Never Call Me a Hero
A Legendary American Dive-Bomber Pilot Remembers the Battle of Midway
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Narrated by:
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Mike Ortego
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Cassandra Campbell
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Patrick Lawlor
About this listen
An extraordinary firsthand account of the Battle of Midway by one of its key participants, timed to the 75th anniversary: American dive-bomber pilot "Dusty" Kleiss helped sink three Japanese warships (including two aircraft carriers), received the Navy Cross, and is credited with playing a decisive individual role in determining the outcome of a battle that is considered a turning point in World War II.
In Never Call Me a Hero, Captain Kleiss (USN, ret.), a US Navy SBD Dauntless dive-bomber pilot with the USS Enterprise's Scouting Squadron Six, tells his full story for the first time, offering an unprecedentedly intimate look at the battle that reversed America's fortunes after the tragedy of Pearl Harbor. Kleiss is notable for being the only pilot from either fleet on those battle-scarred days of legend, June 4-7, 1942, to land hits on three different enemy ships. On the first day of the Battle of Midway, Kleiss planted bombs on two Japanese carriers - Kaga and Hiryu - sinking both, and later, on June 6, he scored a direct hit on a Japanese cruiser, the Mikuma, which also sank.
In his 1967 book Incredible Victory, Walter Lord asserted that the margins of US victory at Midway were so thin that individual participants could rightfully say that their actions turned the tide. Given the amount of destruction inflicted upon the Japanese that day, Kleiss may have been the most important pilot in the air. It is no stretch to say that without him, the Battle of Midway may not have been won, altering the course of the conflict and history itself, for according the US Navy's historians, "The Battle of Midway was far more than an epic WWII clash somewhere far away at sea. It was an American victory that forever changed the course of world history. This is the battle that turned the tide of the war."
But this is not only the memoir of one man; it is the history of this battle and its legacy. In only five minutes, 48 American dive-bomber pilots and their gunners destroyed the pride of the Japanese carrier fleet and exacted retribution on the carrier force that had attacked Pearl Harbor. Never Call Me a Hero is also a story about humility and pushing limits. Throughout his life Kleiss had always looked toward the heavens for spiritual guidance and to serve his country. Throughout his life this humble man considered himself blessed with incredible luck and did his job without complaint. Whenever others referred to his actions as "heroic", he quickly corrected them: "I'm no hero. Never call me a hero."
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Story
Europe has fallen. Pearl Harbor is in flames. Enter: the Eighth. In 1941 the RAF fought a desperate battle of survival against the Luftwaffe over Britain. Then, from across the Atlantic, came a new generation of American pilots, gunners, and bombardiers, a new generation of flying machines called the B-17 Flying Fortress, the B-24 Liberator, the P-47 Thunderbolt, and the P-51 Mustang fighter.
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A Good Listen with 1 problem
- By Matthew Schuller on 08-23-19
By: Gerald Astor
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Lucky 666
- The Impossible Mission
- By: Bob Drury, Tom Clavin
- Narrated by: Jeremy Bobb
- Length: 9 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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From the authors of the New York Times best-selling The Heart of Everything That Is and Halsey's Typhoon comes the dramatic untold story of a daredevil bomber pilot and his misfit crew who fly their lone B-17 into the teeth of the Japanese Empire in 1943, engage in the longest dogfight in history, and change the momentum of the war in the Pacific - but not without making the ultimate sacrifice.
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A WWII Pacific Tale
- By A. L. DeWitt on 11-15-16
By: Bob Drury, and others
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Enterprise
- America’s Fightingest Ship and the Men Who Helped Win World War II
- By: Barrett Tillman
- Narrated by: Tom Weiner
- Length: 10 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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America’s most decorated warship of World War II, Enterprise was constantly engaged against the Japanese Empire, earning the title “the fightingest ship” in the navy. Her career was eventful, vital, and short. Commissioned in 1938, her bombers sank a submarine just ten days after the Pearl Harbor attack, claiming the first Japanese vessel lost in the war.
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Great Bio of a Truly Remarkable Ship
- By Aser Tolentino on 09-18-12
By: Barrett Tillman
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The Battle for Hell's Island
- How a Small Band of Carrier Dive Bombers Helped Save Guadalcanal
- By: Stephen L. Moore
- Narrated by: Pete Bradbury
- Length: 15 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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From the author of Pacific Payback comes the gripping true story of the Cactus Air Force and how this rugged crew of dive bombers helped save Guadalcanal and won the war. November 1942: Japanese and American forces have been fighting for control of Guadalcanal, a small but pivotal island in Japan's expansion through the South Pacific.
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agonizing audiobook full of facts
- By chris on 04-13-16
By: Stephen L. Moore
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Intrepid
- The Epic Story of America's Most Legendary Warship
- By: Bill White, Robert Gandt
- Narrated by: Tom Weiner
- Length: 9 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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Intrepid brings the history of the U.S.S. Intrepid to life in a stirring tribute complete with personal recollections of those who served on the ship and vivid descriptions of the deadly conflicts she endured. It is a story of the people who sailed in her, fought to keep her alive, and perished in her defense, a story which powerfully captures the human element in the history of American heroism.
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Ok read but needed more something...
- By Luis on 01-24-09
By: Bill White, and others
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The First Heroes
- The Extraordinary Story of the Doolittle Raid
- By: Craig Nelson
- Narrated by: Raymond Todd
- Length: 17 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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Immediately after Japan's December 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor, President Roosevelt sought to restore the honor of the United States with a dramatic act of vengeance: a retaliatory bombing raid on Tokyo itself. In those early days of World War II, America was ill-prepared for any sort of warfare. But FDR was not to be dissuaded, and at his bidding a squadron of scarcely trained army fliers, led by the famous daredevil Jimmy Doolittle, set forth on what everyone regarded as a suicide mission.
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Heroic Attempt
- By William on 07-20-04
By: Craig Nelson
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December 7, 1941
- The Day the Japanese Attacked Pearl Harbor
- By: Gordon Prange
- Narrated by: Dennis Holland
- Length: 15 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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With all the dramatic listenability of a novel, Prange provides a richly detailed, chronological account of the day the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Advertising in Army, Navy, Air Force Times, Military History, and World War II magazines.
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History in the first person
- By Walter Fiarman on 06-11-15
By: Gordon Prange
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Mission
- Jimmy Stewart and the Fight for Europe
- By: Robert Matzen, Leonard Maltin - foreward
- Narrated by: Peter Berkrot
- Length: 11 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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In March 1941 Jimmy Stewart, America's boy next door and recent Academy Award winner, left fame and fortune behind and joined the United States Army Air Corps to fulfill his family mission and serve his country. He rose from private to colonel and participated in 20 often-brutal World War II combat missions over Germany and France. In mere months the war took away his boyish looks as he faced near-death experiences and the loss of men under his command. The war finally won, he returned home with millions of other veterans to face an uncertain future.
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SKIP THIS ONE
- By G-Man on 05-13-18
By: Robert Matzen, and others
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Bomber Pilot: A Memoir of World War II
- By: Philip Ardery
- Narrated by: James Killavey
- Length: 9 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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"The sky was full of dying airplanes" as American Liberator bombers struggled to return to North Africa after their daring low-level raid on the oil refineries of Ploesti. They lost 446 airmen and 53 planes, but Philip Ardery's plane came home. This pilot was to take part in many more raids on Hitler's Europe, including air cover for the D-Day invasion of Normandy. This vivid firsthand account records one man's experience of World War II air warfare.
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Fascinating...and true story
- By Loretta on 06-24-15
By: Philip Ardery
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Finish Forty and Home
- The Untold World War II Story of B-24s in the Pacific
- By: Phil Scearce
- Narrated by: Danny Campbell
- Length: 11 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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During the early years of World War II in the Pacific theatre, against overwhelming odds, young American airmen flew the longest and most perilous bombing missions of the war. They faced determined Japanese fighters without fighter escort, relentless anti-aircraft fire with no deviations from target, and thousands of miles of over-water flying with no alternative landing sites.
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Pretty Good!
- By Robert on 02-01-13
By: Phil Scearce
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Air Apaches
- The True Story of the 345th Bomb Group and Its Low, Fast, and Deadly Missions in World War II
- By: Jay A. Stout
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean
- Length: 15 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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The American 345th Bomb Group - the Air Apaches - was legendary in the war against Japan. The first fully trained and fully equipped group sent to the South Pacific, the 345th racked up a devastating score against the enemy. Armed to the teeth with machine guns and fragmentation bombs, and flying their B-25s at impossibly low altitudes - often below 50 feet - the pilots and air crews strafed and bombed enemy installations and shipping with a fury that helped cripple Japan.
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Boring and unorganized unit history
- By R. Denton on 04-25-19
By: Jay A. Stout
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Into the Bright Sunshine
- Young Hubert Humphrey and the Fight for Civil Rights (Pivotal Moments in American History Series)
- By: Samuel G. Freedman
- Narrated by: Mike Lenz
- Length: 17 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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During one sweltering week in July 1948, the Democratic Party gathered in Philadelphia for its national convention. The most pressing and controversial issue facing the delegates was not whom to nominate for president—the incumbent, Harry Truman, was the presumptive candidate—but whether the Democrats would finally embrace the cause of civil rights and embed it in their official platform. On the convention's final day, Hubert Humphrey, the relatively obscure mayor of the midsized city of Minneapolis, ascended the podium.
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Civil Rights for All not just limited segments of society.
- By Patricia A Gustafson on 06-02-24
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Kangaroo Squadron
- American Courage in the Darkest Days of World War II
- By: Bruce Gamble
- Narrated by: Mark Boyett
- Length: 14 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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In early 1942, while the American military was still in disarray from the devastating attacks on Pearl Harbor and the Philippines, a single US Army squadron advanced to the far side of the world to face America's new enemy. Based in Australia with inadequate supplies and no ground support, the squadron's pilots and combat crew endured tropical diseases while confronting numerically superior Japanese forces. Yet the outfit, dubbed the Kangaroo Squadron, proved remarkably resilient and successful.
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5 star History!
- By DON COOKE on 03-13-19
By: Bruce Gamble
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Incredible Victory
- The Battle of Midway
- By: Walter Lord
- Narrated by: Norman Dietz
- Length: 12 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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On the morning of June 4, 1942, doom sailed on Midway. Hoping to put itself within striking distance of Hawaii and California, the Japanese navy planned an ambush that would obliterate the remnants of the American Pacific fleet. On paper, the Americans had no chance of winning. They had fewer ships, slower fighters, and almost no battle experience. But because their codebreakers knew what was coming, the American navy was able to prepare an ambush of its own.
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Very informative
- By Jim Walters on 08-27-18
By: Walter Lord
What listeners say about Never Call Me a Hero
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Richard
- 06-27-17
Wow
This is a great book. The unapologetic sincerity is what makes it great. God bless the greatest generation!!
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- Kenneth B. Vollenweider
- 07-15-21
Dusty Kleiss Memoir
Entertaining book, exceptional insight into a humble, successful American hero who lived, loved his wife and family, and happened to survived a military experience that he did not publicly discuss for decades. Great story and I appreciated Mr. Kleiss and his family sharing it with me. Good primary source of information. I highly recommend for anyone with an interest in the Battle of Midway.
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- SALVATORE A MASTROPOLO
- 07-25-23
Humble Hero Against All Odds!!
A fascinating life story.Breathtaking accounts of Midway and other battles . Strongly suggest this one if you want to put your minds eye in a 75 degree dive along side of Dusty!!
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- Graeme Nichol
- 01-11-22
The Pacific War - Midway
An interesting account of the best in the Pacific by a SBD pilot.
War is shockingly unpleasant and the task of these sailors and pilots doing their damndest to push the Japanese back home.
They did a fine job in very trying conditions.
They were all heroes.
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- 54mm Napoleonics
- 04-22-22
Outstanding!
OUTSTANDING! Well-written, insightful, thoughtfully written. More like a conversation with a Grandfather than an autobiography by a soldier. Highly recommend!
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- Alex
- 03-23-18
Treasured personal account of Pacific-WW2; learned a lot
Liked the personal history and details of flying/war-fighting experience, training, and naval career. Really amazing to have this personal history in such vivid detail
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- Brent
- 05-25-18
Should be required reading for Memorial Day
An outstanding memoir of a true American hero one who has served his country with distinction, Fast paced and easy to read yet with important historical details that bring to life the battle of midway.
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- Ryan Pemberton
- 06-15-18
An excelent read!
This book was right up my alley per say. I loved the technical aviation aspects of it, I loved the first-hand accounts of such a pivotal battle and I really enjoyed learning about this amazing, humble man. All around, I 100% recommend this book. The narrator does a good job of reading and you get the feel you are sitting down listening to Jack tell stories (which I love). However, something with they way they produced the recording, at the beginning of every chapter the narrator's voice is noticeably different. By 5 minutes into the chapter he has returned to "normal", but at the beginning of most chapters there is a sharp and noticeable change in the narration.
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- Anonymous User
- 11-27-22
The Real Heroes
I was in tears of gratitude for the men Dusty spoke of. I wish every American could hear his story. Maybe gratitude would replace the arrogance, entitlement and disrespect so many today have about the freedoms they take for granted, given to us as gift by men like Dusty who gave us those freedoms at the price of their own lives. May we met in heavens realm to pay my respects personally.
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- Yvonne Weems
- 01-30-23
Never Forget!
Loved It! Put me right into the action and brought tears at other times! Thank you!
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