Reviews
"A fast-paced, well-researched account of a B-17 bomber--known as Old 666--its crew, and a courageous flight . . . Drury and Clavin skillfully blend Old 666's flight into the larger picture of Pacific Theater warfare and give gripping accounts of combat flights. The result is a story that history aficionados will find irresistible." -- USA Today, "In June 1943, Zeamer and Sarnoski volunteered for the heartbreaking 'impossible mission' that forms the core of this remarkable account of friendship and bravery. Authors Bob Drury and Tom Clavin not only tell the inspiring story of these two young airmen, they also provide a cogent, absorbing analysis of the air war in the Pacific. Lucky 666 is highly recommended for WWII and aviation history buffs alike." --BookPage, "A vivid slice of war history that WWII buffs and anyone who admires true acts of heroism will find riveting." -- Booklist, "An entertaining popular history that will appeal to fans of adventure-style World War II stories." -- Library Journal, "In June 1943, Zeamer and Sarnoski volunteered for the heartbreaking 'impossible mission' that forms the core of this remarkable account of friendship and bravery. Authors Bob Drury and Tom Clavin not only tell the inspiring story of these two young airmen, they also provide a cogent, absorbing analysis of the air war in the Pacific. Lucky 666 is highly recommended for WWII and aviation history buffs alike." --BookPage, "We think of World War II aviation as a supremely bureaucratized, controlled effort of men and planes. But here is a tale of bomber pilots--maybe the last untold story of that great war--that instead involved individual initiative and extraordinary courage. Lucky 666 is a thrilling narrative about the ingenuity that it took to win the war, about a 'Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight' of aviators who built their own B-17 out of junkyard parts, and then went on to fly one of the most memorable, effective missions of the Pacific campaign. The result is a book that reads like The Dirty Dozen meets Unbroken . I particularly admire the gritty details here about WWII aviation. Superb!" --Rinker Buck, author of The Oregon Trail and Flight of Passage
