Lucky 666, Bob Drury
Lucky 666, Bob Drury
11 Rating(s)
List: $25.99
On Sale: $5.99

Lucky 666
The Impossible Mission

Author: Bob Drury, Tom Clavin

Narrator: Jeremy Bobb

Unabridged: 9 hr 3 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 10/25/2016


Synopsis

“A fast-paced, well-researched…irresistible” (USA TODAY) World War II aviation account of friendship, heroism, and sacrifice that reads like Unbroken meets The Dirty Dozen from the authors of the #1 New York Times bestselling The Heart of Everything That Is.

It’s 1942, just after the blow to Pearl Harbor and the Japanese invasion of the Philippines, and the United States is reeling. A group of raw US Army Airmen travels to the embattled American Air Base of Port Moresby at Papua, New Guinea. Their mission: to protect Australia, to disrupt the Japanese supply lines, and to fly perilous reconnaissance runs over the enemy-held strongholds. Among the men are pilot Captain Jay Zeamer and bombardier Sergeant Raymond Joseph “Joe” Sarnoski, a pair of swashbuckling screw-ups whose antics prevent them from being assigned to a regular bombing crew. Instead, they rebuild a broken-down B-17 bomber from spare parts and christen the plane Old 666.

One day in June 1943, a request is circulated: volunteers are needed for a reconnaissance flight into the heart of the Japanese empire. Zeamer and Sarnoski see it as a shot at redemption and cobble together a crew and depart in Old 666 under cover of darkness. Five hours later, dozens of Japanese Zeros riddle the plane with bullets. Bloody and half-conscious, Zeamer and Sarnoski keep the plane in the air, winning what will go down as the longest dogfight in history and maneuvering an emergency landing in the jungle. Only one of them will make it home alive.

With unprecedented access to the Old 666 crew’s family and letters, as well as newly released transcripts from the Imperial Air Force’s official accounts of the battle, Lucky 666 is perhaps the last untold “great war story” (Kirkus Reviews) from the war in the Pacific. It’s an unforgettable tale of friendship, bravery, and sacrifice—and “highly recommended for WWII and aviation history buffs alike” (BookPage).

About Bob Drury

Bob Drury is the author/coauthor/editor of nine books. He has written for numerous publications, including The New York Times, Vanity Fair, Men’s Journal, and GQ. He is currently a contributing editor and foreign correspondent for Men’s Health. He lives in Manasquan, New Jersey.

About Tom Clavin

Tom Clavin is the author or coauthor of sixteen books. For fifteen years he wrote for The New York Times and has contributed to such magazines as Golf, Men's Journal, Parade, Reader’s Digest, and Smithsonian. He is currently the investigative features correspondent for Manhattan Magazine. He lives in Sag Harbor, New York.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Luisa on November 05, 2022

I give this 3.5 stars because the story really is an amazing one! The writing was a little bumpy at times but don't let that deter you from reading this book. I cannot imagine being in the Air Force during World War II! What those men endured, and how they got right back into the plane after a fligh......more

Goodreads review by Isaac on February 09, 2017

*This is a Goodreads win and this is my honest review of the book.* Lucky 666 is a Non Fiction story of a WWII bomber squadron based in the Pacific Theater of war. For those who don't know the Allies spent most of their resources on the European conflict leaving the Pacific with effectively second ra......more

Goodreads review by Sweetwilliam on September 29, 2018

Bob and Tom have done it again. They wrote a very readable and thrilling account of the impossible last reconnaissance mission of Jay Zeemer and his B-17 crew in the Pacific War. This mission won pilot Jay Zeemer and bombardier Joe Sarnoski our countries highest honor. One small complaint is that it......more