Stranded in the Sky - by Philip Jett

About the Book

Stranded in the Sky offers a rare fresh look at Japan's surprise attack on Pearl Harbor--a historical event that many may think they have heard everything about. Philip Jett shows readers that there was so much more going on in that pivotal moment in history that brought the United States into the Second World War.

Book Synopsis

From the author of Taking Mr. Exxon and The Death of an Heir comes the untold story of four luxury airliners trapped in the Pacific Ocean on and after the Day of Infamy.

In the first week of December 1941, four Pan American Airways System (Pan Am) flying clippers--the largest and most lavish transpacific airliners in the world--took off from the North American West Coast, loaded with wealthy and affluent passengers on their way to exotic destinations.

On December 7, 1941, the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service executed a surprise coordinated attack against the US naval base at Pearl Harbor. Within hours, Midway Atoll, Wake Island, Guam, and Manila--all of which were refueling stops for these Pan Am flying clippers--were targeted and bombed by the same Japanese forces that had devastated Pearl Harbor.

Stranded within the vast boundaries of the Pacific Ocean, these civilian airlines were unexpectedly at risk of being captured or shot down by Japanese military. The assault on Pearl Harbor removed any possibility for US military assistance, and the attack of the refueling stations made it impossible for these airlines to refuel their depleting gas tanks. Alone and unreachable, Pan Am crews and their frightened passengers were left with no choice but to make their own way across the volatile Pacific Ocean, where neither land, air, nor sea could promise safety, and do their best to survive--if they could.

Review Quotes

"Of all the tales told of that infamous day in 1941, Philip Jett's is probably the most unique. Stranded in the Sky is really three stories: the exclusive experience of traveling the Pacific in a luxury flying clipper, hopping remote islands in lavish comfort; the gripping drama of daring escapes through hostile skies as the Japanese navy swept through the region on December 7th; and the interwoven history of Pan American Airways from its pre-war creation to pioneering successes to bankruptcy in the 1990s. Vivid descriptions of far flung island outposts like Midway and Wake were particularly interesting to this Pacific traveler. Jett's thoroughly researched book was a pleasure to read and an education for anyone interested in the Pacific war and commercial aviation history." --David W. Jourdan, author of Last Man Down: USS Nautilus and the Undersea War in the Pacific

"This was a fascinating read for me. It captures history that I want to preserve for my grandchildren. The stories were so vivid that I imagined I was back on Wake Island in 1941 with my mother, father, and brother." --Phil Cooke, son of John Cooke, Jr., Pan Am Airport Manager

"An absorbing and revealing account of a little-known episode at the outbreak of America's war with Japan. Who even gave a thought to the fact that luxury airliners would be in the air and flying into the middle of the maelstrom in the Pacific at the time Japanese forces attacked Pearl Harbor and other Allied targets in December, 1941? I, for one, certainly hadn't. Philip Jett's book will appeal to those who enjoy well told, true WWII stories, as well as aviation buffs and those who, like myself, can't resist taking a step back in time." --Stephen Dando-Collins, author of The Big Break: The Greatest American WWII POW Escape Story Never Told

"Stranded in the Sky takes the reader on romantic flights in luxurious pre-World War II Pan Am Flying Clippers to exotic Pacific destinations--to coral and volcanic islands and bustling cities in the Orient and South Pacific. Then Pearl Harbor was attacked, and author Jett spins a riveting tale of how these massive aircraft, on their regular flights across the Pacific, dodged and weaved over Japanese infested waters and through enemy-controlled skies to bring planes and passengers to safety. Not all would survive in those first days of WWII." --David P. Colley, author of Folly of Generals

"An adventure story in line with the best suspense novels ever written . . . Jett writes a harrowing tale that keeps you on the edge of your seat . . . This is a book for all of us who appreciate human courage." --Thomas J. Baker, author of The Fall of the FBI