Midnight Flyboys: The American Bomber Crews and Allied Secret Agents Who Aided the French Resistance in World War II

by Bruce Henderson

The untold history of a top-secret operation in the run-up to D-Day in which American flyers and Allied spies carried out some of the most daring cloak-and-dagger operations of World War II.

In 1943, the OSS—precursor to the CIA—came up with a plan to increase its support to the French resistance forces that were fighting the Nazis. To start, the OSS recruited some of the best American bomber pilots and crews to a secret airfield twenty miles west of London and briefed them on the intended mission. Given a choice to stay or leave, every airman volunteered for what became known as Operation Carpetbagger.

Their dangerous plan called for a new kind of flying: taking their B-24 Liberator bombers in the middle of the night across the English Channel and down to extremely low altitudes in Nazi-occupied France to find drop zones in dark fields. On the ground, resistance members waited to receive steel containers filled with everything from rifles and hand grenades to medicine and bicycle tires. Some nights, the flyers also dropped Allied secret agents by parachute to assist the French partisans.

Though their story remained classified for more than fifty years, the Carpetbaggers ultimately received a Presidential Unit Citation from the US military, which declared: “it is safe to say that no group of this size has made a greater contribution to the war effort.” Along with other members of the wartime OSS, they were also awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.

Based on exclusive research and interviews, the definitive story of these heroic flyers—and of the brave secret agents and resistance leaders they aided—can now be told. Written in Henderson’s “spellbinding” (USA Today) prose, Midnight Flyboys is an astonishing tale of patriotism, courage, and sacrifice.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, War, World War II, Military Fiction, Audiobook, Historical

336 pages, Hardcover

First published November 11, 2025

About the author

Bruce Henderson is the author of more than twenty nonfiction books, including a #1 New York Times that was made into a highly-rated network miniseries. His books have been published in more than two dozen countries. His latest book is Midnight Flyboys: The American Bomber Crews and Allied Secret Agents Who Aided the French Resistance in World War II. He is also the author of Sons and Soldiers: The Untold Story of the Jews Who Escaped the Nazis and Returned with the U.S. Army to Fight Hitler, the NYT bestseller about "The Ritchie Boys" being developed for a feature film. He won the coveted 2023 Gilder Lehrman Military History Prize in recognition of the best English language book published in the field of American military history for Bridge to the Sun: The Secret Role of the Japanese Americans Who Fought in the Pacific in World War II. Henderson has taught reporting at USC School of Journalism and nonfiction writing at Stanford University. He lives in Menlo Park, California.

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Bruce-Henderson...

Reviews

[Nancy Yager · Rating 5 out of 5]

Midnight Flyboys by Bruce Henderson is exactly how history should be written — vivid, thrilling, and deeply human. The book tells the story of the “Carpetbaggers,” a top-secret group of airmen who flew dangerous nighttime missions over German-occupied France during World War II. Their job was to drop supplies, ammunition, and agents to support the French Resistance — a mission so perilous that many never made it back.

Henderson brings these men to life without turning them into untouchable heroes. He shows their courage, fear, and sacrifice in a way that makes you feel like you’re right there in the cockpit, flying blind through the dark. Because they couldn’t use any lights, crashes and equipment failures were common, and sometimes they were shot down before even reaching their targets. The book also goes beyond the air missions, showing what happened to the surviving crews after crashes and how their efforts were coordinated on the ground with Resistance fighters waiting for those supply drops.

What I really loved is how Henderson bases these stories on newly released government documents, blending facts with storytelling that never loses its emotional core. It’s exciting, dangerous, and real — a perfect balance of action and authenticity.

A well-written, gripping account of true WWII heroes — Midnight Flyboys soars with courage, danger, and the kind of history that stays with you long after the last page.
Thank you to Netgalley and Gallery Books for the Advanced Readers Copy.

[Glen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book in a goodreads drawing.

A popular history of the flyers who secretly dropped spies and supplies to the French resistance. A little known aspect of the war is made clear.

Highly recommended.

[JoAnn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to receive an advanced copy of this amazing book. I gained a greater understanding of and appreciation for the work of the French Resistance during WWII. I did not realize how much their success in restoring their freedom from the Nazis depended upon outside assistance from the governments of the Allies. I did not appreciate the risks the men and women were willing to take.

I am in awe of the courage and tenacity of the men and women who literally put their lives on the line to ensure the Nazi scourge was destroyed.

[Nic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Midnight Flyboys sounds like something only Hollywood could dream up. Clandestine missions. Flying only by the cover of night, dropping weapons, spies, and saboteurs into an occupied country. But it's all very true, and Bruce Henderson brings it all to life in this well-researched, engagingly written book about a little known aspect of WWII. Prior to the Normandy invasion, the Allies understood the importance of sabotage and harassment behind German lines in occupied France and undertook a plan to supply the French Resistance with weapons, radios, and SOE agents. And so Operation CARPETBAGGER was born. In the dark of night, American aircrews would fly their B-24 Liberators to secret Resistance drop zones and, through their planes' bomb hanger doors, would drop containers of guns, explosives, grenades, radios, food, agents, and anything else the fighting French needed to impede the Germans.

Henderson covers much of the operation. From its start recruiting aircrews from their anti-submarine patrols to their training and the recruitment and training of agents who would drop into occupied France and assist the Resistance. Known to the crews only as "Joes" and "Josephines," these brave souls parachuted out of the bombers under the cover of darkness, never knowing if the Resistance, the Milice, or the Germans awaited them below. Midnight Flyboys' cast of characters seems as unreal as the book's premise. "Josephine" Nancy Wake went from being afraid of heights and needing a push from a crewman just to make it out of the place to becoming a hardened fighter who thrilled at the prospect of blowing up bridges and attacking Gestapo headquarters and German ammunition stores. Resistance leader Henri Tardivat once described her this way, "She is the most feminine woman I know, until the fighting starts. Then she is like five men."

Then there Johnny Mead, a B-24 pilot, whose plane was damaged beyond hope. After parachuting from it, he met up with the Resistance and when no route back to England was available, he not only joined the Resistance, but become the leader of the Maquis de Fragny, a Resistance group that started with twelve men and soon swelled to more than sixty. They were so effective that the Germans sent 200 troops and over 30 Milice to their camp to put an end to them. The Germans failed, and Johnny and his resistors continued to do everything they could do harass, inconvenience, and outright destroy the occupying Germans.

Midnight Flyboys is another excellent history of World War II from author Bruce Henderson. Readers of history and espionage, or just fans of good stories and excellent writing will enjoy this book.

[Lucy Nalen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Total page-turner!

[Lisa G. Hudson · Rating 5 out of 5]

TRUE STORY OF OPERATION CARPETBAGGER

Bruce Henderson delivers a riveting account of the true story behind Operation Carpetbagger, and I can't recommend his book enough! His meticulous research and interviews bring to life an incredible chapter of history. In 1943, the OSS crafted a daring plan to aid French resistance fighters battling the Nazi regime. The best American bomber pilots and crews were summoned to a secret meeting where they eagerly volunteered for what would become the legendary “Operation Carpetbagger.'

This book is a pulse-pounding journey through the daring exploits of these brave bomber crews and the secret agents dropped from low-flying B-24 Liberator bombers deep into enemy territory under cover of night. Navigators battled to stay on course, often thwarted by sabotage and enemy manipulation of their equipment.

The heroism displayed by these men and women is nothing short of astounding. They saved countless lives and sacrificed much in the process. Prepare to be speechless as Henderson uncovers their remarkable stories—acts of courage that will stay with you forever.

While reading this book, I was particularly moved by the story of Nancy Wake. Wake was Kiwi by birth with an Aussie childhood, French by marriage, and a loyal British subject. One French resistance leader described her this way: “She is the most feminine woman I know, until the fighting starts. Then she is like five men.” After the War, she was asked what she was proudest of. She said, “The bike ride.” Wake rode her bike nearly four hundred miles in seventy-two hours to get an urgent message to London that they needed a new radio to set up more airdrops! Their radio was broken during an air drop. France awarded Wake the country’s highest military honors for bravery: the Légion d’Honneur and three Croix de Guerre, and a Médaille de la Résistance Française, “for distinguished services in active resistance to the enemy.” Britain also awarded Wake the coveted George Medal, “for brave conduct in hazardous circumstances”.The United States awarded her the Medal of Freedom, “for performing meritorious deeds aiding the United States in the prosecution of the war”. Wake received a Companion of the Order of Australia, for “achievement and merit of the highest degree for service to Australia or humanity at large.” Wake passed away in 2011 at 98.

Gallery Books and NetGalley provided me with a copy of this book. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

[Georgia Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Midnight Flyboys by Bruce Henderson is a well-researched, true story of the men and women who were recruited to fly classified missions in WWII to support the French Resistance, as well secret agents and others who aided the fight. The OSS recruited some of the best American pilots, known as Operation Carpetbagger, to fly the dangerous missions to drop supplies at a low altitude. This true story was classified for more than 50 years. Bruce Henderson has now told the story of these heroic men. The book is impressive! On the inside cover are drawings of the Liberator bombers. Throughout the book, there are photos depicting the places, crews, and other things related to Operation Carpetbagger. Inside the back cover are more photos that pertain to the Midnight Flyboys. As you read the book, you can put a face with each event. Inside the back cover of the book is an extensive rooster of the Carpetbaggers, followed by the names of the Carpetbaggers who lost their lives in WWII. The research that went into this book is impressive! Midnight Flyboys is non-fiction, yet it reads like fiction. Keeping in mind, this is a true story that has been secret for 50 years. The photos brought the book it to life showing the courageous individuals you are reading about. The Midnight Flyboys is a true story of men and women who fought to make this a better world. You will enjoy this book, while learning something new at the same time. Midnight Flyboys is definitely a 5+ Star book!

[Liz Cabrera · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never knew anything about the airman who dropped supplies and resistance members into France during WW2. This book was much more interesting than I expected. I really liked that the author including lots of first hand accounts and personal stories, not just of the airman but the members of the resistance. I especially enjoyed reading about the 2 female resistance members who are featured throughout the book. Their story’s are remarkable.

[Paleoanthro · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderfully and thrilling look at the men and woman who carried out classified missions in WWII to support the French Resistance. The author delves into the crews who delivered supplies in heavy bombers at low attitude, during darkness, over enemy territory to ensure the men and women who were fighting the Germans had the supplies needed to carry out their mission and support the Allied invasion of France. In addition, we meet several of the OSS agents sent undercover to help organize and support resistance cells, air dropped by these same crews delivering the supplies.

Please note, that I did receive a free copy of this book, with no obligation to leave a review, whether good or bad, but found this to be an engrossing read that is well-written and engaging.

[Doug Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

Midnight Flyboys is a fascinating and rewarding read for anyone interested in the French Resistance during World War II. The book focuses on a lesser-known but crucial corner of the war, and it does so with care and respect for the people involved. The context of the writing covers both the agents sent to France, as well as the French nationals who supported an end to the German occupation and oppression. The reader is also introduced to numerous U.S. Army Air Corps personnel who flew the resistance personnel and materiel to the designated landing areas. From the start, it’s clear that this is a story rooted in real events and real courage, not just familiar wartime mythology.

One of the book’s greatest strengths is the depth of research behind it. The author clearly spent time digging into archives, personal accounts, and operational details that don’t always make it into broader histories. That effort shows on every page, lending credibility and texture to the narrative. The result is a book that feels both authoritative and readable.

As someone who has read widely about World War II, I was genuinely surprised by how much new material I encountered here. There were facts, operations, and personal stories that I had not seen covered elsewhere. That alone makes *Midnight Flyboys* stand out, especially for readers who think they already know the major beats of the war.

The focus on the French Resistance adds emotional weight as well as historical insight. The risks these individuals took, often with limited resources and little chance of recognition, are conveyed in a way that feels personal rather than abstract. The book does a good job of showing how local actions fit into the larger Allied effort without overstating their impact.

Overall, the book is a detailed, engaging, and enlightening work of history. It’s especially well suited for readers with a strong interest in World War II or resistance movements, but it’s accessible enough for anyone curious about this period. Thoughtful, well researched, and often eye-opening, it’s a book that deepens your understanding of the war rather than simply retelling familiar stories.

[Chad Manske · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bruce Henderson’s “Midnight Flyboys” is a taut, propulsive narrative that yanks a little-known corner of the air war over Europe out of the shadows and into the flare-lit darkness of clandestine operations. It fuses aviation history, intelligence tradecraft, and French Resistance memoir into a single, relentlessly compelling story. At its core, the book chronicles Operation Carpetbagger, the OSS‑run effort that turned B‑24 Liberators from high‑altitude bomb trucks into low‑slung nocturnal smugglers of agents, weapons, and hope. Henderson describes crews throttling back to roughly 110 mph, skimming at only a few hundred feet over Nazi‑occupied France to find unlit farm fields that existed on paper more than in reality. The ‘flyboys’ trade the clean geometry of daylight formations for solitary runs where a single navigation error can scatter guns, radios, and sabotage supplies into German hands. The book’s ‘power’ lies in how it braids these cockpit perspectives with the ground-level terror of agents and résistants waiting in the dark. Henderson gives vivid attention to the men and women who parachute through crudely cut hatches in the bomber’s belly, dropping into a country where the Gestapo maintains lists, bounties, and a taste for exemplary cruelty. His portraits of female operatives and local French families—hiding them in barns, ditches, and cramped attics—push the narrative well beyond standard air-war fare into something closer to underground literature of occupation. Henderson’s prose has been aptly described elsewhere as “spellbinding,” and the label fits. He moves with ease from granular technical detail—drop altitudes, mission success rates that hover around two-thirds—to the emotional whiplash of missions that end in botched landings, shattered aircraft, and brutal captivity. The inclusion of period photographs and the long-delayed recognition of the Carpetbaggers, including a Presidential Unit Citation and Congressional Gold Medal, give the story a satisfying, if belated, sense of moral accounting. For readers of World War II history who think they have exhausted the air war, “Midnight Flyboys” is a bracing corrective—an expertly researched, cinematic account of a campaign fought in the thin margin between darkness and dawn.

[Indra · Rating 4 out of 5]

🖤 Huge thanks to Gallery Books for the ARC of /i>Midnight Flyboys! I was really moved by this one. It’s the kind of story that grabs your attention with danger and secrecy, but stays with you because of the people who lived it.

This book dives into Operation Carpetbagger, a hidden chapter of WWII history I hadn’t known much about before. American bomber crews flying at night across enemy lines, dropping supplies and agents into occupied France? It sounds like fiction, but it’s all true — and Bruce Henderson brings it to life with a blend of rich storytelling and intense historical detail ✈️📦🌒

What stood out most to me was the sheer bravery, not just of the airmen, but of the OSS agents and French Resistance fighters waiting below. Some of them didn’t even have a guaranteed way home. They jumped, they risked everything, and they changed the course of the war.

The author did an incredible job weaving together the many threads of the operation. From air crew selection and training, to the quiet courage of the “Josephines” — women parachuting into darkness, unsure of what or who waited below — there’s a wide lens here, and it mostly works.

🪖 What I Loved
• Learned so much about the French Resistance and the OSS
• Stories of real people like Nancy Wake and Johnny Mead were unforgettable
• So many moments of quiet heroism — and bold defiance
• It honored the chaos and cost of those missions without romanticizing it
• You feel the stakes in every chapter

🧭 What Didn’t Work for Me
• The narrative jumped around a lot, hard to follow sometimes
• Some characters faded too quickly after being introduced
• Not every timeline or side mission got the attention it deserved

If you enjoy untold wartime histories or love stories of ordinary people doing extraordinary things, Midnight Flyboys is worth picking up. It's a respectful, compelling tribute to those who flew into darkness so others could fight in the light.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📚🕶️🪂🗺️

[Terri Wangard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had heard of Operation Carpetbagger. Here’s the full story. Sub hunters were the best for this task. They flew low to attack, did their own navigation, and flew solo. For the Carpetbaggers, they needed to fly low and slow, and on their own. Only during seventeen days of the month when moonlight could guide them. B-24s were used. With their wings fixed above the fuselage, they had better visibility below than B-17s crews, who had better visibility above. Of the personal stories, Nancy Wake’s is the best.

[David Chung]

I got this book as a Christmas present, and read it in almost a single sitting. I have read several excellent books on the European theater in WWII. This book examines a part of the war I had not really looked at. It covers the connection between the French resistance and Carpetbagger squadrons that supplied them from air. After reading this book, I downloaded Nancy Wake to read about one of the heroes of the French resistance.

[Patrick Grattan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating aspect of WW2, well told, about the men and women who risked their lives to fly modified B-24s at very low altitudes over “safe” areas in France to drop munitions for the Resistance and sometimes to drop personnel to assist the resistance. The most interesting character in the book was a woman named Nancy Mace, who was beautiful, tougher than nails, and who performed heroically in many ways, including hand to hand combat with a Nazi soldier. Henderson is a good writer.

[JL Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway and it was both enjoyable and informative. The author does a good job in relating events around a top secret WWII mission and also the the personalities involved. The book gives a greater understanding of the impact and necessity of the French resistance while also detailing the heroism of those that supported them in their struggle. Definitely worth a read

[Viva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Henderson is just a really good writer. His books are easy to read and follow. This subject matter is admittedly a thin subject but he did a good job drawing it out and adding some exploits of the agents who were dropped into France. I learned a whole lot about the operation and the crews that I didn't know about before. I give this book 5 stars for all the above reasons.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book tells of the heroics of multiple people dropped over, crashed & those doing the drops into occupied France in 1944. While the author jumps from story to story they keep you interested wondering how they will survive, some don't.
it's a shirt book easily read in a short time & it gives a short biography of what happened afterwards at the end.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of very interesting information and stories about the French resistance and the support of the resistance by the Carpetbaggers. At times, the flow is choppy and a bit too detailed about minutiae. But overall, some really incredible stories of heroism and the impact it made on the liberation of France.

[Carole Edwards · Rating 4 out of 5]

Midnight Flyboys by Bruce Henderson is a riveting, little-known World War II story of courage and quiet heroism. Through vivid research and gripping prose, Henderson brings to life the daring American airmen and Allied agents whose secret nighttime missions helped fuel the French Resistance and shape the path to D-Day.

[RACHEL · Rating 5 out of 5]

Henderson wonderfully brings readers the stories of the brave men who flew supply mission to occupied France and some of the men and women dropped behind enemy line to fight with the resistance.

My copy was a gift from Goodreads First Reads.

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful book! The writing is compelling. It draws you in to the various storylines. It is clearly well researched and accessible even though it deals with a specific group of airmen.

Full disclosure: I won a copy of this book from a Goodreads giveaway.

[Jeff Carpenter · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful read… exciting and uplifting; it's about fighting the good fight. And it’s got some flygirls, too; female agents provocateurs that form one of the strongest storylines in the book. This book is a perfect antidote to the stories we’re reading in the news circa 2025.

[Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to the publisher for the advanced copy

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love reading about untold stories and unlikely heros of WWII. Didn't like it jumped around so much

[Jeff Muñiz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Relatively quick read on a area of WWII not really covered in much detail.

[Guy · Rating 4 out of 5]

well laid out. very solid book.

[Bob T · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although unevenly written, nevertheless a good account of the work of the underground resistance in WWII France and their support by American airman.

[Ari Gibbs · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book doesn’t rush to impress. It takes its time, and that patience pays off.