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Seven at Santa Cruz : the life of fighter ace Stanley "Swede" Vejtasa /

This biography details how Stanley "Swede" Vejtasa became a World War II naval hero. During the Battle of the Coral Sea, Swede flew an SBD Dauntless dive-bomber and helped sink Shoho, the first aircraft carrier lost by Japan in World War II. The next day, in that same Dauntless, he took of...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Edwards, Ted, 1945- (Author)
Format: Book
Language:English
Published: Annapolis, Maryland : Naval Institute Press, [2018]
Subjects:
Vejtasa, Stanley W., > 1914-2013.
Enterprise (Aircraft carrier : CV-6)
United States. > Navy > Aviation > History > 20th century.
World War, 1939-1945 > Aerial operations, American.
World War, 1939-1945 > Naval operations, American.
World War, 1939-1945 > Pacific Area.
Fighter pilots > United States > Biography.
Dauntless (Dive bomber) > History.
Table of Contents:
  • "The admiral is a stupid ass"
  • Beginnings
  • Naval aviator
  • Pearl Harbor
  • Tulagi
  • Battle of the Coral Sea
  • Intermission: Summer of 1942
  • Developments elsewhere
  • A phantom goose chase concluded
  • The Battle of Santa Cruz
  • A battle concluded
  • What does victory look like?
  • The naval battle for Guadalcanal
  • On to Guadalcanal
  • From combat to commander
  • No easy days: Air Boss on USS Essex
  • Grooming
  • USS Constellation, "America's flagship"
  • Do not pass Captain
  • Afterthoughts
  • Epilogue
  • Appendix 1. Goose chase controversies
  • Appendix 2. Mission myths deconstructed
  • Appendix 3. Crisis in leadership: Kinkaid's failure
  • Appendix 4. Medal of honor MIA
  • Appendix 5. Decorations and citations awarded to Swede Vejtasa.