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Survival in the South Pacific: A Lost Airman's Desperate Rescue amid the Maelstrom of War
The true story of a young pilot who disappeared on a routine mission, resulting in a rescue attempt on a remote and inhospitable island in the South Pacific.

In September 1943, as America began advancing from its foothold on Guadalcanal, a young American airman was lost in heavy weather over the South Pacific on what was expected to be a routine flight. In examining that loss and the events leading up to a rescue attempt on an island in the South Pacific, and bringing together societies utterly alien to each other, Survival in the South Pacific brings together the big themes of the Pacific War.

Lieutenant Leonard Richardson and his comrades had been swept from their homes across America, trained at speed for war, and dispatched to one of the remotest places on the globe. American war plans in place when Pearl Harbor was attacked poorly reflected the capabilities of its military, and the limits imposed by America’s far-flung and indefensible territories. The “Germany First” policy had resulted in a deeply uncertain future for forces in the South Pacific and Australia—the United States was unprepared for the global war that came to it in late 1941, even as the pipeline of men and materiel began to fill. Young Allied and Japanese aviators, sailors, and soldiers, were not the only ones thrown into the swirling maelstrom of war that had engulfed the Pacific—the indigenous islanders were also immersed in a new reality. In bringing together individual stories of men at war, this book gives a new perspective on the Pacific War.
1144826292
Survival in the South Pacific: A Lost Airman's Desperate Rescue amid the Maelstrom of War
The true story of a young pilot who disappeared on a routine mission, resulting in a rescue attempt on a remote and inhospitable island in the South Pacific.

In September 1943, as America began advancing from its foothold on Guadalcanal, a young American airman was lost in heavy weather over the South Pacific on what was expected to be a routine flight. In examining that loss and the events leading up to a rescue attempt on an island in the South Pacific, and bringing together societies utterly alien to each other, Survival in the South Pacific brings together the big themes of the Pacific War.

Lieutenant Leonard Richardson and his comrades had been swept from their homes across America, trained at speed for war, and dispatched to one of the remotest places on the globe. American war plans in place when Pearl Harbor was attacked poorly reflected the capabilities of its military, and the limits imposed by America’s far-flung and indefensible territories. The “Germany First” policy had resulted in a deeply uncertain future for forces in the South Pacific and Australia—the United States was unprepared for the global war that came to it in late 1941, even as the pipeline of men and materiel began to fill. Young Allied and Japanese aviators, sailors, and soldiers, were not the only ones thrown into the swirling maelstrom of war that had engulfed the Pacific—the indigenous islanders were also immersed in a new reality. In bringing together individual stories of men at war, this book gives a new perspective on the Pacific War.
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Survival in the South Pacific: A Lost Airman's Desperate Rescue amid the Maelstrom of War

Survival in the South Pacific: A Lost Airman's Desperate Rescue amid the Maelstrom of War

by Robert Richardson
Survival in the South Pacific: A Lost Airman's Desperate Rescue amid the Maelstrom of War

Survival in the South Pacific: A Lost Airman's Desperate Rescue amid the Maelstrom of War

by Robert Richardson

Overview

The true story of a young pilot who disappeared on a routine mission, resulting in a rescue attempt on a remote and inhospitable island in the South Pacific.

In September 1943, as America began advancing from its foothold on Guadalcanal, a young American airman was lost in heavy weather over the South Pacific on what was expected to be a routine flight. In examining that loss and the events leading up to a rescue attempt on an island in the South Pacific, and bringing together societies utterly alien to each other, Survival in the South Pacific brings together the big themes of the Pacific War.

Lieutenant Leonard Richardson and his comrades had been swept from their homes across America, trained at speed for war, and dispatched to one of the remotest places on the globe. American war plans in place when Pearl Harbor was attacked poorly reflected the capabilities of its military, and the limits imposed by America’s far-flung and indefensible territories. The “Germany First” policy had resulted in a deeply uncertain future for forces in the South Pacific and Australia—the United States was unprepared for the global war that came to it in late 1941, even as the pipeline of men and materiel began to fill. Young Allied and Japanese aviators, sailors, and soldiers, were not the only ones thrown into the swirling maelstrom of war that had engulfed the Pacific—the indigenous islanders were also immersed in a new reality. In bringing together individual stories of men at war, this book gives a new perspective on the Pacific War.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781636244150
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
Publication date: 09/30/2024
Pages: 304
Sales rank: 931,811
Product dimensions: 6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Following a successful career in international business and global education, Robert Richardson began writing about the little-known, personal, but critically important stories of World War II and the Cold War. He wrote The Jagged Edge of Duty in 2017, and his current project relates to the events in the South Pacific during the early months of World War II. A life-long conservationist, Richardson is co-founder of the Inland Northwest Land Conservancy.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Preface

Chapter 1 When Strength Endures, Hope is Alive
Chapter 2 The Approaching Storm
Chapter 3 Early Months of the War in the Pacific
Chapter 4 America Begins to Respond in the SoPac
Chapter 5 North to Efate
Chapter 6 The New Hebrides and its People
Chapter 7 Espiritu Santo Becomes Critical
Chapter 8 Santo and Guadalcanal
Chapter 9 Advance Base Button
Chapter 10 A New Garrison Force for Espiritu Santo
Chapter 11 Richardson Arrives in SoPac
Chapter 12 The 403rd Arrives in Theater
Chapter 13 Air Echelon on the Move
Chapter 14 Flight Operations from Santo
Chapter 15 September 5, 1943
Chapter 16 Survival
Chapter 17 Tan Pants
Chapter 18 Lt. Richardson’s Private War
Chapter 19 Aftermath for the 64ths Rescue Team and their Casualties
Chapter 20 The War for the 129th Combat Team
Chapter 21 The War for the 64th Troop Carrier Squadron
Chapter 22 The People of Santo
Chapter 23 65 Years Later and the Search on Santo

Epilogue
Bibliography
Appendices
Index
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