Terror of the Autumn Skies Audiobook By Blaine Pardoe cover art

Terror of the Autumn Skies

The True Story of Frank Luke, America's Rogue Ace of World War I

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Terror of the Autumn Skies

By: Blaine Pardoe
Narrated by: John McLain
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Frank Luke, Jr., was an unlikely pilot. In the Great War, when fliers were still "knights of the air", Luke was an ungallant loner, a kid from Arizona who collected tarantulas, shot buzzards, and boxed miners. But during two torrid weeks in September 1918, he was the deadliest man on the Western Front. In only 10 missions, he destroyed 14 heavily defended German balloons and four airplanes, a rampage unequalled even by the dreaded von Richtofen, and the second highest American tally of the entire war. Cocksure and constantly reprimanded, Luke was actually under arrest on the day of his final flight, but he stole a plane to join the fatal action that won him the first Congressional Medal of Honor awarded to a pilot.

Blaine Pardoe retraces and refreshes Frank Luke's story through recently discovered correspondence. What emerges is a portrait of a life out of an "Old West" that was, by the late Teens, colliding with modernity. Frantic, short, and splendid, the life of Frank Luke, Jr. dramatizes the tragic intervention of an American spirit in the war that devastated Europe.

©2011 Blaine L. Pardoe (P)2012 Audible, Inc. World War I US Air Force Biographies & Memoirs Wars & Conflicts Military & War Armed Forces Aviation Air Force Military War Americas

Editorial reviews

Great War fighter pilot Frank Luke flew a scant 10 missions before his final stand behind enemy lines, but the brazen ace would go to his grave the second most victorious US Airman of World War I. Luke's two-week rampage through the western front skies capped a life marked by struggle and delinquency, from his beginnings as a miner and bare-knuckle boxer, to his near arrest for being AWOL on the penultimate day of his life. Husky-voiced performer John McClain captures Luke's fearless, tough-guy public demeanor, while nevertheless revealing the human sympathies of a young man with hopes, dreams, and an unyielding devotion to his family, comrades, and country.
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Thorough Research • Engaging Biography • Engaging Character Quotes • Historical Accuracy • Colorful Storytelling

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A Fascinating and balanced account. Well worth the read. Truth is often stranger than fiction!

Remarkable

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Really great history of Luke... enjoyed it alot.i highly recommend this book to any one.

Really good insight

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Well researched and well presented. I liked the book and it was worth the cost, but I cannot say it was over the top like some of the books I have listened to.

Very good but not totally outstanding

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Very well researched, I like all the facts the back ground of Luke's strengths and weaknesses and his single mindedness to finish what he started to do.

Terror of the Autumn skies

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As an native of Arizona I was aware of Luke and his deeds from WW1. This book really fleshed out the man and gave proper attention to his life and exploits.

Great story of an amazing pilot!

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