Scootin' Thunder

Book excerpt: In 1943, the 13th Air Force of the United States Army Air Corps was stationed in Guadalcanal. The men serving in this group were also known as the "Cactus Air Force". These crews were known to fly the longest unescorted formation missions with over 4 million square miles of open ocean. Orders directed these squadrons to fly up the slot of the Solomon Islands inflicting as much damage as possible to the enemy enabling the ground forces to secure the next airfield, taking island after island. Many of their accomplishments were ignored and overlooked because the command was under the jurisdiction of the Navy. This is the journalized account of some 45 combat missions by one of its B-24 crew of ten men from their plane, Scootin' Thunder.