The Fighting Corsairs

The Men of Marine Fighting Squadron 215 in the Pacific during WWII

By: Jeff Dacus

Narrated by: Jim Seybert

From historian and columnist in Leatherneck and Armor magazines, this is the exciting, personal account of a marine fighter squadron in the South Pacific during the critical days of 1943, when the tide turned against the Japanese.

Based on individual interviews and wartime documents, this is a thrilling narrative of the marines who lived, and died, during the toughest battles of the entire war. It looks at the war through the eyes of some of the greatest fighter pilots of all time, including Bob Hanson, the “Maharajah of Rabaul”, and highest scoring Corsair pilot in history.

©2020 Jeff Dacus (P)2020 Rowman & Littlefield

Like I was a part of the squadron

I really enjoyed listening to this book. Not only did I learn a lot about VMF 215, but I also caught a glimpse of the human side, the emotions and thinking, of each Marine and what it’s like to be at war. There were times I laughed along with the squadron and moments I teared up at the losses that were experienced.

The way the individual accounts were pieced together was masterfully done. There were such intimate details of the mens’ lives along with such personal anecdotes from their time at war, it’s almost like hearing about the war from a long time friend amplified by much greater historical context and accuracy. Well written story, much better than reading from a textbook. Clearly a lot of research and time went into this.

The Fighting Corsairs

Struggled to get beyond even chapter 12 but could do no more. Life’s too short. Basically a composition of after action reports. If you want to know who flew what and when, and his wingman’s name, plane models and ammunition used, you’ll love this book.

Enjoyed it Corsair geek

Hey you’ve never ever sat in one but you grew up with Black Sheep and you know who you are. This book is the right combination of story telling and details, at least for me. I enjoyed it more than Race Of Aces. If you’re into 4FUs and tails from the Solomons this is for you, even if you are a “college boy”.

Great book

I loved the book. Although I did not like how the author questioned the scores of the pilots at the end.

Informative Book.

Lots of details. This book covers everything from the formation and training of the squadron, its deployments, missions, daily life at airfields, and time off in Australia. This is accomplished oftentimes with personal accounts. Aerial combat, flying routines, daily life, and accidents are all described in great detail, making it easy for the reader to visualize the action.
The writing is clear snd consice. The narrator does an excellent job. This book is a must-have for anyone interested in the men and machines of fighter squadrons.

Reads like a historical research paper

Tons of detail, but not like a detailed novel that adds to the enjoyment. The entire book feels like a research paper. All facts. Well done, but not really an enjoyable or at all thrilling listen.

No Context - Just Content

The book is a cobbled together anthology of disjointed anecdotes. In short, it is a lot of content sans context. Context is the interrelated conditions in which something exists or occur, in short, it tells a story. This is something the book fails to do. I'm a WWII buff and could understand and give context the various anecdotes. However, a typical reader would be lost and uninterested.