevalent in America. An unwavering commitment binds Tom and Jesse to each other as well as to their comrades. The two fly to save a division of US Marines cornered during the battle at Chosin Reservoir, but catastrophe strikes when one of them is shot down behind enemy lines and trapped in the wreckage of his plane. The other will face an unthinkable choice: watch their friend die, or attempt one of history's most audacious one-man rescue missions. What transpires is harrowing and heartbreaking, an inspirational story for all time"--From the publisher's web site.

Traces the inspirational story of famous Navy aviator duo Tom Hudner and Jesse Brown, recounting how they defied convention to serve their country, overcame racial barriers, and protected one another on a daring Korean War mission.

Shut the hatches. It's time to roll out. You'll find yourself behind enemy lines with Clarence Smoyer and the 3rd Armored Division, the workhorse unit known as "Spearhead," the best in the tank armor ranks.

"Clarence Smoyer began the war as a gentle giant, a factory worker from Pennsylvania coal country reluctant to unleash the power of the Sherman tank he crewed. But as his tank platoon fought its way from Normandy to the Rhine and beyond, and he watched his friends cut down one by one, he learned to kill with deadly accuracy and efficiency. His fight would climax in Cologne, in the shadow of the great cathedral, where he took a shot immortalized by a chance photograph--and where he would later forge a friendship with the German tanker he tragically dueled soon after"--Provided by publisher.

Follows fifteen Marines who fought in the Pacific Area during World War Two through battles, friendships, and the impact of the war on their lives.

The story of the U.S. Navy's most famous aviator duo, Lieutenant Tom Hudner and Ensign Jesse Brown. Tom Hudner was a White New Englander from the country-club scene. Jesse Brown was African American and a sharecropper's son from Mississippi. Tom and Jesse became a team when they joined forces as wingmen in Fighter Squadron 32. Their job was to land their planes on the deck of an aircraft carrier--considered the world's most dangerous job. When the Korean War becomes a reality, Tom and Jesse come to the aid of the Marines cornered in the Chosin Reservoir Battle. When one of them is shot down behind enemy lines, and pinned in his burning plane, the other faces an unthinkable choice: watch his friend die or attempt history's most audacious one-man rescue mission.

The story of two pilots who fought on different sides during World War II. Second Lieutenant Charlie Brown was a former farm boy from West Virginia who flew a B-17. Second Lieutenant Franz Stigler, a former airline pilot from Bavaria, who flew a German Messerschmitt, did not want to fight in the war. Twenty-one year old Charlie Brown's badly damaged plane was struggling to fly over wartime Germany on its first mission with half the crew wounded or dead when Franz Stigler's plane came up behind him. What happened next wound defy imagination. Charlie and Franz would finally meet as old men when they felt safe discussing the situation.

Presents the true stories of fifteen Marines who fought in the Pacific during World War II. Describes the front lines of the war, the men's return home after V-J Day, and the war's impact on their lives. Features three of the men from the HBO miniseries "The Pacific.".