Indestructible

One Man's Rescue Mission That Changed the Course of WWII

By: John R. Bruning

Narrated by: Brian Troxell

Length: 17 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

In this remarkable WWII story by New York Times best-selling author John R. Bruning, a renegade American pilot fights against all odds to rescue his family - imprisoned by the Japanese - and revolutionizes modern warfare along the way.

From the knife fights and smuggling runs of his youth to his fiery days as a pioneering naval aviator, Paul Irving "Pappy" Gunn played by his own set of rules and always survived on his wits and fists. But when he fell for a conservative Southern belle, her love transformed him from a wild and reckless airman to a cunning entrepreneur whose homespun engineering brilliance helped launch one of the first airlines in Asia.

Pappy was drafted into MacArthur's air force when war came to the Philippines; and while he carried out a top-secret mission to Australia, the Japanese seized his family. Separated from his beloved wife, Polly, and their four children, Pappy reverted to his lawless ways. He carried out rescue missions with an almost suicidal desperation. Even after he was shot down twice and forced to withdraw to Australia, he waged a one-man war against his many enemies - including the American high command and the Japanese - and fought to return to the Philippines to find his family.

Without adequate planes, supplies, or tactics, the US Army Air Force suffered crushing defeats by the Japanese in the Pacific. Over the course of his three-year quest to find his family, Pappy became the renegade who changed all that. With a brace of pistols and small band of loyal followers, he robbed supply dumps, stole aircraft, invented new weapons, and modified bombers to hit harder, fly farther, and deliver more destruction than anything yet seen in the air. When Pappy's modified planes were finally unleashed during the Battle of the Bismarck Sea, the United States scored one of the most decisive victories of World War II.

Taking listeners from the blistering skies of the Pacific to the jungles of New Guinea and the Philippines to one of the the war's most notorious prison camps, Indestructible traces one man's bare-knuckle journey to free the people he loved and the aerial revolution he sparked that continues to resonate across America's modern battlefields.

©2016 John R. Bruning (P)2016 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"Set against the sprawling and violent Pacific War, Indestructible is the incredible story of one man's courage, tenacity and dogged fight to rescue his family caught behind enemy lines. The book left me with chills." (James M. Scott, author of Target Tokyo: Jimmy Doolittle and the Raid That Avenged Pearl Harbor)

"This thriller-like narrative not only reveals the disturbing plight of courageous American families held in Japanese internment camps, but also delivers a gripping portrait of a uniquely American hero, Pappy Gunn, who fought two wars - one for his country and one to rescue his wife and children." (James Bradley, best-selling author of Flags of Our Fathers, Flyboys, The Imperial Cruise, and The China Mirage)

"From the opening pages, Bruning grabs you by the collar and pulls you into the story, not letting go as he masterfully guides you through a part of World War II that is largely unknown. This is the work of a skilled wordsmith who knows how to tell a story." (Gregory A. Freeman, author of The Forgotten 500)

Amazing!!

This is one of the most amazing stories I've ever read. A must read. The narration is perfect.

Best book ever

Loved the story and narration. Inspiring story of Leadership, love and flying. Highly recommend. Should be made into a movie.

Good story

Very captivating. Well written and well read. Author does a good job telling Pappy's adventures. Can recommend it!

Too much detail

Book too long, most details unnecessary. Otherwise a great story of human endurance in face of the brutality of the Japanese

Exciting story told clearly

Very detailed work about a more obscure story. Clear flow from flashbacks to current day and between different people's stories. Differentiates between known facts and opinion. Easy listen.

Incredible

One of the best Pacific War books that I have ever read . Just Superb!!!!
Congrats to the author.

Details make history

For some, an extensive history covering centuries is their way of learning from the past. This little pocket of history, about a pilot who engineered planes into the 20th century to save his family, however demonstrates the power of learning history through one man’s life in World War II. #aplanemechanicwinsww2 #determination #mechanicsarethebestengineers #tagsgiving #sweepstakes

Amazing family!

Amazing story about an amazing family who fought through adversity with the goal of being reunited after WW2 did everything to tare them apart!

Hard Times Make Hard Men…

This story is an example of the type of people that result from living through difficult times. If it weren’t for people like this our current level of comfort would not be possible. This is a truly inspiring story about the lengths people went to protect those at home during World War II.

EPIC! EPIC! EPIC!

What did you love best about Indestructible?

The incredible true story of husband and father moving heaven and earth to get his family back from the Japanese occupied Philippines.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Indestructible?

Pappy Gunn's quick thinking solution to guide the planes on the airstrip at night. He really was something!

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

OOOOOOOOOOH YEEEEEEEEAAAAAAHHHHHH!

Any additional comments?

Note that this is a biography, there will be grusome descriptions of war and a lot of profane language from P. I. "Pappy" Gunn. Nevertheless, in spite of those this book was AWESOME!