In 1951, James Michener went to Korea to report on a little known aspect of America's stalemated war: navy aviators. His research inspired novel about these pilots became an overnight bestseller and, perhaps, the most widely read book ever written about aerial combat.
Using Michener's notes, author David Sears tracked down the actual pilots to tell their riveting, true-life stories. From the icy, windswept decks of aircraft carriers, they penetrated treacherous mountain terrain to strike heavily defended dams, bridges, and tunnels, where well entrenched Communist anti-aircraft gunners waited to shoot them down. Many of these men became air combat legends, and one, Neil Armstrong, the first astronaut to walk on the moon.
Such Men As These brims with action-packed accounts of combat and unforgettable portraits of the pilots whose skill and sacrifice made epic history. A former US Navy officer and a Vietnam War veteran, David Sears is the author of four previous books, including Such Men as These. He lives in New Jersey.
Smithsonian Air & Space magazine, July 2011
"A valuable study of the culture and conduct of the naval air war over North Korea…A fitting addition not only to the literature of the Korean War, but also to the literature emerging in this, the centennial year of U.S. naval aviation."Corduroy Books blog, 6/13/11"Compulsively readable." Relaxed Fit eZine, 9/26/11 "Those who wish to read the realistic nut and bolts of naval aviation should read Mr. Sears' work."WomanAroundTown.com, 11/12/11
"Sears reminds us that we should always remember…the brave Navy pilots who flew over Korea…A gripping account of their sacrifice and bravery."
Naval Aviation News, Summer 2012 "Interesting reading…This is perhaps the first 'biography' of the men in the cockpits (at least from the Navy side), and as such it merits attention."
