Fateful Rendezvous: The Life of Butch O'Hare - Hardcover

Ewing, Steve; Lundstrom, John B.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1557502471 ISBN 13: 9781557502476

Publisher: Naval Inst Pr, 1997

Synopsis

Perhaps the most famous aviator of World War II, Butch O'Hare captured America's hearts and headlines in 1942 after saving the carrier Lexington in what has been called the most daring single action in the history of combat aviation - the downing of five attacking Japanese bombers. Yet the untimely and still controversial death of this Medal of Honor recipient the next year cast a shadow over O'Hare's legacy.
This first full biography, written with the O'Hare family's cooperation and utilizing recently released Japanese war records, chronicles the short but eventful life of the American hero and sheds new light on his mysterious death. Seasoned naval aviation historians, the authors describe in fascinating detail O'Hare's awe-inspiring feats of aerial combat and his key role in developing tactics such as the Thach Weave and the night-fighting techniques that helped defeat the Japanese.

About this title

About the Author:

John B. Lundstrom is curator of American and military history at the Milwaukee Public Museum.

From Booklist:

Ewing and Lundstrom's excellent biography of the navy-pilot namesake of Chicago's principal airport also betrays that the coauthors were utterly charmed by their subject. As they depict him, O'Hare was a singularly attractive and capable man. The son of a Chicago businessman murdered for informing on Capone, he graduated from Annapolis in 1937 and was already a seasoned fighter pilot by the time the U.S. entered World War II. He won the Medal of Honor in 1942 by single-handedly breaking up a Japanese bomber attack on the carrier Lexington. After a short period of training duty ashore, he returned to combat. He died in action late in 1943, while engaged in the first successful carrier-based night interception. O'Hare fits no stereotype ("real" fighter aces are not supposed to have lifelong weight problems; he did) and seems to have lived "above and beyond the call of duty." He has long deserved a comprehensive and accurate biography: here it is. Roland Green

About this edition

• Publisher: Naval Inst Pr
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 1557502471
• ISBN 13: 9781557502476
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 358