Swashbucklers and Black Sheep: A Pictorial History of Marine Fighting Squadron 214 in World War II [Hardcover]

Bruce Gamble (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 15, 2012

“A stunning portrait of incredibly courageous men and their awesome flying machines.”

—Alex Kershaw, author of The Few

Marine Fighting Squadron (VMF) 214 is the world’s most famous fighter squadron. Its second wartime squadron commander was the legendary Greg “Pappy” Boyington. Boyington and the squadron were the loose inspiration for the late-seventies NBC television series Baa Baa Black Sheep, which was later syndicated under the name Black Sheep Squadron.

 

Swashbucklers and Black Sheep is a comprehensive illustrated history of the squadron from its formation and first two combat tours on Guadalcanal as the Swashbucklers, which included their transition to the iconic gull-winged Corsair, to the arrival of their second commander, Pappy Boyington, after which they became the Black Sheep. The squadron’s combat over Bougainville and Rabaul and the story of Boyington being shot down are covered, as are the squadron’s exploits in the latter part of the war (while Boyington was a POW), which culminated in the heavy losses suffered aboard the carrier USS Franklin. The squadron’s service in Korea, Vietnam, and the Global War on Terror complete the storied history of VMF 214.

 

In addition to a rich collection of historical photography, Swashbucklers and Black Sheep features combat aviation artwork from four of America’s top aviation artists: John Shaw, Jim Laurier, Craig Kodera, and Bob Rasmussen.

 

Editorial Reviews

Review

"When we're still learning things about the Civil War 150 years later, it should be little surprise to find new material from World War II. But Bruce Gamble's fabulous treatment of the Black Sheep sets a new standard for 'above and beyond' his previous definitive treatments of VMF-214. Combining insightful text with a fabulous collection of photos and high-quality art, this book raises the bar in a field that routinely sees new material and fresh interpretations.  An absolute treasure." -  Barrett Tillman, author of Enterprise:America’s Fightingest Ship and the Men Who Helped Win World War

"...a magnificent account of the most famous U.S. Marine squadron of the second world war. It is a delight to own, to look at, and (best of all) to read. And since Gamble is first of all an author, the text isn’t just an afterthought, it’s a well-written history of VMF-214, both before and after the squadron became famous." - Smithsonian Air & Space magazine

"... a comprehensive illustrated history of the squadron..." - Pacific Flyer

"This is an excellent book appropriately produced during the Marine Corps Aviation Centennial. The photographs and text pay tribute to a proud squadron, its history and to the men who served in it since 1942. This is a book Marine Corp fans will enjoy." - Tailhook Association Magazine The Hook

From the Inside Flap

From a humble beginning in mid-1942, VMF-214 became the most famous U.S. fighter squadron of World War II. The pilots’ reputation grew as they transitioned from flying Wildcats to the iconic gull-winged Corsairs and became the Swashbucklers, going head-to-head with the skilled pilots of the Imperial Japanese Navy during the early days of the Solomon Islands campaign. The squadron’s fame really took off when Maj. Gregory Boyington, a hard-drinking former Flying Tiger, formed an all-new unit from a group of hand-picked pilots. They chose a new nickname: the Black Sheep.

 

During two combat tours spanning eighty-four days, the Black Sheep established a blistering record against the tenacious Japanese—first in the skies over the fabled islands of New Georgia and Bougainville, and later over the stronghold of Rabaul, New Britain. Tangling in dogfights that sometimes involved as many as two hundred planes, the Black Sheep were officially credited with ninety-seven aerial victories and another thirty-five enemy planes probably destroyed. No fewer than nine Black Sheep became aces, including Greg Boyington, who earned a Medal of Honor on his way to becoming the Marine Corps’ top gun.

 

Black Sheep expert Bruce Gamble draws on years of research and personal interviews with VMF-214 veterans for Swashbucklers and Black Sheep, as well as wartime diaries, reports, and photographs, including rare color shots of the squadron. Dramatic paintings, some specially commissioned for this book, capture the squadron in action in the air and their camaraderie on the ground. Swashbucklers and Black Sheep also provides an overview of the squadron’s post–World War II service, from Korea to Vietnam to numerous deployments in the Middle East, making this the definitive illustrated history of the squadron.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 216 pages
• Publisher: Zenith Press; 1st edition (September 15, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0760342504
• ISBN-13: 978-0760342503
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 1.1 x 9.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #197,764 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #51 in Books > History > Military > Pictorials

More About the Author

A native of central Pennsylvania, Bruce Gamble is an award-winning author and historian specializing in highly readable narratives about World War II in the Pacific.

During his career as a Naval Flight Officer in the closing years of the Cold War, Bruce logged nearly 1,000 hours as a navigator in EA-3B Skywarriors, including deployments aboard aircraft carriers in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. While serving as a flight instructor in 1988, he was diagnosed with a malignant spinal cord tumor. He underwent a complicated surgery and was medically retired from the Navy the following year.

Starting over as a wheelchair user, Bruce began volunteering at the National Naval Aviation Museum and eventually worked part-time as the staff historian for the Naval Aviation Museum Foundation. Over the next several years he collected oral history interviews and wrote numerous articles for Foundation magazine. Bruce then made the leap to freelance writing and published his first book, The Black Sheep, in 1998.

With a total of four titles now in print, Bruce is gaining recognition as one of the top authors on the air war in the Pacific. His narrative style and use of human-interest vignettes have earned critical acclaim in publications such as Publishers Weekly and Booklist. In addition to writing, Bruce does a substantial amount of public speaking. He is also the featured historian in documentaries produced by the History Channel, Fox News Channel, PBS, and the Pritzker Military Library.

Bruce earned two literary awards in 2010: the Admiral Arthur W. Radford award for excellence in naval aviation history and literature, presented by the Naval Aviation Museum Foundation, and a Gold Medal in the history category from the Military Writers Society of America.

Bruce is a member of the Authors Guild and holds life memberships in the Naval Aviation Museum Foundation and Paralyzed Veterans of America. Cancer-free for more than twenty years, he lives near Panama City, Florida.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Superbly-Done Photo-History of VMF-214! September 27, 2012

By Michael OConnor TOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover

Marine Fighting Squadron 214 is the most famous USMC fighter squadron in history. Although irrevocably linked in the public's mind with Pappy Boyington, VMF-214 is actually a long-lived unit, having been periodically inactivated/reformed over the years. Originally commissioned in 1942, the squadron is still in existence flying Harriers! Noted aviation author Bruce Gamble and Zenith Press combine talents to present a wonderfully-illustrated photo-tribute to that illustrious unit.

Commissioned in July 1942, the original version of -214, nicknamed 'The Swashbucklers,' flew combat from Guadalcanal in F4Fs and later F4Us. Following two combat tours, the unit was broken up and then reconstituted. The 'new' VMF-214 took the old unit's aircraft, acquired a new CO - Boyington - and was staffed by pilots from the USMC replacement pool. Now known as 'Boyington's Black Sheep,' they became legends in their own time, being credited with 97 e/a in two combat tours. Reformed in early 1944, the unit logged an abbreviated combat tour onboard USS Franklin. The unit later served in the Korean War, Vietnam War and Afghanistan.

Gamble has written two previous VMF-214 books: THE BLACK SHEEP and BLACK SHEEP ONE, a biography of Boyington. Consequently, SWASHBUCKLERS AND BLACK SHEEP makes no claims to being an exhaustive retelling of the Black Sheep legend. Rather the text serves as a comprehensive, compelling summary of -214's life and times.

Where the book really shines is in the illustrations. Gamble's book is filled with hundreds of well-reproduced b&w and color photographs covering -214's long career. Likewise, the book includes eight VMF-214 combat scenes by such noted artists as Bob Shaw, Craig Kodera and Jim Laurier and 12 color side-profiles of F4Us, Zeroes, Bettys, etc. by Michael Claingbould and Ted Gunter. Visually SWASHBUCKLERS AND BLACK SHEEP is a delight!

In short, Gamble's book is absolutely top-notch, a marvelously-presented tribute to all those who served under the VMF-214 colors. Highly recommended.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book on VMF-214 September 28, 2012

By David Meikle

Format:Hardcover

I have always had a great interest in the Black Sheep Squadron and I have read and enjoyed all of Bruce Gamble's books on the subject. I was thrilled to hear that he was going to present a pictorial book on the subject and when I got a copy, I was not disappointed.

I have lots of books on World War II aviation and I have seen a lot of the same photos get used over and over. What is so exciting about this book is that fact that Bruce has been able to source so many previously unseen photos that were taken by members of the Black Sheep themselves while serving in the Solomon Islands, both in their training areas and at their forward bases. He also managed to get quite a few interesting photos of the two combat tours of the Swashbucklers, the previous incarnation of VMF-214. In addition there are really nice selections of photos of the post-Pappy Black Sheep working up to combat readiness in California and their deployment to the USS Franklin. Though the book is mostly focused on World War II, the photos of the Korean War, Vietnam, and present day deployments are much appreciated.

The book is lavishly illustrated with some really nice paintings of both the Black Sheep and Swashbucklers in action. There are also quite a few aircraft profiles that illustrate the various color schemes of the aircraft flown by and against the 214. This book will be a great reference to aviation artists and model builders. The large format of the book allows for nice, big reproductions of the photos, paintings, and aircraft profiles and shows a great amount of detail. Some of these photos were printed in Bruce's previous books, but in this large format, they really come to life. This book has some really nice gems such as the definitive photographic proof that the photo op Corsair that is so often portrayed as Pappy Boyington's plane is in fact named "LucyBelle" not "LuluBelle". There are even photos of other pilots posing in the same plane.

This book is a fitting tribute to all of the men who flew with VMF-214 and a must have for anybody who is interested in the subject.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars HIGH PRAISE September 28, 2012

By J. Lord

Format:Hardcover

For anyone who wants to learn more about VMF 214 and cut through all the fluff, overdone P.R., and get right down to it; this book is it. Correcting some historical inaccuracies, this book goes beyond the fame of Pappy Boyington, shining a light on other key figures as well. It is a brief, very visual history of the famed squadron. Having read about VMF 214 for years, I learned many new facts reading this book. The day it came in the mail, I opened the box and read it in one sitting...Yes, it's that good. I highly recommend this book to any serious reader of the South Pacific WW II aviation.