John R Bayer

Alone & Unarmed John R Bayer

EXPANDED AND REVISED 2017 Edition. Over 110 illustrations and photographs; this new edition includes 90 more illustrations than the 2005 book. ALONE AND UNARMED is the story of a lone US Army Liaison Pilot, Staff Sergeant Ernest Kowalik, flying the military's version of the 65-hp Piper "Cub", during the Italian Campaign in WWII. Flying without an Observer, because he was the "spare" pilot for the 88th Division Artillery HQ Battalion, Kowalik actually flew more than twice the average number of sorties and hours than the typical division Liaison Pilot, often at dangerously low altitudes. Artillery spotting and scouting for the 88th Infantry "Blue Devil" Division, he saw a wide variety of action, from destroying large enemy guns and rescuing supply caravans from ambush, to making possible several significant breakthroughs of enemy lines. Join Staff Sergeant (later Lieutenant) Kowalik as he relives significant episodes of the world's struggle for freedom in that time."Directing artillery fire from an unarmed, unarmored light aircraft was surely one of the most dangerous tasks performed on a daily basis during World War II. Flying from rough, unimproved airstrips, often within range of enemy shellfire, added to the perils faced by Field Artillery pilots, as did the ever present threat of bad weather. Such operations are covered in graphic detail by Ernest Kowalik, whose "Alone and Unarmed" is a welcome addition to the small number of books on a little known aspect of WWII."KEN WAKEFIELD, author of Lightplanes at War, The Flying Grasshoppers, and Luftwaffe Encore. About the Editor/Continuation edition: John R. Bayer worked with Mr. Kowalik to reprint his 1968 memoirs in 2005. Following Ernest's passing, he was given permission by Ernest's children to reprint his memoirs. John has an extensive background in history and freelance writing, and an MA with an emphasis in screenwriting from the State University of New York.