The Bomber Boys: Heroes Who Flew the B-17s in World War II

by Travis L. Ayres

True tales of heroism and the men who fought and died in the skies of World War II Europe.

In World War II, there were many ways to die. But nothing offered more fatal choices than being inside a B-17 bomber above Nazi-occupied Europe. From the hellish storms of enemy flak and relentless strafing of Luftwaffe fighters, to mid-air collisions, mechanical failure, and simple bad luck, it's a wonder any man would volunteer for such dangerous duty. But many did. Some paid the ultimate price. And some made it home. But in the end, all would achieve victory.

Here, author Travis L. Ayres has gathered a collection of previously untold personal accounts of combat and camaraderie aboard the B-17 Bombers that flew countless sorties against the enemy, as related by the men who lived and fought in the air-and survived.

Genres: History, Military Fiction, Nonfiction, World War II, Aviation

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

After starting the tv series Masters of the Air on Apple TV I found myself wanting to know more about the bomber boys of WWII - this book did not disappoint! Although the book is nonfiction, it read like prose, which made it super easy to navigate for a person who doesn’t read much nonfiction like me. And what amazing stories shared by veterans! Highly recommend for anyone who wants to learn more.

[Joanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

My grandpa was part of the 447th in the Mighty Eighth in England 1944. He didn’t talk about the war much, usually only in very brief stories to the family. But I was always proud of him for his service and had the pleasure of meeting one of his crew members once. When he passed recently I decided to start researching his missions as a radio operator and back up gunner on B-17s. This led me to read The Bomber Boys, which is my first read dedicated to B-17s. The stories of the men in this book are inspiring and terrifying but it definitely shows the strength and American pride of these tough and amazing people. This book was well written, very interesting and took me forever to read because even though I’m not a crier, this book continuously brought me to tears. Thank you to the author and The Bomber Boys for sharing their stories.

[Bob Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

My dad was a navigator on a B17 in WW2. He was in the 50th Bomb Group on a plane named Little Boy Blue. While dad would occasionally talk about the war, The Bomber Boys helped fill in the gaps of what it was like to fly bomber missions over Germany. This is a book of first hand accounts of what these men did. The most extraordinary stories are about the airmen who was shot down over Germany and managed to escape, and the airman that fell 15,000 feet and survived without his chute ever opening. The accounts of the action are first rate. While some of the narration reads like a 1950s war movie, overall I found the book informative and very readable. There’s probably more details about what these men did after the war than we need, but that’s ok.

[Rich · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a superb book. As an avid reader of the exploits of the "greatest" generation of WWII the contributions of the bomber core often has fallen through the cracks. Yes, I acknowledge the genius of Joseph Heller's epic book Catch 22, but the actual missions and harrowing nature of what these accomplishments is often over shadowed by D-day, the battles in the Pacific and other aspects of WWII. Then along comes this fantastic book written by Ayres. As a result of a chance encounter Ayres meets one of these amazing men and that chance encounter sets him on a path to write this book. Ayres tells the story of five navigators and their crews. Each navigator has a unique story and in many instances what they experienced is terrifying . Perhaps the most intense story in the book is Without a Parachute. In this story Art Frechette is on a bombing run over the Alps when his bomber is hit by flak in the bomb bay area. As you can imagine this is a shit show and causes the plane to explode in mid-air. The explosion is so massive Art is blown out of the plane and falling through space from approximately 25000 feet. Art wakes up and realizes he needs to pull his parachute ripcord. But alas Art is too late and he hits the side of a mountain! Somehow Art, while in rough shape, survives this insane fall through space. Unfortunately, five of Art's bomber crew does not survive. Art is subsequently taken prisoner and treated humanly in a German hospital. Each of these stories is unique and truly incredible. As we lose the last of these heroes every day I am thankful that writers like Ayres have taken the time to tell their stories. Thank you.

[Marilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

My father-in-law was a bombardier during World War II, flying out of England and doing sorties over Germany. While my husband and I were doing some genealogy and looking for stories and images of his father's service, I saw this book mentioned and decided to put it on hold at the library. I'm not much of a WWII or airplane enthusiast, so I wasn't expecting to be as engaged as I was. The first three stories told in The Bomber Boys are compelling. Life and death? Yes, for sure. And over and over and over. The final two are sketchier and a bit less dramatic, but still interesting. Each of the stories would make a great movie. The writing was excellent. Following each story is a run-down of extensive "after the war" details (school, jobs, marriage, children, even grandchildren, reunions). Worth reading. (I read a paperback edition.)

[Michael Maciolek · Rating 5 out of 5]

In my opinion a must-read for anyone interested in the daily operations of American B17 crewman during WW2. This book details the stories of five separate airmen, compiled from interviews conducted by the author. The author does a great job of depicting exciting stories based off of the recounting done by the airmen and their families, and at times you'd believe this is a fiction book rather than a memoir of their time spent in WW2. While not necessary, I think it's beneficial to have a baseline knowledge of American bomber operations prior to reading this book, to help contextualize the experiences described in this book.

[Greg Dunlap · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the son of someone who flew his 16th mission on Black Thursday in the lead aircraft I seek out the stories of these heroes. http://366thspsk-9.com/Passed%20on/JW...

My first night on a post in Vietnam was at Da Nang, January 31st, 1968. TET of 68 no less and here I am, an Air Force military police sentry dog handler being assigned to the Marines on nighttime perimeter duty. I guess you could say I inherited my dad's luck.

[Megan Doyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heros all.....

My father, Thomas F. Doyle Jr., was a bombardier during WWII. He survived his 35 missions and married Mary Cline . He remained in the USAF and was a pilot for most of his career of 30 years. He and my mother were married for 70 years.

Reading this book made me realize what he and his bomber group may have endured during the war. They were so young, and we owe them so much. They are truly the Greatest Generation.

[Robert M. Roth MD · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable reading

The author presents relatively short, but well fleshed out, stories of different members of B 17 crews. Their reminisces are central to each story and well told. We are introduced to other members of the crew and each story contains an epilogue that depicts what happened to the crew after the war. I thought this book was very nicely done.

[John Carrington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Destroying the German war machine

Another piece of the great puzzle of World War 2. Many of these men were so young they would be called kids today. My own uncle had to get his mother's permission to join the fight in Europe. My father and several other uncles fought in the Pacific. Truly they are the greatest generation.

[Tim Austin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m used to the long running narrative histories of WW2 so this one caught me by surprise a little. This book is essentially a collection of short stories of a handful of bomber airmen in the ETO. Since the stories are mostly focused on a single airman the individual stories are richly developed and the stories are absolutely amazing.

[Mark D · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is exactly what it says it is, no more, no less. It's a more focused version of The Greatest Generation or D-Day, and like those books it is high-minded, well-intended, and ultimately not terrifically useful unless the reader already has the context to understand what the veterans had to say between the lines of their interviews.

This was a good, solid work.

[jim crowley · Rating 5 out of 5]

True stories that were told in such an interesting way it was as interesting as a fiction thriller.

The conclusion of the lives of the airmen after the war helped to glory in the survival of such a group of fine young men.

[Joanne Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who knew the exploits of these brave men.

It was factual and the exploits of these men were extoidinary. The author was methodical and no hint of puffery. Good read and WWII buffs will love it.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was drawn to this book as my grandfather was in the Army Air Corp. Super interesting to hear their firsthand accounts. These young men were only 18-24 years of age. Amazing. Knowing what kind of person my grandfather was gives credence to the fact that they really are the Greatest Generation.

[Matt Gentry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book helped me to better understand some of challenges faced by by Grandpa, was served as a tail gunner for 332nd and 333rd bomb squadrons in Europe. Very interesting stories about true American heroes.

[Shannon Callahan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great stuff

Those documented stuff from those who flew during the ww2 is amazing. While it is full of actions and not much too at the same time. That’s part of the war. It was good reading but not much beyond it. Can be a good flight reading.

[Don Watkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great narrative. Full of amazing stories of young airmen who braved the skies over Europe in the second world war.

[Mandi MacLean · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a definite page turner. It was incredibly interesting to read about the stories of each of these men. It was a captivating read from start to finish!

[Kellina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved these stories of what these B-19 pilots had to endure during WW2.

(Also could be read with The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah. It’s fiction, however some of the landscape is the same).

[Matt Sherwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

A terrific story of the bravery, and good fortune, of some of some of those who flew B-17s during WW II.

[Eric Rader · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of stories from 5 different experiences in a B-17. One of them is insane! If you're a history buff like me, do yourself a favor and read this book!

[Jack Hwang · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good personal accounts of B-17 crews. I like "Escape from Black Thursday" and "Without a Parachute" especially. In WW2, there were at least half a dozen aviators who jumped out of their stricken aircraft without a parachute and still survived. Art Frechette was one of them.

[Andrew Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an absolutely wonderful read, this is not a book that centers around the death and destruction of war, but on the journey through life of individuals, as enlisted crew and civilian , and relationships that developed with those of the enemy during capture, and innocent members of the public in war-torn countries of World War 2.

The stories will really grab you, you will hurry to turn each page to find what is about to happen next. These are true personal accounts not of the negative aspects of war, but how individual survived the war years.

These personal accounts are nothing short heroic.