"A Dawn Like Thunder - The True Story of Torpedo Squadron Eight"
by Robert Mrazek
Back Bay Books - 2008
ISBN 978-0-316-05653-3

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This is a book about the actions in WW2 by Torpedo Squadron 8 (originally of the USS Hornet) which became known during the Battle of Midway when all of their TBD Devastators were shot down with only one crew member surviving.

The book totals 526 pages divided into 15 Chapter with 37 photos, 2 Appendixes, Sources and Credits.

Over all the book was very interesting with the writing well done and extremely well researched. However there was one thing that took it down a notch for me, and that was the Squadron's Commander: Harold H "Swede" Larsen. It's not that the stories were bad or poorly written, he was just a real SOB. He was the perfect example of what a leader should not be, so much that he was almost shot on 3 separate occasions by his own officers. In 1980 there was a reunion that several members refused to attend since he was going to be there.



However, it did cause me to respect the Squadron members even more. I would rate this 7 out of 10.