Audiobooks by Brian D. Laslie

The Sundowners, Pegasus, and Little Butch: Carrier Air Group 11 and the War in the Pacific, 1943-1945

"The Sundowners, Pegasus, and Little Butch provides a new perspective on the Pacific War by following the exploits of a single Navy unit, Carrier Air Group 11 (CVG-11), beginning in 1943. Author Brian D. Laslie tells the riveting story of how the unit produced several aces, built a storied combat record, and played an important role in the defeat of Japan. Like other Carrier Air Groups, CVG-11 comprised three aircraft squadrons: fighter (VF-11), bomber (VB-11), and torpedo (VT-11). CVG-11 saw its first action on Guadalcanal in 1943. It was then deployed on the aircraft carrier USS Hornet (CV 12) and fought throughout the Central and Southwest Pacific areas, from 1944 to 1945. The air group's achievements during World War II were laudable, amassing 103 air-to-air victories, destroying 272 grounded planes, and sinking more than 100,000 tons of Japanese shipping. During its time on the Hornet, CVG-11 also produced four aces, with top ace Charlie Stimpson shooting down an impressive sixteen enemy planes. VF-11 took great pride in protecting their shipmates and other squadron members in VB-11 and VT-11 and logged a perfect escort record, losing no bombers or torpedo planes to Japanese aircraft during the entire conflict. Laslie weaves together diaries, interviews, archival research, and official battle reports to present CVG-11's compelling story."

Brian D. Laslie (Author), Bob Johnson (Narrator)

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Fighting From Above: A Combat History of the US Air Force

"The story of the United States Air Force (USAF) stretches back to aerial operations prior to the First World War and looks forward to a new era of airpower in space. Fighting from Above presents a concise account of this history, offering a new perspective on how the air forces of the United States created an independent way of warfare over time. From the earliest battles of the USAF's predecessor organizations to its modern incarnation, Brian D. Laslie identifies four distinct ways of war that developed over four distinct epochs. Beginning with the development of early air power (1906–1941), he highlights the creation of roles and missions. An era of strategic dominance (1942–1975) followed in which the ideas of strategic bombardment ruled the air force; when such notions were unceremoniously proven false during the Vietnam-era conflicts, a period of tactical ascendancy (1975–2019) began. Finally, Laslie considers the current environment, where much of the story of the USAF remains unwritten as it grapples with the prospects and challenges posed by drones and the U.S. Space Force. While detailing combat operations, Fighting from Above also pays close attention to technology, politics, rivalries, logistics, policy, organization, equipping, and training. It is an authoritative history of the development of American airpower."

Brian D. Laslie (Author), Rick Adamson (Narrator)

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