Intrepid's Fighting Squadron 18
Flying High with Harris' Hellcats
- Subject: Fall 2024 Catalog | World War II | Aviation & Space
- Format:
Hardcover
- Pages:
304pages
- Illustrations:
5 Maps, 30 B/W Photos
- Published:
January 14, 2025
- ISBN-10:
168247321X
- ISBN-13:
9781682473214
- Product Dimensions:
9 × 6 × 1 in
- Product Weight:
24 oz
Overview
USS Intrepid’s Fighting Squadron 18 (VF-18) was one of the U.S. Navy’s highest-scoring carrier units of World War II. Despite having only one combat veteran in its roster, its aviators—including Cecil “Speedball” Harris, the Navy’s second-ranking ace—were credited with shooting down more than 170 planes during their 81-day tour of duty, earning the squadron the nickname “Two-a-Day 18” in newspapers nationwide. How did a novice unit with a comparatively short time in theater accomplish such a feat?
To answer this question, Intrepid’s Fighting Squadron 18 follows squadron members through training, into combat, and finally to the end of their harrowing stories—whether they took the return trip home or made the ultimate sacrifice. Drawing extensively on archival and family collections, author Mike Fink reveals the personalities of these men and the binding friendships they built. “Moe” Mollenhauer, Fighting 18’s youngest pilot, had a score to settle with the Japanese. Outspoken “Punchy” Mallory incredibly was reprimanded for shooting down enemy planes. And the squadron’s best-known figure, Cecil “Speedball” Harris, took the lead in preparing his peers for war before they took their place at the tip of the Navy’s spear. Intrepid’s Fighting Squadron 18 is as much about the bonds these young men formed as it is about Pacific War history.
The men of Fighting 18 joined the Navy’s massive fast-carrier force in August 1944—just in time to participate in the last great air and sea battles in the Pacific. They were one of the first squadrons to engage Japan’s massive battleship force during the Battle of Leyte Gulf, racked up incredible scores and suffered devastating losses during the Formosa Air Battle, and bore witness to an unthinkable new weapon—the kamikaze suicide attack—as the war entered its desperate endgame. Ultimately, Intrepid’s Fighting Squadron 18 showcases the powerful impact of war on those who fight it and sheds light on the impact of those men on the war itself.
To answer this question, Intrepid’s Fighting Squadron 18 follows squadron members through training, into combat, and finally to the end of their harrowing stories—whether they took the return trip home or made the ultimate sacrifice. Drawing extensively on archival and family collections, author Mike Fink reveals the personalities of these men and the binding friendships they built. “Moe” Mollenhauer, Fighting 18’s youngest pilot, had a score to settle with the Japanese. Outspoken “Punchy” Mallory incredibly was reprimanded for shooting down enemy planes. And the squadron’s best-known figure, Cecil “Speedball” Harris, took the lead in preparing his peers for war before they took their place at the tip of the Navy’s spear. Intrepid’s Fighting Squadron 18 is as much about the bonds these young men formed as it is about Pacific War history.
The men of Fighting 18 joined the Navy’s massive fast-carrier force in August 1944—just in time to participate in the last great air and sea battles in the Pacific. They were one of the first squadrons to engage Japan’s massive battleship force during the Battle of Leyte Gulf, racked up incredible scores and suffered devastating losses during the Formosa Air Battle, and bore witness to an unthinkable new weapon—the kamikaze suicide attack—as the war entered its desperate endgame. Ultimately, Intrepid’s Fighting Squadron 18 showcases the powerful impact of war on those who fight it and sheds light on the impact of those men on the war itself.
About the Author
Editorial Reviews
"Michael Fink's insightful account of Fighting Squadron 18 provides insiders' perspective of one of the U.S. Navy's most successful units of World War II. It's a last-minute grab at history quickly fading from living memory, and as such deserves to be read. absorbed, and emulated by other historians."—Barrett Tillman, author of On Wave and Wing: The 100-Year Quest to Perfect the Aircraft Carrier.
"Mike Fink's meticulously researched book about USS Intrepid's Fighting Squadron 18 brings the pilots and sailors vividly to life, learning the ropes, in combat with victory and defeat, and the final triumph. After I read it, I took renewed pride in my own US Naval service. Our WWII predecessors were truly great Americans. We stand on the shoulders of giants. It needs to be read by every descendant and friend of WWII Navy veterans."—Stephen Coonts, author of Flight of the Intruder and 15 other NYT bestsellers
"Intrepid's Fighting Squadron 18 places the reader in the cockpit during aerial combat with enemy fighters and on harrowing strafing and bombing runs against enemy warships and airfields. But what distinguishes this work is the author's extensive research into who these young men were and what they thought as they endured the relentless stress of carrier operations—and the all-too-frequent loss of their comrades. This book is a welcome, insightful addition to the literature of the Pacific Carrier War."—Gregory G. Fletcher, author of Intrepid Aviators: The American Flyers Who Sank Japan's Greatest Battleship
"In this meticulously researched tribute to Fighting Squadron 18, Mike Fink tells the story of an illustrious Navy squadron. This sweeping account takes us beyond the requisite numbers and names, victories and losses of a squadron at war. We are taken inside squadron ready rooms, fly in tension-filled Hellcat cockpits, feel the rattle of .50-caliber machine guns. We sense the exhilaration and terror and high drama in the lives of these intrepid young Americans."—Robert Gandt, author of Intrepid and China Clipper
"This highly readable book brings the reader into the world of naval aviation aboard an aircraft carrier in a way that not only vividly depicts the action, but also conveys the personal experiences of those involved in a way that is most compelling, For me. it evoked my memories of being a squadron intelligence officer aboard a carrier."—Cdr. Andrew Faltum, USN (Ret.) author of Aircraft Carrier Intrepid
"Author Mike Fink has drawn upon a deep reservoir of knowledge and research to produce the definitive account of Fighting Squadron 18’s contribution to U.S. victory in World War II. His evident care for the personalities and accomplishments of the individuals who flew in the squadron is obvious. The descriptive, evocative writing style puts the reader on board the carrier Intrepid and in Hellcat cockpits on every page."—Paul Stillwell, author of Battleship Commander: the Life of Vice Admiral Willis A. Lee Jr.
"Breathing life into his account by adroitly blending human experiences with operational facts, Mike Fink takes the reader into the ready rooms and cockpits of a World War II Navy fighting squadron to tell an engaging and important story that both edifies and entertains. This is history at its best."—Thomas J. Cutler, author of the Battle of Leyte Gulf: 23-26 October 1944