One of the great untold stories of World War II finally comes to light in this thrilling account of Torpedo Squadron Eight and their heroic efforts in helping an outmatched U.S. fleet win critical victories at Midway and Guadalcanal.

Thirty-five American men -- many flying outmoded aircraft -- changed the course of the war, going on to become the war's most decorated naval air squadron, while suffering the heaviest losses in U.S. naval aviation history.

Mrazek paints moving portraits of the men in the squadron, and exposes a shocking cover-up that cost many lives. Filled with thrilling scenes of battle, betrayal, and sacrifice, A Dawn Like Thunder is destined to become a classic in the literature of World War II.
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A truly fascinating and enriching account of the role played by the bomber pilots in the Battle of Midway and subsequent campaigns in Guadalcanal; which ultimately influenced the outcome of the war in the Far East. It is sobering to think that the survival odds in that particular raid on Midway was something like 1 in 15, and yet the pilots and crew would continually throw themselves into battle with the utmost of courage and disregard for their own persons.

The tale of Midway is a classic - a combination of dogged tenacity, strategy, and blind, pure luck would tip the balance of the war when it could have easily gone the other way. This book masterfully retells it satisfyingly from the perspective of the pilots, but also provides an overarching perspective which shows the effects of their their contributions as well. ( )

One part of this story, I already knew well: the sacrifice of "Torpedo 8" at the Battle of Midway, where obsolete, "sitting duck" torpedo bombers went in and effectively pulled away Japanese fighters, allowing American dive bombers to rip the heart out of the Japanese carrier fleet a few minutes later. What I did not know was the full details about why the USS Hornet's air groups performed so poorly at the battle, nor that "Torpedo 8" went on to play a crucial role in the air war over Guadalcanal a few months later, and in fact became one of the most highly decorated air units in American service, even though it was not in combat for very long, at least from a calendar standpoint. Very much worth reading if you are interested in this phase of the Pacific War. ( )

Riveting. like the Band of brothers of the sky. These guys went through a ton. For those who came back. The number who didnt is astounding. Well done! ( )