Fortress Against the Sun
by Gene E. Salecker
"Fortress
Against the Sun" deals with the use of the B-17 in the Pacific in WW
II. Anyone who is interested
in my book may purchase a copy directly from me for a discounted price
of
$25.00 per book plus $3.00 priority shipping. If the buyer is a
veteran of WW II (particularly of the B-17 units in the Pacific) I will
gladly
inscribe the book and, of course, autograph it. Per my contract
with
Combined Publishing I can sell 200 copies of my book at a discounted
price
before the publishers consider me a book dealer and charge me a higher
price. Right now I am getting an author's discount (as
opposed to a dealer's discount) and I am more than happy to pass that
on
to anyone who would like a book directly from me.
Books can be ordered by sending a check or money order
to me at:
Gene Eric Salecker
2526 N. Davisson St.
River Grove, IL 60171-1710
To answer any questions regarding my reason for choosing
to write about the B-17 in the Pacific: I have always been interested in
the B-17. I think that it is one of the prettiest planes ever
built. I always found the B-17E and F models of particular
beauty because they lacked the ugly, though highly effective,
chin turret of the B-17G. Ironically however, while writing the book I
gravitated towards the older model B-17s, the model-C and -D version with
the small tail. I suddenly saw the beauty in the lines of these fine
birds. The B-17 was always noted as a plane that could "take a lickin' and
keep on tickin'" (to borrow a phase!) and was noted as a forgiving plane
to fly. Although I have never flown in a B-17, I have been able to crawl
through a half dozen or so at different air shows and find the plane
simply fascinating, inside and out.
As to why I chose to cover the B-17 in the Pacific, I must say
that in all of the books that I have read or that I own on the B-17, their
story in the Pacific is barely touched upon. When you mention the B-17 to
someone, they inevitably think of the 8th Air Force and the bombing of
Nazi Germany. While this should never be downplayed in its importance to
our victory in WW II, people should also realize that the B-17 saw action
in other places as well. Actually, in every theatre of the war, including
the Aleutians!
I have always been prone to reading books and listening to
veterans that fought against the Japanese and in doing so it dawned on me
that the full impact of the B-17 in the Pacific has never been covered. Do
people know that twelve B-17's flew into Pearl Harbor during the surprise
Japanese raid? Do they know that the B-17 was one of the few
offensive weapons that the United States possessed in the Philippines
after December 8, 1941? Do people know that the first successful
skip-bombing raids were carried out by B-17s, or that the B-17 played a
significant part in slowing the Japanese push into the Netherlands East
Indies, and fought valiantly at Makassar Strait, Coral Sea, Midway, and
elsewhere?
In 1996 the Naval Institute Press published my first book entitled
"Disaster on the Mississippi" about a little-known steamboat disaster at
the end of the Civil War. On April 27, 1865 the steamboat SULTANA was
on
the Mississippi River just north of Memphis when her boilers suddenly
exploded. The boat had been carrying more than 2,100 recently released
Union prisoners of war. The men were on their way home when disaster
struck. By the time it was over more than 1,700 people were dead. This is
a terrible disaster that has slipped through the pages of history. I did
not want the story of the B-17 in the Pacific to do otherwise. Although my
first book is out of print from the Naval Institute, I have had it
privately reprinted and copies can be purchased from me for the same price
as "Fortress Against the Sun."
To make a long story longer, I guess I am always trying to tell
the story of something that has long been overlooked. I have been given
the gift to be able to write a good story so I try to help others by
reporting on things that never should have been overlooked in the first
place. At present I am gathering research material for my next book, the
story of Army tank units in the Pacific - another aspect of WW II that has
often been overlooked or ignored.
Respectfully yours,
Gene Eric Salecker
(708) 453-2069
G-Salecker@neiu.edu