New Guinea skies : a fighter pilot's view of World War II

New Guinea Skies is the personal story of a World War II fighter pilot stationed in the South Pacific. Built around the framework of the author's 1943-44 war diary, this book chronicles his life from boyhood on an Indiana farm through pilot training and into wartime action as a member of the Thirty-ninth Fighter Squadron - the first squadron equipped with the P-38 Lightning aircraft that could challenge Japan's Zero for air supremacy. The Thirty-ninth became the first Squadron to shoot down a hundred Japanese planes, and Lieutenant Rothgeb's account is filled with harrowing clashes, including a fiery crash and a raid on Rabaul. New Guinea itself posed a challenge to pilots as well, with its menacing jungles, fetid swamps, and sudden storms closing in around the impassable mountains. Author Rothgeb also reveals the human side of squadron life: special encounters, VIP visitors, adventures on leave, romances formed and broken, battles Wwith bugs, and quests for fresh food and flush toilets. Humor and comradeship help the young pilots maintain hope for the future while facing the tragedy of death. Although fifty years have passed since the U.S. entry into World War II, the story told in New Guinea Skies captures basic human experiences and feelings that are as relevant today as they were in the 1940s. 1st ed. xv, 261 pages : illustrations, map ; 24 cm