The Sundowners, Pegasus, and Little Butch: Carrier Air Group 11 and the War in the Pacific, 1943-1945

by Brian D. Laslie

Overview

The Sundowners, Pegasus, and Little Butch provides a new perspective on the Pacific War by following the exploits of a single Navy unit, Carrier Air Group 11 (CVG-11), beginning in 1943. Author Brian D. Laslie tells the riveting story of how the unit produced several aces, built a storied combat record, and played an important role in the defeat of Japan.

Like other Carrier Air Groups, CVG-11 comprised three aircraft squadrons: fighter (VF-11), bomber (VB-11), and torpedo (VT-11). CVG-11 saw its first action on Guadalcanal in 1943. It was then deployed on the aircraft carrier USS Hornet (CV 12) and fought throughout the Central and Southwest Pacific areas, from 1944 to 1945. The air group's achievements during World War II were laudable, amassing 103 air-to-air victories, destroying 272 grounded planes, and sinking more than 100,000 tons of Japanese shipping. During its time on the Hornet, CVG-11 also produced four aces, with top ace Charlie Stimpson shooting down an impressive sixteen enemy planes. VF-11 took great pride in protecting their shipmates and other squadron members in VB-11 and VT-11 and logged a perfect escort record, losing no bombers or torpedo planes to Japanese aircraft during the entire conflict. Laslie weaves together diaries, interviews, archival research, and official battle reports to present CVG-11's compelling story.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798228557000
Publisher:	Tantor
Publication date:	07/08/2025
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 7.50(h) x (d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Brian D. Laslie is the command historian at the United States Air Force Academy. A historian of air power studies, Dr. Laslie received his bachelor's degree in history from The Citadel: The Military College of South Carolina in 2001; his master's degree from Auburn University at Montgomery in 2006; and his PhD from Kansas State University in 2013. He is the author of numerous books and chapters on US Air Force and air power history. He lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

After thirty-two years serving in the Intelligence Community using his voice for different purposes, Bob Johnson decided to continue that passion narrating audiobooks, still bringing stories to life and as different characters. While he still enjoys a good spy thriller, he is equally thrilled to narrate mysteries, true crime, romance and, of course, nonfiction.

When he's not in his home studio in Reston, Virginia, you can normally find Bob either behind the mic announcing Maryland sports or in the stands cheering on the Terps.

Editorial Reviews

In his new book The Sundowners, Pegasus, and Little Butch, airpower historian and acclaimed author Dr. Brian D. Laslie has crafted a thrilling narrative of the Navy’s Carrier Air Group 11 during the brutal fight for the Pacific in World War II. Using a kaleidoscope of voices and sources, including a wealth of diaries, after-action reports, and oral histories, Laslie takes readers from the skies over Guadalcanal through the Philippines, Hong Kong, and French Indochina. More than just a top-notch history, this is one helluva great read!"—James M. Scott, Pulitzer Prize finalist and author of Black Snow, Rampage, and Target Tokyo

“In a field crowded with books on top-scoring units and major battles, The Sundowners, Pegasus, and Little Butch is a breath of fresh air. Dr. Laslie deftly moves between operational and unit history, keeping the memories of Air Group 11’s officers and enlisted men at the center of the narrative in fitting tribute to their service and sacrifice. This is an insider’s look at life on dusty shores, aboard pitching vessels, and in thrilling air combat."—Mike Fink, author of Intrepid's Fighting Squadron 18

“Is there more to the naval air war in the Pacific than the battles of the Coral Sea, Midway, and the Philippine Sea?  Brian Laslie’s new book, The Sundowners, Pegasus, and Little Butch, answers in the affirmative, using Carrier Air Group Eleven as a lens to sharpen our focus on that conflict.  Although CAG-11 and the carrier Hornet missed the “big” engagements, its men responded when called upon in the Solomons, the Philippines, and Formosa.  Laslie provides a compelling story of ordinary people who accomplished extraordinary things during the greatest naval war in history.”—William F. Trimble, Professor Emeritus at Auburn University, is author of Admiral John S. McCain and the Triumph of Naval Air Power

“Brian Laslie has filled a huge gap in the historiography of the air war in the Pacific during WWII.  By focusing on the experiences and careers of the men assigned to Carrier Air Group 11, Laslie provides new insights into how one highly qualified group of naval aviators trained, lived, and fought.  Aviation enthusiasts will find it a compelling read.”—Thomas Wildenberg, author of Destined for Glory: Dive Bombing, Midway, and the Evolution of Carrier Airpower and The Origins of Aegis



 

From the Publisher