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Baa Baa Black Sheep DVDs:
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Pappy Boyington Books:
Black Sheep One: The Life of Gregory "Pappy" Boyington
by Bruce Gamble
Biography of the legendary Gregory "Pappy" Boyington. A "warts and
all" story. Some fans of the TV series might not like the emphasis on his drinking
and how it so negatively affected his life. But I love it!I It's is an excellent biography.
From front flap: Black Sheep One is the first biography of legendary warrior, lover, drinker, and World War
II heo Gregory Boyington. Blessed with invetreate luck, the stubbornly independent
Boyington Lived alife that went beyond what one might expect in the most imaginative
fiction.
Boyington became a Marine aviation cadet in 1936. Because of his chronic indebtedness
and unconventional behavior, he was "encouraged" to resign from the corps.
Before the Marines could kick him out, however, the American Volunteer Group began
recruiting pilots to help the Chinese in their war against Japan. Boyington eagerly signed
up, hoping the mercenary pay for destroying enemy planes would get him out of debt. But he
ended up fighting his fellow Flying Tigers on the ground more than the Japanese in the
air. Boyington quite the squadron the squadron and returned to the United States. With
America now at war and experience fighter pilots at a premium, the Marines grudgingly let
him back in and packed him off to the South Pacific.
After initial setbacks — including breaking his leg during a drunken brawl —
the 30-year-old veteran, now nicknamed "Pappy," formed a collection of
unassigned pilots into an improptu fighter squadron. Pappy Boyington and his fellow Black
Sheep set a blistering pace of aeial victories against the cream of the enemy' air forces,
the fearsome Zero pilots of the Imperial Japanese Navy. By January 1944, however, this top
scoring Marine ace's luck ran out when he was shot down over the Japanese fortress of
Rabaul. Presumed dead, Pappy Boyington once again landed "feet first," and was
held secretly in a Japanese POW camp. Freed at the end of the war, he returned home to a
hero's welcome and a Medal of Honor.
Many have observed that when the shooting stops, combat heroes like Pappy Boyington
often just fade away — and at first this retired Colonel was no exception. A dozen
years after the war, howeer, his fanciful autobiography, Baa Baa Black Sheep, became a
bestseller, catapulting him out of obscurity with his blunt assessment: "Just name a
hero and I'll prove he's a bum." The book's success led to other projects, including
a steamy novel entitle Tonya.
Still, Boyington's star faded again as he struggled against inner demons: a losing battle
with the bottle, three failed marriages, and constant financial woes.
In 1976 his luck again turned when a popular television series based on him memoir made
Pappy and his Black Sheep household names. Although the show was highly fictionalized,
Boyington was accurately portrayed as a nonconforming squadron commander — the number
on black sheep in the Marines. Appropriately, "Black Sheep One" became his
trademark autograph, while Robert Conrad, the actor who played him on television, adopted
the appellation, "Black Sheep Two."
Exhaustively and richly detailed, here is the complete warts-and-all story of this
American original.
Tonya
a novel
by Gregory Boyington.
Read Boyington's exciting book about the fictional "Flying
Sharks." A two-fisted adventure from this real WWII ace.
Books about the Pappy Boyington and the Black Sheep Squadron
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Description
The World War II air war in the Pacific needed tough men like Colonel Pappy Boyington and his Black Sheep Squadron. The legendary Marine Corps officer and his bunch of misfits, outcasts, and daredevils gave new definition to hell-raising - on the ground and in the skies.
Memoir written by "Pappy" Boyington himself. |
Lost Black Sheep: The Search for WWII Ace Chris Magee
Magee was the leading ace under the Black Sheep’s
flamboyant leader, Major Greg “Pappy” Boyington. A free-spirited intellectual
with the heart of a warrior and the soul of a poet, Magee grew up on Chicago’s
rambunctious South Side dreaming of the day when he could fly fighter planes into combat.
His dream came true when, after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, he transferred from
the Royal Canadian Air Force to the U.S. Marine Corps and received training as a fighter
pilot. He was sent to the South Pacific where his bravery and piloting skills earned him
the Navy Cross and the title of “Ace.”
Once They Were Eagles: The Men of the Black Sheep Squadron
by Frank E. Walton
The Black Sheep legend, as retold through the eyes of the survivors. The real men of the
Pappy Boyington's squadron tell their story of the World War II days, follows the men
through their post-war years, and discusses their reaction to the TV series that was
not-quite based on their lives.
Marine Corps Reading List
Also of interest for military aviation buffs:
Check out Amazon.com's Military
Aviation books
DVDs, VHS tapes, and Video Games about the "Boyington" Corsair:
Roaring Glory Warbirds -
Vought Corsair F4U (DVD) has great color and black-and-white footage
of the Corsair, both modern and historic. Fantastic detail and information.
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