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Hanchett Works
A writer's site showcasing the historical works of William Hanchett
Book Release expected April 8, 2025
Long before William “Bill” Hanchett became a professor of history and a notable expert on Abraham Lincoln, he was a B-24 Liberator heavy bomber pilot in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II. While telling a unique story of the Army Air Forces, Disgracefully Easy is a book of correspondence which highlights Hanchett’s early writing, powers of observation and growing historical perspective. In addition to vivid first-person descriptions of flying, Hanchett’s letters and postal cards discuss the difficulties of a once wealthy family struggling to recover from the Great Depression.
From living as a recruit in a luxury beachfront hotel converted into barracks by the Army, to taking courses at a civilian college as an aviation student, to “bombing” the San Diego Naval Base in his future beloved home town, Bill Hanchett takes his family with him from basic training through advanced flying school where he hoped to be a hotshot fighter pilot, “dancing around the sky.” Instead, much to his chagrin, he was assigned as an instructor-pilot, teaching cadets from the rear seat of a BT-13 Valiant training airplane. He began to enjoy being an instructor, but as the war progressed and the flying school closed, Lieutenant Hanchett transitioned to become a four-engine bomber pilot in the fall of 1944, as the presidential election was well underway. Clearly expressed in his correspondence were Bill’s strong opinions about the divisive politics of that time, which usually conflicted with his father’s outlook.
Ultimately, in early 1945 Bill became responsible for training a bomber crew in the Nevada desert for an overseas assignment which never materialized because the war ended. While training his men hard, he became frustrated with what he viewed as pointless flying and concluded to his father that his service was “disgracefully easy” compared to others who saw combat. Unknown to him at the time, Bill’s experience as an instructor-pilot and airplane commander helped lay a foundation for lifelong work as a professor of history. The correspondence in this book was unknown to his family until it was discovered after he died the summer of 2016. When Bill received the correspondence after his parents died in the late 1950s, he wrote on the package that he hoped that at some point in the future the correspondence would be read when it would qualify as historical documents.​
COMING SOON!
Biographies
William Hanchett, Author
Bill (1922-2016) grew up in a wealthy family in Evanston, Illinois, near Chicago. His father lost his municipal bond company business during the 1930’s Depression and their family lifestyle drastically changed. Bill graduated from high school in 1940 and attended Black Mountain College. He loved it there but family finances and America’s entry into World War II intervened. He enlisted in the Army Air Forces in 1942, rising from private to Second Lieutenant and airplane commander of a B-24 Liberator bomber. After the war he continued his education, was a civilian historian for the U.S. Air Force and became a professor of history at San Diego State University for over thirty years. Bill’s published works are in the "Works" section of this site. Additionally, he wrote numerous articles on Lincoln and the American Civil War era. Bill frequently expressed that he was fortunate to live in San Diego, California for the majority of his adult years, where he enjoyed sailing on the bay.
Tom Hanchett, Editor
The chapter introductions and notes in Disgracefully Easy were prepared by Bill Hanchett’s son, Tom. Now retired from federal civil service, Tom has had a lifelong interest in history, and holds a bachelor’s degree in government and two master’s degrees, in History and Public Administration. He wrote a master’s thesis on a World War II subject and subsequently wrote historical articles for a veteran’s association newsletter and published an article in World War II magazine. In the late 1970s, Tom wrote news and feature articles for MAINSTREAM Magazine, a monthly periodical for people with disabilities.
A native Californian, Tom resides in North San Diego County. Finding Bill’s WWII correspondence was a fortuitous event, and given Tom’s extensive military history interest and background, it was a natural undertaking for him to edit and present his father’s correspondence.​​
Advance Testimonials
It is all too easy to forget that in World War II, however much they wanted to be in the action, uncounted thousands of men and women in uniform ‘did their bit’ without leaving our shores. Bill Hanchett was one of them, a pilot so skilled he was kept ‘stateside’ to train others. In Disgracefully Easy, his thoughtful and perceptive letters to his parents open a window onto the feelings, frustrations, and experiences of ‘those who also served,’ as well as a running commentary on how young men of his time felt about politics, duty, the war, and the postwar future to come."
William C. Davis
Civil War Historian and prolific author, and recent co-editor of The Wharton's War.
The combination of Tom Hanchett’s research and his father’s collected letters make this an interesting story, beautifully told…”
​Dr. Paul Hoffman
Director, Air University Press, USAF Air Education and Training Command
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Disgracefully Easy is an important contribution to our understanding of World War II. While it does not contain any new information on campaigns or battles, it does contribute to our understanding of the Homefront and the military personnel stationed there. William “Bill” Hanchett had a front row seat to life at air bases throughout the United States. From Miami Beach to Randolph Field, Texas, Hanchett spent the war training for combat missions that he never flew. Millions of men and women participated in World War II and hundreds of thousands of them gave the last full measure of devotion. Equally worth remembering are those who raised their hand and volunteered for service only to find their particular path never left the United States. This book tells the story of one of those greatest generation individuals, who felt the call to service, but who served only at air bases around the United States, the war ending before his B-24 unit flew west. Passed over by technology (the B-29) and campaigns far from his location, Bill returned to civilian life and rose to be one of the nation's leading scholars on Abraham Lincoln. His letters home provide insight into the war years and will be useful to scholars and history buffs alike.”
Dr. Brian D. Laslie
Command Historian at the United States Air Force Academy, and author of Fighting From Above: A Combat History of the U.S. Air Force
As time progresses there continues to be an avalanche of books about World War II.
But there are very few about the citizens who fought it, their sacrifices, lives and deaths, and the heart they gave up into it.
Now along comes DISGRACEFULLY EASY, a true-to-life life book that uneasily tells it like it was.
Here's your chance to see the war from the bottom up versus the top down."
Peter Stekel
Author of FINAL FLIGHT, the Mystery of a WWII Plane Crash and the Frozen Airman in the High Sierra, and BENEATH HAUNTED WATERS, the Tragic Tale of Two B-24s Lost in the Sierra Nevada Mountains During World War II
This is a superb compilation of wartime letters."
Karl Zingheim
Historian, USS Midway Museum, and Adjunct Faculty, San Diego State University
Latest News & Events
ACORN PUBLISHING ANNOUNCES COVER REVEAL – January 21, 2025
We are excited to share the cover for this important WWII memoir,
DISGRACEFULLY EASY: A B-24 PILOT’S LETTERS HOME, coming this April!
Book Description
In this posthumously published collection of letters and postal cards, William “Bill” Hanchett shares his candid experiences as a flight-school cadet, and later as an Army Air Forces pilot in command of a B-24 Liberator bomber during World War II.
Through Bill’s first-hand accounts, we learn that mastering the art of flying during wartime is about more than understanding engine throttle and airspeed. It’s about wondering when you’ll be called to fight and if you’ll be asked to betray your ideals. It’s about working hard and documenting the days, dreaming about the future, and longing for home.
An extraordinary primary document, DISGRACEFULLY EASY offers us a rare glimpse inside the military in the 1940s, a time when Americans worried about the fate of their great country and looked to the brave and courageous to deliver them from fear. This unique collection will be long remembered as an important addition to the annals of aviation history.
Earlier Notable Works
University of Illinois Press, 1994
In Out of the Wilderness William Hanchett, a leading Lincoln Scholar, follows Abraham Lincoln from his birth and chronicles his thirst for education, his achievements as a lawyer and congressman, his presidency, and his assassination. Hanchett gives readers a deeper understanding of how Lincoln's self-directed study and clear thinking offset his lack of a formal education, enabling him to become a respected and successful attorney. He also shows how Lincoln's uncanny leadership helped him to end slavery and still keep the divided North sufficiently united to win the Civil War. By focusing on a variety of roles and settings, Hanchett invites readers to get to know Lincoln as a president, as well as a lover, husband, father, and friend.
University of Illinois Press, 1983
History Book Club
Main Selection
In The Lincoln Murder Conspiracies William Hanchett unravels misconceptions and numerous conspiracy theories to present Lincoln's murder as the political finale to the Civil War. Lincoln’s assassination has seldom been considered a serious topic for historians and has never been treated with the objectivity and thoroughness Hanchett brings to bear on the subject. Hanchett, with precision and humor, debunks the conspiracy theories and sets the record straight. Hanchett recounts the factual evidence concerning Lincoln's assassination and explains why such unproved theories have been so popular.
Syracuse University Press, 1970
William Hanchett’s biography of Charles G. Halpine, an Irish journalist, author and soldier during the American Civil War. Hanchett examines Halpine’s mythical alter ego, Private Miles O’Reilly, who promoted the Union cause among the Irish in New York. The book tells the story of Halpine’s journey from Irish immigrant to a well-known American journalist recognized by national leaders, including Lincoln.
Black Easter: The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln [VHS]
Produced by White River Pictures (June 1993)
Written by William Hanchett, Directed and Produced by Gary L. Beebe
Black Easter was aired on The Discovery Channel and is the recipient of two Telly Awards for excellence.
Excerpt from reviews:
Black Easter is a fresh and engaging look at the greatest murder in American History. It should sweep all earlier films on the assassination from the shelves. ~ TIME-LIFE Books
Out of the Wilderness, The Life of Abraham Lincoln [VHS]
Produced by White River Pictures (June 1993)
Written by William Hanchett, Directed and Produced by Gary L. Beebe
With Out of the Wilderness released as a video in 1993, William Hanchett introduced Abraham Lincoln to a new generation of Americans interested in learning about the 16th president who overcame his educational inadequacies to become president of the United States, saving the Union, freeing the slaves, and offering a new vision of democracy. The video uses original music, drawings and period photographs to provide a fresh understanding of Lincoln the man.
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