Michael W. Michelsen Jr.

Michael W. Michelsen, Jr., is a freelance writer in Riverside, California. An Air Force brat, Michael grew up on more bases than he cares to admit, but he loved every day of it. Among the benefits he most cherishes is the love of aviation that continues to this day.
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5 Articles

The Missing Man Salute

Learn the history behind the Missing Man Formation, the aerial tribute performed by veteran aviators…

The Final Flight of B-24 Liberator 41-1133

Discover the story of B-24 Liberator 41-1133, which crashed during a WWII training mission in…

Michael W. Michelsen Jr.

The Officer Who Could Have Thwarted the Attack on Pearl Harbor…But Didn’t

The story of Kermit Tyler, the officer at Pearl Harbor who dismissed a critical radar…

Michael W. Michelsen Jr.

The Day the Air Force Bombed Montana

Discover the remarkable true story of when a U.S. Army Air Corps B-17 bombed ice…

Michael W. Michelsen Jr.

Snuffy Smith: The Irascible, Unforgettable Hero

Explore the story of Medal of Honor recipient Maynard “Snuffy” Smith, a difficult yet heroic…

Michael W. Michelsen Jr.

The Case of the Snowbound Soldier

A frozen World War II airman discovered in California’s Sierra Nevada led investigators on a…

Michael W. Michelsen Jr.

Making Aircraft Survivable: Abraham Wald’s Counterintuitive Armor Theory

Abraham Wald’s World War II survivability theory revealed how bomber armor should be placed, using…

Michael W. Michelsen Jr.

Operation Freeze

In 1944, Marine Corsair pilots in the South Pacific turned high altitude flights into an…

Michael W. Michelsen Jr.

The Gunner Who Fell From the Sky…Without a Parachute. The Story of Sgt. Alan E. Magee

Discover the extraordinary true story of Sgt. Alan E. Magee, the World War II B-17…

Michael W. Michelsen Jr.

The Mystery of Alaska’s B-29 Superfortress: The Lady in the Lake

Explore the story of the “Lady in the Lake,” a WB-29 Superfortress submerged at Eielson…

Michael W. Michelsen Jr.