Red Radall in the Aleutians

When Red Randall volunteers for special duty in the Aleutian Islands, west of Alaska, he wants action-and he's not disappointed! After the American-owned islands of Attu and Kiska have been invaded by Japan in June 1942, America seeks to regain control and to defend the Alaskan mainland. Here in the Aleutians, where visibility is zero, where williwaws rage, and jagged mountain peaks are blanketed in fog, Red and Jimmy Joyce have some of the most harrowing experiences of their careers. For not only are the Japanese their dangerous enemies, but the elements, too, are a constant challenge to their flying skill and courage. Robert Sidney Bowen, Jr. was a World War I aviator, newspaper journalist, magazine editor and author who was born in Boston, Massachusetts. After the invasion of Poland by Germany in 1939 sparked World War II, Crown Publishers called Bowen, asking for an adventure story based on the war. The Dave Dawson series, also known as the War Adventure series, was the result. Bowen got to work immediately, and the first book, Dave Dawson At Dunkirk, was published in 1941. A total of 15 volumes were released between 1941 and 1946. By 1945 the series had sold over 2,000,000 copies. Inspired by the success of the Dave Dawson books, Crown's competing publisher Grosset & Dunlap hired Bowen to write a similar series for them. The Red Randall series debuted in 1944, selling 200,000 copies its first year.