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A humble, young pilot who survived thirty bombing missions over 1944 Europe, Thompson credits his crew and buddies. Returning safely from his final mission, Thompson landed in England with ten pieces of flak in his body. Ground fire had pierced the sides of his B-17 bomber. Back in Minnesota, he married his sweetheart. Restlessness made him decide to move to Alaska. While his pregnant wife stayed, Thompson, his sister, and her husband drove a $400 surplus jeep pulling a trailer of belongings. Ten days later, they arrived in Seward and temporarily lived in Quonset huts on the abandoned base.
After flying back for his wife and son, Denny took apart army buildings to earn money to buy a fishing boat. With this start he would fish for salmon, hunt bear, and buy planes suitable to fly as guide for hunting tours. Successful at helping others bag record moose and bear, Thompson decided to build a hunting lodge closer to target areas. His wife objected to living in the wilderness, and they divorced.
Denny would log over 25,000 hours flight time, only stopping in his nineties. He was the best hunting guide in Alaska, until the state closed down bear hunting. Then he flew hunters into Africa's teaming savannahs until the country's government was ousted. Barely escaping with his plane, Denny lost a teammate flying a smaller plane.
Burckart heard first-hand many of the tales told by Thompson and his hunters. He assembled this fascinating legend for anyone interested in WWII and outdoor adventures. An editor could have resolved missing periods the at end of sentences, often when the next sentence begins with a dependent clause. Due to multiple resources, pronouns change unpredictably from singular to plural first person and third person. An index would be helpful.