This is the true story in photographs, of the famous U.S. Navy Fighting Squadron Seventeen. Flying the new Chance Vought F4U Corsair they broke combat records in the Pacific and were instrumental in proving this powerful new fighter to the Navy in World War II. Amongst Fighting 17's heroic exploits were shooting down 152 Japanese aircraft in aerial combat in only 76 days, no bomber escorted by them was lost to enemy air action, no ship for which they provided cover was hit by enemy bombs or aerial torpedoes, and they never failed to complete an assignment. Skipper Tom Blackburn always stressed teamwork, leading the squadron to a Navy Unit Commendation and making "The Skull and Crossbones Squadron" one of the most successful squadron's in the annals of air warfare. Fighting 17 flew more combat hours and sorties than any other fighter squadron in the Pacific up to that time. The squadron had thirteen aces, including "Ike" Kepford the leading Navy ace at that time. One of the outstanding contributions made by Fighting 17 was providing proof, under battle conditions, of the suitability of the F4U for carrier operations and they were first into combat flying off a carrier with the Corsair.Lee Cook, author of The Skull and Crossbones Squadron - VF-17 in World War II and leading authority on Tom Blackburn's Fighting 17; after years of original research, has brought to life in this book considerable new information and also more than 850 photographs covering the squadron's history, many of which have not previously appeared in published works.