Tom Burkhalter writes gripping stories in the tradition of James Jones, W.E.B. Griffin and C.S. Forester, that share a no-nonsense view towards war and an attention to substance that is extraordinary.
Author Tom Burkhalter has announced the release of his new WWII novel, Shoestring’s End: a Novel of the Pacific Air War, Dec 1942 – March 1943. Like all of his previous books, WWII aviation takes center stage, enhanced by a level of technical and historical detail that is unparalleled. Every paragraph of the new book maintains a laser-sharp focus on providing the reader with an experience that will take them into the very heart and soul of WWII.
Burkhalter has received rave reviews for his past work. One reviewer said, “Buy it, read it and tell everyone you know. Tom Burkhalter is as good as Clancy and Griffin.” Mark Lardas, writing in the Daily News of Galveston County, wrote of Everything We Had that it “feels like a book which could have been written in the 1950s or 1960s by a veteran of the Pacific War.”
Shoestring’s End begins as the disastrous year of 1942 ends. The Japanese toehold on the northern New Guinea coast, remnant of their advance almost to the gates of Port Moresby, has nearly been wiped out. The Japanese focus their efforts on reinforcing their forward base at Lae, on the Huon Gulf. The mission of the 5th Air Force is to cut off Lae. They must do this while fighting at the end of a shoestring, a supply line ten thousand miles long, using airplanes like the much-patched B-17E Bronco Buster II or the worn P-39D Airacobras of the 35th Fighter Group. New airplanes and new tactics arrive in an uncertain trickle. The Allied infantry, Australian and American, based in New Guinea, are exhausted from fighting and jungle diseases. If the Japanese reinforce Lae, the outcome of the war in the SW Pacific will remain unpredictable.
“I wrote this book,” Burkhalter stated, “like the others, to remind my readers of the deeds and character of their ancestors. World War II is an American epic, shared with all the other Allied countries. The epic tradition among storytellers goes back as far as Homer’s Iliad. That tradition inspires the reader to seek the best qualities within themselves. We forget these qualities if we aren’t reminded, and that’s my job.”
Other books by Tom Burkhalter include:
Everything We Had: a Novel of the Southwest Pacific Air War, November-December 1941
Japan surrounds American possessions in the Philippines with overwhelming force on three sides. The US Army desperately attempts to reinforce the Philippines garrison, but the armed forces of Imperial Japan may attack at any moment. Two brothers, Jack and Charlie Davis, are pilots in the US Army Air Forces. When they are sent to the Far Eastern Air Forces in the Philippines, they must depend on every ounce of courage, training, and skill they have to survive the coming war.
A Snowball’s Chance: a Novel of the Pacific Air War, January-February 1942
The victorious Japanese come south in overwhelming numbers. The Allies send Jack and Charlie Davis and their friends, outnumbered and in obsolescent airplanes, to help the British and Dutch attempt to stop the Japanese Army and Navy. As the Dutch say, “Luck to the fighters.”
Boxcar Red Leader: a Novel of the Pacific Air War, May 1942
The Imperial Japanese Navy sails to invade Port Moresby, the last Allied base between the Japanese and Australia. It the Japanese take Port Moresby, Australia’s supply line to the United States will be cut. Jack Davis is sent to Port Moresby to command a flight of untrained young pilots flying a dangerous airplane no one wants, the P-39D Airacobra. Charlie Davis, now flying the B-17E Bronco Buster II, flies dangerous reconnaissance missions looking for the Japanese fleet. The Allies have lost the Philippines and Java. Can they hold Port Moresby?
Thanks for the Memories: a Novel of the SW Pacific Air War, July-September 1942
The Japanese invade Papua New Guinea’s north coast to try to capture Port Moresby overland. Still outnumbered, improvising repairs to their tattered airplanes and suffering from jungle diseases, the Americans and Australians fight in the air and on the ground as the Japanese slog over the Kokoda Track through the rugged Owen Stanley Mountains, with the prize of Port Moresby before them. The fighting, in the air and on the ground, nears a last-ditch effort for the Allies.
The New Kids: a Novel of the Air War on the Home Front, September 1942
Jack and Charlie Davis have survived nine months of vicious air fighting. When they get home new challenges wait for them, challenges of long-deferred love, of living with memories, and the responsibilities laid on combat-proven pilots and leaders as new pilots arrive to train for a different air war over Europe. They survived the Pacific, but the war has only begun.
Tom Burkhalter is available for media interviews and can be reached using the information below or by email at boxcarred3@gmail.com. All of his books are available at major book retailers. More information is available at his website at http://www.thomasburkhalter.com.
About Tom Burkhalter:
Tom Burkhalter was born in Georgia. His parents could never decide if the first word he ever said was “airplane” or “star”. He lives in Hickory, NC, where he volunteers at the Hickory Aviation Museum and pursues his omnivorous tastes in reading.
Contact:
Tom Burkhalter
http://www.thomasburkhalter.com
boxcarred3@gmail.com
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