Book
Lost destiny : Joe Kennedy Jr. and the doomed WWII mission to save London / Alan Axelrod.
Record details
- ISBN: 9781137279040 (hardcover) :
- Physical Description: 290 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm
- Edition: First edition.
- Publisher: New York, NY : Palgrave Macmillan, 2015.
Content descriptions
| Bibliography, etc. Note: | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| Formatted Contents Note: | Chosen son -- Most dangerous -- The bitter fruit of Peenemünde -- Never so lucky again -- War-weary -- Fogged in -- The drones of August -- A basketful of rattlesnakes -- "I don't want to have to tell him the truth". |
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Available copies
- 1 of 1 copy available at Tsuga Consortium.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 1 total copy.
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stroud Branch | 940.544973 Axe | 31681002504850 | NONFIC | Available | - |
- Baker & Taylor
Looks at the American bombing mission to save London from German missile attacks by attacking launch sites with radio-controlled bombers filled with tons of high explosives, and how it took the life of Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. - Baker & Taylor
Describes the mission that took the life of Lieutenant Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr., older brother to PT-109 war hero John F. Kennedy, which had him lead a fleet of radio-controlled bombers packed with explosives to destroy German launch sites in 1944. - McMillan Palgrave
Alan Axelrod's Lost Destiny is a rare exploration of the origin of today's controversial military drones as well as a searing and unforgettable story of heroism, WWII, and the Kennedy dynasty that might have been.
On August 12, 1944, Lieutenant Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr., heir to one of America's most glamorous fortunes, son of the disgraced former ambassador to Great Britain, and big brother to freshly minted PT-109 hero JFK, hoisted himself up into a highly modified B-24 Liberator bomber. The munitions he was carrying that day were fifty percent more powerful than TNT.
Kennedy's mission was part of Operation Aphrodite/Project Anvil, a desperate American effort to rescue London from a rain of German V-1 and V-2 missiles. The decision to use these bold but crude precursors to modern-day drones against German V-weapon launch sites came from Air Corps high command. Lieutenant General Jimmy Doolittle, daring leader of the spectacular 1942 Tokyo Raid, and others concocted a plan to install radio control equipment in "war-weary" bombers, pack them with a dozen tons of high explosives, and fly them by remote control directly into the concrete German launch sitesâtargets too hard to be destroyed by conventional bombs.
The catch was that live pilots were needed to get these flying bombs off the ground and headed toward their targets. Joe Jr. was the first naval aviator to fly such a mission. Andâin the biggest manmade explosion before Hiroshimaâit killed him.
- McMillan Palgrave
A fresh look at the oldest son of the Kennedy clan, who lost his life in one of the most daring and desperate missions of WWII
