{"product_id":"9781890988289","title":"The Jolly Rogers: The Story of Tom Blackburn and Navy Fighting Squadron VF-17","description":"THE JOLLY ROGERS\u003cbr\u003eThe Story of Tom Blackburn and Navy  Fighting Squadron VF-17\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTom Blackburn with Eric Hammel\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Jolly Rogers is the story of one of the U.S. Navy’s foremost World War II fighter squadrons, VF-17, and its charismatic commander, Tom Blackburn. In his action-packed war memoir and unit history, Blackburn describes VF-17’s  intense campaign against the Japanese over the northern Solomon Islands and Rabaul in late 1943 and early 1944.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBlackburn provides a rich account of how he shaped a crew of over-eager hotshots into one of the highest scoring fighter squadrons of World War II. In only seventy-six days of combat, Blackburn’s Jolly Rogers knocked down 154 enemy warplanes, and Blackburn himself emerged as one of VF-17’s leading aces with eleven kills to his credit.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBlackburn explains the methods he used and example he set to shape and wield VF-17 before and during its South Pacific combat tour. Not least of the challenges facing him and VF-17 was taming the hot new Vought F4U Corsair fighter. Slated to serve aboard a fleet aircraft carrier, VF-17 was transferred to land-based duty when the Corsair proved too hot to handle during carrier-deck landings. Though the Corsair’s teething problems were worked out by others, it was Blackburn and his Jolly Rogers who proved its full potential as a killer of enemy airplanes.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBoth a war memoir and a caring tribute to the aggressive, hold-nothing-back young men he trained and led in combat, Blackburn’s story is an epic in World War II history annals.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e==================\u003cbr\u003eCritical Acclaim for The Jolly Rogers\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePublishers Weekly says: “Blackburn was an exceptionally talented, resourceful, inspiring leader who imparted to his men a fierce warrior ethic . . . especially noteworthy is the author’s straightforward description of the methods he used organizing, training, leading his pilots in combat and developing air tactics.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Shipmate says: “Tom Blackburn [was] exceptional, and so is his book.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Hook says: “Tom Blackburn [was] one of the most successful fighter squadron commanders the U.S. Navy ever produced . . . not only a cracking good story, but a valuable primer on dealing with the rugged individualists who populate naval aviation, Highly recommended.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe San Diego Union says: “[This] thrilling saga focuses on unsung heroes.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eStars and Stripes says: “In a book generously laced with tales of air combat, Blackburn talks of the days spent building VF-17 into an outfit with its own identity and then leading his men into combat . . . ”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Naval Institute Proceedings says: “Excellent . . . a well-rounded, coherent story that focuses on intense combat . . . As a professional’s account of his squadron’s . . . war, Blackburn’s has no peer.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eKirkus Reviews says: “A macho, like-it-was memoir . . . a gritty, action-packed slice of WWII life.”","brand":"Pacifica Military History","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47177962815728,"sku":"9781890988289","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781890988289_p0.jpg?v=1763608667","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781890988289","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}