A Dawn Like Thunder: The True Story of Torpedo Squadron Eight [Paperback]

Robert J. Mrazek (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 26, 2009

One of the great untold stories of World War II finally comes to light in this thrilling account of Torpedo Squadron Eight and their heroic efforts in helping an outmatched U.S. fleet win critical victories at Midway and Guadalcanal. These 35 American men--many flying outmoded aircraft--changed the course of history, going on to become the war's most decorated naval air squadron, while suffering the heaviest losses in U.S. naval aviation history.
Mrazek paints moving portraits of the men in the squadron, and exposes a shocking cover-up that cost many lives. Filled with thrilling scenes of battle, betrayal, and sacrifice, A DAWN LIKE THUNDER is destined to become a classic in the literature of World War II.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

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 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"A Dawn Like Thunder melds a good story with solid and skeptical research....Fast-paced and yet personal, Mrazek's narrative carries the reader to Midway quickly. But it does not stop there, as so many other accounts have....With A Dawn Like Thunder Mrazek earns the title of historian, one that this reviewer does not apply lightly." (Washington Post Robert Bateman )

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Product Details

• Paperback: 560 pages
• Publisher: Back Bay Books; Reprint edition (October 26, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316056537
• ISBN-13: 978-0316056533
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 1.5 x 8.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (61 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #178,170 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #31 in Books > History > Military > Regiments

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

57 of 59 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The VT-8 Story You've Never Known, December 23, 2008

By 

R. W. Russell "midway42.org" (Lodi, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Dawn Like Thunder: The True Story of Torpedo Squadron Eight (Hardcover)

Author Robert Mrazek's first non-fiction volume is a winner. It's the story of the men of Torpedo Squadron Eight (VT-8) during World War II like you've never seen it before. Mrazek went over the top in tracking down all of the squadron's remaining members and recording their reminisces about Midway and Guadalcanal to the fullest extent one could imagine. We've long read of the gallantry of the USS Hornet's VT-8 aircrews at Midway and how their sacrifice was a vital factor in the "incredible victory," but this book goes well beyond the familiar Midway story. It gives the reader insight not previously seen on the men involved, including the good as well as the bad.

About half of the book focuses on that part of VT-8's history that is seldom remembered: their participation in the Solomons campaign. Although the tragedy of the Hornet's VT-8 aircrews at Midway could hardly have been worse, it was over with in less than an hour, while on Guadalcanal the squadron's detachment there endured months of brutal attrition during the long Japanese campaign to retake the island.

But the book isn't primarily about wartime history; instead it tells of the men who lived VT-8's portion of that history. There are new revelations about their celebrated commander, John Waldron, plus the aircrews that died with him at Midway. But as expected, there is a great deal more about those who went on to Guadalcanal, including the new commanding officer, Lt. Harold "Swede" Larsen. It turns out that Larsen was an insufferable martinet, as miserable a leader of men as anyone who ever disgraced a leader's uniform. At the other extreme, there are ample tales of the honorable service of the pilots and enlisted men who helped make VT-8's legacy despite the excesses of their skipper.

The book does have several factual errors that readers well-versed in this subject matter will spot, like referring to Japanese "Betty" bombers as carrier aircraft. But none of those detract from the book's essential value, which is a superb telling of the VT-8 story like it's never been told before. Highly recommended.

43 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best WW2 books I have ever read, December 8, 2008

By 

PeterB "PeterB" (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Dawn Like Thunder: The True Story of Torpedo Squadron Eight (Hardcover)

I am a passionate student of WW2 history and have read many accounts of the war in the Pacific over the past 30 years. This is by far the most compelling account I have encountered of two of the most pivotal battles of the war. More remarkably, it's an amazing account of some true American heroes and, sadly, some who were not so heroic. I know it sounds corny, but I really felt I was in the cockpit with these pilots and couldn't believe what they did to support each other and the troops on the ground. I was humbled by their courage and much more affected by their individual stories than I expected. I don't want to ruin the story for you, so suffice it to say I am sure you won't forget many of the individual stories told in this book.

This book was given to me as a gift and I have already given it to several others who ended up confirming my own reaction. This is a must read if you are interested in any aspect of the War in the Pacific or the reality of what it was like to fly on impossible missions. I wasn't able to put it down...

33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars They Sacrificed Themselves So Others Might Survive, December 24, 2008

By 

Jeffrey T. Munson (Dixon, IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Dawn Like Thunder: The True Story of Torpedo Squadron Eight (Hardcover)

Author Robert J. Mrazek has written a compelling and informative read about a heroic squadron of pilots who sacrificed themselves against vastly superior odds. This is the story of Torpedo Squadron Eight and their unselfish contribution to the defeat of Japan in the early stages of the Pacific war.

During the pivotal Battle of Midway in June, 1942, this brave group of men, flying obsolete aircraft, nevertheless fearlessly attacked the Japanese carrier striking force. Forty-five of the forty-eight men in the squadron were killed that day. But, they cleared the way for the Dauntless dive bombers by bringing the Japanese fighters down so low that they couldn't react once the dive bombers started their dives. The end result was the loss of four Japanese carriers, and the turning of the tide inexorably toward Japan for the rest of the war.

After the battle of Midway, torpedo eight was based on the American carrier USS Saratoga. From here, the new pilots participated in many attacks against the Japanese fleet during the Battle of Guadalcanal. After the Saratoga suffered a torpedo hit and was forced to withdraw, the men of torpedo eight became part of the Cactus Air Force based on Guadalcanal. During their time on Guadalcanal, torpedo eight pilots helped sink numerous enemy ships, including 2 battleships, a light carrier, and several cruisers and destroyers. After Guadalcanal, the squadron was disbanded and its pilots were assigned to new squadrons.

This is an excellent book. The author does a fine job of introducing the reader to some of the pilots in the squadron. He also describes in great detail the heroic sacrifice these men made at the Battle of Midway and the sweet revenge they were able to extract at Guadalcanal. I've read many works of naval history, and I would rate this book as one of the best I've read.

I give this fine book my highest recommendation. The action is non-stop, and the author does a fine job of detailing America's first two offensives in the Pacific war. This book is a must-read for naval history fans.