Sinking the Rising Sun
by William E. Davis
Lieutenant William Davis III of the Unites States Naval Reserve was awarded the Navy Cross for “extraordinary heroism” while serving as pilot of a carrier-based fighter aircraft on October, 25, 1944. “Flying through intense anti-aircraft fire,” the citation reads, “he made an aggressive attack on a Japanese carrier, first strafing and then delivering a well placed bomb from low altitude. After this attack the carrier was left burning and subsequently sank.” The burning carrier was the Zuikaku, the last Japanese carrier afloat that had taken part in the Pearl Harbor attack.
Here is a fighter pilot’s view of World War II, told in colorful language and gripping detail. His is a story of “courage and skill...in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval service,” as his citation noted. It is also a rare true-life account of what such heroics feel like behind a cockpit, in the face of a deadly enemy.
Sinking the Rising Sun includes a foreword by Davis’ friend and fellow World War II veteran, the legendary Jonathan Winters.
Copyright William E. Davis, 2007.
Contents
Here’s a sample of chapters:
1: Day of Infamy
3: Volunteering
7: Shooting Circles
8: Training
10: Enter the F6F Hellcat
19: Luau Time
25: Covering the Landings
at Guam and Palau
32: Battle of the Sibuyan
Sea
34: Ditching and Rescue
in a Typhoon
36: The Setting Sun
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What the Critics Say
“William E. Davis’ recounting of his life as a young man before World War II and his subsequent adventures as a student pilot...is an astounding tour de force”
Pacific Flyer
“Thankfully, Navy Ace Bill Davis disobeyed orders. During WWII carrier pilots were forbidden from keeping diaries or daily records...Davis deftly recreates the stark reality of war as experienced by one who not only lived every moment of it, but recorded those breathless times with startling detail and insight.”
Sea Classics
Contact
Sinking the Rising Sun
William E. “Bill” Davis was a senior in college when the attack on Pearl Harbor took place. He volunteered for the Naval Air Corps, and ended up being credited as one of those who sank the Zuikaku, the last Japanese carrier afloat that had taken part in the Pearl Harbor attack. He lives in Santa Barbara, California.
