Dirty Eddie's war : based on the World War II diary of Harry "Dirty Eddie" March, Jr., Pacific fighter ace / Lee Cook.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Cook, Lee, author.

Series:

Number 20 in the North Texas military biography and memoir series

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Fighter pilots--United States--Diaries.

Fighter pilots.

United States. Navy. Fighting Squadron VF-17--Biography.

United States.

March, Harry Andrew, Jr., 1919-1946--Diaries.

March, Harry Andrew.

Genre:

Diaries.

Biographies.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (1 volume)

Place of Publication:

Denton, Texas : University of North Texas Press, [2021]

Summary:

"Dirty Eddie's War is the true account of the war-time experiences of Harry Andrew March, Jr., captured by way of diary entries addressed to his beloved wife, Elsa. Nicknamed "Dirty Eddie" by his comrades, he served as a member of four squadrons operating in the South Pacific, frequently under difficult and perilous conditions. Flying initially from aircraft carriers covering the landings at Guadalcanal in August 1942, he was one of the first pilots in the air over the island and then later based at Henderson Field with the "Cactus Air Force." When he returned to combat at Bougainville and the "Hot Box" of Rabaul, the exploits of the new Corsair squadron "Fighting Seventeen" became legendary. Disregarding official regulations, March kept an unauthorized diary recording life onboard aircraft carriers, the brutal campaign and primitive living conditions on Guadalcanal, and the shattering loss of close friends and comrades. He captures the intensity of combat operations over Rabaul and the stresses of overwhelming enemy aerial opposition. Lee Cook presents Dirty Eddie's story through genuine extracts from his diary supplemented with contextual narrative on the war effort. It reveals the personal account of a pilot's innermost thoughts, both of the action he saw, the effects of his harrowing experiences, and his longing to be reunited with the love of his life back home"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Foreword / by William "Country" Landreth

Introduction

Acknowledgments

Timeline

Prologue: Living the Dash

A Date Which Will Live in Infamy

I Got One of 'em!

Torpedoed!

"Dirty Eddie"

This War Is Really Hell

Never Have So Few Been Dumped On by So Many

A Young Man of Action

Unbearable, We Just Want to Get the Hell Out

Fighting Seventeen

The Boys Tasted Blood

He Exploded Right in My Face

I Do Not Know What Is in Store for Me

Beards Don't Go So Well Down in Sydney!

The Rains Came

The Hunters Became the Hunted

Where Are They?

Coming Home-I Want to Surprise You!

Instructing the "Nuggets"

Epilogue

Appendix 1: Harry March Victory Credits and Citations

Appendix 2: Biographies of "Dirty Eddie's" Guadalcanal Buddies

Endnotes

Glossary.

Notes:

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

1-57441-851-3

OCLC:

1246674854