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Seventy years ago, author James Michener, who served as a U.S. Navy lieutenant commander during the Second World War, was embedded on the attack carrier USS Valley Forge commanded by Rear Admiral John Perry. Its mission was to launch warplanes to bomb three bridges in North Korea at Samdong-ni valley near the villages of Toko-san and Poko-ri. The bridges were protected by Soviet-made radar controlled quad cannons. The bombing raid, despite heavy flak, was a success.
The book and movie were fictional, but both were based on real events and stories Michener learned from the sailors and airmen he interviewed on warships near Korea.
During a previous attack on the bridges, an AD-4NL Skyraider was hit, and the crew of three bailed out, resulting in a Sikorsky HO3S helicopter rescue mission. During the war, the Sikorskys rescued numerous downed airmen. Michener interviewed participants in that and other raids, doing research for the Korean War novel he would title The Bridges at Toko-Ri. The book was published a year later in 1953, and the movie version was produced in 1954.
The book and movie were fictional, but both were based on real events and stories Michener learned from the sailors and airmen he interviewed on warships near Korea.
