Stranded in the Sky

A fresh look at the December 7, 1941, events surrounding the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Jett focusses on the fates of four Pan Am Flying Clippers, each filled with influential passengers. The aircrafts’ refueling stops included Midway Atoll, Wake Island, Guam, and Manila—all of which were targeted and attacked within hours of Japan’s infamous early-morning attack of Pearl Harbor. Stranded in the sky, these civilian airlines—like any US plane in the region at the time—were unexpectedly at risk of being shot down by Japanese military. The Pearl Harbor bombing removed any possibility these four airlines had for US military assistance, and the attack of the refueling stations made it impossible for these airlines to fill up their depleting gas tanks. Consequently, the Pan Am crews and passengers must figure out how to survive during these volatile times in the Pacific Ocean, where neither land, air, nor sea can promise safety from the same Imperial Japanese military forces that devastated Pearl Harbor and brought our nation into the Second World War. The writing is good, and the narrative backbone is strong and gives this historical account a novel-like feel.