Beyond Courage
Air Sea Rescue by Walrus Squadrons in the Adriatic, Mediterranean and Tyrrhenian Seas 1942–1945
Norman Franks
- The
- author
- of
- Another
- Kind
- of
- Courage
- takes
- a
- deep
- dive
- into
- the
- World
- War
- II
- heroics
- of
- the
- pilots
- and
- aircrew
- of
- the
- single-engined
- amphibian
- airplanes.This
- book
- covers
- the
- adventures
- of
- 283,
- 284,
- 293
- and
- 294
- Walrus
- Squadrons,
- operating
- from
- North
- Africa,
- Sicily,
- Italy
- and
- Sardinia.The
- pilots,
- like
- their
- counterparts
- in
- England,
- knew
- of
- the
- dangers
- of
- landing
- on
- the
- sea.
- It
- was
- a
- daunting
- task
- attempting
- to
- rescue
- downed
- airmen
- as
- they
- had
- often
- to
- operate
- in
- bad
- weather,
- and
- near
- hostile
- coasts.
- Airmen
- who
- were
- bobbing
- about
- in
- dinghies,
- or
- even
- just
- in
- their
- Mae
- West
- life
- jackets,
- were
- difficult
- to
- locate.
- Rescues
- from
- the
- cold
- sea
- needed
- to
- be
- speedy
- affairs,
- especially
- of
- those
- survivors
- not
- in
- dinghies,
- and
- the
- Walrus
- aircrew
- were
- always
- aware
- that
- time
- was
- of
- the
- essence.
- Moreover,
- rescues
- near
- a
- hostile
- shore
- often
- resulted
- in
- gunfire
- from
- German
- or
- Italian
- gunners.Many
- Walrus
- pilots
- have
- added
- personal
- recollections
- to
- the
- narrative
- and
- so
- too
- have
- some
- of
- those
- airmen
- who
- were
- rescued.
- As
- well
- as
- RAF
- and
- SAAF
- airmen,
- there
- were
- numerous
- USAAF
- units
- involved
- in
- the
- air
- war
- over
- the
- Mediterranean
- and
- Italy,
- and
- Norman
- has
- been
- in
- contact
- with
- several
- Americans
- whose
- lives
- were
- saved
- by
- these
- gallant
- men
- who
- flew
- the
- Walrus
- amphibian
- single-engined
- biplane.
- Men
- who
- knew
- only
- too
- well
- that
- to
- pick
- up
- more
- than
- two
- or
- three
- airmen
- generally
- meant
- a
- hard
- sea-borne
- taxi
- ride
- back
- to
- base,
- which
- conditions
- never
- guaranteed.The
- stories
- of
- these
- rescues
- give
- one
- a
- sense
- of
- sincere
- pride
- in
- the
- men
- who
- daily
- risked
- their
- lives
- to
- save
- others
- from
- a
- very
- hostile environment.
pro-mbooks3 : libris
