Dirty Eddie's War: Based on the World War II Diary of Harry “Dirty Eddie” March, Jr., Pacific Fighter Ace (Volume 20) (North Texas Military Biography and Memoir Series) - Hardcover

Cook, Lee

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1574418416 ISBN 13: 9781574418415

Publisher: University of North Texas Press, 2021

Synopsis

Dirty Eddie’s War is the true account of the war-time experiences of Harry Andrew March, Jr., captured by way of diary entries addressed to his beloved wife, Elsa. Nicknamed “Dirty Eddie” by his comrades, he served as a member of four squadrons operating in the South Pacific, frequently under difficult and perilous conditions. Flying initially from aircraft carriers covering the landings at Guadalcanal in August 1942, he was one of the first pilots in the air over the island and then later based at Henderson Field with the “Cactus Air Force.” When he returned to combat at Bougainville and the “Hot Box” of Rabaul, the exploits of the new Corsair squadron “Fighting Seventeen” became legendary.

Disregarding official regulations, March kept an unauthorized diary recording life onboard aircraft carriers, the brutal campaign and primitive living conditions on Guadalcanal, and the shattering loss of close friends and comrades. He captures the intensity of combat operations over Rabaul and the stresses of overwhelming enemy aerial opposition.

Lee Cook presents Dirty Eddie’s story through genuine extracts from his diary supplemented with contextual narrative on the war effort. It reveals the personal account of a pilot’s innermost thoughts: the action he saw, the effects of his harrowing experiences, and his longing to be reunited with the love of his life back home.

About this title

About the Author

Lee Cook has been researching American WWII fighter pilots since 1993. He is the foremost authority and historian on the illustrious U.S. Navy F4U Corsair fighter unit, VF-17. He is the author of three books on this subject: The Skull and Crossbones Squadron: VF-17 in World War II; Fighting 17: A Photographic History of VF-17 in World War II; and The Aces of Fighting 17: VF-17's Top Guns in World War II. He has also written articles and lectured on VF-17. His writing and research on this record-breaking group of men has been with the sole aim of perpetuating the memory of this unit. In recent years he has changed his focus to explore the life of champion athlete and U.S. Navy fighter ace, Harry "Dirty Eddie" March. Lee spent many years as an operations manager in the Royal Mail, and in his spare time developed a career as a professional boxing referee, culminating in a Guinness World Record. Lee now lives a quiet life in Cambridgeshire, England with his wife Michele.

From the Back Cover

"It really is a story that deserves to be told. Thanks to Harry's letters reporting to the home front, his family preserved a very accurate picture of the man and his many adventures. Harry March's life may have been cut short, but due to the unstinting efforts of author and historian Lee Cook, his true legacy will not be lost."

- from the Foreword by WILLIAM LEE "COUNTRY" LANDRETH, COMMANDER, U.S.N.

From the Inside Flap

Dirty Eddie's War is the true account of the war-time experiences of Harry Andrew March, Jr., captured by way of diary entries addressed to his beloved wife, Elsa. March was a talented athlete and U.S. National Pentathlon Champion—had it not been for the advent of World War II, he would have represented the United States at the 1940 Olympic Games.

Nicknamed "Dirty Eddie" by his comrades, Harry March Jr. served as a member of four squadrons operating in the South Pacific, frequently under difficult and perilous conditions. Flying initially from aircraft carriers covering the landings at Guadalcanal in August 1942, he was one of the first pilots in the air over the island and then later based at Henderson Field with the "Cactus Air Force." When he returned to combat at Bougainville and the "Hot Box" of Rabaul, the exploits of the new Corsair squadron "Fighting Seventeen" became legendary.

Disregarding official regulations, March kept an unauthorized diary to record his experiences throughout his combat tours. He records life onboard aircraft carriers and the brutal campaign and primitive living conditions on Guadalcanal, dealing with the shattering loss of close friends and comrades. He captures the intensity of combat operations over Rabaul and the stresses of overwhelming enemy aerial opposition. After his heroic exploits, March returned home and resumed training in track and field to prepare for the 1948 Olympics in London. Tragically, a swift and severe illness cut his life short at the age of only twenty-seven. His devoted wife Elsa raised their only daughter alone and never remarried.

Dirty Eddie's unique journal remained with the family for seventy-four years until Lee Cook, foremost historian of the VF-17 squadron, discovered it in the course of his research. March's absorbing tale has been written as a complete story chronicling the action seen by this heroic pilot, largely through genuine extracts from his diary supplemented with contextual narrative on the war effort. It reveals the personal account of a pilot's innermost thoughts, both of the action he saw, the effects of his harrowing experiences, and his longing to be reunited with the love of his life back home.

Number 20 in the North Texas Military Biography and Memoir Series

Edition details

• Publisher: University of North Texas Press
• Publication date: 2021
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1574418416
• ISBN 13: 9781574418415
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 352