{"product_id":"operation-vengeance-the-astonishing-aerial-ambush-that-changed-world-war-ii-9780062938107","title":"Operation Vengeance: The Astonishing Aerial Ambush That Changed World War II","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"\u003cem\u003eOperation Vengeance\u003c\/em\u003e is colorful, intimate, eye-popping history, delivered at a breakneck pace. I loved it.\" \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e-Lynn Vincent\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe \u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e bestselling author of \u003cem\u003eViper Pilot\u003c\/em\u003e delivers an electrifying narrative account of the top-secret U.S. mission to kill Isoroku Yamamoto, the Japanese commander who masterminded Pearl Harbor.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn 1943, the United States military began to plan one of the most dramatic secret missions of World War II. Its code name was Operation Vengeance. Naval Intelligence had intercepted the itinerary of Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, the Commander-in-Chief of the Japanese Combined Fleet, whose stealth attack on Pearl Harbor precipitated America's entry into the war. Harvard-educated, Yamamoto was a close confidant of Emperor Hirohito and a brilliant tactician who epitomized Japanese military might. On April 18th, the U.S. discovered, he would travel to Rabaul in the South Pacific to visit Japanese troops, then fly to the Japanese airfield at Balalale, 400 miles to the southeast.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSet into motion, the Americans' plan was one of the most tactically difficult operations of the war. To avoid detection, U.S. pilots had to embark on a circuitous, 1,000-mile odyssey that would test not only their skills but the physical integrity of their planes. The timing was also crucial: the slightest miscalculation, even by a few minutes--or a delay on the famously punctual Yamamoto's end--meant the entire plan would collapse, endangering American lives. But if these remarkable pilots succeeded, they could help turn the tide of the war--and greatly boost Allied morale. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eInformed by deep archival research and his experience as a decorated combat pilot, \u003cem\u003eOperation Vengeance\u003c\/em\u003e focuses on the mission's pilots and recreates the moment-by-moment drama they experienced in the air. Hampton recreates this epic event in thrilling detail, and provides groundbreaking evidence about what really happened that day.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eOperation Vengeance\u003c\/em\u003e includes 30 black-and-white images. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eHampton, Dan:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cp\u003eLieutenant Colonel (Ret.) Dan Hampton flew 151 combat missions during his twenty years (1986-2006) in the United States Air Force. For his service in the Iraq War, Kosovo conflict, and first Gulf War, Col. Hampton received four Distinguished Flying Crosses with Valor, a Purple Heart, eight Air Medals with Valor, five Meritorious Service medals, and numerous other citations. He is a graduate of the USAF Fighter Weapons School, USN Top Gun School (TOGS), and USAF Special Operations School. A frequent guest analyst on CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC discussing foreign affairs, military, aviation, and intelligence issues, he has published in \u003cem\u003eAviation History\u003c\/em\u003e, the \u003cem\u003eJournal of Electronic Defense\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eAir Force Magazine\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eVietnam\u003c\/em\u003e magazine, and \u003cem\u003eAirpower\u003c\/em\u003e magazine, and written several classified tactical works for the \u003cem\u003eUSAF Weapons Review\u003c\/em\u003e. He is the author of the national bestsellers \u003cem\u003eViper Pilot\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eLords of the Sky\u003c\/em\u003e, as well as a novel, \u003cem\u003eThe Mercenary\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"William Morrow \u0026 Company","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50495426101522,"sku":"9780062938107","price":13.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_c0210cb1-92d8-46de-8bb7-6ecd9b80fdaf.jpg?v=1730683863","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/operation-vengeance-the-astonishing-aerial-ambush-that-changed-world-war-ii-9780062938107","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}