What do you think?
Rate this book
Lost in the Pacific: Epic Firsthand Accounts of WWII Survival Against Impossible Odds
"…captivating, real, human. Epic!" — Aviation News Journal
"As a former fighter pilot, I couldn't put this book down!" — James Murphy, Author of Courage to Execute
A must for fans of the bestselling Unbroken !
With dreams of flying, they enlisted from all across America, eager to defeat the Japanese and bring an end to the war. Most were no more than 21 or 22 years old, fresh from pilot training, with quick reflexes, sharp eyes, and keen intelligence. And when they crashed, they needed every physical and mental advantage to survive. Their ordeals began with blunt-force impact with the sea. From overhead, a hail of bullets from enemy planes. From below, the imminent danger of shark attack. Then the ongoing perils of drowning, exposure, heat, storms, and capture. Two out of three airmen who survived their crashes were forever lost.
The lucky ones lived to tell these amazing stories. The creator of the "Lost Histories of World War II" series and cofounder of The Military Channel, editor L. Douglas Keeney reviewed hundreds of reels of microfilm from the archives of Maxwell Air Force Base’s History Center, searching out the most captivating first-person accounts among the crash-and-rescue reports from WWII’s Pacific Theater. Each of these 23 previously unpublished narratives, recounted in the airman’s own words, tells a true-life tale that’s stranger than any fiction. Each forms a testament to human resilience, character, and fortitude. All offer inspiring new insights into the heroics of the vanishing generation whose valor will live forever.
"As a former fighter pilot, I couldn't put this book down!" — James Murphy, Author of Courage to Execute
A must for fans of the bestselling Unbroken !
With dreams of flying, they enlisted from all across America, eager to defeat the Japanese and bring an end to the war. Most were no more than 21 or 22 years old, fresh from pilot training, with quick reflexes, sharp eyes, and keen intelligence. And when they crashed, they needed every physical and mental advantage to survive. Their ordeals began with blunt-force impact with the sea. From overhead, a hail of bullets from enemy planes. From below, the imminent danger of shark attack. Then the ongoing perils of drowning, exposure, heat, storms, and capture. Two out of three airmen who survived their crashes were forever lost.
The lucky ones lived to tell these amazing stories. The creator of the "Lost Histories of World War II" series and cofounder of The Military Channel, editor L. Douglas Keeney reviewed hundreds of reels of microfilm from the archives of Maxwell Air Force Base’s History Center, searching out the most captivating first-person accounts among the crash-and-rescue reports from WWII’s Pacific Theater. Each of these 23 previously unpublished narratives, recounted in the airman’s own words, tells a true-life tale that’s stranger than any fiction. Each forms a testament to human resilience, character, and fortitude. All offer inspiring new insights into the heroics of the vanishing generation whose valor will live forever.
216 pages, Hardcover
First published February 14, 2014
6 people are currently reading
380 people want to read
About the author
L. Douglas Keeney
25 books21 followersL. Douglas Keeney is an author, historian, commentator and speaker with twenty-two books in print from Simon & Schuster, St. Martins/Macmillan, HarperCollins and Lyons Press. Keeney’s passion is to unearth the lost stories in world history and in those stories find the fabric of the people we are today. To that end, Keeney has written about events as seminal as 9/11 and World War II, as entertaining as the fashionable roots of the French Riviera, as revealing as the profiles of such luminaries as Curtis LeMay John F. Kennedy, and Franklin Roosevelt, and as unusual as those who pioneered international aviation and travel into space. He is an engaging speaker who has entertained hundreds of audiences across the nation.
Keeney’s books have been well reviewed by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Naval Institute Press, slate, The New Yorker and more than one hundred other newspapers and magazines.
He has a master’s degree in Economics, is a pilot and scuba diver and was the cofounder of cable TV’s The Military Channel. He has appeared as a subject matter expert and commentator on Fox TV, CBS, PBS, The Discovery Channel, The History Channel, The Learning Channel, and on numerous radio shows.
Keeney’s books have been well reviewed by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Naval Institute Press, slate, The New Yorker and more than one hundred other newspapers and magazines.
He has a master’s degree in Economics, is a pilot and scuba diver and was the cofounder of cable TV’s The Military Channel. He has appeared as a subject matter expert and commentator on Fox TV, CBS, PBS, The Discovery Channel, The History Channel, The Learning Channel, and on numerous radio shows.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
August 15, 2016
Find this and other reviews at: http://flashlightcommentary.blogspot....
L. Douglas Keeney’s Lost in the Pacific: Epic Firsthand Accounts of WWII Survival Against Impossible Odds isn’t my favorite WWII book of all time, but it’s definitely high on the list. Unearthed from aging archives and copied off microfilm, Keeney compiled a truly inspiring collection of survival, determination, and ingenuity.
Each story is edited from a firsthand account as written by the man who lived it. The details vary and are sometimes graphic, but each chapter gives affords a very unique insight to some truly extraordinary situations as well as the actions and decisions that ultimately saved these men from death in the Pacific.
Lost in the Pacific offers a comprehensive snapshot of aviation operations and safety protocols during WWII. I was fascinated by the development of the survival kits, but I was equally impressed with how often those kits were used in ways they hadn’t been designed for. You can’t make this stuff up and I appreciate Keeney both for finding these stories and compiling them as he did.
Keeney does not glorify these men, he’s actually very careful to remind his readers that they were the exceptions rather than the rule and that most, once medically cleared, desired only to take to the skies and resume their duties. Lost in the Pacific stands as testament to humble men and the fortitude it took to survive extreme circumstances. A definite must read for all WWII enthusiasts.
L. Douglas Keeney’s Lost in the Pacific: Epic Firsthand Accounts of WWII Survival Against Impossible Odds isn’t my favorite WWII book of all time, but it’s definitely high on the list. Unearthed from aging archives and copied off microfilm, Keeney compiled a truly inspiring collection of survival, determination, and ingenuity.
Each story is edited from a firsthand account as written by the man who lived it. The details vary and are sometimes graphic, but each chapter gives affords a very unique insight to some truly extraordinary situations as well as the actions and decisions that ultimately saved these men from death in the Pacific.
Lost in the Pacific offers a comprehensive snapshot of aviation operations and safety protocols during WWII. I was fascinated by the development of the survival kits, but I was equally impressed with how often those kits were used in ways they hadn’t been designed for. You can’t make this stuff up and I appreciate Keeney both for finding these stories and compiling them as he did.
Keeney does not glorify these men, he’s actually very careful to remind his readers that they were the exceptions rather than the rule and that most, once medically cleared, desired only to take to the skies and resume their duties. Lost in the Pacific stands as testament to humble men and the fortitude it took to survive extreme circumstances. A definite must read for all WWII enthusiasts.
May 5, 2017
This book is about how a group of military people go on a b-17 bomber plane to Hawaii when they miss there refuel island and crash in the pacific with no sign of land on tiny little rafts while there floating there they can start to see dark shadows in the water then when the start to get closer they can start to see that they are sharks,..... Bull sharks!...............
I would recommend this book to a 4th or 5th grader.
I would recommend this book to a 4th or 5th grader.
January 31, 2020
I am so glad Douglas Keeney took the time to write this. It is truly amazing what the men (and women) endured during the war. Just reading that only 1/3 of the people who went down in either theater were saved; is hard to fathom.
November 11, 2021
Great stories, some told by the men who went swimming after either bailing out of their aircraft of ditching. It's not like any of these guys were Hemingway talking about his boat, but many of these paint the "I shouldn't have made it back to land" picture very well.
September 7, 2022
Some stories are not so epic nor do the odds sound impossible.
April 29, 2014
Lost in the Pacific by L. Douglas Keeney is a compilation of firsthand accounts from the young men who had the misfortune to crash into the sea but were fortunate enough to survive their ordeal. There were many reasons a pilot would need to ditch his aircraft, through enemy action, mechanical failure, or bad luck. Keeney has found enough of these accounts to provide the reader with multiple examples of each.
What we’re reading are firsthand accounts of, what probably was, the most frightening time in these men’s lives, lost at sea and unsure of when or if they were to be rescued. It was chilling to realize that for each of these men rescued there were scores that weren’t. I enjoyed reading the firsthand accounts, most history books come from a historical basis and primary sources are used to make interpretations. With Lost in the Pacific I was able to read about the war from a different perspective. It was refreshing.
While it was fascinating to read the firsthand accounts from these men it would have been great if Keeney had been able to add some historical context into the book. Many of the accounts use military acronyms and nicknames that are not as easily understood now. I found myself either zipping to the glossary that was provided or resorting to searches on the internet when I came across something that was unfamiliar to me.
I am constantly amazed at what these young men went through during the war, of the courage these men had and the sacrifice that many of them made. While there are many books about World War II, it is unusual to find one that is basically written by the hands of the men who were there. I would recommend this book to anyone who has even a passing interest in World War II history.
What we’re reading are firsthand accounts of, what probably was, the most frightening time in these men’s lives, lost at sea and unsure of when or if they were to be rescued. It was chilling to realize that for each of these men rescued there were scores that weren’t. I enjoyed reading the firsthand accounts, most history books come from a historical basis and primary sources are used to make interpretations. With Lost in the Pacific I was able to read about the war from a different perspective. It was refreshing.
While it was fascinating to read the firsthand accounts from these men it would have been great if Keeney had been able to add some historical context into the book. Many of the accounts use military acronyms and nicknames that are not as easily understood now. I found myself either zipping to the glossary that was provided or resorting to searches on the internet when I came across something that was unfamiliar to me.
I am constantly amazed at what these young men went through during the war, of the courage these men had and the sacrifice that many of them made. While there are many books about World War II, it is unusual to find one that is basically written by the hands of the men who were there. I would recommend this book to anyone who has even a passing interest in World War II history.
August 14, 2016
"Lost in the Pacific: Epic Firsthand Accounts of WWII Survival Against Impossible Odds" by L Douglas Keeney is an amazing account of several pilots who survived unthinkable conditions and odds after crashing with their planes.
As the foreword rightfully points out, these are not adventures but stories of hard battles against the elements, hostile wildlife and other factors. For every one of these lucky ones there are two dead pilots.
Being told by the survivors themselves these stories are amazing reading, giving a gripping insight into the minds of these resilient, determined and ultimately lucky men.
It serves as a great illustration of the state of aviation at the time and the kind of circumstances one actually finds in life threatening accidents.
Very well written and edited this is extremely fascinating, eye opening and makes you appreciate how close to death those heroic pilots were all of the time. Very impressive.
I reviewed this book for netgalley.
As the foreword rightfully points out, these are not adventures but stories of hard battles against the elements, hostile wildlife and other factors. For every one of these lucky ones there are two dead pilots.
Being told by the survivors themselves these stories are amazing reading, giving a gripping insight into the minds of these resilient, determined and ultimately lucky men.
It serves as a great illustration of the state of aviation at the time and the kind of circumstances one actually finds in life threatening accidents.
Very well written and edited this is extremely fascinating, eye opening and makes you appreciate how close to death those heroic pilots were all of the time. Very impressive.
I reviewed this book for netgalley.
January 2, 2015
I had a difficult time getting through this book. I realize the story had to be told but I was bored reading this book. Perhaps it would have been better if the author took one case aand wrote a biography about the pilots. Or the author could have taken bits and pieces from each incident and made a fictional story based on historical events. I just had a difficult time picking this book up to finish it. I only finished it because I felt obligated to write an honest review.
However, I am glad that I won this book from goodreads.com because I feel I really learned a lot about the pilots and their ordeals. I love a good story but I also read to learn. So it was worth my time.
However, I am glad that I won this book from goodreads.com because I feel I really learned a lot about the pilots and their ordeals. I love a good story but I also read to learn. So it was worth my time.
June 17, 2014
I won a copy of this book from Goodreads. Keeney's Lost in the Pacific is a captivating account of U.S. fighter pilots that defied insurmountable odds. I really liked the format of Lost in the Pacific. Each chapter of the book is devoted to one unsung hero of WWII. I have read numerous accounts of WII, and this was one of the best books that I have recently read. I highly recommend this book to history lovers and to those who love nonfiction books. Truly outstanding! Very well-researched and well written.
August 20, 2016
4.0 This story certainly is in the same general category as stories such as Unbroken and books about the whaling vessel the Essex. It is a nice quick read and would be an outstanding choice for students who are reluctant readers and interested in World War II. The author did a nice job summarizing the ordeal at sea while still maintaining the desperation and terror of the event. The book is a very quick read, but it was definitely interesting. I also really enjoyed the author notes in the back and it would act as a nice window into writing historical non-fiction.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews