{"product_id":"the-navigators-letter-the-true-story-of-two-wwii-airmen-a-doomed-mission-and-the-woman-who-bound-them-together-9781454956358","title":"The Navigator's Letter: The True Story of Two WWII Airmen, a Doomed Mission, and the Woman Who Bound Them Together","description":"\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Navigator's Letter\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e brings to light one of the best untold and dangerous stories of World War II, chronicling a moving and heroic story of patriotic duty, familial bonds, brotherhood, and love.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e One of the riskiest air raids of World War II occurred on August 1, 1943, over the oil fields at Ploesti, Romania--Nazi Germany's primary fuel source. The Allies believed that the destruction of Hitler's oil refineries would shorten the war. Using an untested strategy, it was worth the gamble, but the mission did not go according to plan--with 53 aircraft and 532 crewmen lost, it was the costliest US air raid of the war. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e A true story, \u003ci\u003eThe Navigator's Letter \u003c\/i\u003eis a tale of uncanny coincidences: two friends from the same small Illinois town; both joined the Air Corps; both became navigators; both were assigned to B-24 Liberators; both flew missions over Europe; both of their planes were forced down over Ploesti; and both went missing-in-action. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Intertwined with events of WWII, the story follows the two B-24 navigators coursing through wartime, both with ties to the same woman. Their lives unfurl with the Air Force's darkest day, Operation Tidal Wave. It was the first-ever zero-altitude air raid, which lead to Operation Reunion, the largest evacuation by air in history repatriating 1,162 POWs from Romania back to American air bases in Italy.\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Jan Cress Dondi\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Union Square \u0026amp; Co.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 02\/10\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 400\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.30lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.10h x 6.10w x 1.40d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781454956358\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e 12\/15\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eJan Cress Dondi \u003c\/b\u003ehas a BS from the University of Georgia, conducted post-graduate studies at the University of Alaska, and has done research and legal writing for decades. She lives in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"booksdeli.com","offers":[{"title":"Jan Cress Dondi \/ Hardcover \/ English","offer_id":47659157225629,"sku":"9781454956358","price":51.32,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0619\/5648\/9373\/files\/img_22f23cd2-b412-46e4-a751-fbae7838dfe3.jpg?v=1771351816","url":"https:\/\/booksdeli.com\/products\/the-navigators-letter-the-true-story-of-two-wwii-airmen-a-doomed-mission-and-the-woman-who-bound-them-together-9781454956358","provider":"booksdeli.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}