The Bridges at Toko-ri (1953) is a novella by American author James A. Michener. The book details the experiences of United States Navy pilots in the Korean War as they undertake a mission to destroy heavily protected bridges in enemy territory.
The giant pistons that launched the fighting planes into the air were found in the catapult room of the carrier and as a cure for loss of nerve Brubaker stood in the catapult room where the piston swung back within inches of his face and he without flinching was braced by the exposure to the immediate halting proximity of the immensity of the force. This was eliminated from the film and was replaced with the airman simply standing on the prow of the carrier allowing the swiftly passing salt air to refresh his spirit.
Further reading
The book Such Men As These, published in 2010 by David Sears, uses "Michener’s notes to follow the real-life aviators from the day they left home to the truce that ended the war...Sears also follows Michener’s own progress in writing [The Bridges at Toko-ri], which many veterans felt was the best depiction of their experience on the ground and in the sky."[6]
