The Bridges at Toko-Ri is a novella by American author James A. Michener

James A. Michener

James Albert Michener was an American author of more than 40 titles, the majority of which were sweeping sagas, covering the lives of many generations in particular geographic locales and incorporating historical facts into the stories...

. The book details the experiences of American fighter pilots in the Korean War

Korean War

The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...

 as they undertake a mission to destroy heavily protected supply bridges in enemy territory. The stresses and sacrifices of men at war are handled with the charm and intimate detail that James Michener was famous for.

Influences

In 1951, Michener, a former Naval officer was on the aircraft carrier

Aircraft carrier

An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...

s USS Essex

USS Essex (CV-9)

USS Essex was an aircraft carrier, the lead ship of the 24-ship built for the United States Navy during World War II. She was the fourth US Navy ship to bear the name. Commissioned in December 1942, Essex participated in several campaigns in the Pacific Theater of Operations, earning the...

 and USS Valley Forge

USS Valley Forge

USS Valley Forge may refer to: was an Essex-class aircraft carrier, commissioned in 1946, converted to an amphibious assault ship and decommissioned in 1970 was a guided missile cruiser commissioned in 1986 and decommissioned in 2004...

 then offshore in Korea. He was doing a series of articles for The Saturday Evening Post

The Saturday Evening Post

The Saturday Evening Post is a bimonthly American magazine. It was published weekly under this title from 1897 until 1969, and quarterly and then bimonthly from 1971.-History:...

on the Korean air war.The rescue climax of the story echoes the exploits of Lt. John Kelvin Koelsch

John Kelvin Koelsch

John Kelvin Koelsch was a United States Navy officer and a recipient of America's highest military decoration — the Medal of Honor — for his actions in the Korean War. He was the first helicopter pilot to be awarded the Medal of Honor.-Biography:John Kelvin Koelsch joined the U.S...

 who was the first helicopter pilot awarded the Medal of Honor

Medal of Honor

The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...

 and Duane Thorin, a helicopter pilot on the USS Rochester

USS Rochester

USS Rochester has been the name of many ships of the United States Navy. All of the ships are named for the city of Rochester, New York., was renamed and redesignated to Rochester ., was originally laid down as Rochester, but was renamed prior to being launched., an Oregon City-class heavy cruiser...

.

Film adaptation

The Bridges at Toko-Ri was made into a film of the same name

The Bridges at Toko-Ri

The Bridges at Toko-Ri is a 1954 film based on a novel by James Michener about a naval aviator assigned to bomb a group of heavily defended bridges during the Korean War. It was made into a motion picture by Paramount Pictures and won the Special Effects Oscar at the 28th Academy Awards...

 in 1954 by Paramount Pictures

Paramount Pictures

Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...

, just one year after the book's publication. Starring Grace Kelly

Grace Kelly

Grace Patricia Kelly was an American actress who, in April 1956, married Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, to become Princess consort of Monaco, styled as Her Serene Highness The Princess of Monaco, and commonly referred to as Princess Grace.After embarking on an acting career in 1950, at the age of...

 and William Holden

William Holden

William Holden was an American actor. Holden won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1954 and the Emmy Award for Best Actor in 1974...

, it was directed by Mark Robson

Mark Robson

Mark Robson was a Canadian-born film editor, film director and producer in Hollywood.-Career:Born in Montreal, Quebec, he moved to the United States at a young age. He studied at the University of California, Los Angeles then found work in the prop department at 20th Century Fox studios...

, who had also brought Return to Paradise

Return to Paradise (novel)

Return to Paradise is a collection of short stories written by American author James A. Michener. The collection is a sequel to the Pulitzer Prize-winning book Tales of the South Pacific, the collection that launched his career in 1947...

, another Michener book, to screen

Return to Paradise (1953 film)

Return to Paradise is a South Seas drama film released by United Artists in 1953. The film was directed by Mark Robson and starred Gary Cooper, Barry Jones, and Roberta Haynes. It was based on a short story Mr. Morgan by James Michener in his short story collection Return to Paradise, his sequel to...

 one year earlier. Commander Marshall Beebe who led the Carrier Squadron when Michener was aboard acted as technical adviser to the film and had a cameo role in the film as a pilot.