On October 19, 1944, two World War II Grumman F6F-5N Hellcat fighter planes took off from the Charlestown, R.I. Naval Auxiliary Field. Piloting one of the two planes was 20-year-old Ensign Merle H. Longnecker, from New Rockford, North Dakota. The other plane piloted by 22-year-old Ensign George K. Kraus from Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. Their mission was to practice a dangerous maneuver: night interceptions using ...Täielik kirjeldus
On October 19, 1944, two World War II Grumman F6F-5N Hellcat fighter planes took off from the Charlestown, R.I. Naval Auxiliary Field. Piloting one of the two planes was 20-year-old Ensign Merle H. Longnecker, from New Rockford, North Dakota. The other plane piloted by 22-year-old Ensign George K. Kraus from Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. Their mission was to practice a dangerous maneuver: night interceptions using a newly developed onboard radar system. It was by all means a routine assignment. The exercise began at 9:30 pm. They began their maneuvers over Preston, a small Connecticut town 31 miles from their base, making a number of successful passes at one another. Then suddenly something went tragically wrong. The two planes collided in mid-air and both pilots perished. This book tells the story of that crash and these two young pilots -- their lives, their hopes, their dreams, and the loved ones they left behind.