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Serenade to the Big Bird
Classic story of the air war in Europe written by a highly talented author in August 1944 while he was actively participating in the conflict.
216 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1952
414 people are currently reading
672 people want to read
About the author
Bert Stiles
10 books8 followersBert Stiles was an American author of short stories who was killed in action during World War II while serving as a fighter pilot in the U.S. Army Air Forces.
Stiles enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1942, became an aviation cadet, and upon completion of training, received his officer's commision as a 2nd Lieutenant in November 1943.
Initially, Stiles served as a bomber pilot with the 401st Bomb Squadron of the 91st Bomb Group (U.S. Eighth Air Force) in Britain. He flew his first combat mission over Germany on April 19th, 1944 and completed his combat tour before the end of the summer of 1944.
Throughout his service with the 91st Bomb Group, Stiles continued writing (something he had taken to when he worked as a features writer for his college newspaper) both highly personalized pieces for the London Daily Mail, articles for Yank and Air Force Magazine, and the manuscript for a book.
Upon completion of his combat tour, Stiles refused an opportunity to return to the United States as a flight instructor and volunteered for a second tour with the Eighth, requesting an assignment in fighters. He completed conversion training and was assigned as a pilot with the 505th Fighter Squadron, 339th Fighter Group, a P-51 Mustang unit stationed at Fowlmere, England, about five miles distant from his previous base at Bassingbourn.
On November 26, 1944, on the 16th mission of his second tour, Stiles' squadron was flying at 26,000 feet altitude south of Hanover, Germany, on a bomber escort mission. Stiles was flying a P-51 nicknamed Tar Heel, normally flown by Capt. James R. Starnes of his squadron (P-51D- s/n 44-14113). Encountering 40-60 Luftwaffe FW-190s, Stiles engaged one in combat and shot it down (Air Force Historical Study No. 85 credits Stiles with the kill), but apparently became disoriented when the dogfight descended to low altitude. His P-51 impacted the ground almost immediately, killing him. Stiles is interred at the Ardennes American Cemetery, Neupré, Liège, Belgium.
Stiles enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1942, became an aviation cadet, and upon completion of training, received his officer's commision as a 2nd Lieutenant in November 1943.
Initially, Stiles served as a bomber pilot with the 401st Bomb Squadron of the 91st Bomb Group (U.S. Eighth Air Force) in Britain. He flew his first combat mission over Germany on April 19th, 1944 and completed his combat tour before the end of the summer of 1944.
Throughout his service with the 91st Bomb Group, Stiles continued writing (something he had taken to when he worked as a features writer for his college newspaper) both highly personalized pieces for the London Daily Mail, articles for Yank and Air Force Magazine, and the manuscript for a book.
Upon completion of his combat tour, Stiles refused an opportunity to return to the United States as a flight instructor and volunteered for a second tour with the Eighth, requesting an assignment in fighters. He completed conversion training and was assigned as a pilot with the 505th Fighter Squadron, 339th Fighter Group, a P-51 Mustang unit stationed at Fowlmere, England, about five miles distant from his previous base at Bassingbourn.
On November 26, 1944, on the 16th mission of his second tour, Stiles' squadron was flying at 26,000 feet altitude south of Hanover, Germany, on a bomber escort mission. Stiles was flying a P-51 nicknamed Tar Heel, normally flown by Capt. James R. Starnes of his squadron (P-51D- s/n 44-14113). Encountering 40-60 Luftwaffe FW-190s, Stiles engaged one in combat and shot it down (Air Force Historical Study No. 85 credits Stiles with the kill), but apparently became disoriented when the dogfight descended to low altitude. His P-51 impacted the ground almost immediately, killing him. Stiles is interred at the Ardennes American Cemetery, Neupré, Liège, Belgium.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 83 reviews
February 10, 2017
What an amazing book!! It is about young Bert Stiles who is a co-pilot in a B-17 in the ETO. He goes into some detail about the missions that they flew, but it is more just a story of a young man during the war, with all his thoughts and dreams put onto paper. The story is was written by him during his war service and he did not survive to see it published. It is very sad to read all his thoughts and dreams about his life after the war was finished, and knowing that he didn't survive and would not chase those dreams. The way he saw things was ahead of his times and he would probably have been someone who could have left a big mark on this world if he survived. Always sad to think that so many bright young men of all nations on both sides had to make the ultimate sacrifice. One of the best books I have read!!
August 9, 2014
Many novels about war possess a central desire to give some semblance of meaning to the inhuman confusion and chaos that surrounds the writer or their characters. For the foot soldier, these reasons are often close-at-hand: inhuman circumstances, survival, and duty all play their parts.
But place the writer 20,000 feet in the air, where the war is conducted almost by exchanges of luck between targets that are miles apart, and that perspective changes. From 20,000 feet, entire countries could be seen and the inhumanity of war was rarely experienced firsthand, and even then not for very long. It is this unique perspective of war that Stiles brings to his readers.
From that big-world perspective, while flying missions that sometimes took upwards of 10 hours to complete, a significant amount of time was at hand. Even while anti-aircraft artillery attempted to end their existence, there was not a lot for the B-17 pilots to do other than to try to stay grouped together so that safety could be had in numbers.
Stiles used this time, as any human would do, to consider life under these circumstances. Stiles contemplated the ideas behind the war. He tried to reconcile ideas that formed from his vantage point, where the entire world could be easily seen as a single place but the people of this place were killing each other en masse. He tried to imagine the ideas that would prevent this sort of massacre from ever happening again. There is no hatred in his voice. Rather, his voice is filled with bewilderment, confusion, and his desire to accept his experiences. He strives to better understand the world so that he can help to remake it once the war is over.
Bert Stiles was killed in action a short time after completing his manuscript, before it was ready for publication. For this reason, it's rough around the edges. It's probably more than it needs to be at times, and at other times his thoughts seem to be unfulfilled. But there is more than enough here to understand his experiences as well as to understand his perspective on World War II, if not every war thereafter.
But place the writer 20,000 feet in the air, where the war is conducted almost by exchanges of luck between targets that are miles apart, and that perspective changes. From 20,000 feet, entire countries could be seen and the inhumanity of war was rarely experienced firsthand, and even then not for very long. It is this unique perspective of war that Stiles brings to his readers.
From that big-world perspective, while flying missions that sometimes took upwards of 10 hours to complete, a significant amount of time was at hand. Even while anti-aircraft artillery attempted to end their existence, there was not a lot for the B-17 pilots to do other than to try to stay grouped together so that safety could be had in numbers.
Stiles used this time, as any human would do, to consider life under these circumstances. Stiles contemplated the ideas behind the war. He tried to reconcile ideas that formed from his vantage point, where the entire world could be easily seen as a single place but the people of this place were killing each other en masse. He tried to imagine the ideas that would prevent this sort of massacre from ever happening again. There is no hatred in his voice. Rather, his voice is filled with bewilderment, confusion, and his desire to accept his experiences. He strives to better understand the world so that he can help to remake it once the war is over.
Bert Stiles was killed in action a short time after completing his manuscript, before it was ready for publication. For this reason, it's rough around the edges. It's probably more than it needs to be at times, and at other times his thoughts seem to be unfulfilled. But there is more than enough here to understand his experiences as well as to understand his perspective on World War II, if not every war thereafter.
October 1, 2011
11:27 PM EST. Two minutes ago, I finished reading this book. In its 207 pages, it fully and richly conveys the thoughts and feelings of the author, a young American bomber pilot enraptured with the beauty of flying coupled with the sheer terror of combat in the central blue. For it is there that death exacts its toll of friend and foe alike.
The author describes death as "sometimes lovely... and sometimes she's a screaming horrible bitch... and sometimes she's a quiet one, with soft hands that rest gently on top of yours on the throttles." He also conveys his growing love for the English countryside, his hunger for knowledge, to embrace humanity, and to seek and help make a better world after the war.
Stiles speaks candidly and in earnest about his life, his squadron mates, and the pressures of trying to keep sane and complete one's combat tour. A combat tour in Europe was 35 missions. Any crew who completed a tour was given a reprieve from combat and earned the right to return safely to the U.S., job well done.
This is a book I would recommend for any reader who wishes to understand how war forces a person caught up in it to live his/her life to the full amid the wonder and madness of it all.
The author describes death as "sometimes lovely... and sometimes she's a screaming horrible bitch... and sometimes she's a quiet one, with soft hands that rest gently on top of yours on the throttles." He also conveys his growing love for the English countryside, his hunger for knowledge, to embrace humanity, and to seek and help make a better world after the war.
Stiles speaks candidly and in earnest about his life, his squadron mates, and the pressures of trying to keep sane and complete one's combat tour. A combat tour in Europe was 35 missions. Any crew who completed a tour was given a reprieve from combat and earned the right to return safely to the U.S., job well done.
This is a book I would recommend for any reader who wishes to understand how war forces a person caught up in it to live his/her life to the full amid the wonder and madness of it all.
October 17, 2013
This is a great book. I read it probably 20 years ago and loved it. It made me want to read it again. I have tried to get my kids to read it. So far no luck, but I will be working on them.
Mr. Stiles made me feel like I was there. He made me get a little bit of a sense of what it was like to be a US airman in England during WWII. As I read he seemed just like a regular guy. The things he talked about and the points he made, many of them could have been made yesterday. I can remember thinking he thinks about things I may have thought about. I think this should be required reading in high school, whether it is history, literature, human geo, whatever. This is something that people should know, that people should remember. Mr. Stiles and thousands of others like him were the heroes of WWII. We obviously cannot know all their names but we should know Mr. Stiles' name and not the names of so many infamous criminals.
Mr. Stiles did not survive the war. That is so sad and adds to the importance of reading this book. Mr. Stiles would have had a great future. He is one of many examples of what a waste any war is.
Mr. Stiles made me feel like I was there. He made me get a little bit of a sense of what it was like to be a US airman in England during WWII. As I read he seemed just like a regular guy. The things he talked about and the points he made, many of them could have been made yesterday. I can remember thinking he thinks about things I may have thought about. I think this should be required reading in high school, whether it is history, literature, human geo, whatever. This is something that people should know, that people should remember. Mr. Stiles and thousands of others like him were the heroes of WWII. We obviously cannot know all their names but we should know Mr. Stiles' name and not the names of so many infamous criminals.
Mr. Stiles did not survive the war. That is so sad and adds to the importance of reading this book. Mr. Stiles would have had a great future. He is one of many examples of what a waste any war is.
June 15, 2011
This is an excellent account of a pilot's story who flew B-17's over Europe during WW2 and rightly considered a classic in aviation literature.
Bert Stiles wrote his book during the war but did not live to see it published. After completing his 35 bombing missions in a B-17, instead of returning to the United States, he transferred to fighters and died in his P-51 over Germany, aged 23 years.
His mother arranged to have his book published after the war in his memory. The book isn't all combat and flying but also reflections on life and war as seen and experienced by a young man, this is a great story and I am glad that I read it.
Bert Stiles wrote his book during the war but did not live to see it published. After completing his 35 bombing missions in a B-17, instead of returning to the United States, he transferred to fighters and died in his P-51 over Germany, aged 23 years.
His mother arranged to have his book published after the war in his memory. The book isn't all combat and flying but also reflections on life and war as seen and experienced by a young man, this is a great story and I am glad that I read it.
December 22, 2024
Earned the title of classic aviation story, what a great writer he would have been had he survived the war. This book gives you a glimpse into his time as a B-17 co-pilot. He doesn't hide from his shortcomings as a crew member. This isn't a book about the B-17 so much as about training, long-range relationships, the cruelty of war, the senselessness of killing. So very good:
The crew is on their first mission:
“We’re over the Third Reich,” Benson announced.
The land was all chopped up into little fields and little towns. The fields were just as green as England, greener than Illinois when we crossed it last. They used the same sun down there, and the same moon. The sky was just as blue to them as to anyone at home probably. But for some reason the people down there were Nazis.
Stiles is on his way home to England on the first sortie. B-17's are falling behind, going down, calls over the radio about casualties, he looks down over France in case he has to bail out:
From that high I couldn’t see that the people were all good guys. I did see a barn where I could hide if I had to bail out. Maybe there was a hayloft where some darkeyed French girl was waiting with a couple of jugs of wine. Maybe there was a storm trooper with big boots and a bayonet to comb through the hay.
I decided to stay up high as long as possible.
Five Stars
The crew is on their first mission:
“We’re over the Third Reich,” Benson announced.
The land was all chopped up into little fields and little towns. The fields were just as green as England, greener than Illinois when we crossed it last. They used the same sun down there, and the same moon. The sky was just as blue to them as to anyone at home probably. But for some reason the people down there were Nazis.
Stiles is on his way home to England on the first sortie. B-17's are falling behind, going down, calls over the radio about casualties, he looks down over France in case he has to bail out:
From that high I couldn’t see that the people were all good guys. I did see a barn where I could hide if I had to bail out. Maybe there was a hayloft where some darkeyed French girl was waiting with a couple of jugs of wine. Maybe there was a storm trooper with big boots and a bayonet to comb through the hay.
I decided to stay up high as long as possible.
Five Stars
October 30, 2011
When it sticks to flying and the bombing missions he was on this is often an excellent book. But there is a lot of reminiscing about school and philosophizing about life that didn't always resonate with me. Had he lived through the war he might have put the finishing touches on this material making it a real classic.
November 3, 2020
Serenade to the Big Bird is a literary memoir of life as a B-17 pilot. It's short, and somewhat digressive as Stiles wanders through his childhood, dames, leave on London, but the passages in the air are non-technical and electric. Flying is easy and beautiful. Flying in tight formation through flak and fighters is anything but. Death is a constant presence in the air over Germany, a swift and violent in any number of ways as vulnerable ships fall out of formation and get shredded.
After his tour in B-17s, Stiles transferred to fighters where he was shot down and killed in November, 1944. It was a waste, as all of war is, but I can't help but be reminded of Ed Rasimus' thoughts, "Flying fighters is simply an assignment, but being a fighter pilot isn’t. Being a fighter pilot is a state-of-mind. It’s an attitude toward your job, toward the mission, toward the way you live your life. You don’t have to fly fighters to be a fighter pilot. You’ve simply got to have the attitude."
After his tour in B-17s, Stiles transferred to fighters where he was shot down and killed in November, 1944. It was a waste, as all of war is, but I can't help but be reminded of Ed Rasimus' thoughts, "Flying fighters is simply an assignment, but being a fighter pilot isn’t. Being a fighter pilot is a state-of-mind. It’s an attitude toward your job, toward the mission, toward the way you live your life. You don’t have to fly fighters to be a fighter pilot. You’ve simply got to have the attitude."
March 12, 2017
Intense
Mr Stiles paints a clear description of his role in WWII as a bomber pilot. His thoughts are very relevant today as they were then.
He's a very deep thinker and isn't afraid to let see how war effects everyone.
Great book.
Mr Stiles paints a clear description of his role in WWII as a bomber pilot. His thoughts are very relevant today as they were then.
He's a very deep thinker and isn't afraid to let see how war effects everyone.
Great book.
May 19, 2021
The most memorable part for me was when the author wrote about how he bought 4lbs of strawberries and ate it in one sitting. I don't know why this is so memorable but maybe how he found a simple pleasure in a complicated world is something we should all be able to do.
November 3, 2022
B17 Book review
The story I felt was rambling and for me lacked detail of the very dangerous missions undertaken in flying the B17
The story I felt was rambling and for me lacked detail of the very dangerous missions undertaken in flying the B17
December 12, 2021
Simply a great and gripping read. Bert Stiles is a true American hero. After COMPLETING his original tour of duty as a B-17 Co-Pilot, the full thirty five missions (A Feat as many bomber crew would have told you), he volunteered to fight again, this time as a Fighter Pilot, in P-51s. It was in this iconic fighter, escorting the very iconic bomber he used to fly, that he was shot down, fatally, at the age of 23, over Hanover in late 1944. He turns out to be a very talented writer, with a unique and compelling voice, compounding the tragedy, but making the book a very bittersweet gift from the ages send back to tell us how it is to fight such a total war.
I really don't want to spoil it for you, its that rich. Suffice it to say that we get all the musings of a young man with clearly a lot of promise. He's attractive, an agile writer, has an inquiring mind, like to cause a bit of fun when on his own, and has clearly paid attention to all his schooling. We follow along through his early life and then into the army and air corps. He meets and dallies with the opposite sex. But then we get to England and the missions and the book really pulls us into the world he saw. The missions are taut- the other empty time is filled with boredom and sleep- or various wacky and fairly innocent hijinks. From my few conversations with my parents' friends who flew in the 8th, every word rings true , and you really feel the intensity.
There are a few gory moments, but they are handled so clinically that I think a reader over 11 will be able to stay in the moment and still enjoy the book. They will be amply rewarded for their interest. For the Gamer/Modeller/Military Enthusiast... Pure Gold. I think any good read should deliver diorama and scenario ideas by the bushel! One snippet I recall as I write is when he describes a strong ME 410 attack on a formation over the Ruhr- I was impressed that they could totally ID the aircraft at those speeds and then recall their tactics for the type- and also impressed because I had thought the German plane did not serve in such numbers- good new information for a guy who's read over 30 such memoirs. This book will hold the interest of the WWII Junkie reader and the more casual reader- it combines content and writing style better than most. There might even be enough romance for the female readership this book deserves.
I really don't want to spoil it for you, its that rich. Suffice it to say that we get all the musings of a young man with clearly a lot of promise. He's attractive, an agile writer, has an inquiring mind, like to cause a bit of fun when on his own, and has clearly paid attention to all his schooling. We follow along through his early life and then into the army and air corps. He meets and dallies with the opposite sex. But then we get to England and the missions and the book really pulls us into the world he saw. The missions are taut- the other empty time is filled with boredom and sleep- or various wacky and fairly innocent hijinks. From my few conversations with my parents' friends who flew in the 8th, every word rings true , and you really feel the intensity.
There are a few gory moments, but they are handled so clinically that I think a reader over 11 will be able to stay in the moment and still enjoy the book. They will be amply rewarded for their interest. For the Gamer/Modeller/Military Enthusiast... Pure Gold. I think any good read should deliver diorama and scenario ideas by the bushel! One snippet I recall as I write is when he describes a strong ME 410 attack on a formation over the Ruhr- I was impressed that they could totally ID the aircraft at those speeds and then recall their tactics for the type- and also impressed because I had thought the German plane did not serve in such numbers- good new information for a guy who's read over 30 such memoirs. This book will hold the interest of the WWII Junkie reader and the more casual reader- it combines content and writing style better than most. There might even be enough romance for the female readership this book deserves.
August 17, 2025
I am very glad that Bert Stile’s wrote this memoir. No, it’s not the best written piece of literature out there, but there is something about his down to earth writing style that draws you in. By the end, it feels like you’ve met him…the real him. He lets you in on his true thoughts and feelings about war, politics, education, and people all over the world. He had a very kind, contemplative, and empathetic spirit. You can tell that he put a lot of thought into how to put pen to paper on his musings, even if he hadn’t made up his mind on everything yet. He was killed in action at just 23; how sad that the world was deprived of seeing how his thoughts would have continued to develop and mature and change over the years. He was just finding his voice when it was so brutally cut short, and that perhaps says the most.
“In the end it is only people that count, all the people in the whole world. Any land is beautiful to someone. Any land is worth fighting for to someone. So it isn’t the land. It is the people.”
“In the end it is only people that count, all the people in the whole world. Any land is beautiful to someone. Any land is worth fighting for to someone. So it isn’t the land. It is the people.”
June 13, 2022
Serenade to the big bird is a look at war two pilot the my bombing missions. If this book was his diaries or he actually intended it to be a book is debatable. The one thing that can be said about this book is it is his words of what it was like to be in World War II flying a bomber. He went into everything from pilots, other pilots, other crewmembers and their daily routines to their daily conversations. This book was not just a book about his flights it was also about his social life in the social life of crewmembers another pilots. It gave a good look into the life of a pilot during World War II. Bert Styles was definitely a hero, Who enlisted for second tour in which he was killed flying P-51 fighter jet. this book was a post Mortem book that was pushed to press by his mother. The writing was raw and times didn’t always reach out to grab you but was a very important piece of work that is unique to the people that flew in the big birds and how they saw the war. I would say it is a good reference buddy that wants to read something about World War II.
January 8, 2017
Interesting journal/diary written by a young B-17 co-pilot in England from March 1944 until his death in November 1944. His experiences probably mirror those of many other young Americans 3,000+ miles from home in the middle of a nasty war. I have read numerous accounts of the air war in Europe and found this one to be very interesting, too.
March 1, 2017
Advertised as an account of life on a B-17 flight crew
Purchased the book to learn about life on a B-17 flight crew. First half of book read like a loosely organized, factual account of wartime experiences. Second half of book read more like a stream of consciousness rambling on diverse topics and made me wonder if this was a factual account.
Purchased the book to learn about life on a B-17 flight crew. First half of book read like a loosely organized, factual account of wartime experiences. Second half of book read more like a stream of consciousness rambling on diverse topics and made me wonder if this was a factual account.
March 13, 2019
It is all about people
While Stiles wrote about the bombing missions he co-piloted, the bulk of his writing was about universal human experience as citizens, as consumers of education and as people caught in war. He would write about a conversation with someone during his tour in the US Army Air Force and then write about his thoughts about education, for example. It seemed like the conversation prompted thoughts that he described in the book. His profound thoughtfulness made the book a valuable read. He wrote well about various facets of the war. He hoped for peace before the German people were destroyed. I remember his hope as something like there will be enough good Germans left after the war that Germany will become a partner with countries so that there will be widespread happiness that Germany is good to have in the world. He seemed a bit frustrated by the pilot role while the B-17’s were under attack. The plane’s gunners could shoot back while the pilots watched the attacker firing at their plane. His ideas about the equality and goodness across all people seem to me to be a basic truth and I appreciate his way of describing truth.
While Stiles wrote about the bombing missions he co-piloted, the bulk of his writing was about universal human experience as citizens, as consumers of education and as people caught in war. He would write about a conversation with someone during his tour in the US Army Air Force and then write about his thoughts about education, for example. It seemed like the conversation prompted thoughts that he described in the book. His profound thoughtfulness made the book a valuable read. He wrote well about various facets of the war. He hoped for peace before the German people were destroyed. I remember his hope as something like there will be enough good Germans left after the war that Germany will become a partner with countries so that there will be widespread happiness that Germany is good to have in the world. He seemed a bit frustrated by the pilot role while the B-17’s were under attack. The plane’s gunners could shoot back while the pilots watched the attacker firing at their plane. His ideas about the equality and goodness across all people seem to me to be a basic truth and I appreciate his way of describing truth.
April 9, 2019
‘It was summer & there was war all over the world.’
A matter-of-fact line at the start of the remarkably humble & dramatic book, Serenade to the Big Bird by Bert Stiles, about his brief but stressful career as a co-pilot in a B-17 bomber during WWII, albeit for less than a year, but what a hectic year!
‘All I knew about war I got through books and movies and magazine articles.... It wasn’t in my blood, it was all in my mind.’
I was moved by Bert’s spare & honest writing style, like a confessional letter he might have written home to his Dad, to spare his Mom from any heartache. Incredible that he could still write under such traumatic conditions while flying 2 to 3 missions per week, usually on consecutive days. And not knowing whether he’d ever come back to home base, again, dead or alive. In 1944, Bert was stationed in England & assigned to the 401st Bomb Squadron, 91st Bomb Group at Bassingbourn in Cambridgeshire, about 4 miles from the small town of Royston.
I can’t imagine his stress levels compounded by the lack of sufficient sleep, which might have only been alleviated by his habitual need to write, in a serious attempt to understand the world at war.
Especially when B-17 crews were down-sized from 10 guys to 9 & the number of required missions was increased from 25 to 35 & the fact that heavy bombers were expectantly lost every day; it’s no wonder so many guys were stressed beyond their youthful ability to cope with combat fatigue & what they off-handedly referred to themselves as ‘flak happy’.
As you read this book you get to know Bert as a person & not just another random airman obscured by history, although I wonder if I liked Bert & his book all the more because I know what happened to him after he finished telling me the story of his young & adventurous life. But I think not, because when someone shares their life on so many different levels, it’s impossible to forget them, especially when you find some commonality on a very personal level, something discreetly identifiable, like a shared secret between friends. Much like the book’s dedication Bert made to the memory of his friend, Mac, which becomes all the more poignant after reading about their bond of friendship with such a deep emotional connection, for however brief a time.
Maybe I was moved to tears on more than one page by his compassion for the world at large & the recognition of some uncertain solution thereby with his passion for economics, or being equally honest about his faults as well as his fearlessness to be utterly self-aware, or in agreement with his collective dreams, in order to contribute something to the world, after the end of the war. And in unison with the sober picture of Bert in his military uniform, on page 8 as a plaintive reminder of intimacy that puts a face to the voice of reason in the midst of chaos. Like Bert, I struggled to understand the senselessness of war & why nobody could figure out how to end the conflict & prevent the incalculable loss of life, or exactly who decided their fate w/regard to his subsequent daily missions.
Maybe, I was moved to tears because I knew how much longer the war would actually last & acknowledged his anxiety in retrospect that there wasn’t anything I could do or say or write in a return letter, to help Bert & save him from his own despondency, in a downward spiral of sadness & depression, both figuratively & literally.
Maybe I liked Bert & his book so much more because we both aspired to be writers in our own unique way & I was encouraged by his tenacity & motivated by his discipline when I found that Bert had barricaded himself in his fraternity house while at Colorado College in the summer of 1941, to diligently write 27 short stories. So, Bert was already a published writer of stories & essays while he flew B-17s over Europe during the war & then later when he flew fighters, as a pilot in a P-51 Mustang.
I’m systemically inspired by his short yet productive life & overall heroic achievements, still deeply saddened by the fact that he died so young, at 24; as another misfortunate & careless statistic randomly dictated by Lady Luck, which haplessly curtailed any plans he had hoped to pursue, after the war. Bert will definitely be missed, yet left a legacy of some classified portion of his soul for us to always remember.
I like Bert & enjoyed his book, Serenade to the Big Bird, published posthumously after the war in 1947, presumably in England, as the first printing in America was 5 years later, in 1952. I would also like to read some of his ‘stories & essays’ in the 3 books edited by Robert F. Cooper; Midnight Serenade, Serenade to the World from 30,000 & The Final Serenade. Also, the book about Bert’s life by Mr. Cooper, called Serenade to the Blue Lady.
I will fondly remember Bert lying in a grassy meadow between missions, feeding candy bars to hungry horses & friendly kids, or imagine him trying to sing forgotten lyrics to a favorite song, or virtually struggle with him in the cockpit to keep the wing-tips of his B-17 from touching the other bombers on both sides, in close formation; when forced to fly straight through a belligerent blast of flak from enemy guns below, while he prays for Lady Luck to shield his fellow airmen from a spray of bullets from enemy fighters, as hundreds of B-17 bombers with the same deadly payload dropped their robotic bombs on an unfamiliar target far below the scattered clouds. Bert says, maybe, the war will end tomorrow, or not, just take me back to England safe & sound, so I can write another letter home & get more sack time before my next mission, tomorrow, probably.
‘What I wanted to do tomorrow was ski down Baldy up at Sun Valley, or wade out into the surf at Santa Monica, and get all knocked out in the waves, and come in and lie in the sun all afternoon.’
Me too, Bert! But, good-bye for now & rest in peace, buddy!
Book review by Jack Dunsmoor, author of the book, OK2BG.
A matter-of-fact line at the start of the remarkably humble & dramatic book, Serenade to the Big Bird by Bert Stiles, about his brief but stressful career as a co-pilot in a B-17 bomber during WWII, albeit for less than a year, but what a hectic year!
‘All I knew about war I got through books and movies and magazine articles.... It wasn’t in my blood, it was all in my mind.’
I was moved by Bert’s spare & honest writing style, like a confessional letter he might have written home to his Dad, to spare his Mom from any heartache. Incredible that he could still write under such traumatic conditions while flying 2 to 3 missions per week, usually on consecutive days. And not knowing whether he’d ever come back to home base, again, dead or alive. In 1944, Bert was stationed in England & assigned to the 401st Bomb Squadron, 91st Bomb Group at Bassingbourn in Cambridgeshire, about 4 miles from the small town of Royston.
I can’t imagine his stress levels compounded by the lack of sufficient sleep, which might have only been alleviated by his habitual need to write, in a serious attempt to understand the world at war.
Especially when B-17 crews were down-sized from 10 guys to 9 & the number of required missions was increased from 25 to 35 & the fact that heavy bombers were expectantly lost every day; it’s no wonder so many guys were stressed beyond their youthful ability to cope with combat fatigue & what they off-handedly referred to themselves as ‘flak happy’.
As you read this book you get to know Bert as a person & not just another random airman obscured by history, although I wonder if I liked Bert & his book all the more because I know what happened to him after he finished telling me the story of his young & adventurous life. But I think not, because when someone shares their life on so many different levels, it’s impossible to forget them, especially when you find some commonality on a very personal level, something discreetly identifiable, like a shared secret between friends. Much like the book’s dedication Bert made to the memory of his friend, Mac, which becomes all the more poignant after reading about their bond of friendship with such a deep emotional connection, for however brief a time.
Maybe I was moved to tears on more than one page by his compassion for the world at large & the recognition of some uncertain solution thereby with his passion for economics, or being equally honest about his faults as well as his fearlessness to be utterly self-aware, or in agreement with his collective dreams, in order to contribute something to the world, after the end of the war. And in unison with the sober picture of Bert in his military uniform, on page 8 as a plaintive reminder of intimacy that puts a face to the voice of reason in the midst of chaos. Like Bert, I struggled to understand the senselessness of war & why nobody could figure out how to end the conflict & prevent the incalculable loss of life, or exactly who decided their fate w/regard to his subsequent daily missions.
Maybe, I was moved to tears because I knew how much longer the war would actually last & acknowledged his anxiety in retrospect that there wasn’t anything I could do or say or write in a return letter, to help Bert & save him from his own despondency, in a downward spiral of sadness & depression, both figuratively & literally.
Maybe I liked Bert & his book so much more because we both aspired to be writers in our own unique way & I was encouraged by his tenacity & motivated by his discipline when I found that Bert had barricaded himself in his fraternity house while at Colorado College in the summer of 1941, to diligently write 27 short stories. So, Bert was already a published writer of stories & essays while he flew B-17s over Europe during the war & then later when he flew fighters, as a pilot in a P-51 Mustang.
I’m systemically inspired by his short yet productive life & overall heroic achievements, still deeply saddened by the fact that he died so young, at 24; as another misfortunate & careless statistic randomly dictated by Lady Luck, which haplessly curtailed any plans he had hoped to pursue, after the war. Bert will definitely be missed, yet left a legacy of some classified portion of his soul for us to always remember.
I like Bert & enjoyed his book, Serenade to the Big Bird, published posthumously after the war in 1947, presumably in England, as the first printing in America was 5 years later, in 1952. I would also like to read some of his ‘stories & essays’ in the 3 books edited by Robert F. Cooper; Midnight Serenade, Serenade to the World from 30,000 & The Final Serenade. Also, the book about Bert’s life by Mr. Cooper, called Serenade to the Blue Lady.
I will fondly remember Bert lying in a grassy meadow between missions, feeding candy bars to hungry horses & friendly kids, or imagine him trying to sing forgotten lyrics to a favorite song, or virtually struggle with him in the cockpit to keep the wing-tips of his B-17 from touching the other bombers on both sides, in close formation; when forced to fly straight through a belligerent blast of flak from enemy guns below, while he prays for Lady Luck to shield his fellow airmen from a spray of bullets from enemy fighters, as hundreds of B-17 bombers with the same deadly payload dropped their robotic bombs on an unfamiliar target far below the scattered clouds. Bert says, maybe, the war will end tomorrow, or not, just take me back to England safe & sound, so I can write another letter home & get more sack time before my next mission, tomorrow, probably.
‘What I wanted to do tomorrow was ski down Baldy up at Sun Valley, or wade out into the surf at Santa Monica, and get all knocked out in the waves, and come in and lie in the sun all afternoon.’
Me too, Bert! But, good-bye for now & rest in peace, buddy!
Book review by Jack Dunsmoor, author of the book, OK2BG.
December 15, 2017
An amazing book. Bert Stiles puts you right there in a B-17 over war torn Europe, right along with his fellow crew members; he also gives you a true-to-life glimpse at what it was like to be an American serviceman in England during WWII.
After 35 missions in a B-17 he transferred to fighters and was piloting a P-51 over Germany when he was shot down in Nov. '43. As he would probably put it "One man ran through his luck, and got it."
What a loss to literature and readers who love a good yarn well told! Still rough around the edges in this book, Mr. Stiles displays limitless potential with his ability to paint a picture with words; stream of consciousness style; and sometimes lyrical phrasing. Grab this book and read it - then mourn the loss of a young man who might have become a wonderful writer.
After 35 missions in a B-17 he transferred to fighters and was piloting a P-51 over Germany when he was shot down in Nov. '43. As he would probably put it "One man ran through his luck, and got it."
What a loss to literature and readers who love a good yarn well told! Still rough around the edges in this book, Mr. Stiles displays limitless potential with his ability to paint a picture with words; stream of consciousness style; and sometimes lyrical phrasing. Grab this book and read it - then mourn the loss of a young man who might have become a wonderful writer.
February 17, 2024
This was one of the most affecting books I’ve read in a while. Written by Lt. Bert Stiles, a B-17 pilot in the 8th Air Force, it’s simultaneously an account of the air war over Germany, and a scared boy’s introspective take on the world in flames in which he lived. Stiles’ spare prose and beyond-his-years wisdom was something — his two-page passage on the fully of war and the interconnectedness of man moved me to tears. It’s made all the more meaningful and tragic by the fact that Lt. Stiles would be killed a year later—at the the age of 24–after completing his tour of duty and volunteering to fly fighters rather than take the leave that he’d earned over 35 terrifying missions. This knowledge also lent extra weight to the sections and lines in which Stiles lays out his hopes and dreams for after the war. A toast to you, Lieutenant.
September 30, 2020
Perhaps the most honest WWII memoire I have read. Stiles begins simply and ends simply as he relates his story and questions the reasons of war. Of course he relates his experiences in the cockpit, and his relationships with members of the crew which do not appear to be that close. He doesn't relate great heroics or close escapes. He is an average co-pilot that fails to meld with his pilot. Like most of us he doesn't remember all he is supposed to do all the time. But survives his tour, and volunteers for a P51 squadron and dies in a crash while engaged with the Luftwaffe. He relates a simple, uncomplicated tale which describes a typical American pilot with the Eighth Air Force during WWII who just did his job, and sometimes wondered why he did it.
December 13, 2022
A short, crisp, well written WW2/SWW memoir from a B17 co-pilot. There is a lot about Stile's experience in combat - dealing with some of the sights he saw; the crew dealing with attacking fighters and flak; the challenges of maintaining formation with other heavy bombers and some of the mishaps. There also is insight into other factors - the cohesion of a crew, particularly under the strain of combat; dealing with fatigue; dealing with loss in the squadron; changing crews; time away on leave; and maintaining combat effectiveness. He also offers his views on war and what the post-war world should focus on.
The memoir covers Stiles' time in B-17s.
The memoir covers Stiles' time in B-17s.
December 16, 2017
This book is really not a serenade to the B-17 nor an account of the authors’ missions so much as it is an expression of the author’s philosophy of politics and economics. If you are looking for a book purely on the military aspects of flying with the 8th Air Force in the latter part of World War II this is not the book you’re looking for. Similarly, if you’re looking for a book on politics and economics from the standpoint of the war years this not the book. It does, however, hang together well enough to be a fairly quick read.
June 13, 2022
Serenade to the Big Bird
This is the book I have been waiting to read. My dad was a bombardier with the 483rd stationed in Steparone Italy. He never talked to me about the war. Even when he started traveling the US with mom to his reunions. According to mom he would talk story at the reunions but not at all at home. I never knew how to start that conversation while he was alive. I wanted to ask but wasn't sure how and too timid to try. This book gave me as much a glimpse of what he went through on his missions as I probably will ever get. An engaging read and well written.
This is the book I have been waiting to read. My dad was a bombardier with the 483rd stationed in Steparone Italy. He never talked to me about the war. Even when he started traveling the US with mom to his reunions. According to mom he would talk story at the reunions but not at all at home. I never knew how to start that conversation while he was alive. I wanted to ask but wasn't sure how and too timid to try. This book gave me as much a glimpse of what he went through on his missions as I probably will ever get. An engaging read and well written.
January 3, 2017
The Intellectual Flier
Until I read this book, I had never heard of Bert Stiles, but since I've read this book, I don't think I will ever forget him. He is an intellectual thrown into the war in a dangerous job; a job that didn't have good odds of coming home. Yet, he has the thinking man's perspective about the war, and the life he hopes for should he survive the war. Probably the best book I have read about the individual in war.
Until I read this book, I had never heard of Bert Stiles, but since I've read this book, I don't think I will ever forget him. He is an intellectual thrown into the war in a dangerous job; a job that didn't have good odds of coming home. Yet, he has the thinking man's perspective about the war, and the life he hopes for should he survive the war. Probably the best book I have read about the individual in war.
August 25, 2017
Not a horrible book, but too much wandering around and philosophy. Very little about the actual missions, especially about "D" Day. It seems sad that the Army let Stiles, who had been sent to the Flack House extend after he completed his 35 missions to fly P-51's and eventually be killed in combat. I don't think that he was that great a pilot in the 17, as he was never upgraded to mission pilot.
January 27, 2019
Those guys were truly heroes...a very dramatic and emotional read!
Reading this book was like being right there with him. And experiencing the fear and emotion of real conscripted fliers...it cetainly gave me pause...and a great deal of wonder how l would have handled myself if it were me..... l m 80, and as a kid witnessed a bit of the war ..but children do not feel fear ..as he did..ina very mature way....an excellent read, inspiring and hear breaking.
Reading this book was like being right there with him. And experiencing the fear and emotion of real conscripted fliers...it cetainly gave me pause...and a great deal of wonder how l would have handled myself if it were me..... l m 80, and as a kid witnessed a bit of the war ..but children do not feel fear ..as he did..ina very mature way....an excellent read, inspiring and hear breaking.
December 14, 2019
I liked this book for its personal and simpler nature. There are quite a few books about the B-17’s and the men (and women!) who flew, fought, and died in them. This one is an important one of the few written by one who was among them.
In addition, for any who are interested, also read The Wrong Stuff: The Adventures and Misadventures of an 8th Air Force Aviator, by Truman Smith, also an 8th Air Force B-17 co-pilot.
In addition, for any who are interested, also read The Wrong Stuff: The Adventures and Misadventures of an 8th Air Force Aviator, by Truman Smith, also an 8th Air Force B-17 co-pilot.
November 14, 2020
Not the complete story
This is not the usual blood and guts war story. It is the reflection of a man doing a job that had to be done. He reflects on different aspects of war from a very personal view. But this is not the true end of the story. Instead of going home he transfers to fighters and is killed after chasing a 109 to low to pull out of his dive. I guess Lady Luck was not around any more.
This is not the usual blood and guts war story. It is the reflection of a man doing a job that had to be done. He reflects on different aspects of war from a very personal view. But this is not the true end of the story. Instead of going home he transfers to fighters and is killed after chasing a 109 to low to pull out of his dive. I guess Lady Luck was not around any more.
March 18, 2022
Amazing insight into the life of a Flying Fortress pilot during WW2. This book, published after his death by his mother, is a collection of journal entries. When his tour was over he volunteered to go through fighter training and was subsequently killed. Judging by this example, his death robbed us of some amazing writing. A different edition advertises color and black and white photos. There were no pictures in the edition I read. Shame
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