Bazooka Charlie: The Unbelievable Story of Major Charles Carpenter and Rosie the Rocketer

During World War II, Major Charles Carpenter modified his Piper L-4 observation aircraft to carry six bazookas, earning him the nickname "Bazooka Charlie." Despite being diagnosed with Hodgkins lymphoma and facing marital challenges, Carpenter continued to fly and innovate, ultimately outliving his initial prognosis. His biography, written with the help of his daughter and aviation author Jim Busha, provides a detailed account of his remarkable life and contributions to the war effort.

Format: Hardback
Length: 288 pages
Publication date: 28 June 2023
Publisher: Schiffer Publishing Ltd

In the annals of the Second World War, a resounding figure emerged, etching his legacy through audacious feats and indomitable spirit. Major Charles Carpenter, a name forever intertwined with valor and innovation, garnered international attention for his ingenious adaptation of six bazookas onto his modest Piper L-4 observation aircraft. The exploits of this remarkable figure, affectionately dubbed Bazooka Charlie, and his airborne companion Rosie the Rocketer, resonated across military and civilian spheres, securing their place in history's annals, notably enshrined within the pages of the venerable Stars & Stripes publication.

The major was a high school educator in the civilian world, teaching history and coaching football. Carpenter was talented, highly intelligent, and athletically gifted, but the war truly tested him. In 1945, the dashing pilot was forced out of the cockpit and into a hospital bed by Hodgkins lymphoma, which was discovered in his neck. In addition to the enemy and terminal cancer, Carpenter also battled cynicism and guilt, particularly in regard to the state of his marriage, which was on the brink of failure by the time he returned home from Europe. Charles Carpenter died in 1966, having resumed his career, salvaged his marriage, and long outlived the timeline afforded him by his doctors in the initial prognosis.

This revealing biography of the famous pilot was made possible through the collaboration of noted aviation author and magazine editor Jim Busha, and Carpenter's daughter, Carol Apacki. Along with memories of her father in his postwar years, Carol provided a treasure trove of wartime correspondence between Charles and his wife, Elda Carpenter.

Weight: 824g
Dimension: 162 x 236 x 33 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780764366369