The Navigation Case: Training, Flying, and Fighting the 1941 to 1945 New Guinea War

An aged and glossy leather briefcase was discovered when our family house was cleaned out and sold. We came to learn that my father had meticulously collected his military documents, private letters, and souvenirs, and packed them away in this—his pilot's navigation case.

From randomly within, a newspaper article tumbled out. It described a massive typhoon in New Guinea causing "horror and tragedy" and resulting in incredible untold loss of men and aircraft. But larger questions remained una...