Indestructible One man's rescue mission that changed the course of WWII

*Starred Review* At age 41, Paul Irvin Gunn left the U.S. Navy to manage the newly established Philippine Air Lines. A pioneer naval aviator who flew off the navy's first aircraft carrier in wood-and-fabric biplanes, he's a gifted and fearless pilot and an intuitive engineer, and his family is now living comfortably in Manila. Two days after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Japanese bombed Manila, part of a massive assault on the entire southwest Pacific. Gunn was instantly commissioned a captain in the U.S. Army Air Corps, and his duties took him far from Manila when the Japanese overran the city. Gunn was enraged; his wife and four children must be in the hands of the brutal Japanese, and his plans to fly them to safety were derailed by duplicitous army officers. But his rage was magnified by war doctrines left over from WWI and by obsolete aircraft, a lack of spare parts and supplies, inexperienced pilots and mechanics, and every other manifestation of a peacetime military suddenly thrust into war. Bruning's gripping account of Pappy Gunn's mission to save his family might seem to some like over-the-top fiction, but Gunn's rage really did drive changes to tactics and modifications to aircraft that changed the course of the Pacific War. Indestructible has already been optioned by Sony Pictures, and every lover of bigger-than-life-but-still-true tales of wartime heroism will want to read this vividly written history.--Gaughan, Thomas Copyright 2016 Booklist

Colonel Paul Irvin "P.I." ("Pappy") Gunn was a fascinating character who served as a naval aviator during World War II missions in Southwest Asia. Living with his wife, two daughters, and two sons in the Philippines in 1941, Gunn later became a manager for Philippine Airlines. After the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, Gunn was ordered to fly important Allied diplomats out of the Philippines. Bruning (coauthor, Outlaw Platoon) explains that during that mission, Japan took over the islands, capturing Gunn's family and placing them in an internment camp. Gunn's guilt, ferocity, technical know-how, and piloting experience led him on a three-year quest to gain his family's freedom. Using the B-17 Flying Fortress, the B-25, and A-20 planes, he drastically altered not only their firepower but also changed their style of attack. Gunn's family endured starvation, severe health issues, and a maniacal commander in the camp before being rescued. Verdict Fans of World War II history, aviation and military technological leaps, and stories of the human spirit conquering terrible odds will enjoy this tome.-Jason L. Steagall, Gateway Technical Coll. Lib., Elkhorn, WI © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.