Overview
Although Jimmy Flatley had much to do with the U.S. victory over Japan, few outside the close-knit naval aviation community have heard his colorful story. A naval hero in every sense of the word according to former Chief of Naval Operations Admiral James L. Holloway III, Flatley was a formidable fighter pilot in combat, an inspiring leader, and a gifted operational planner. Flatley's combination of talents are fully examined in this biography and reveal why he was so vital to the war effort. Known to his squadron mates at Guadalcanal as ""Reaper Leader"" Flatley--with Jimmy Thach and Butch O'Hare--was instrumental in communicating tactical advice throughout naval aviation and changing the perception that the supposedly inferior F4F Wildcat fighter was actually superior to the Japanese Zero when properly utilized. His biographer, Steve Ewing, also explains how Flatley's combat experience established the credibility necessary for a middle grade officer to initiate sweeping changes in naval aviation both at the front and with the entrenched naval establishment. The author credits Flatley's persistence and credibility for successes at Guadalcanal, Leyte Gulf, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. In post-war years these same qualities helped him make naval aviation what it is today by again challenging the status quo and effecting sweeping and significant changes in naval aviation safety. This biography is the second in a planned naval aviation trilogy that when complete will include the three notable carrier fighter tacticians in the Pacific war--Thach, O'Hare, and Flatley.
Full Product Details
Author: Steve Ewing
Publisher: Naval Institute Press
Imprint: Naval Institute Press
Dimensions:
Width: 15.20cm
, Height: 3.80cm
, Length: 22.90cm
Weight: 0.712kg
ISBN: 9781557502056
ISBN 10: 1557502056
Pages: 320
Publication Date: 05 October 2002
Audience:
General/trade
,
General
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: Out of stock
The supplier is temporarily out of stock of this item. It will be ordered for you on backorder and shipped when it becomes available.
Reviews
This fascinating book chronicles the life of an important, though little know personality who gave so much to his profession. <i><b>Naval Aviation News</i></b>
This fascinating book chronicles the life of an important, though little know personality who gave so much to his profession. -- <i><b>Naval Aviation News</i></b>
-This fascinating book chronicles the life of an important, though little know personality who gave so much to his profession.- -- Naval Aviation News
This fascinati ng book chronicles the life of an important, though little know personality who gave so much to his profession. -- Naval Aviation News
Author Information
Steve Ewing, senior curator at Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, is the author of biographies on Jimmy Flatley among other books.
