Indestructible : one man's rescue mission that changed the course of WWII, a true story

In this remarkable WWII story by New York Times bestselling author John R. Bruning, a renegade American pilot fights against all odds to rescue his family -- imprisoned by the Japanese--and revolutionizes modern warfare along the way. From the knife fights and smuggling runs of his youth to his fiery days as a pioneering naval aviator, Paul Irving "Pappy" Gunn played by his own set of rules and always survived on his wits and fists. But when he fell for a conservative Southern belle, her love transformed him from a wild and reckless airman to a cunning entrepreneur whose homespun engineering brilliance helped launch one of the first airlines in Asia. Pappy was drafted into MacArthur's air force when war came to the Philippines; and while he carried out a top-secret mission to Australia, the Japanese seized his family. Separated from his beloved wife, Polly, and their four children, Pappy reverted to his lawless ways. He carried out rescue missions with an almost suicidal desperation. Even after he was shot down twice and forced to withdraw to Australia, he waged a one-man war against his many enemies -- including the American high command and the Japanese--and fought to return to the Philippines to find his family. Without adequate planes, supplies, or tactics, the U.S. Army Air Force suffered crushing defeats by the Japanese in the Pacific. Over the course of his three-year quest to find his family, Pappy became the renegade who changed all that. With a brace of pistols and small band of loyal fol,lowers, he robbed supply dumps, stole aircraft, invented new weapons, and modified bombers to hit harder, fly farther, and deliver more destruction than anything yet seen in the air. When Pappy's modified planes were finally unleashed during the Battle of the Bismarck Sea, the United States scored one of the most decisive victories of World War II. Taking readers from the blistering skies of the Pacific to the jungles of New Guinea and the Philippines to one of the the war's most notorious prison camps, Indestructible traces one man's bare-knuckle journey to free the people he loved and the aerial revolution he sparked that continues to resonate across America's modern battlefields. This Little-known Wwii Story Introduces A Renegade Pilot Whose Personal Mission To Rescue His Family From A Pow Camp Changed Modern Air Warfare Forever. December 1941: Manila Is Invaded, And Us Citizen And Philippine Airlines Manager, Pappy Gunn, Is Ordered To Fly Key Military Command Out Of The Country, Leaving His Family At Home. So Gunn Was Miles Away When The Japanese Captured His Wife And Children, Placing Them In An Internment Camp Where They Faced Disease, Abuse, And Starvation. Gunn Spent Three Years Trying To Rescue Them. His Exploits Became Legend As He Revolutionized The Art Of Air Warfare, Devising His Own Weaponry, Missions, And Combat Strategies. By The End Of The War, Pappy's Ingenuity And Flair For Innovation Helped Transform Macarthur's Air Force Into The Scourge Of The Pacific-- Part 1 Philippine Odyssey -- The Last Normal Day -- The Mysterious Traveler -- Into The Storm -- The Voice Of Manila -- The Day Of Fiestas -- Terror In The Night -- Silver Screen Scenes -- Running Toward Trouble -- The Middle-aged Recruit -- Outlaw Son Of A Lawman -- The Noose -- American Red Baron -- Refugee Allies -- Routine In Chaos -- Christmas Eve -- The Last Broadcast -- Part 2 The Legend Of Pappy Gunn -- Early Legends -- The Perilous Consequence Of Not In Stock -- Daniel Boone Of The Dutch East Indies -- Eighth Avenue Rules -- Pappy And Miss Emf -- Voiding The Warranty -- Where The Weak Are Prey -- Wainwright To Macarthur: Where Is Captain Gunn? -- The Indomitable Luck Of Pappy Gunn -- The Canberra Commandos And The Numerous Troubles That Ensued -- Killing Von Gronau -- Secrets, Spies, And Mystery Holes -- Survival Versus Sin -- The Death-dealing Sweetheart With The Jack Dempsey Crouch -- The Gun-craziest Man I Ever Met -- Bust 'em George, The Undocumented Renegade General -- Clara Crosby Comes Of Age -- Margaret, Pappy's Radical, Scrappy, Lethal Engine Of Death -- The War On Hope -- Blood And Fire -- Reconnections And Revolutions -- Part 3 Homeward Bound -- Later Legends -- Gunship Summer -- Miss Priss Strikes Back -- The Pinky And The Lungs -- On The Tail Of Custer's Ghost -- The Vow Of Last Resort -- Pappy's Final Battle -- The Sweet Georgia Peach -- War Made Animals Of Men -- Ward Six. John R. Bruning. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 499-512) And Index. From the knife fights and smuggling runs of his youth to his fiery days as a pioneering naval aviator, Paul Irving "Pappy" Gunn played by his own set of rules and always survived on his wits and fists. But when he fell for a conservative Southern belle, her love transformed him from a wild and reckless airman to a cunning entrepreneur whose homespun engineering brilliance helped launch one of the first airlines in Asia. Pappy was drafted into MacArthur's air force when war came to the Philippines; and while he carried out a top-secret mission to Australia, the Japanese seized his family. Separated from his beloved wife, Polly, and their four children, Pappy reverted to his lawless ways. He carried out rescue missions with an almost suicidal desperation. Even after he was shot down twice and forced to withdraw to Australia, he waged a one-man war against his many enemies--including the American high command and the Japanese--and fought to return to the Philippines to find his family. Without adequate planes, supplies, or tactics, the U.S. Army Air Force suffered crushing defeats by the Japanese in the Pacific. Over the course of his three-year quest to find his family, Pappy became the renegade who changed all that. With a brace of pistols and small band of loyal followers, he robbed supply dumps, stole aircraft, invented new weapons, and modified bombers to hit harder, fly farther, and deliver more destruction than anything yet seen in the air. When Pappy's modified planes were finally unleashed during the Battle of the Bismarck Sea, the United States scored one of the most decisive victories of World War II. Taking readers from the blistering skies of the Pacific to the jungles of New Guinea and the Philippines to one of the the war's most notorious prison camps, Indestructible traces one man's bare-knuckle journey to free the people he loved and the aerial revolution he sparked that continues to resonate across America's modern battlefields. - Amazon Dedication Author’s Note Epigraph Maps Preface Part 1 Philippine Odyssey 1. The Last Normal Day 2. The Mysterious Traveler 3. Into the Storm 4. The Voice of Manila 5. The Day of Fiestas 6. Terror in the Night 7. Silver Screen Scenes 8. Running Toward Trouble 9. The Middle-Aged Recruit 10. Outlaw Son of a Lawman 11. The Noose 12. American Red Baron 13. Refugee Allies 14. Routine in Chaos 15. Christmas Eve 16. The Last Broadcast Part 2 The Legend of Pappy Gunn 17. Early Legends 18. The Perilous Consequence of Not in Stock 19. Daniel Boone of the Dutch East Indies 20. Eighth Avenue Rules 21. Pappy and Miss EMF 22. Voiding the Warranty 23. Where the Weak Are Prey 24. Wainwright to MacArthur: Where Is Captain Gunn? 25. The Indomitable Luck of Pappy Gunn 26. The Canberra Commandos and the Numerous Troubles That Ensued 27. Killing von Gronau 28. Secrets, Spies, and Mystery Holes 29. Survival Versus Sin 30. The Death-Dealing Sweetheart with the Jack Dempsey Crouch 31. “The Gun-Craziest Man I Ever Met” 32. Bust ’Em George, the Undocumented Renegade General 33. Clara Crosby Comes of Age 34. Margaret, Pappy’s Radical, Scrappy, Lethal Engine of Death 35. The War on Hope 36. Blood and Fire 37. Reconnections and Revolutions Part 3 Homeward Bound 38. Later Legends 39. Gunship Summer 40. Miss Priss Strikes Back 41. The Pinky and the Lungs 42. On the Tail of Custer’s Ghost 43. The Vow of Last Resort 44. Pappy’s Final Battle 45. The Sweet Georgia Peach 46. War Made Animals of Men 47. Ward Six Photos Afterword Acknowledgments Bibliography Notes Newsletters Copyright