Eighth Air Force Bomber Stories

Eighth Air Force Bomber Stories PDF Author: Ian McLachlan
Publisher: Sutton Pub Limited
ISBN: 9780750933605
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 212

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Book Description
Each chapter looks at a particular incident or theme, including: 'Jerks Berserks' - newly discovered crew pictures and additional evidence relating to the loss at sea of an American bomber crew; 'Adrift and helpless' - were they murdered by a vengeful German U-boat crew? 'Skipper an' the Kids' - a B-17 on a whisky run to Scotland vanishes; 'Buchenwald' - a powerful account relating the little-known facts about US airmen incarcerated in Hitler's infamous death camp; 'The Innocent Sky' - rescuers risking their lives perish in a vast explosion; and 'Don't worry folks, I'm happy and fine' - a last hasty letter penned on the hardstand prior to take-off, words that echoed for generations in an American family.

Eighth Air Force Bomber Stories

Eighth Air Force Bomber Stories PDF Author: Ian McLachlan
Publisher: Sutton Pub Limited
ISBN: 9780750933605
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 212

Get Book Here

Book Description
Each chapter looks at a particular incident or theme, including: 'Jerks Berserks' - newly discovered crew pictures and additional evidence relating to the loss at sea of an American bomber crew; 'Adrift and helpless' - were they murdered by a vengeful German U-boat crew? 'Skipper an' the Kids' - a B-17 on a whisky run to Scotland vanishes; 'Buchenwald' - a powerful account relating the little-known facts about US airmen incarcerated in Hitler's infamous death camp; 'The Innocent Sky' - rescuers risking their lives perish in a vast explosion; and 'Don't worry folks, I'm happy and fine' - a last hasty letter penned on the hardstand prior to take-off, words that echoed for generations in an American family.

Eighth Air Force Bomber Stories

Eighth Air Force Bomber Stories PDF Author: Ian McLachlan
Publisher: Haynes Publishing UK
ISBN: 9780857332288
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Ian McLachlan and the late Russell J. Zorn present a compelling collection of more than 40 true-life accounts by US Eighth Air Force bomber crewmen flying from England during the Second World War, and by the British civilians whose lives they touched. Some are the result of detailed post-war research by the authors into aircraft crash sites; others are the memories of those who were lucky enough to survive the war. Each story is supported by a unique selection of personal and combat photographs, many taken by Russell J. Zorn during the war.

The Mighty Eighth at War

The Mighty Eighth at War PDF Author: Martin W. Bowman
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
ISBN: 1783830018
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 572

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Book Description
“Relates how the American Eighth Air Force bombers helped Britain's Royal Air Force in fighting Germany during World War II.”—ProtoView From the beginning of World War II, the RAF’s Bomber Command had been the only means of striking Hitler’s Reich and its war machine. But the entry into the war of the United States—and the subsequent arrival in the UK of the Eighth Air Force—would more than double the Allied capability. The Flying Fortress and Liberator heavy bombers were mostly flown across the Atlantic by their young, green aircrew, and many succumbed en route and never arrived. Flying in northern Europe was a different ball game from American skies and it took a considerable time before the crews familiarized themselves with the vagaries of fog, low cloud, rain and snow. The American bombers bristled with defensive armament and elected to fly in close defensive formation during the day, leaving the RAF to carry out nighttime raids. With the arrival of long-range protective escort fighters, the task became a little easier. This book is the story, including many firsthand accounts, of how the American bomber force helped fight to eventual victory, by decimating German industry and transport systems—and breaking the Nazi war spirit.

A Wing and a Prayer

A Wing and a Prayer PDF Author: Harry H. Crosby
Publisher: Open Road Media
ISBN: 1504067320
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 366

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Book Description
“A compelling account of the air war against Germany” written by the navigator portrayed by Anthony Boyle in Apple TV’s Masters of the Air (Publishers Weekly). They began operations out of England in the spring of ’43. They flew their Flying Fortresses almost daily against strategic targets in Europe in the name of freedom. Their astonishing courage and appalling losses earned them the name that resounds in the annals of aerial warfare and made the “Bloody Hundredth” a legend. Harry H. Crosby—depicted in the miniseries Masters of the Air developed by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg—arrived with the very first crews, and left with the very last. After dealing with his fear and gaining in skill and confidence, he was promoted to Group Navigator, surviving hairbreadth escapes and eluding death while leading thirty-seven missions, some of them involving two thousand aircraft. Now, in a breathtaking and often humorous account, he takes us into the hearts and minds of these intrepid airmen to experience both the triumph and the white-knuckle terror of the war in the skies. “Affecting . . . A vivid account . . . Uncommonly thoughtful recollections that address the moral ambiguities of a great cause without in any way denigrating the selfless valor or camaraderie that helped ennoble it.” —Kirkus Reviews “Re-creates for us the sense of how it was when European skies were filled with noise and danger, when the fate of millions hung in the balance. An evocative and excellent memoir.” —Library Journal “The acrid stench of fear and cordite, the coal burning stoves, the heroics, the losses . . . This has to be the best memoir I have read, bar none.” —George Hicks, director of the Airmen Memorial Museum

Blood and Fears

Blood and Fears PDF Author: Kevin Wilson
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1681773791
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 443

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Book Description
The US 8th Air Force came of age in 1944. With a fresh commander, it was ready to demonstrate its true power: from Operation Argument in February—targeting German aircraft production plants—to bringing the Luftwaffe to battle over Berlin, the combined US Air Force-Royal Air Force forces’ round-the clock campaign bottled up the German army in Normandy.In this authoritative history, Kevin Wilson reveals the blood and heroism of the 8th Air Force. At the same time, he opens up the lives of the Women's Army Corps and Red Cross girls who served in England with them and feared for the men in the skies, and he hasn't flinched from recounting the devastation of bombing or the testimony of shocked German civilians.Drawing on first-hand accounts from diaries, letters, and his personal audio recordings, the author has brought to life the ebullient Americans' interaction with their British counterparts, unveiling stories of humanity and heartbreak. Thanks to America's bomber boys and girls, the tide of World War II shifted forever.

The Boys in the B-17

The Boys in the B-17 PDF Author: T/Sgt James Lee Hutchinson EdS
Publisher: AuthorHouse
ISBN: 146707022X
Category : Reference
Languages : en
Pages : 260

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Book Description
The author in flight gear after photo twelfth mission second Air Medal (age nineteen) He still wears lucky Air Cadet ring! Hutch's third book contains short stories of boys on B-17 Flying Fortress crews in deadly missions with the Eighth Air Force in World War II and stories of his own teenage combat experiences as radio/gunner on twenty missions with the Mighty Eighth. Teenagers enlisted or were drafted, trained and went into combat before they could legally vote or buy a drink. They volunteered to fly in the Army's Air Cadet Program and became a part of the greatest air armada in the world. Most of the gunners on a bomber crew were teenagers and the average age of officers was twenty-four. Veterans' memoirs and diaries give amazing reports of fighter attacks, flak damage and those who survived being shot down out to become Prisoners of War. These youngsters manned the planes that bombed and destroyed Germanys military and war industry. The price of victory was high, with an extreme loss of aircrews and planes. Eighth Air Force losses were among the highest of any military unit. Like the author, teenagers who survived to tell the stories of those great air battles are now in their mid-eighties and rapidly passing into history. See previous books "Through These Eyes" and "Bombs Away!" See a free DVD at http://video.smithville.net/?p=17 for interviews of the author with actual WW II combat film footage.

The Promise Kept

The Promise Kept PDF Author: Mike Pungercar
Publisher: Outskirts Press
ISBN: 9781432764395
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 334

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Book Description
In World War II, the Eighth Air Force sent up thousands of men into the skies over Fortress Europe. Stories have been written about the fighter pilots who took on the mighty Luftwaffe one on one. And many stories are about the pilots, gunners, and bombardiers who manned the bombers that flew their missions through the flak filled skies. This book is the story of a man who served with the 91st Bomb Group, and who was like the other men who found their lives and their worlds changed by the greatest conflict in world history. His story, and stories of other airmen and ground crew personnel, are brought to life with the aid of over 100 photographs from WWII. *************In reading this book, life with the 91st Bomb Group is relived as the author walks in his fathers footsteps.The author, the son of a B-17 radio operator, has paid tribute to his father in this well researched, well illustrated, and well written tale of his dads tour of duty with the Mighty Eighth . A must read for every B-17 and World War II buff! (Martin Garrin, Jr., 410th Bomb Squadron, 94th Bomb Group, Captain/Pilot of the Spirit of Valley Forge .) ******* A well written story of life in the Eighth Air Force. Mike has expertly blended historical and technical information with his fathers story and those of other veterans of the air war over Europe. The numerous photos included from the WWII time period allow the reader to become part of the story, to experience life on the base, and life in the air with the bomber crews. (Ron Hagen, History Major, BS Oregon State University)

Through These Eyes

Through These Eyes PDF Author: T/Sgt. James Lee Hutchinson, Ed.S.
Publisher: AuthorHouse
ISBN: 1452052026
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 358

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Book Description
This is the story of Eighth Air Force bombing missions leaving England to blast targets in Hitler's Third Reich in 1944–45. Each clear day, the skies filled with hundreds of B17 Flying Fortress bombers and their escorts crossing the English Channel toward enemy targets protected by anti-aircraft batteries and German fighters waiting to attack the heavy bombers. The skies over the target were filled with black flak appearing to be so thick you could walk on it! The exploding shells filled the space with flying chunks of iron as bombers started their bomb run on the target. We often could hear the flak pelting our plance like a "buckshot" on a tin roof. This flak would often strike a vital part of the plane or wound a member of the crew! Our waist gunner was wounded on our tenth mission!Some missions we could count hundreds of holes in our plane after we landed safely in England! Bombers receiving a direct hit were blown out of the sky and another ten man aircrew was lost. Planes severely damaged had to drop out of formation and face enemy fighters alone unless some of our P-51 or P-47 escort fighters protected them. Bombers disabled or on fire had no choice but to order the crews to bail out. Airmen who survived the parachute jump were captured and placed into German prisoner of war camps (POW). They were classified as "missing in action". Forty-eight photos, some sixty years old are included in this 350 page book to illustrate the story of the author's childhood in the Great Depression through the great air war of World War II. A description of each mission from a sixty year old diary is included. I think you will enjoy the story of a teenage Radio-Gunner's experiences in the Mighty Eighth Air Force.

Jimmy Stewart

Jimmy Stewart PDF Author: Starr Smith
Publisher: Zenith Press
ISBN: 9780760328248
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 348

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Book Description
Of all the celebrities who served their country during World War II--and they were legion--Jimmy Stewart was unique. "Bomber Pilot" chronicles his long journey to become a bomber pilot in combat.

With Wings As Eagles

With Wings As Eagles PDF Author: Philip Kaplan
Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.
ISBN: 1510705155
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 537

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Book Description
Beginning in 1942, the Eighth Air Force began a precision bombing raid offensive deep into Nazi Germany, embarking from bases in rural England. Nearly 350,000 Americans were transplanted to English soil, joining their British colleagues for this joint Allied offensive. For many it was a period of great risk, and arguably the greatest adventure of their lives. With Wings As Eagles celebrates the heroics of these pilots and their missions. A lavishly illustrated, full-color, hardcover original, the narrative is the result of the author’s exclusive interviews with many of the pilots and crew, as well as research from contemporary diaries, journals, and scrapbooks. Readers relive the nostalgia and vivid reminiscences — of days of seemingly endless boredom and fatigue, the loneliness of soaring in an aluminum cocoon four miles over an intended target, and a surprising account of parachuting onto German soil and being captured by women and children. With Wings As Eagles relives the drama and history of an heroic era.