’40 Thieves’ Author to Sign Books

The untold war stories of Frank Tachovsky (pictured) inspired his son, Joseph, to write 40 Thieves on Saipan. Submitted.

Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant will honor the Memorial Day weekend by hosting a signing of 40 Thieves on Saipan: The Elite Marine Scout-Snipers in One of WWII’s Bloodiest Battles, written by Joseph Tachovsky and Cynthia Kraack. Signings will take place May 27-29, 10 am – 3 pm, at Al Johnson’s, 10698 N. Bay Shore Dr. in Sister Bay.

The book has attracted readers of all ages through its Flags of Our Fathers-type story about Tachovsky’s father, Frank – a WWII Marine lieutenant – and his platoon of “40 Thieves” in the Pacific Theater. Later in life, Frank Tachovsky served as mayor of Sturgeon Bay.

Joseph Tachovsky was inspired to write this book after hearing a eulogy during his father’s 2011 funeral that mentioned a heroic episode during the Battle for Saipan – something his father never spoke of. For more than 10 years afterward, Tachovsky met with the four surviving members of the “40 Thieves” and their family members to collect their stories.

40 Thieves on Saipan was the winner of the 2020 Best Book Awards in the History: Military category, and it was the topic of a 2022 Upper Midwest Emmy Award–winning segment by the Pioneer PBS program Postcards.