Dead Reckoning: The Story of How Johnny Mitchell and His Fighter Pilots Took on Admiral Yamamoto and Avenged Pearl Harbor Hardcover – June 9, 2020

I love books about WW2 and found this book to be an interesting read. Lots of insight into details of what it was like to serve during this time.

Well written and detailed account of the mission to kill Admiral Yamamoto in WWII. Exacting and sympathetic portrait of Yamamoto as a reluctant warrior. The main character of course was Johnny Mitchell the leader of the 16 P-38’s that intercepted and shot the plane transporting Yamamoto out of the sky 450 miles from their base. It was a legendary feat of navigation and leadership. I rarely say this about a work of history but I could barely put it down. Lots of detail about flying out of Guadalcanal in 1942-43 when the Japanese still held sway over the Pacific islands. Thoroughly enjoyable read of ordinary men doing extraordinary things.

Fantastic and an outstanding read, well written and precise plus very clear. I have tried to give it 5 stars but the 5th won’t take or stay blue like the other 4.

An event we all know about, but certainly not the story that unfolds in the book. The author does a masterful job of introducing us to the major players in this historic event so we get to know them as the people they were, not just a name. He brings the characters together with the event in a level of detail that lets us understand the strategic as well as the tactical thinking that had to come together in short order to make the mission work. And then he wraps it all up with the aftermath of the strike and what the major characters did in the rest of their lives. Highly recommended!

My mother asked for this book and loved it

This was a great read, hard to put down as Dick Leir made it easy to understand and follow the story he throughly researched. Well worth a read!

While I was familiar with the basics of the Yamamoto kill, this book gives great insight into the men involved as well as that of the Japanese Admiral. I do wish the author had given information on the effect this event had on Japanese coding. Did they figure out the US had broken their code? Did they make significant changes?

Well written background to the players behind the historic demise of Admiral Yamamoto, the brains behind Pearl Harbor. Detailed story of the code-breakers who learned of Yamamoto's planned flight, as well as details in the lives of those who plotted and carried out the mission.