Vanished Hero

the long version

"A hell-bent for leather fighter pilot, Elwyn G. Righetti remains one of the most elusive, yet compelling, colorful and controversial characters of World War II. Arriving late in the war, he led the England-based 55th Fighter Group against the Nazis during the closing months of the fight with a no-holds-bared aggressiveness that transformed the group from a middling organization into a headline-grabbing team that had to make excuses to no one. ... Ultimately, [his] calculated recklessness ran full speed into the odds. His aircraft was hit while strafing an enemy airfield only four days before the 55th flew its last mission. ... [He] coaxed his crippled fighter through one more firing pass before making a successful crash landing. Immediately, he radioed his men that he was fine and asked that they reassure his family. Righetti was never heard from again."--Book jacket.