
Bazooka Charlie
The Unbelievable Story of Major Charles Carpenter and Rosie the Rocketer
- 280 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
Bazooka Charlie
The Unbelievable Story of Major Charles Carpenter and Rosie the Rocketer
About this book
A revealing biography of Lt. Col. Charles "Bazooka Charlie" Carpenter, a U.S. Army pilot who served in WWII and is most known for destroying several enemy armored vehicles in his bazooka-equipped L-4 Grasshopper light observation aircraft. Major Charles Carpenter made headlines during the Second World War when he affixed six bazookas to his tiny Piper L-4 observation plane and began attacking German tanks. "Bazooka Charlie" and his plane "Rosie the Rocketer" were profiled in a variety of military and civilian publications, including the iconic Stars & Stripes. The major was a high school educator in the civilian world, teaching history and coaching football. In 1945, the dashing pilot was forced out of the cockpit and into a hospital bed by Hodgkin's lymphoma, which was discovered in his neck. In addition to the enemy and terminal cancer, Carpenter also battled cynicism and guilt, particularly in regard to the state of his marriage, which was on the brink of failure by the time he returned home from Europe. Charles Carpenter died in 1966, having resumed his career, salvaged his marriage, and long outlived the timeline afforded him by his doctors in the initial prognosis. This revealing biography of the famous pilot was made possible through the collaboration of noted aviation author and magazine editor Jim Busha, and Carpenter's daughter, Carol Apacki. Along with memories of her father in his postwar years, Carol provided a treasure trove of wartime correspondence between Charles and his wife, Elda Carpenter.
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Information
Table of contents
- Cover
- Half Title
- Title Page
- Copyright
- Dedication
- Contents
- Introduction
- Foreword
- Chapter 1: Luck Runs Out
- Chapter 2: Poor and Proud
- Chapter 3: Self-Discovery
- Chapter 4: Dance of Destiny
- Chapter 5: Brothers in Arms
- Chapter 6: Roughing It in Miami
- Chapter 7: Reach for the Sky
- Chapter 8: A Sheep in Wolfâs Clothing
- Chapter 9: Leap of Faith
- Chapter 10: One of Pattonâs Boys
- Chapter 11: Sharpening the Sword
- Chapter 12: Strangers in a Strange Land
- Chapter 13: Leading the Charge
- Chapter 14: Fistful of Rockets
- Chapter 15: Death Is My Copilot
- Chapter 16: Rain, Mud, and Misery
- Chapter 17: Nothing to Cheer About
- Chapter 18: A New Enemy
- Chapter 19: A Teacherâs Wisdom
- Chapter 20: Remembered by Deeds Alone
- Epilogue: âRosieâ Rediscovered
- Endnotes
- Bibliography
- Index