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Wreaking Havoc: A Year in an A-20 (Williams-Ford Texas A&M University Military History Series) Hardcover – October 17, 2003

by Joseph W. Rutter (Author)

26 customer reviews

Book 91 of 11 in the Texas A & M University Military History Series

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Joseph W. Rutter was a pilot in the Army Air Force in 1944, and the expensive toys were airplanes - A-20s, nicknamed the Havoc for the damage they inflicted. This work tells the story of Rutter and his friends at a time when the horrors of war were matched by the energy and enthusiasm of youth.

Wreaking Havoc: A Year in an A-20 (Williams-Ford Texas A&M University Military History Series)

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Editorial Reviews

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“. . . a fascinating tale, well written and one which ought to catch the recently renewed interest in WW II operations. If my reaction to Rutter’s personality is typical of what to expect of other readers, this should prove to be a popular book. This young man gives the impression of being a thoroughly decent human being, a conscientious officer, and a fine professional. I would be glad to have him in my command.”--I. B. Holley, Jr., Duke University

(I. B. Holley, Jr., Duke University )

About the Author

Joseph Rutter served with the 312th Bomb Group in the Southwest Pacific and completed sixty-three missions over New Guinea and the Philippines. He is a graduate of Marietta College and after a career in the insurance industry retired to Marietta, Ohio.

Series: Williams-Ford Texas A&M University Military History Series (Book 91)
Hardcover: 280 pages
Publisher: TAMU Press; 1 edition (October 17, 2003)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1585442895
ISBN-13: 978-1585442898
Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 6.2 x 1 inches
Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
Average Customer Review: 26 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #572,967 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #446 in Books > History > Military > Vehicles
- #1102 in Books > Engineering & Transportation > Transportation > Aviation
- #1256 in Books > History > Military > Aviation

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An Important First Person Account of a Little Known Aspect of the Air War in the SW Pacific

ByDavid L. Leeon January 17, 2015

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Rutter details his stateside training and provides a lot of interesting details about flying the A-20. His unit fought in New Guinea and the Philippines before he was rotated stateside and discharged. Navigational errors and mechanical malfunctions seemed to claim as many victims in his squadron as direct enemy action. Most of the time they were flying low level strikes against airfields, bases, and supply dumps using bombs with parachutes so they didn't blow themselves up. A reader looking for a lot of intense descriptions of combat may be somewhat disappointed (a few of the missions are described in depth - a low level raid on Clark Field being one of the most notable) but for anyone interested in the A-20 (which is largely ignored in most WWII literature) or a fascinating look at one pilot's WWII experience, this is definitely worth a read. I finished it in about two and half days and that's always the sign of a book that captured and held my attention.

0Comment One person found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Air Support to McArthur's Campaign in SW Pacific

ByAmazon Customeron January 31, 2014

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Read this book for several reasons.
First, as a rare view of flying A-20 bombers in New Guinea and the Philippines during WW II, arguably the most effective anti-Kamikaze weapon.
Second, as a counterpoint to the Navy aviators who performed similar airfield and transport strafing missions. The A-20s often flew so low that they needed parachutes and time delay fuses on bombs to enable them to escape the blast.
Third, to see how the Army trained eighteen-year-olds to function as high-speed truck drivers, dumping bombs on successive Japanese outposts. Firing the .50 caliber machine guns just added excitement to the job.
Last, for its observations on Japanese 'scorched earth' in Filipino cities and areas they based. He took pictures and developed many for the squadron.
These planes suffered in the primitive conditions, no matter how good their mechanical care might be. As pilots say- 'every plane has a personality', and the one lettered 'H' was hiding something:
'When leveling out after climbing or making a shallow dive, the control column moved back and forth or "hunted" and the plane would bob a bit in pitch before settling down to level flight... Don's crew chief reportedly had replaced the hinges and otherwise checked around and found nothing amiss....
The next day,November 22, Don was back in the air with H trying to solve the mystery. Several crew chiefs on the flight line saw him diving steeply down through a scattered cloud layer to the west of the field when the plane failed to pull out. The observers saw something come off the descending A-20, but whether it was a structural piece or just the canopy being released as Don tried to leave the plane was uncertain. Was he too low to pull out at the speed he was diving, or had something failed at a higher altitude? ...' (p. 121) It came down in thick swamp; natives used a canoe to reach the body.
'Twenty-year-old Don Murison was buried in the military cemetery at Hollandia the day after Thanksgiving, 1944....'

0Comment One person found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Flying with the pilot

ByN. Trachtaon March 3, 2004

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

Mr. Rutter has done an outstanding job of describing his experience in WWII. He takes you from his beginings in western Penn. thru training in Colorado and North Carolina, to combat missions in New Guinea and the PI. His writing technique lets you feel that he's with you and telling you about his experience flying A-20's. It's similar to (but not quite as good as) Guy Sajer's The Forgotten Soldier.
I've rated the book as a 4 out of 5 (it's really 4.5 out of 5) because I was hoping for a little more description on his combat experience. On the plus side, he does describe several missions outstandingly (his mission straffing Clark was done very well), but unfortunatly, I'd like to have had a little more description.

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A different aspect of the Philippine campaign

Byfarmeron November 3, 2015

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

This is a well written book shining light on a different aspect of the Philippine campaign. With the reflection of maturity the author shares his experience full circle from being a young man after hight school through military pilot training, stationed in the Pacific, moving to new bases with the progress of the war and coming home. He talks about flying the aircraft, missions, life adventures shared with his buddies and all the things you could only experience by being there. If you enjoy reading about the greatest generations contribution this would make a nice addition to your library.

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An interesting view

ByJ. C. ONeilon February 21, 2013

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

This book does more than talk about flying in combat, it talks about the build up to war, life in the late 1930's in America and then the training process and the many accidents from young men showing off. His descriptions of combat are there, but not the strongest point.
Given that there are few other books that describe combat in the A-20, this is a valuable book for that alone. I could ask the author a zillion more questions, but this was a pleasant easy read that brought back my father's stories of Pre-WW2 and gives you a feel for life in the front lines of combat/attack aircraft. Heavy on background but a little light on tactics, combat and technical aspects.

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if there are others I would be pleased to hear of it

ByAmazon Customeron March 26, 2017

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

This is the only book I know of that describes combat flown by an A20 pilot in WW2, if there are others I would be pleased to hear of it, particularly in Europe. It is well written and goes into some detail on combat operations: a thoroughly good read.

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Life of the Grunt Combat Pilot

ByRichard W. Brownon September 22, 2013

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

A very interesting view of life in a light bomber squadron in the southwest Pacific area of World War II. There are few books on A20 Havoc operations in World War II because while the aircraft played a significant role, it was as a support player rather than star. I enjoyed the book because it showed the life of a average combat pilot, in the average squadron, playing a necessary, but not starring part of the war.

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The Real Deal

ByBlue Moonon January 19, 2014

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

Great account of the life of a WWII Pacific theater pilot. Not a blazing account of battles and heroism, but the real day to day life so many experienced in the conflict. I lost an uncle in the areas that Rutter was stationed in, so the mundane details of life in the "trenches" was of great interest to me. The A-20 was very similar to the B-25 my uncle piloted and I got new insight into the training B-25 and A-20 pilots underwent early in their career