Synopsis
The story of my uncle, William Rudolf Larson- nicknamed "Lucky" by his fellow pilots, is the account and authentic voice of a WWII TBF pilot told in his own words from more than 60 family letters and postcards to his proud parents and his kid-brother - my father. Lucky served on the USS Nashville before WWII, participated on the Doolittle Raid as a SOC pilot, and then trained in the new Avenger plane before shipping out to the Solomon Islands and bombing Japanese positions during the Bougainville Campaign of 1943. Several of his aviation exploits were chronicled in the Chicago Daily News, the Oakland Tribune, the Divide County Journal, and the Williston Herald. Lucky's letters to his home were saved in a pinewood Naval trunk for 70 years within the family. Upon researching his life, the War Diary of his radioman was discovered and filled in the rich WWII history of Lucky and his fellow VC 38 squadron. Recent declassified mission reports of VC 38's heroic actions during the Bougainville Campaign also provide an insight into Lucky's war experience and air battles. Sadly, Lucky never returned to the family farm in rural Divide County, North Dakota. Lucky was posthumously awarded the Air Medal. This book includes condolence letters from family members and VC 38 pilots, along with their individual stories and photographs. 43 TBF mission reports and over 150 unpublished WWII-era photographs and maps are included.
Review
"Lucky's Life: Letters Home from Lt. William R. Larson, USNR, a Beloved Son, Brother, and WWII Torpedo Bomber Fighter Pilot - Squadron VC-38, is a fascinating look at the personal and professional challenges of being a junior officer and naval aviator in the Second World War. Reading this book reinforces the danger and risks of the naval profession, and illustrates the personal tragedy that more often than not accompanied the heroism and stories of wartime glory. Larson writes:My uncle Lucky was never found. After four-and-a-half years in the US Navy Reserve, including astonishing adventures and countless recoveries in the impenetrable fog of the Aleutian Islands and the Bering Sea, island hopping in the Solomon Islands off carrier decks and jungle airfields, and dive bombing Japanese troops, ships, and airfields on 22 TBF combat missions, Lucky's flight log records suddenly stopped. (p.197)Told with love, and with a clear style and structure, the book is at the same time a wonderful example of family history and also a valuable resource for scholars and academic students of naval aviation." - Benjamin Armstrong. CDR Benjamin "BJ" Armstrong, PhD is Assistant Professor of War Studies and Naval History at the U.S. Naval Academy
"Lucky's Life is first and foremost a family memorial to a lost son, brother, uncle, shipmate, and friend. The author, Don Larson, is the nephew of William R. Larson who, early in his naval aviation career, earned the nickname "Lucky." Don Larson undertook this book to commemorate the uncle he never met and to create a lasting historical account of his uncle's life and death for all of the Larson family or anyone else who might be interested (like me). This places the book squarely in the category of a reminiscence but it has historical value beyond that. Just as Saving Private Ryan and Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo use the literary device of telling an historical tale through the eyes of specific individuals, Lucky's Life tells an important historical account of early World War II naval aviation through the eyes of Lucky Larson. The larger story includes leaving the farm to join the Navy, flight school, cruiser assignments that included Atlantic Neutrality Patrols, escorting the Doolittle Raid, and the Aleutian Campaign, plus the Solomon Offensive from shore bases. Pretty impressive." - David Stubblebine of ww2db.com
"William R. "Lucky" Larson's nephew, Donald J. Larson, who never met his uncle, has written one of the most personal, engaging and heartwarming stories you will ever read regarding any part of WWII. This is an outstanding and engaging work, worthy of a permanent place on any reader's bookshelf. Highly Recommended." - Steven Bustin, Author, "Humble Heroes, How The USS Nashville CL43 Fought WWII
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