Intrepid''s Fighting Squadron 18: Flying High with Harris'' Hellcats

USS Intrepids Fighting Squadron 18 (VF-18) was one of the U.S. Navys highest-scoring carrier units of World War II. Despite having only one combat veteran in its roster, its aviatorsincluding Cecil Speedball Harris, the Navys second-ranking acewere credited with shooting down more than 170 planes during their 81-day tour of duty, earning the squadron the nickname Two-a-Day 18 in newspapers nationwide. How did a novice unit with a comparatively short time in theater accomplish such a feat? 

To answer this question, Intrepids Fighting Squadron 18 follows squadron members through training, into combat, and finally to the end of their harrowing storieswhether they took the return trip home or made the ultimate sacrifice. Drawing extensively on archival and family collections, author Mike Fink reveals the personalities of these men and the binding friendships they built. Moe Mollenhauer, Fighting 18s youngest pilot, had a score to settle with the Japanese. Outspoken Punchy Mallory incredibly was reprimanded for shooting down enemy planes. And the squadrons best-known figure, Cecil Speedball Harris, took the lead in preparing his peers for war before they took their place at the tip of the Navys spear. Intrepids Fighting Squadron 18 is as much about the bonds these young men formed as it is about Pacific War history.  

The men of Fighting 18 joined the Navys massive fast-carrier force in August 1943just in time to participate in the last great air and sea battles in the Pacific. They were one of the first squadrons to engage Japans massive battleship force during the Battle of Leyte Gulf, racked up incredible scores and suffered devastating losses during the Formosa Air Battle, and bore witness to an unthinkable new weaponthe kamikaze suicide attackas the war entered its desperate endgame. Ultimately, Intrepids Fighting Squadron 18 showcases the powerful impact of war on those who fight it and sheds light on the impact of those men on the war itself.

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