{"product_id":"above-the-thunder-reminiscences-of-a-field-artillery-pilot-in-world-war-ii-9780873389808","title":"Above the Thunder: Reminiscences of a Field Artillery Pilot in World War II","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe son of a Kentucky tobacco farmer, Raymond Kerns dropped out of high school after the eighth grade to help on the farm. He enlisted in the Army in 1940 and, after training as a radio operator in the artillery, was assigned to Schofield Barracks (Oahu) where he witnessed the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and participated in the ensuing battle.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn the months before Pearl Harbor, Kerns had passed the Army's flight training admission exam with flying colors. But because he lacked a high school diploma, the Army refused to give him flying lessons. Undaunted, Private Kerns took lessons with a civilian flying school and was actually scheduled for his first solo flight on the afternoon of December 7, 1941.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNotwithstanding his lack of diploma, Kerns graduated from Officer Candidate School and then completed flight training in the L-4 Piper Cub in late 1942. He was assigned to the 33rd Infantry Division in New Guinea and saw extensive combat service there and in the Philippines. In a simple but riveting style, Kerns recalls flying multiple patrols over enemy-held territory in his light unarmored plane, calling and coordinating artillery strikes. While his most effective defense was the remarkable maneuverability and nimbleness of the L-4, he was often required to defend himself with pistols and rifles, hand grenades, and even a machine gun that he welded to his landing gear and once used to blow up an ammunition dump.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eProud of his service and convinced of the effectiveness and cost efficiency of the L-4 pilots in the Pacific and Europe, Kerns earned the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Silver Star.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAbove the Thunder, \u003c\/em\u003e arguably one of the best memoirs of combat action during World War II, will appeal to military historians as well as general readers.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Kent State University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 11\/05\/2008\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780873389808\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 328\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.41lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.30h x 6.04w x 1.06d","brand":"Kerns","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52239143764149,"sku":"9780873389808","price":25.46,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/files\/img_d96ecb42-e6c9-48ec-8d68-c3efaa994a69.jpg?v=1770916945","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/above-the-thunder-reminiscences-of-a-field-artillery-pilot-in-world-war-ii-9780873389808","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}