NOW AVAILABLE

A Novel of the Battle of Midway

G. Alvin Simons

DARE TO WALTZ AMONG TIGERS

From the book:
Thach used his slight height advantage to roll into a beam run on the Nakajima's right side. He powered the F4F in low and steady, allowing himself the best chance of striking the target. He squeezed the trigger a fraction of a second before his prey zipped past. Flickering streams of .50-caliber tracers arced gracefully through the air, curving into his target streaking by. Staccato ropes of steel-jacketed lead ripped into the Nakajima's uncovered fuselage, blowing large pieces free. The enemy plane rolled over slightly as slugs chewed into it, exposing its far side to damage. Thach continued raking the damaged plane until it cleared his field of fire. Completing his pass, Thach turned back to look. The Nakajima's left wing blazed, the intense heat and flames melting away the outer covering and exposing the frame. The enemy plane wobbled and dipped and then straightened out. He watched in frustrated awe as the Japanese pilot struggled to complete his run and succeeded in dropping his torpedo. Thach cursed, thinking, what do I have to do to stop this guy? Flame his aircraft, destroy a wing, and he still drops his fish. What drives a man so?

June 4, 1942, amidst the Pacific Ocean near a tiny atoll named Midway, savage fighting rages. By day's end, one dominant naval power reaches and ebbs from the high-water mark of its existence. The other strives toward mastering the world's oceans as it does today. The Battle of Midway was more than a contest of two nation's wills; it was a contest of man's will over uncontrollable circumstances.

This novel delves beyond the historical facts and offers an insight into some of the complex personalities of several of the battle's participants on both sides. It is not just about the combat, but also the effect of combat on the men caught up in this crucible. For some, this day serves as a turning point, altering and shaping their future. Others find their end in an unmarked grave beneath deep Pacific waters. These pages describe the thrilling, terrifying action as experienced by the men involved.
If December 7, 1942 represents the Day of Infamy to the American consciousness, then June 4, 1942 is the Day of Retribution.
The historical facts are between these covers.
So is the rest of the story.

AVAILABLE AT AMAZON
Vengeance Strikes the Blow:
A Novel of the Battle of Midway