By Noman Berg
ISBN: 1555716199
Pages: 200
Hellgate Press
More than just another blood-'n-guts memoir, Norm Berg's MY CARRIER WAR is a detailed account of carrier pilots and their planes, an engaging love story and a courageous examination of a young man's battle with--and eventual victory over--fear and self-doubt.
On December 7, 1941, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Three days later, a young Navy pilot-in-training won his wings and soon found himself flying torpedo planes against enemy targets in the Pacific. From his days as a naval aviation cadet aboard the "Yellow Peril" biplane trainer, to his first bombing runs on Guadalcanal, to his life aboard an aircraft carrier in the South Pacific, Norman Berg offers a fast-paced narrative filled with humor and meticulous attention to detail.
Much more than a simple WWII memoir, this story goes beyond the action of battle to explore the author's innermost conflicts and chronicles one young couple's wartime struggle to balance love, duty, and commitment.
The book contains a fairly readable narrative but suffers a few errors in dates and reporting the author's first carrier launch on two separate occasions. The tale ends in January 1945 so it leaves the reader wondering what happened to author in the rest of the war.
However, the book is worth reading and leaves you an excellent idea of what life was like in those momentous days. Kudos to Hellgate for bringing these stories to the historical record.
