02832cam a2200349 i 4500 551272893 TxAuBib 20220427120000.0 211102s2022||||||||||||||||||||||||eng|u 2021051080 9781250274380 HRD 29.99 1250274389 HRD 29.99 TxAuBib rda Maurer, Kevin. Damn Lucky [BOOK] : one man's courage during the bloodiest military campaign in aviation history / Kevin Maurer. First edition. New York : St. Martin's Press, 2022. viii, 306 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 25 cm. txt rdacontent n rdamedia nc rdacarrier Includes index. Pearl Harbor, Hawaii was a world away from John Luckadoo’s hometown of Chattanooga, Tennessee. But when the Japanese attacked the American naval base on December 7, 1941, he didn’t hesitate to join the military. Trained as a pilot with the United States Air Force, Second Lieutenant Luckadoo was assigned to the 100th Bomb Group stationed in Thorpe Abbotts, England. Between June and October 1943, he flew B-17 Flying Fortresses over France and Germany on bombing runs devised to destroy the Nazi war machine. With a shrapnel torn Bible in his flight jacket pocket and his girlfriend’s silk stocking around his neck like a scarf as talismans, Luckadoo piloted through Luftwaffe machine-gun fire and antiaircraft flak while enduring subzero temperatures to complete twenty-five missions and his combat service. The average bomber crew rarely survived after eight to twelve missions. Knowing far too many airmen who wouldn’t be returning home, Luckadoo closed off his emotions and focused on his tasks to finish his tour of duty one moment at a time, realizing his success was more about being lucky than being skilled. Drawn from Luckadoo’s firsthand accounts, war correspondent Kevin Maurer shares his extraordinary tale from war to peacetime, uncovering astonishing feats of bravery during the bloodiest military campaign in aviation history, and presenting an incredible portrait of a young man’s coming-of-age during the world’s most devastating war. Provided by publisher. 20220427. Luckadoo, John 1922- United States Army Air Forces Bomb Group, 100th. United States Army Air Forces Biography. United States Army Air Forces Officers Biography. World War, 1939-1945 Aerial operations, American. World War, 1939-1945 Campaigns Western Front. Bomber pilots United States Biography.