The B-17 Tomahawk Warrior - by David E Huntley (Paperback)

About the Book

The Tomahawk Warriors, 9 crew who died in a WWII B-17 Flying Fortress crash in England. Securing Secret Declassified Operational Records, the author resolved the cause & brought the crew posthumous honors.

Book Synopsis

The Tomahawk Warriors, a crew of nine who perished in a 1944 B-17 Flying Fortress crash in England, was a mystery of WWII until explained in this book. It would have lain in partial obscurity if it were not for the author's initial involuntary involvement. As a child, he witnessed what would become a dogged determination in his lifetime later to tell this story. As the faint light of dawn was breaking the morning of August 12, 1944, a crippled American B-17 bomber flew perilously close over the roof of the author's house in Southern England. Around 30 seconds later, it crashed and exploded. In 2016, the author, David E. Huntley, after almost a lifetime, came across the story of the crew known as the 'Tomahawk Warriors' and recognized it as the accident he had witnessed as a child.

He started his own research and began asking himself many questions about the disaster. How did this plane crash and why, particularly in that location? For what reason was the plane misnamed 'The Tomahawk Warrior' through all those years? What strange circumstance led the author to come into possession of the navigator's diary that no one knew even existed? Why did one airman not take his place on board that day and become a part of the 'missing airman' legend?

Despite the coincidence that the plane of the 'Tomahawk Warriors' and the plane of Lt. Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. crashed on the same day; Huntley revealed a further significant link between them. This incident adds a further little-known aspect about the Kennedy's in American history.

Based on Declassified Secret Operational Records, analysis of other official and unofficial records, the author's personal observations on the day of the accident, and his pursuit of other facts, those mysteries became fully resolved. This story provides a distinct understanding of the immense courage those young 20 to 26-year-old American airmen displayed. Mission after mission, they climbed aboard their craft and carried out their respective duties at 28,000 ft in sub-zero temperatures, hoping their electric-heated protective clothing would not short out during the 9 to 10-hour flight. They prayed that flak and enemy fighters would give them that 70 percent chance of getting back home.

The book offers vivid descriptions of those who got shot down, baled out, and died or got captured to spend the rest of the war as POWs.The narrative places its emphasis on the lives of the heroes who served in WWII and their loved ones who have grown up in their shadows. He obtained a posthumous honor to the deceased crew, as well as a Permanent Commemorative Marker, and brought relief and closure to the descendants' relatives. This is not a post-mortem of wartime machinery, but a window into the lives of some heroes who sacrificed themselves for a cause, as well as a personal insight into the familial relationships with their loved ones at home.

Review Quotes

The Foreword of 3 Pages by Brigadier-General Mitchell A. Hanson with full authorization by the US Air Force HQ Public Affairs Office, said the author's research, investigation, historical references, and personal accounts are unlike anything I ever saw or read previously. His passion for uncovering the real story, finding the data behind the tales, and detailing the history of the crew members and their families is unmatched.

Major Lucky Luckadoo, US Air Force (Ret) B17 combat pilot of WWII with the Bloody One Hundredth Bomb Group said, "This book represents a Herculean effort. Huntley's unrelenting pursuit of the facts and circumstances of this incident and its impact upon the friends and relatives of this heroic crew is highly commendable and rewarding."

Lee Anne Bradley, Historian for the 398th Bomb Group. "A brilliantly investigated account of the crew's fateful last day."

I am amazed at the time and effort David Huntley put into this book. His tenacity in getting the story out there and ensuring its accuracy is awe-inspiring.

My biggest regret is that my father Davis Charles Searl is not alive to read it. He would have so enjoyed the story! He was very proud of his cousin 1^st Lt. Charles J. Searl. However, at least my brother Charles Searl and his son Cullin Charles Searl will be able to experience the honor that he had brought to my family and so many others, with his tribute to the Tomahawk Warriors.

I learned so much by reading the ARC. It was so well written that many times I got lost in the narrative and I felt as if I was being taken back to that time and that era and those places. Amazing! Finally, it serves as an honor to the fallen crew as well as a source of comfort and closure for the families of these heroes.

As a member of the Searl dynasty and a descendant relative of the Tomahawk Warrior crew, I am humbled to have been even a small part of this journey.

Kathy Searl, 2^nd cousin of the Tomahawk Warrior pilot, Lt. Charles Searl

I greatly enjoyed your book and congratulate you on the extraordinary quest and labour of love that lies behind it. It really is a unique story. - The Earl, Lord Frederick Howe. United Kingdom

EDITORIAL REVIEW EXTRACT:

This is a book bound to meet up with an HBO or National Geographic documentary, maybe even a film of its own, because there is so much detail about the crew and its deeds, moreover, and almost just as important, the aftermath and the connection the author so diligently worked to accomplish with their families. A recommended read for WWII buffs, moreover, those who simply love true-life stories.

The author's book is highly praised by no less than two US Air Force authorities and an official wartime Bomb Group historian.

Writers Inspiring Change book review: The B-17 Tomahawk Warrior: A WWII Final Honor

Oct 6, 2023