There's one sure way to sell paperback fiction to old farts:
Put a swastika or rising sun on the cover.
Guys in their 70s grew up in the 1936-46 decade and instantly recognize the German and Japanese battle flags.
That explosive period spawned many thousands of post-war novels, motion pictures and documentaries covering every bloody aspect of World War II.
The ten-year span also produced several radio programs featuring Dick Tracy, Terry and the Pirates, Captain Midnight, Jack Armstrong, Sky King and other heroes combatting Nazi and Nip spies, saboteurs, sympathizers and fifth-columnists.
Air-raid sirens and searchlights routinely sent coastal residents into the streets looking skyward for enemy bombers.
Newspapers, magazines and newsreels covered America's Greatest Generation in combat around the world. And posters in public places warned: Loose Lips Sink Ships.
Vivid childhood memories of an unforgettable era. (28 AUGUST 2011)
