Imagine, it is January 25th, 1944. You are a young naval aviator fighting in the Pacific theater. The weather data informs you that the skies are clear. The first two hours of the flight are smooth, and you can clearly see the land below you. Suddenly, the air fluctuates, and gray storm clouds emerge. The radios and instruments stop working properly. Your lieutenant reports engine trouble. You cannot avoid this storm... These young naval aviators endured the worst air disaster in history during World War II. The Marines' Lost Squadron finally tells of their hectic journey and the ultimate outcome. Book overview: Finally, there is a book that reveals the truth about the worst air disaster to strike a Marine Corps fighter squadron during the Second World War. Marine Fighter Squadron 422 was a group of twenty-four typical young Americans trained to fly the famous F4U Corsair into combat with the legendary Japanese Zero. When they arrived in the Pacific, they suddenly found that not all their enemies carried guns in savage Banzai charges. Their two most dangerous and merciless adversaries were the fury of a tropical typhoon and the cold heartless whims of a Marine Corps general. Together, these two foes seal the fate of VMF-422 and cause the greatest disaster ever to strike a Marine squadron. Aviation historian Mark Carlson has written the first full account of a group of ordinary young men who were suddenly challenged beyond their experience and which forever changed the lives of the survivors. The Marines’ Lost Squadron is the dramatic true story of a desperate and courageous fight for survival against the forces of nature and a conspiracy of silence. The Marines’ Lost Squadron is a saga of courage and conspiracy, patriotism and pride, fate and futility in a struggle to survive the ferocity of a huge typhoon in the midst of the Second World War. Book review: “Mark Carlson does it again, this time with a fast-moving revelation of a forgotten Second World War tragedy, one that should be remembered by all! Excellent! A compelling read.” -- Colonel Walter J Boyne, USAF, (Retired), world-renowned author and historian, former curator of the National Air & Space Museum About the author: MARK CARLSON, legally blind, is an aviation historian and the author of two other award-winning books: Confessions of a Guide Dog – The Blonde Leading the Blind and Flying on Film – A Century of Aviation in the Movies 1912 - 2012. A member of several aviation, maritime, historical, and veteran organizations, Carlson has been a contributing writer for over a dozen national magazines on topics such as aviation, military history, classic film and television, humor, and essays. An award-winning club president in Toastmasters International, he is a respected public speaker on historical topics. Carlson freely gives much credit to his network of family, friends and associates, all of whom have been ardent supporters of his work. Although blind, he makes extensive use of advanced computer software to work and write. He travels and works with his second Guide Dog, Saffron, a female Yellow Labrador retriever. He lives in San Marcos, California with his wife, Jane. To purchase: Sunbury Press Store Amazon Barnes & Noble by Mark Carlson SUNBURY PRESS Trade paperback - 6 x 9 x 2 9781620067451 358 Pages HISTORY / Military / World War II HISTORY / Military / Aviation For publicity information, contact: publicity@sunburypress.com