
The Last Fighter Pilot
The True Story of the Final Combat Mission of World War II
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Narrated by:
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Robertson Dean
About this listen
On the morning of August 15, 1945, Captain Jerry Yellin flew the last combat mission of World War II out of Iwo Jima. Today, Captain Yellin is a sharp, engaging, 93-year-old veteran whose story is brought to life by best-selling author Don Brown (Treason).
From April to August of 1945, Captain Jerry Yellin and a small group of fellow fighter pilots flew dangerous bombing and strafing missions out of Iwo Jima over Japan. Even days after America dropped the atomic bombs - on Hiroshima on August 6 and Nagasaki on August 9 - the pilots continued to fly. Though Japan had suffered unimaginable devastation, the emperor still refused to surrender.
Best-selling author Don Brown sits down with Yellin to tell the incredible true story of the final combat mission of World War II. Nine days after Hiroshima, on the morning of August 15, Yellin and his wingman First Lieutenant Philip Schlamberg took off from Iwo Jima to bomb Tokyo. By the time Yellin returned to Iwo Jima, the war was officially over - but his young friend Schlamberg would never get to hear the news. The Last Fighter Pilot is a harrowing first-person account of war from one of America's last living World War II veterans.
©2017 Don Brown (P)2017 Blackstone Audio, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
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What listeners say about The Last Fighter Pilot
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- W. Hall
- 11-23-20
Last fighter pilot
Best WWII Aviation book ever read. Excellent
Very personal and accurate Would like mire like it.
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- CrazyBird
- 09-08-21
Needs to be heard....
There are many repeated comments but the history is well worth knowing and the personal information makes it all the more interesting and memorable. This book introduces us to young flyers of this war that should be memorialized and recognized for their guts, common sense, love of fellow man, high morals and patriotism. This book, though sometimes repetitive, kept my attention enough to finish and introduced me to the fine flyers of the last group of fighter pilots to fly in WWll. (Since I lost an uncle on August 11, 1945 while flying in a Liberator over the Pacific all books of this type interest me very much.)
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- RiverRats
- 02-24-19
Thumbs up!
My husband who is an airforce pilot was immersed in the story. He enjoyed the history and as a pilot connected with the actions of the fellas in the story.
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- C. Heitman
- 12-06-17
Great listen!
A fantastic and fascinating book. Great account of the end of the war through a unique set of eyes.
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- Paul Duit
- 03-27-21
Amazing Air Force History Over the Pacific
I started out this book thinking it was just going to be the story of one pilot during World War II but instead it was a very Thorough history of US air core aviation in the Pacific theater. It was an outstanding book and one I need to keep in my library and refer back to often.
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- Shane Griffith
- 05-23-23
One of the more unique stories from World War 2.
Not only informative but a great story about the end of World War 2. From the Battle of Iwo Jima, to the first use of atomic weapons in war, and the eventual end of World War 2 this book gives an insight into the last weeks and days of the war. This book also tells tales of friendship forged in battle and the extreme toll the loss of those friends takes on the men who survived. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in World War 2 history.
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- CLovin
- 08-17-23
Love the history
Stories that need to live on in our memory. Never knew about Japanese offices committing cannibalism on American GI’s!!
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- Diane D.
- 10-12-18
Must read. Engrossing.
I bought this for my husband and began listening when I ran out of everything else in my audible library. I was hooked before I even started chapter 1. This is an example where true life trumps the “made up” stories I usually read.
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- Glenn J. Johnmeyer
- 10-27-22
Excellent and soul stirring book.
This book recounts the honor and integrity of one man’s dealing with the trials of war. He was one of what has been has been named “the greatest generation”. They were indeed great. Today’s and future generations have men and women of the same caliber. We can only hope they are allowed to step forward.
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- mark malara
- 04-26-18
fantastic story
good book
the narrator was super
I did not know there would be an epilogue
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