Fighting Squadron 11 was established at San Diego in August 1943, beginning a half-century record that spanned aerial combat in three wars from the piston to the jet age. The squadron produced seven aces while fighting in World War 2, Korea and Vietnam. From World War 2 until after the Cold War, the Sundowners established an unexcelled record at the tip of the spear in naval aviation history. The author, Barrett Tillman, is the worlds most prolific US naval aviation author and he has published over two-dozen titles on the World War 2 period alone.

Contents:

Chapter:1 Guadalcanal, The squadrons establishment, initial actions in the Solomon Islands during 1943 and successful completion of its first combat tour in Wildcats.

Chapter 2: With the Fast Carriers Transition to Hellcats and deployment aboard USS Hornet with Task Force 38 in operations against the Philippines, Formosa, and Indochina among other Japanese bases in the Western Pacific.

Chapter 3: The Jet Age. The advent of jet aircraft: transition to the F9F Panther-Cougar series and combat over Korea. Interim types such as the FJ-3 and F11F-1 before commitment to the Vietnam War with F-8 Crusaders and F-4 Phantoms. Absorbing F-14s in 1978, flying tomcats until Sundowners Sunset in 1995

Appendices: Commanding officers. Sundowner aircraft

Squadron deployments. Aces Plates Commentaries.