LEADER 04891nam 2200745Ia 450 001 9910959686203321 005 20200520144314.0 010 $a9786613244826 010 $a9781612775784 010 $a1612775780 010 $a9781283244824 010 $a1283244829 010 $a9781612775791 010 $a1612775799 035 $a(CKB)2550000000052524 035 $a(OCoLC)759160284 035 $a(CaPaEBR)ebrary10496244 035 $a(SSID)ssj0000533663 035 $a(PQKBManifestationID)11319008 035 $a(PQKBTitleCode)TC0000533663 035 $a(PQKBWorkID)10491726 035 $a(PQKB)10543749 035 $a(MdBmJHUP)muse6754 035 $a(Au-PeEL)EBL3118953 035 $a(CaPaEBR)ebr10496244 035 $a(CaONFJC)MIL324482 035 $a(OCoLC)922968750 035 $a(MiAaPQ)EBC3118953 035 $a(MiAaPQ)EBC4403342 035 $a(Perlego)2054178 035 $a(EXLCZ)992550000000052524 100 $a20080916d2009 ub 0 101 0 $aeng 135 $aurcn||||||||| 181 $ctxt 182 $cc 183 $acr 200 10$aAbove the thunder $ereminiscences of a field artillery pilot in World War II /$fRaymond C. Kerns 210 $aKent, Ohio $cKent State University Press$dc2009 215 $a1 online resource (324 p.) 300 $aBibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph 311 08$a9780873389808 311 08$a0873389808 320 $aIncludes bibliographical references and index. 327 $aIntroduction: The heroic liaison pilots of World War II and the amazing Piper Cub L-4 / by Tom Baker -- Prologue -- The pineapple soldier -- Ninety-day wonders and fair-haired boys -- Kauai to Fortification Point -- Tornado task force -- Luzon : Lingayen to the hills -- Over the hills to Baguio -- Sashaying around up north -- Epilogue -- Appendix: History and specifications of the J-3 Piper Cub / by Tom Baker -- Notes / by Tom Baker. 330 8 $aAn extraordinary memoir of an aviator's service in the Pacific Theater "If you're looking for macho, fighting-man talk, you've picked up the wrong book.... This is just an honest narration of some of my experiences... during my service in the U.S. Army between 1940 and 1945." -Raymond C. Kerns The son of a Kentucky tobacco farmer, Raymond Kerns dropped out of high school after the eighth grade to help on the farm. He enlisted in the Army in 1940 and, after training as a radio operator in the artillery, was assigned to Schofield Barracks (Oahu) where he witnessed the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and participated in the ensuing battle. In the months before Pearl Harbor, Kerns had passed the Army's flight training admission exam with flying colors. But because he lacked a high school diploma, the Army refused to give him flying lessons. Undaunted, Private Kerns took lessons with a civilian flying school and was actually scheduled for his first solo flight on the afternoon of December 7, 1941. Notwithstanding his lack of diploma, Kerns graduated from Officer Candidate School and then completed flight training in the L-4 Piper Cub in late 1942. He was assigned to the 33rd Infantry Division in New Guinea and saw extensive combat service there and in the Philippines. In a simple but riveting style, Kerns recalls flying multiple patrols over enemy-held territory in his light unarmored plane, calling and coordinating artillery strikes. While his most effective defense was the remarkable maneuverability and nimbleness of the L-4, he was often required to defend himself with pistols and rifles, hand grenades, and even a machine gun that he welded to his landing gear and once used to blow up an ammunition dump. Proud of his service and convinced of the effectiveness and cost efficiency of the L-4 pilots in the Pacific and Europe, Kerns earned the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Silver Star. Above the Thunder, arguably one of the best memoirs of combat action during World War II, will appeal to military historians as well as general readers. 606 $aWorld War, 1914-1918$xAerial operations, American 606 $aWorld War, 1939-1945$xCampaigns$zPacific Area 606 $aWorld War, 1939-1945$xArtillery operations, American 606 $aWorld War, 1939-1945$vPersonal narratives, American 606 $aAir pilots, Military$zUnited States$vBiography 615 0$aWorld War, 1914-1918$xAerial operations, American. 615 0$aWorld War, 1939-1945$xCampaigns 615 0$aWorld War, 1939-1945$xArtillery operations, American. 615 0$aWorld War, 1939-1945 615 0$aAir pilots, Military 676 $a940.54/4973092 B 700 $aKerns$b Raymond C.$f1921-2008.$01805973 801 0$bMiAaPQ 801 1$bMiAaPQ 801 2$bMiAaPQ 906 $aBOOK 912 $a9910959686203321 996 $aAbove the thunder$94354869 997 $aUNINA