Lucky 666

The Impossible Mission

By: Bob Drury, Tom Clavin

Narrated by: Jeremy Bobb

Length: 9 hrs and 3 mins

Publisher's summary

From the authors of the New York Times best-selling The Heart of Everything That Is and Halsey's Typhoon comes the dramatic untold story of a daredevil bomber pilot and his misfit crew who fly their lone B-17 into the teeth of the Japanese Empire in 1943, engage in the longest dogfight in history, and change the momentum of the war in the Pacific - but not without making the ultimate sacrifice.

It is 1942, the Japanese war machine has rolled up nearly all of the Pacific Theater, and American forces are clinging to what little unconquered territory remains. While US Marines claw their way across Guadalcanal, small contingents of US Army airmen make their way to the lonely, embattled Allied airbase on Papua New Guinea. Their mission: to defend Australia from invasion, harass Japanese supply lines, fly perilous bombing missions over enemy-held strongholds, and make reconnaissance runs to provide intelligence for America's nascent island-hopping campaign.

Among these men are pilot Captain Jay Zeamer and bombardier Sergeant Joseph Raymond Sarnoski, whose swashbuckling reputations precede them. Zeamer, who cannot convince his superiors to give him his own plane, teams up with Sarnoski to recruit a crew of fellow misfits to rebuild a dilapidated B-17 bomber from spare parts in the base's junkyard. They christen the plane Old 666, naming it from its tail identification numbers. In June 1943, Zeamer and Sarnoski and their crew volunteer for a 1,200 mile suicide mission into the heart of the Japanese Empire that may well change the course of the war - but that only one of the two friends will survive.

In Lucky 666, Drury and Clavin bring to vivid life one of the last great untold stories of World War II. Featuring personal letters, diaries, US Army Air Force after-action reports, even the translated Japanese Imperial Air Force's official account of the longest dogfight in history, Lucky 666 is a tale of friendship, heroism, and sacrifice set against the horrific backdrop of vicious aerial warfare, wounded crewmates, and a white-knuckle emergency landing in the jungles of New Guinea - a must-listen for anyone who loves pulse-pounding narrative nonfiction.

©2016 Bob Drury and Tom Clavin. All rights reserved. (P)2016 Simon & Schuster

Beautifully written and narrated.

One of the best audiobooks I have ever heard! Well worth the money and time.

a true mix of unbroken and inglorious bastards

Where does Lucky 666 rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

it ranks behind unbroken and a higher call but ahead of pacific air.

What other book might you compare Lucky 666 to and why?

i would compare it to a higher call while it touches a bit on unbroken because its not a knight in shining armor, but a bunch of no good bunch of hooligans who have the guts to overcome amazing odds.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

The author could not have done a better job.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I remember at the end of the mission where joe was breathing his final breaths while old 666 was striving to stay aloft!

Any additional comments?

Spoilers !!! i'm still laughing about the mission where they were ordered to bomb a geisha house and the higher ups were mad at them for bombing a oil refinery instead!!

great story, but it drags a bit, but the ending is

Slow to start, lots of history and a great story. Great to learn about our unknown hero's.

Amazing Story

This is an amazing story of the heroism of a great team of men. Written in great detail, you can visualize the events as if you are sitting there with the men.

A WWII Pacific Tale

Would you listen to Lucky 666 again? Why?

I will listen to this book again, mostly because it's narration of the aerial battles fought in the South Pacific is riveting. This is an excellent book to help understand what our underfunded and under equipped Pacific Forces faced during WWII.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Jay Zeamer, the pilot, was the most exciting character, although his bombardier was not far behind him. Learning his backstory made his accomplishments during WWII all the more heroic.

What about Jeremy Bobb’s performance did you like?

The narrator did a good job of capturing the excitement of the aerial gun battles as well as the pain of losing friends and fellow airmen.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

The book both made me laugh and cry. There are moments when you realize that all that stood between the United States and tyranny were a few brave men willing to go up in broken-down bombers and take the fight to an enemy that was better equipped, better trained and motivated by a blind allegiance to a man they thought of as God. That we prevailed is a tribute to those fine airmen

Any additional comments?

If you have never worn the uniform, if you have never endured shared sacrifice, and experienced the espirit de corps that comes from military service, this is probably going to be an interesting yarn. But if you have lost friends, suffered at the hands of nature or this country's enemies, and otherwise experienced the life of a soldier, sailor, airman or marine, then you will find in this book the story of your brothers in arms, brave men who went up in cobbled-together aircraft, with barely enough training, and with little more than instinct to guide them, and defeated an enemy that demanded its soldiers fight to the death or be dishonored. You will feel a kinship with these men, and you will pass this book along to your sons and daughters so that they may know from whence this nation derived its statement that "freedom is not free."

Excellent

Excellent Story of The "Screw ups" that changed the fate of the war in the Pacific theater. Very detailed and precise.

Skip the prologue and go straight to chapter 1.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, it was interesting

What did you like best about this story?

It was interesting and I learned a lot about the B-17's capabilities.

Have you listened to any of Jeremy Bobb’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes, it was good.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The last 1/3

Any additional comments?

The beginning chapters spend too much time telling about the background of the participants. Once you get to the story, it becomes a lot more interesting. My only negative is that the author gets carried away describing colors an sounding like he is trying to fill space, not tell the story.

Engaging and thrilling

This was an excellent book. I was engaged the whole time, I have been studying WWII since I was a kid, and I learned things from this book that I never knew about the Pacific Theatre. Highly recommended.

An Incredible Story of Courage and Heroism

A story of incredible courage and heroism that has to be read and reread to fully comprehend and appreciate the true nature of WW2 in the Southwest Pacific in its early stages following the Pearl Harbor attack…

Must Read

Gives me a whole new respect for the pilots of WW2. What an inspirational story. Well done.