Black Squadron

Black Squadron
Author: Michael Stephen Fuchs
Publisher:
Total Pages: 384
Release: 2021-02-03
Genre:
ISBN:

Readers call the work of Michael Stephen Fuchs: "extreme, fast-paced action at its most violent, explosive, deadly, and gripping" ... "thoroughly engrossing, taking you on a wild ride through utter devastation" ... "full-on military badassery"... "totally stunning in its originality" ... "Relentless - Fuchs is a master of turning the screws" ... "terrifying, heroic, and tragic" ... "Riveting. Full of horror and beauty" ... "The writing is incredible, and the level of action is absolutely unmatched" ... "unrelenting, unflinching, and unputdownable" ... "brutally fast, intense, intelligent, and just brilliant" ... "a continual heart attack" ... "Insanely awesome" ... "You have to remind yourself to breathe" ... "Like a Michael Bay movie on steroids" ... "Action, frustration, fear, laughter, sadness, and hope. MSF is a gift..." One troop of beyond-Tier-1 operators - gone completely off the reservation. One platoon of stalwart Army Rangers - pledged to protect them, but now pushed too far. And a thousand tribes of enemy fighters who JUST WANT THEM ALL GONE. Black Squadron is a secret cadre within DEVGRU (aka SEAL Team Six), consisting of master sniper and recon experts who carry out sensitive and dangerous advance force operations (AFO) in the most lethal cesspools and ash-heaps around the war-torn globe. They are an elite within an elite (within an elite). But now they are being deployed to the darkest heart of the last days of the blood-drenched Syrian civil war, where they are surrounded by thousands of Syrian regulars, dozens of head-hacking Islamist militias, the hardest of the hard-core ISIS and al-Qaeda remnants, fierce Kurdish Peshmerga freedom fighters, ruthless Iranian Qods Force agitators, as well as Putin's hyper-lethal and utterly merciless pipehitters from Spetsnaz GRU. They've also been saddled with a blocking force, a platoon of US Army Rangers from the 75th Ranger Regiment - a unit that has fought in every U.S. engagement from the invasion of Sicily to Black Hawk Down. The Rangers are upright, loyal, and never leave their brothers behind. But now the Rangers may be the only ones who can stop a rogue Black Squadron from leaving everyone bleeding out in the street - and also kicking off a shooting war between two nuclear powers. It's Black Hawk Down meets Training Day in this explosive collision of two legendary special-operations units battling to survive and prevail in the most dangerous city on the planet.

Flying Black Ponies

Flying Black Ponies
Author: Kit Lavell
Publisher: Naval Institute Press
Total Pages: 342
Release: 2009-09-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 1612515657

The tragic, the comic, the terrifying, the poignant are all part of the story of the Black Pony pilots who distinguished themselves in the Mekong Delta during the Vietnam War. Flying their turboprop Broncos "down and dirty, low and slow," they killed more of the enemy and saved more allied lives with close-air support than all the other naval squadrons combined during the three years they saw action. Author Kit Lavell was part of this squadron of "black sheep" given a chance to make something of themselves flying these dangerous missions. The U.S. Navy's only land-based attack squadron, Light Attack Squadron Four (VAL-4) flew support missions for the counter insurgency forces, SEALs, and allied units in borrowed, propeller-driven OV-10s. For fixed-wing aircraft they were dangerous, unorthodox missions, a fact readers quickly come to appreciate.

The Black Sheep

The Black Sheep
Author: Bruce Gamble
Publisher: Presidio Press
Total Pages: 562
Release: 2007-12-18
Genre: History
ISBN: 0307416941

With their renowned squadron leader Greg “Pappy” Boyington, Marine Fighting Squadron (VMF) 214 was one of the best-known and most colorful combat units of World War II. The popular television series Baa Baa Black Sheep added to their legend—while obscuring the truly remarkable combat record of the Black Sheep and Boyington. A retired naval flight officer and former historian for the Naval Aviation Museum Foundation, Bruce Gamble provides a highly readable account that serves to both correct and extend the record of this premier fighting force.

Black Anchor

Black Anchor
Author: Carl Bowen
Publisher: Capstone
Total Pages: 122
Release: 2013
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 1434246051

An oil rig platform in Cuban waters has been hijacked by American mercs. When the Cuban military decides to intervene, Shadow Squadron is caught in the crossfire.

Swashbucklers and Black Sheep

Swashbucklers and Black Sheep
Author: Bruce Gamble
Publisher: Zenith Press
Total Pages: 216
Release: 2012-09-15
Genre: History
ISBN: 1610586905

“A stunning portrait of incredibly courageous men and their awesome flying machines.”—Alex Kershaw, author of The Few Marine Fighting Squadron (VMF) 214 is the world’s most famous fighter squadron. Its second wartime squadron commander was the legendary Greg “Pappy” Boyington. Boyington and the squadron were the loose inspiration for the late-seventies NBC television series Baa Baa Black Sheep, which was later syndicated under the name Black Sheep Squadron. Swashbucklers and Black Sheep is a comprehensive illustrated history of the squadron from its formation and first two combat tours on Guadalcanal as the Swashbucklers, which included their transition to the iconic gull-winged Corsair, to the arrival of their second commander, Pappy Boyington, after which they became the Black Sheep. The squadron’s combat over Bougainville and Rabaul and the story of Boyington being shot down are covered, as are the squadron’s exploits in the latter part of the war (while Boyington was a POW), which culminated in the heavy losses suffered aboard the carrier USS Franklin. The squadron’s service in Korea, Vietnam, and the Global War on Terror complete the storied history of VMF 214. In addition to a rich collection of historical photography, Swashbucklers and Black Sheep features combat aviation artwork from four of America’s top aviation artists: John Shaw, Jim Laurier, Craig Kodera, and Bob Rasmussen.

The African American Soldier

The African American Soldier
Author: Michael L. Lanning
Publisher: Citadel
Total Pages: 337
Release: 2022-01-25
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 0806541709

Military history’s hidden figures are given their due in this revealing and moving exploration of the pivotal role of African Americans who risked their lives for their country—even as they fought courageously to become full citizens. A retired Lieutenant Colonel, Michael Lee Lanning covers Black soldiers’ involvement in conflicts from the colonial days through more recent struggles of the 21st century. From Bunker Hill to San Juan Heights, from France’s muddy trenches to the Persian Gulf’s scorched sands, African Americans have fought fiercely and bravely. They have battled to overthrow British rule, to preserve the union, to safeguard their allies, and to protect democracy. Many have fought for freedom they would never see for themselves, risking their lives for their country and for the right to become full citizens. In this enlightening account, Michael Lee Lanning explores African Americans’ crucial part in military history over two centuries, beginning in the Revolutionary War and stretching to recent conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. Exploring both notable individual contributions and the role of Black regiments, The African American Soldier pays tribute to the hidden sacrifices and unrelenting valor of those too long overlooked by history.

Before They Were the Black Sheep

Before They Were the Black Sheep
Author: Carl Owen Dunbar
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2011
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780813037257

Wartime letters of a New Englander's journey from innocence to elite fighter squadron pilot "A must-read for young Navy and Marine Corps officers as they enter aviation training."-- Lt. Gen. Robert F. Milligan, U.S. Marine Corps (retired) "An intriguing look at Marine aviation in World War II by a sensitive and intelligent pilot; few narratives provide as much insight into the intensely personal feelings of a pilot in combat."--Walter Boyne, author of The Influence of Air Power upon History "Offers a compelling look into the world of a young man who left the comfort of civilian life to become a pilot in one of the best known combat fighter squadrons of the Pacific War. Lt. Carl O. Dunbar Jr.'s letters home remind us of the personal side of the Second World War."--Michael H. Creswell, author of A Question of Balance Before the Marine Fighting Squadron VMF-214 became known as the Black Sheep squadron led by "Pappy" Boyington, this air group was already flying missions from Guadalcanal. Commissioned in 1942, the squadron was originally known as "The Swashbucklers." Lt. Carl Dunbar was one of the squadron's original pilots, and his letters home describe the training and living conditions he faced as a Marine in the Pacific theater during the early years of World War II. Dunbar ultimately flew eighty-two missions during the Solomon campaign, and this volume includes his private logbook. Like many veterans, after returning to the United States Dunbar rarely spoke about his wartime service. Only after his death did his son Peter discover this trove of material, and his commentary provides context for each of his father's letters. Both personal and universal, this volume offers a glimpse of what life was like for a man with a great sense of loyalty and compassion caught up in the war of his generation. Peter M. Dunbar is a lawyer and partner with the Tallahassee-based firm of Pennington, Moore, Wilkinson, Bell and Dunbar and serves as an adjunct professor of law at Florida State University.

Black Squadron

Black Squadron
Author: Charles Soule
Publisher: Graphic Novels
Total Pages: 24
Release: 2017-12-15
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 9781532141355

Poe sets out to investigate the sites of historic importance to the Force.

Power

Power
Author:
Publisher:
Total Pages: 114
Release: 1908
Genre: Machinery
ISBN:

Baa Baa Black Sheep

Baa Baa Black Sheep
Author: Gregory Boyington
Publisher: Bantam
Total Pages: 363
Release: 2013-08-07
Genre: History
ISBN: 0804150796

Here, in his own words, is the true story of America's wildest flying hero, of his extraordinary heroism, and of his greatest battle of all—the fight to survive. The World War II air war in the Pacific needed tough men like Colonel Pappy Boyington and his Black Sheep Squadron. The legendary Marine Corps officer and his bunch of misfits, outcasts, and daredevils gave new definition to “hell-raising”—on the ground and in the skies. Pappy himself was a living legend—he personally shot down twenty-eight Japanese planes, and won the Congressional Medal of Honor and the Navy Cross. He broke every rule in the book doing so, but when he fell into the hands of the vengeful Japanese his real ordeal began.