The Twilight Warriors

In April 1945, the end of World War II finally appeared to be nearing. For a group of young pilots trained in the twilight of the war, the greatest worry was that it would end before they had a chance to face the enemy; but what they did not know is that they would be key players in the bloodiest and most difficult of naval battles, not only of World War II but in all of American history. In The Twilight Warriors, Robert Gandt, a former naval officer and aviator, international airline pilot, screenwriter, and a military and aviation historian, relives the drama of the world's last great naval campaign. From the cockpit of a Corsair fighter we gaze down at the Japanese task force racing to destroy the American amphibious force at Okinawa. Through the eyes of the men on the destroyers assigned to picket ship duty, we experience the terror as wave after wave of kamikazes crash into their ships. Standing on the deck of the legendary superbattleship Yamato, we watch Japan's last hope for victory die in a tableau of gunfire and explosions. The fate of the Americans at Okinawa is intertwined with the lives of the honour-bound Japanese airmen who swarm like killer bees toward the U.S. ships, known as'young gods'. The kamikazes are dispatched on their deadly one-way missions by a classic samurai warrior who vows that he will follow them to a warrior's grave. The ferocity of the Okinawa fighting stuns the world. Before it ends, the long battle will cost more American lives, ships, and aircraft than any naval engagement in U.S. history. More than simply the account of a historic battle, The Twilight Warriors brings to life the human side of an epic conflict. It is the story of young Americans at war in the air and on the sea, and of their enigmatic, fanatically courageous enemy.