Customer Reviews

Extra Joker

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I have been trying to get this book for months. My granfather was the Pilot of the Extra Joker for the majority of it's missions. If my memory serves correct, it was another crews turn to lead, and the Extra Joker was the only plane with the correct sites for the bad weather that day, so they switched planes. I know this is not a reiview, but if anyone reads this and knows where I can get a copy of the book, please post something here. Thank you so much.

I have not read this book (although would love to if I could find a copy), but feel compelled to set the record straight. My father, George Tudor, was the pilot for all of the missions for the Extra Joker, except the fateful one depicted on the cover. The plane was named by the flight engineer while on a stopover in Marrakech, Morocco. While doing his preflight before flying to Tunis, he found an Extra Joker playing card under the plane. My father still has this card. The Extra Joker was equipped with a Sperry bombsight, which was inadequate for dropping the frag bombs carried that day. However there was a new plane with a Norden bombsight parked next to the Extra Joker, so since my father was flying lead, he switched planes with Lt. R.A. Whiting and his crew. Group photographer Sgt. Leo Stoutsenberger was flying with my father and his crew, and was asked by the crew to take some pictures of their plane. That is how he happened to get several amazing pictures of a B-24 being destroyed.

The author's chronological account of his experiences during the war is excellent. We learn of the Distinguished Flying Cross awarded the photographer responsible for the Extra Joker pictures. The series of photos previously seen on the internet is not presented. We are left to surmise the heroic intentions of the planes pilots and crew as they aim their ship out of formation, rapidly lose altitude, and circle before exploding far from other planes in their group.

I was the pilot of a plane just to the left of the photo plane.
SAD!!