Novelist and former U.S. congressman Mrazek has written an admirable history of the Torpedo Squadron Eight, legendary to World War II buffs. Most of the squadron, flying off the U.S.S. Hornet for the Battle of Midway in obsolete Devastators, perished in a famous low-level attack. But six more modern Avengers flew from Midway itself, and the survivors in them formed the nucleus of a squadron that went on to fly Avengers off the carrier Saratoga until it was damaged by a submarine attack, and then from Henderson Field on Guadalcanal in the climactic stages of the campaign for the island. Mrazek has made painstaking use of written sources and the personal memories of surviving members of the squadron to produce a long book, but one that will keep students of the crucial year 1942 reading assiduously. A boon to the literature of the WWII Pacific theater and of naval aviation. --Roland Green
Review
"
A Dawn Like Thunder hooked me from the first page and didn't let go. Mrazek has written the definitive account of how the few American pilots of Torpedo Squadron Eight changed history at Midway and
Guadalcanal. A stirring, truly heroic book that is destined to become a classic." (
Alex Kershaw, author of The Longest Winter )
"A marvelous book. Mrazek's research and obvious affection for his heroes is indeed extraordinary.
A Dawn Like Thunder is a spectacular achievement and a vital addition to any Pacific War library." (
Hon. Charles Wilson of Charlie Wilson's War )
"Robert Mrazek has, with a raw, unsparing telling given grace and life to so many who died so young, so every-day, so gallantly. Wonderfully uplifting." (
Frank Deford, author of The Entitled )
"
A Dawn Like Thunder is no ordinary history. It is a soaring epic prose ballad about a group of young Americans whose rendezvous with destiny in 1942 at Midway and then
Guadalcanal blazed a trail their whole generation would follow. With an amazing depth of research and a keen eye for detail, Mrazek has brought to vivid life an enduring tale of human tragedy and triumph that will speak down to the latest generation." (
Richard B. Frank, author of Downfall )
"Robert Mrazek brings the dare-devil pilots of Torpedo Squadron Eight back to life in a narrative so vivid and heartbreaking that their courage reaches across the decades, leaving us moved by their incredible sacrifice and heroism." (
Thurston Clarke, author The Last Campaign )
"A remarkably vivid tale of valor, fate, and young men dying young. Mrazek's epic story, reconstructed with breathtaking research and recounted with a novelist's keen eye for detail, is a worthy monument to Torpedo Squadron Eight." (
Rick Atkinson, author of The Day of Battle )
"The most highly decorated Navy Flyboys of World War II flew through hell and suffered the highest combat losses. Strap yourself in as Robert Mrazek takes you on a heroic flight into history." (
James Bradley, author of Flyboys )
