Not on a White Horse

From the day twelve-year-old Rhiannon spots a lost white Arabian gelding in the woods near her small Pennsylvania mining town, her life finds a focus as she learns to deal with family problems and decides the direction her life will take

Teen & Young Adult

Springer, Joseph A.

Literature & Fiction

Atheneum

Inferno: The Epic Life and Death Struggle of the USS Franklin in World War II

Known throughout the fleet as "Big Ben," the USS Franklin was christened for the legacy of the four prior U.S. Navy ships named after Benjamin Franklin. The Franklin was a creation of World War II, one of twenty-four Essex-class fast carriers built during the conflict, forming the backbone of the U.S. Navy's war against Japan. By the time the war had moved to Okinawa in the spring of 1945, "Big Ben" had already seen substantial combat, having participated in the island campaigns of the central and western Pacific and the Battle for Leyte Gulf in the Philippines, where she sustained heavy damage from the new and deadly Japanese kamikaze. On March 19, 1945, the Franklin was launching her aircraft against Honshu, the Japanese mainland, including the shipping industry in Kobe Harbor. Suddenly, a single enemy aircraft pierced the cloud cover and made a low level run on the ship, striking it with a 250kg bomb which pierced the deck and set off a chain reaction of exploding ordnance and aviation fuel. The aircraft carrier, now on fire, listing heavily to starboard, and with over 1,000 casualties, appeared to be mortally wounded. Inferno tells the heroic tale of the efforts that saved "Big Ben." It is a tremendous story of endurance and seamanship, told in harrowing detail in the survivors own words. Inferno makes for gripping reading.

History

Military

Zenith Press

March 19, 1945 – Off the coast of Japan, the USS Franklin had just launched its aircraft in an attack of the shipping industry in Kobe Harbor when a single enemy aircraft pierced the cloud cover and made a low level run on the ship known as “Big Ben.” In a matter of seconds, the aircraft’s 250kg bomb would strike the Franklin, piercing the deck and setting off a chain reaction of exploding ordnance and aviation fuel. Afire, listing heavily to starboard, and with over 1,000 killed or wounded, it appeared as if the USS Franklin would find her end among the waters of the Pacific. The events that followed, however, would make the story of Big Ben one of the most dramatic and inspiring in naval history. Now available in paperback from historian Joseph Springer, Inferno: The Epic Life and Death Struggle of the USS Franklin in World War II tells the heroic tale of the near-miraculous efforts that went into saving the USS Franklin—from the selfless contributions of the hundreds of officers and enlisted men who voluntarily remained onboard to the assistance of the USS Santa Fe in rescuing crewmen from the sea, fighting the fires, and closing in alongside the Franklin to take off the numerous wounded and nonessential personnel. Told in the survivors’ words, the story of the legendary ship’s arduous journey from Okinawa to the Brooklyn Navy Yard unfolds in harrowing detail. It is a tremendous tale of endurance and seamanship, and unlike any in the proud history of the U.S. Navy.

This is a story told by heroes who, in context of their mission and performance in combat in World War II, lived and fought in an environment where conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in the face of enemy fire were the day-to-day norm. For many, the name First Special Service Force resonates like the clash of swords. To the Canadian and American soldiers who served under the Force's two flags, the name denotes a combat elite that they themselves created. To the enemy soldiers who knew well the Force's lethal audacity, the name evoked admiration, awe, and fear. Here for the first time the soldiers of the legendary First Special Service Force set the record straight, in their own words.

The Black Devil Brigade: The True Story of the First Special Service Force in World War II, An Oral History

Americas

Pacifica Military History

They were the shock troops of the American Army. In their ranks were lumberjacks, miners, skiers—men from the United States and Canada, accustomed to hardship and living on their own. Their training was extraordinary: forced marches of 100 miles in the Montana wilderness with 50-pound backpacks was typical. Weapons training was equally rigorous and the men became as dangerous with their hands and a knife as they were with rifle and machine gun. In Italy they became the unit called to accomplish the impossible. At Monte Cassino, and at Anzio, they earned the respectful accolade from their German enemies. In this book, the men of the First Special Service Force tell the full story of their unit, regarded as the parent of the Green Berets.

Black Devil Brigade: The True Story of the First Special Service Force in World War II

Asia

IBooks

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Springer, Joseph A.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Springer, Joseph A.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Springer, Joseph A.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Not on a White Horse

Inferno: The Epic Life and Death Struggle of the USS Franklin in World War II

Inferno: The Epic Life and Death Struggle of the USS Franklin in World War II

The Black Devil Brigade: The True Story of the First Special Service Force in World War II, An Oral History

Black Devil Brigade: The True Story of the First Special Service Force in World War II