Robert O. Harder

First Crossing

New Release 2022

The first to fly across the Atlantic non-stop wasn’t Charles Lindbergh, but two long-forgotten British airmen.

Captain John Alcock and Lieutenant Arthur Whitten Brown flew their flimsy wood and fabric modified Vickers Vimy bomber from St. Johns, Newfoundland to Cliveden, Ireland—eight years before Lindbergh’s epic New York to Paris flight. In First Crossing, follow two Royal Air Force officers through terrifying Great War aerial combat before they are shot down and they become prisoners of war. While incarcerated, both independently schemed of a way to win Lord Northcliffe’s £10,000 prize for the first non-stop Trans-Atlantic crossing. Alcock needed an over-ocean navigator; Brown needed a pilot— what proved to be an ideal marriage. Through a combination of luck and their competitor’s bad fortune, Alcock and Brown launched themselves into aviation immortality. Includes 25 images.

A fast-paced, stirring account of a daring aviation achievement by a fellow-flier.

Yesterday We Were in America.

I have been an avid aviation historian for the past twenty years and have more than 200 published articles in national magazines. Harder’s book takes a highly detailed and very compelling look at the first aerial crossing of the North Atlantic. I was very impressed with his facts and smooth writing style. I highly recommend “First Crossing” to anyone interested in aviation history.

The Marines’ Lost Squadron—the Odyssey of VMF-422.

While Lindbergh received world-wide acclaim for his flight, the pioneering feat of Alcock and Brown became faded glory. But finally, the story of these two unsung aviation heroes has been resurrected by Robert O. Harder in his magnificent and incredibly well-detailed account of their flight . . . The book is a must for every aviation history enthusiast.

The Lindbergh Baby Kidnapping.

The Three Musketeers of the Army Air Force

three musketeers book While scores of books have been published about the atomic bombings that helped end World War II, little has been written about the personal lives and relationship of the three men that led the raid. Paul Tibbets, Tom Ferebee, and Ted “Dutch” Van Kirk exemplified what Life Magazine meant when in 1942 it called the B-17 pilot, bombardier, and navigator “the three musketeers of the Army Air Forces.

Additional photos not included in book

5 Star rating on Amazon

4 1/2 Star rating on Goodreads

Reviews

Flying from the Black Hole

TOP TEN NAVAL INSTITUTE PRESS BOOKS ON VIETNAM!

Black hole book U.S. Air Force navigators and bombardiers have long labored under the shadow of pilots—their contributions misunderstood or simply unknown to the public. This was especially the case with the B-52’s non-pilot, officer aircrewmen in the Vietnam War.