The Wild Blue The Men and Boys Who Flew the B24s Over Germany (Audible Audio Edition) Stephen E Ambrose Jeffrey DeMunn Simon Schuster Audio Books
Download As PDF : The Wild Blue The Men and Boys Who Flew the B24s Over Germany (Audible Audio Edition) Stephen E Ambrose Jeffrey DeMunn Simon Schuster Audio Books
The very young men who flew the B24s over Germany in World War II against terrible odds were an exemplary band of brothers. In The Wild Blue, Stephen Ambrose recounts their extraordinary brand of heroism, skill, daring, and comradeship.
Ambrose describes how the Army Air Forces recruited, trained, and chose those few who would undertake the most demanding and dangerous jobs in the war. These are the boys - turned pilots, bombardiers, navigators, and gunners of the B24s - who suffered over 50 percent casualties.
Ambrose carries us along in the crowded, uncomfortable, and dangerous B24s as their crews fought to the death through thick, black, deadly flak to reach their targets and destroy the German war machine or else went down in flames. Twenty-two-year-old George McGovern, who was to become a United States senator and a presidential candidate, flew 35 combat missions (all the Army would allow) and won the Distinguished Flying Cross. We meet him and his mates, his co-pilot killed in action, and crews of other planes - many of whom did not come back.
As Band of Brothers and Citizen Soldiers portrayed the bravery and ultimate victory of the American soldier from Normandy on to Germany, The Wild Blue makes clear the contribution these young men of the Army Air Forces stationed in Italy made to the Allied victory.
The Wild Blue The Men and Boys Who Flew the B24s Over Germany (Audible Audio Edition) Stephen E Ambrose Jeffrey DeMunn Simon Schuster Audio Books
Very much like stories an older brother had related. He was with the 451st Group 15th Air Force as an aerial gunner..Letter from brother dated March 23'45. ..."After we got away from the place we went our 13th alternate. Now we had ten out of thirteen alternate targets that didn't have guns. We went over the one that did. ...they started shooting, we dropped our bombs, and then by gosh, instead of dodging the lead pilot just kept on going straight ahead. Our pilot waited a while but when no one else dodged why we did it ourselves. Our pilot just took off in a screaming turning dive.
They told us later that the only reason they didn't follow us was they thought we were hit. What a foolish thing to say. We just don't like flak. But I wish Calkins (the pilot) would say something when he starts playing those games."
The pilot was Earl Calkins of Yakima Washington and the plane was "The Yakima Kid"
Brother Frank stayed in the Air Force, served in B29's in Korea, commissioned and flew F86Ds until retirement as captain.
Product details
|
Tags : Amazon.com: The Wild Blue: The Men and Boys Who Flew the B-24s Over Germany (Audible Audio Edition): Stephen E. Ambrose, Jeffrey DeMunn, Simon & Schuster Audio: Books, ,Stephen E. Ambrose, Jeffrey DeMunn, Simon & Schuster Audio,The Wild Blue: The Men and Boys Who Flew the B-24s Over Germany,Simon & Schuster Audio,B004X712PS
People also read other books :
- Perfectly Incorrect Why The Common Core Is Psychologically And Cognitively Unsound eBook Terry Marselle
- The Quadity Jacob I Pfeiffer 9780692818305 Books
- Perfectly Incorrect Why The Common Core Is Psychologically And Cognitively Unsound eBook Terry Marselle
- Perfectly Incorrect Why The Common Core Is Psychologically And Cognitively Unsound eBook Terry Marselle
- Perfectly Incorrect Why The Common Core Is Psychologically And Cognitively Unsound eBook Terry Marselle
The Wild Blue The Men and Boys Who Flew the B24s Over Germany (Audible Audio Edition) Stephen E Ambrose Jeffrey DeMunn Simon Schuster Audio Books Reviews
This book is beautifully and respectfully written. A true tale of courage in the face of certain death, all to stop the Nazi’s from trying to rule the World. The photos, the first hand accounts, the narration is superb. Absolutely one of the best books ever written about the air war of WW2.
This sketchy bio of the early life and war experiences of George McGovern, the very prominent American politician, does not give much insight into anything. The author, who has had much success elsewhere, seems unable to make up his mind exactly what he wants this book to be - a bio, a wartime tale of a bomber pilot, or a close look at the B-24. Consequently it is just a bit of each.
It is well edited, without the abysmal grammar found in many other editions. and so can be read quite quickly. We are left knowing that McGovern was a very brave and skilful pilot, the B-24 was a lumbering but effective pig of a plane, and the Germans were at that time still quite formidable.
However I was not left thinking this was one of the great WWII novels, and maybe it was never meant to be.
This isn't an Air Force version of Band of Brothers, but it's a good book. Although George McGovern's experiences are a major portion of the book, it's not the entire story. Other air crew member experiences are also included to provide a broader picture of the role of bomber crews in general and the 15th Air Force specifically in the European campaign. The 8th Air Force tends to get more coverage, so this provides some perspective that frequently gets neglected. The stateside training details were a little tedious, but the later combat details were worth the wait.
Stephen Ambrose has done it again. One of the best and most prolific historians has produced another epic account of "The Greatest Generation," this time from the airmen's point of view. Centering on George McGovern's service with the 455th Bomb Group which was part of the 15th Air Force stationed in Italy. Ambrose transcends the boundaries and his book manages to show the day to day grind of the airmen, where one day they're flying through flak and dying horrible deaths, the next day, they're sitting in their tents utterly bored. The men who crewed the B-24s were truly the "dogfaces" of the air, and their contributions to the Allied victory cannot be denied. Even when the air war seemed won, there was much danger, whether it was from flak, the Luftwaffe, flying accidents, mishandling of bombs or just plain fate, these men, boys really, served their country well. Stephen Ambrose has given them a beautiful tribute that will stand the test of time.
I am a big fan of Ambrose and have read several of his books. No disappointment here, and, I'll tell you it makes me so proud of our history and the men & women who fought to serve this country and come to the aid of other nations. Great read.
It is full of embarrassing errors about flying and airplanes. At the beginning of chapter three, for example, Ambrose gives us the startling information that B-17s did not sink when they crashed in the ocean—and that is only one of dozens of such cringe-worthy flubs found throughout the book.
For anyone with much aviation knowledge, this book is an exercise in eye rolling. I have enjoyed other Ambrose histories, but I cannot recommend this one.
purchased for my father in law Lt Ed Snyder (96 years old) who flew 35 combat missions iwith the 8th air force during this time. He really likes the book and said it is very accurate although true to the warriors of this generation he said he didnt have it nearly as bad as some and had a roof over his head after returning from missions and a lot of times one hot meal which many did not get.
Very much like stories an older brother had related. He was with the 451st Group 15th Air Force as an aerial gunner..
Letter from brother dated March 23'45. ..."After we got away from the place we went our 13th alternate. Now we had ten out of thirteen alternate targets that didn't have guns. We went over the one that did. ...they started shooting, we dropped our bombs, and then by gosh, instead of dodging the lead pilot just kept on going straight ahead. Our pilot waited a while but when no one else dodged why we did it ourselves. Our pilot just took off in a screaming turning dive.
They told us later that the only reason they didn't follow us was they thought we were hit. What a foolish thing to say. We just don't like flak. But I wish Calkins (the pilot) would say something when he starts playing those games."
The pilot was Earl Calkins of Yakima Washington and the plane was "The Yakima Kid"
Brother Frank stayed in the Air Force, served in B29's in Korea, commissioned and flew F86Ds until retirement as captain.
0 Response to "≡ Download The Wild Blue The Men and Boys Who Flew the B24s Over Germany (Audible Audio Edition) Stephen E Ambrose Jeffrey DeMunn Simon Schuster Audio Books"
Post a Comment