Thomas F. (hardtack) -
One of the historical periods I have a fascination with is World War II. Don't ask why. I don't know. As a result, I've read more books on WW II than I can count. I have an 8-foot bookcase filled with such books, and my collection spreads to other bookcases around the house.
This book is about Paul Gunn, and it's a story I've never run across before. After reading about 100 pages, I had to check Wikipedia to see if he was real. Yes, he is. Search Wikipedia for "Paul Gunn" and you'll read a bit about him.
Knowing how Douglas MacArthur didn't like anyone sharing the headlines with him, it's not surprising I hadn't heard of Paul Gunn. Of course, Gunn had another reason for not letting his name become too well-known, until after the liberation of the Phillipines.
Gunn's great accomplishment was transforming the way Allied air forces engaged the enemy with modified aircraft. He may not have "changed the course of WW II," but he certainly helped hasten its end in the Pacific, as well as saving innumerable Allies lives too. For that he is to be praised.
However, while the author does that well in this book, he also goes off on rants about the military bureaucracy Gunn had to deal with. And he does this so many times it becomes boring. Which is why I only gave the book 4 stars.
He almost makes it look like Gunn won the war in the Southwest Pacific despite the bureaucracy. Yet, the way he paints Gunn's character makes me believe Gunn himself would have a problem with that aspect of the book, if he were still alive.
In addition to Gunn, the author also covers the experiences of Gunn's family left behind in the Philippines, and how they and many other internees lived and suffered under the Japanese. Entire other books were written on this subject, but it is also well covered here. The author also covers, to some small extent, the Filipino guerrilla resistance, a subject I am totally fascinated with. The latter was truly one of the greatest resistance movements in history. For whatever reason, the vast majority of Filipinos remained our friends. And they suffered for it. One of every 20 Filipinos died during the Japanese occupation, often brutally.
This book is about Paul Gunn, and it's a story I've never run across before. After reading about 100 pages, I had to check Wikipedia to see if he was real. Yes, he is. Search Wikipedia for "Paul Gunn" and you'll read a bit about him.
Knowing how Douglas MacArthur didn't like anyone sharing the headlines with him, it's not surprising I hadn't heard of Paul Gunn. Of course, Gunn had another reason for not letting his name become too well-known, until after the liberation of the Phillipines.
Gunn's great accomplishment was transforming the way Allied air forces engaged the enemy with modified aircraft. He may not have "changed the course of WW II," but he certainly helped hasten its end in the Pacific, as well as saving innumerable Allies lives too. For that he is to be praised.
However, while the author does that well in this book, he also goes off on rants about the military bureaucracy Gunn had to deal with. And he does this so many times it becomes boring. Which is why I only gave the book 4 stars.
He almost makes it look like Gunn won the war in the Southwest Pacific despite the bureaucracy. Yet, the way he paints Gunn's character makes me believe Gunn himself would have a problem with that aspect of the book, if he were still alive.
In addition to Gunn, the author also covers the experiences of Gunn's family left behind in the Philippines, and how they and many other internees lived and suffered under the Japanese. Entire other books were written on this subject, but it is also well covered here. The author also covers, to some small extent, the Filipino guerrilla resistance, a subject I am totally fascinated with. The latter was truly one of the greatest resistance movements in history. For whatever reason, the vast majority of Filipinos remained our friends. And they suffered for it. One of every 20 Filipinos died during the Japanese occupation, often brutally.
Tony S. (flashnm) reviewed Indestructible: One Man's Rescue Mission That Changed the Course of WWII on + 5 more book reviews
A good read. The main subject Pappy Gunn, was an impressive pilot and technician that did a lot to help the allied cause in the pacific in WWII. He definitely cut through the bureaucracy that slowed things down and took them into his own hands. This is the first time I've heard of Pappy So everything was new to me.
