Fighting Fifteen

The Navy's Top Ace and the Deadliest Hellcat Squadron of the Pacific War

By: Stephen L. Moore

Narrated by: Johnny Heller

The inspiring, action-packed tale of VF-15, the elite group of U.S. Navy “top gun” pilots that destroyed more enemy planes than any other Pacific War squadron.

David McCampbell ended his tour of duty as the navy’s “ace of aces,” with thirty-four confirmed enemy planes shot down, and received the Medal of Honor. His “Fighting Fifteen” played a major part in bringing an end to the Pacific War. But when the squadron was commissioned in 1943, most of its men—some barely out of their teenage years—were completely new to aerial combat. A string of deadly crashes during training in their rugged new F6F-3 Hellcats led the men to be booted off their first carrier. With their commander fired and McCampbell installed in his place, the group’s future looked bleak.

But McCampbell transformed this ragged group of talented but disparate individuals into a selfless team of well-trained aviators, and by the time they formally entered the Pacific War with a series of daring island strikes, they were ready. Nicknamed "Satan's Playmates," during six critical months of combat the squadron destroyed a record-setting 660 enemy planes across air and ground. Twenty-six of the men would eventually become aces, ascending to an elite fraternity and immortalizing the “Fabled Fifteen.” Now, using previously unknown accounts from the aviators themselves, military historian Stephen L. Moore places readers in the heart of the action as McCampbell and his flying band of brothers battle the Japanese navy and its formidable Zero fighters to the death.

Critic reviews

“Stephen L. Moore has written his most gripping narrative yet, the epic and untold story of some of the greatest American fighter pilots to ever take to the skies. This is a fantastic adrenaline rush and a wonderful addition to the history of the Pacific war in the air.”
—Alex Kershaw, New York Times bestselling author of Against All Odds and Patton’s Prayer

“A very compelling account of the most successful US Navy fighter squadron in history, concentrating on the activities of Fighter Squadron 15 during their seven months overseas. World War II enthusiasts will appreciate the non-stop action and sense of historical detail that is the product of countless hours of research that went into this book. Another top-notch effort by this very prolific World War II author.”
—David P. McCampbell, CDR, USN Ret.

“Stephen Moore again brings his expertise, research skills, and gripping writing style to a Pacific tale. The carrier aviators of the Fighting Fifteen, including top ace and Medal of Honor recipient Commander David McCampbell and Ensign Wendell Twelves, registered feats that gained the unit recognition as the top-scoring carrier fighter squadron in the Pacific. Readers will gain an appreciation for what these talented airmen and their families back home sacrificed for their nation.”
—John Wukovits, winner of the Samuel Eliot Morison Award for Naval Literature and author of Lost at Sea

“Stephen L. Moore has written a masterful account of a blazing chapter of the U.S. Navy’s Pacific campaign in World War II. In absorbing detail and vivid panorama, Moore recounts the hair-raising story of the top Navy aerial squadron through the personal lives and emotions of the Hellcat pilots, weaving an intimate portrait of these roughriders – their inner thoughts and tensions – with the speeding drama of their close hauled, gymnastic battles with enemy Japanese A6M2 Zeroes. Fighting Fifteen is a standout of up-close portraiture and a taut, unforgettable drama that will keep you glued to every racing page.”
—David Fairbank White and Margaret Stanback White, authors of Wings of War

"The saga of Fighting Squadron Fifteen is well known in aviation history circles, especially because of Commander David McCampbell's stellar role. But Stephen L. Moore's treatment provides additional depth and insight with material from other VF-15 veterans among broader, prior treatments of Carrier Air Group 15. Aside from his thorough text, Moore provides future researchers with personnel rosters that probably have not been published before. Moore's volume is likely to become a standard reference."
—Barrett Tillman, author of Clash of the Carriers, receipient of the Admiral Arthur Radford Award for Naval Aviation History

Carrier flight ops haven’t changed much during Vietnam

Some readers/listeners may not be familiar with the many terms in the book/audible recording.

Very superficial

I was excited to download this on audible. I gave it 6 hours. The author reminded me of a student that was trying to put as much as possible into a report to meet the pages required. The story is basically introduce character, tell where the characters from and when he entered the navy, talk a little about him and then never hear from the character again. Or the characters that do reappear are merely paper cutouts. Any periphery person is mentioned and they go into his where he's born who he married etc. It was just superficial. It never scratched below the surface.