Synopses & Reviews
In the late evening of April 24, 1943, the first of thirty-six B-24 Liberator bombers, manned by skeleton crews, lifted off from the airstrip at Hamilton Field, just north of San Francisco. The planes were en route to Australia and flew singly, takeoffs scheduled five minutes apart to ensure secrecy. On board was twenty-year-old James C. Wright, who went on to serve in Congress for thirty-four years, serving as the speaker of the house from 1987 to 1989.
It was the first of five legs in the overseas movement of the 380th Heavy Bomb Group, known to a small circle within the Army Air Corps as "The Flying Circus." Wright was a second lieutenant trained as a bombardier, with just a few hours of "stick time." He was wholly unprepared for this first night leg of the journey into the Pacific combat zone, and for the horrors of war to follow.
Wright takes the reader to the slapped-together base camp in a desolate section of Australia, close to the Japanese bases with whom the 380th trades raids almost nightly. Wright flies sorties over kangaroo wastelands and into Timor, as well as into "Suicide Alley," where lie the airfields on the heavily defended Solomon Islands.
The Flying Circus is about the action, but it's also about the melting pot that was the army greeting a young man from Texas; what it took to be the bombardier, whose proficiency made or broke missions; and the events that formed a man who would stand astride the national stage for more than three decades.
Review
"Jim Wright could always tell a story, and this is one great tale--a war story, a coming of age story, an adventure story about flying and hopes and dreams. Best of all, it's a real page turner."--Bob Schieffer,
CBS News Correspondent
"Jim Wright served his country with commitment and bravery. This account of
his service in World War II and the impact of that war on America is
fascinating."--Ann Richards, former Governor of Texas, May 16, 2005
"I have believed for a half a century that Jim Wright is one of the greatest of the 'greatest generation,' but until the appearance of this highly perceptive book, I did not know of his brilliant, heroic war service. Both as Speaker of the U. S. House of Representatives and as a combat bombardier, Jim offered dedication to the nation--not grandstanding. This book vividly describes what the World War II air war was all about. It is a magnificent personal story-- the best I have seen."--George McGovern
Synopsis
A personal account of World War II, from a legendary Texas congressman.
About the Author
James C. Wright, just Jim Wright to most of the country, was born in Fort Worth, Texas, and represented that state in congress through four decades. He now lives in the Fort Worth area.
Table of Contents
[ToC - The Flying Circus]
Foreword
1. A Very Different War
2. Hurry Up and Wait
3. Three to Make Ready
4. Choices, Assignments and Orders
5. Fun, Fate, and Faith
6. Saints, Sinners, and Civilian Soldiers
7. Sentimental Journey
8. Long Night's Flight from Home
9. Sweet Leilani
10. Crossing the Wide Pacific
11. Daydreams and Realities
12. New Home in the Outback, Down Under
13. Baptism of Fire
14. Have Bombs, Will Travel
15. Balikpapan!
16. Shady Lady and Angels of the Desert
17. Throwing the Long Ball
18. Questions of Identity, Humor, and Honor
19. Leadership, Luck, and a Taste of Leisure
20. Mail Call, Mess Hall, Egg in My Beer
21. Hits and Misses, High and Low
22. Hero Stuff
23. Umbrella for MacArthur's Boys
24. Stress, Relief, and the Sweet Sorrow
Epilogue