Vanishing Act

The Enduring Mystery Behind the Legendary Doolittle Raid Over Tokyo

By: Dan Hampton

Narrated by: Mike Chamberlain

From New York Times bestselling author Dan Hampton comes the gripping, untold story of a vital secret mission set during the darkest days of the Second World War.

In the dark days after the devastating Pearl Harbor attacks during the spring of 1942, the United States was determined to show the world that the Axis was not invincible. Their bold plan? Bomb Tokyo. On April 18, 1942, sixteen B-25s, known as the Doolittle Raiders, hit targets across Japan before escaping to China.

The eighth plane, however, did not follow the other raiders. Instead, Plane 8's pilots, Captain Edward "Ski" York and Lieutenant Bob Emmens, never attacked Tokyo, but headed across Japan to the Soviet Union, supposedly due to low fuel. Yet, this bomber was the only plane on the mission with maps of the Soviet Union aboard. And why did Plane 8's route, recently discovered in the Japanese Imperial Archives, show them nowhere near their target? Uncovered facts reveal that bombing Tokyo was merely a cover for Plane 8's real mission, but what was their secret objective? No one, aside from the two pilots and whomever sent them on this mission, truly knew why they were there, nor has the reason ever been revealed.

Until now.

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I never knew

I’ve been a big fan of Dan Hampton’s work ever since I picked up “Viper Pilot.” This book did not disappoint. With everything I’d ever read or watched about the Doolittle raid, I’d never heard anything about a crew landing in Russia. Very interesting!

What I never knew

Dan Hampton is a master at telling the historical circumstances that puts the actions of people living that history in context. One tends to look at the past as a set, obvious thing in retrospect, but it is actually a series of decisions and risks taken by people who can’t fully foresee the results. I thought I knew about the Doolittle Raid before this book, but I was wrong. The truth exposed shows the great depth of the thinking of US military commanders at that time, something often criticized. Very good book.

Historical facts and Accounts

Excellent book and great read I would recommend to anyone like how it gets into FDR’s presidency and the Doolittle pilots

Bomber Eight's true mission revealed.

It was a great report on a piece of the Dolittle Raid, however deviated to explain historical wars 40 years prior. This makes a good story for those unfamiliar with warfare and politics.
If you are familiar with the political climate prior to and WW2, the book drags on at times.

Outstanding history

Dan Hampton is an excellent historian and writer. He has a gift for knitting narrative, action, and historical perspective into an easily understood but comprehensive history.
I knew of the Doolittle Raiders because of their historical place in Oregon where they trained, and that Colonel Robert G. Emmens was born and lived in Medford Oregon (Hey, I was born there too!) My dad worked in the orchard industry in Medford in the 50s and 60s and met him as well. But that was the limit of my knowledge.
This book stretches across all of WW II and reminds again about the shear bravery of our men and women fighting the fascist onslaught on multiple fronts.
This book puts this one act into a larger perspective than I understood.