Vanishing Act: The Enduring Mystery Behind the Legendary Doolittle Raid Over Tokyo

For many, Captain Ted W. Lawson’s memoir Thirty Seconds over Tokyo, upon which the 1944 movie of the same name was based, brings to mind the iconic image of Lieutenant Colonel James Doolittle and his B-25 bombers taking off from an aircraft carrier in April 1942 to avenge the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Although it was mostly a symbolic and morale-boosting mission, Hampton (Valor: The Astonishing World War II Saga of One Man’s Defiance and Indomitable Spirit) hypothesizes that within this group, Plane 8, piloted by Captain Edward York and copiloted by Lieutenant Bob Emmens, had a different mission: to secretly land in the Soviet Union and test Stalin’s willingness to allow U.S. use of Soviet airfields. The book provides a detailed look at the U.S. Army Air Corps of the time, the training of the air crews, and the geopolitical aims of the Japanese, U.S., Chinese, and Soviet governments. Though Hampton’s conclusions are persuasive, some listeners might wish for more documentation to support his claims. The narration of Mike Chamberlain, especially when he does American regional accents, is wonderful and adds much to the story.