Fighting Fifteen: The Navy's Top Ace and the Deadliest Hellcat Squadron of

Stephen L. Moore recounts the story of the heroic Fighting Fifteen from World War Two at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, November 20, at the Allen Christian Church in Allen Heritage Village, 450 E. St. Mary Dr.

Through meticulous sleuthing, Stephen L. Moore discovered VF-15 diaries and memoirs and tapped into numerous family archives and photo collections to bring fresh material to this project.

One of the first to blend a fighter-bomber unit into his air group, Captain David McCampbell ended his tour of duty as the Navy’s “ace of aces.” With thirty-four confirmed enemy planes shot down, McCampbell received the U.S. Medal of Honor. His “Fighting Fifteen” played a major role in bringing an end to the War in the Pacific.

Moore explains, “He transformed talented but disparate individuals into a selfless team of well-trained aviators. By the time the Fighting Fifteen, nicknamed “Satan’s Playmates,” formally entered the Pacific War with a series of daring island strikes, they were ready."

A frequent lecturer for the Daughters of the Republic of Texas at the Alamo, the San Jacinto Museum of History, and other historical organizations, Stephen has twice been a featured author at the Texas Book Festival in Austin and is a contributing book reviewer for the Dallas Morning News.

Copies of Stephen’s book will be available for purchase and signing.

Sponsored by the Allen Public Library, the program is free.