
Seven at Santa Cruz
The Life of Stanley "Swede" Vejtasa
Ted Edwards(Author)
Naval Institute Press
Published on 2. August 2018
Book
Hardback
304 pages
978-1-68247-287-3 (ISBN)
Description
"It was just like flying into the void." --Stanley "Swede" VejtasaThis riveting biography details how Stanley "Swede" Vejtasa became a World War II naval hero. During the Battle of the Coral Sea, Swede flew an SBD Dauntless dive-bomber and helped sink Shoho, the first aircraft carrier lost by Japan in World War II. The next day, in that same Dauntless, he took off from USS Yorktown and out-flew and out-gunned three Japanese Zeros, making him the only dive bomber pilot to be awarded Navy Crosses for both bombing and aerial combat.
Months later, the day before the Battle of Santa Cruz, Swede was flying an F4F Wildcat fighter off USS Enterprise and had no recourse but to follow orders he knew to be insane. He and his squadron mates flew their predictably empty search legs and beyond, only to discover upon their return to Point Option in the dark, that Enterprise was nowhere to be found. Incredibly, Swede located the oil slick he had noticed seeping from Enterprise during a morning combat air patrol and was able to track it back to the carrier.
After their harrowing return, during the Battle of Santa Cruz, the fate of Enterprise, and by extension Guadalcanal, lay in the hands of that same Swede Vejtasa. He responded by single-handedly downing an unprecedented two Japanese dive bombers and five torpedo bombers attacking the carrier. Skipper Jimmy Flatley recognized that in all likelihood, Swede had saved Enterprise from destruction, and he recommended Swede for the Medal of Honor.
Months later, the day before the Battle of Santa Cruz, Swede was flying an F4F Wildcat fighter off USS Enterprise and had no recourse but to follow orders he knew to be insane. He and his squadron mates flew their predictably empty search legs and beyond, only to discover upon their return to Point Option in the dark, that Enterprise was nowhere to be found. Incredibly, Swede located the oil slick he had noticed seeping from Enterprise during a morning combat air patrol and was able to track it back to the carrier.
After their harrowing return, during the Battle of Santa Cruz, the fate of Enterprise, and by extension Guadalcanal, lay in the hands of that same Swede Vejtasa. He responded by single-handedly downing an unprecedented two Japanese dive bombers and five torpedo bombers attacking the carrier. Skipper Jimmy Flatley recognized that in all likelihood, Swede had saved Enterprise from destruction, and he recommended Swede for the Medal of Honor.
Reviews / Votes
"The author has produced an absorbing biography of WWII naval hero Stanley 'Swede' Vejtasa. 'Swede' flew the SBD Dauntless dive-bomber and the F4F Wildcat fighter during the start of the Pacific War - Most Highly Recommended." - FIRE Project"Seven at Santa Cruz provides an intimate look at a man who played a small yet critical role in the Pacific War." - The Daily News
"Edwards's book is a well-paced and readable account." - The Journal of America's Literary Past
"This is a good read - it is an important reminder of the need to keep ... men joining our navies in peacetime, and retaining them so they can 'think, fight, lead and win at war'.... A good read - worth adding to the summer list." - The NAVY Magazine
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Annopolis
United States
Product notice
Cloth over boards
Illustrations
Illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 233 mm
Width: 155 mm
Thickness: 28 mm
Weight
1104 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-68247-287-3 (9781682472873)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
06/2018
Naval Institute Press
€31.49
Available for download
Person
Ted Edwards is a public historian. His oral history work with World War II aviators and other veterans of 20th century war is driven by a desire to understand the first-hand experience in storied events.