The Mighty Eighth: The Air War in Europe as Told by the Men Who Fought It

by Gerald Astor

In the skies of World War II Europe, the Eighth Air Force was a defining factor in turning the tide against the Nazis. In these gripping oral histories, the sacrifice, savagery, and supremacy of the “Mighty Eighth” is described by those who experienced it...and survived it. At the outbreak of World War II, America was woefully unprepared for a fight, though Europe was already years into the battle. Soon, though, America’s war machine was rolling out pilots, engineers, planes, and materials in astounding numbers. It was called the Eighth Air Force—and it would hit the Nazi juggernaut like a lightning bolt. Launching a then-groundbreaking campaign of daylight bombing runs, the men of the Eighth would suffer more casualties than the entire Marine Corps in the Pacific theater. But they would also prove to be the most effective weapon against the enemy, taking out strategic targets such as munitions plants and factories that were vital to the German war effort and grinding them to a halt. In The Mighty Eighth, the men who fought in the greatest air war in human history tell their stories of courage and camaraderie as only those who were there can tell them.

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

509 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 1997

About the author

Gerald Morton Astor, a native of New Haven, grew up in Mount Vernon, N.Y. After his Army service in the Second World War, he received a bachelor’s degree from Princeton. He was the picture editor of Sports Illustrated in its early years and worked as an editor for Sport magazine, Look, The Saturday Evening Post and Time.

Besides his accounts of the Battle of the Bulge and the air war in Europe, Mr. Astor wrote of World War II in books including “The Greatest War: Americans in Combat, 1941-1945,” “June 6, 1944: The Voices of D-Day,” “Operation Iceberg: The Invasion and Conquest of Okinawa in World War II” and biographies of Maj. Gen. Terry Allen, a leading combat commander in both North Africa and Europe, and the Nazi medical experimenter Dr. Josef Mengele.

He also wrote “The Right to Fight: A History of African Americans in the Military” and “Presidents at War,” an account of presidents’ evolving assertion of authority to take military action in the absence of a Congressional declaration of war.

Mr. Astor edited “The Baseball Hall of Fame 50th Anniversary Book” and wrote a biography of the heavyweight champion Joe Louis, “And a Credit to His Race.” He collaborated with Anthony Villano, a former F.B.I. agent who recruited informants from the Mafia, in “Brick Agent.”

Reviews

[Stacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enlightening. I learned a lot I didn't know about WWII. Liked it more 2nd time around.

['Aussie Rick' · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been a keen fan of Gerald Astor since I first read his book Operation Iceberg. Up until that time I was not keen on oral histories but this author has changed my mind in regard to this style of history. In this book he once again produces an excellent and moving account of the strains, experiences and horrors that men bear in wartime.

This book covers the American daylight effort in the airwar over Europe which was just as horrific as that of the British & Commonwealth nightime efforts. At times when I read this book I could picture the spinning and burning B-17's and B-24's going down and I think that this is a timely book to remind us of the young men who went down with those planes on behalf of their family, friends and country.

The book offers a good overview of the terrible battles over Europe and also covers the efforts of the fighter pilots and ground crew. Enjoyable and sad!

[Carol Storm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely terrific and action packed, this is the story of the bomber and fighter crews who brought down the Nazi war machine in World War II. If you've ever seen "The Thing From Another World" (I mean the *original* thing from 1951, not the later abomination) Patrick Henry and his crew are all Eighth Air Force veterans. That's why the Thing ends up on his knees, spitting teeth.

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great and very detailed discussion of the role of the Mighty Eighth in World War II. A very in-depth explanation of the major group leaders.

[Stefanie Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 8th Air Force was established in 1942 as VIII Bomber Command. The first combat group to arrive in Europe was the 97th Bombardment Group. The first raid was launched on July 04, 1942. Regular combat missions began in August 1942. One of the men in this group during this time was Paul Tibbets, who would go on to pilot Enola Gay and drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. The 8th lost more men in combat than the entire Marine Corps did in the Pacific Theatre...and that was a lot of men!

I love pilots, and I always wanted to grow up an marry one. I did not, but it was a dream. I love reading personal accounts from pilots, especially World War II pilots. The personal accounts and quotations in this book were very interesting. I loved learning about the history of the 8th and the missions they went on. Gerald Astor is a good author. The story is always captivating, and the research is always great.

[Robert McKinley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Courageous Men Who Faced Death Almost Daily, But Still Went Up

Good editing of a large number of memoirs and remembrances to put together a pretty good narrative of the horrors of trying to bomb the Nazis into submission. The effort proved the Billy Mitchell theory wrong. It also took boots on the ground to ultimately be the Germans. Unfortunately a great many lives were lost before this was realized by the Generals in charge. Tremendous courage was shown by the vast majority of the aircrew from 1943 through 1945. It's too bad that General Eaker and others underestimated the ability of the German fighters and the flak gunners on the 88s for so long. This cost the Eighth Air Force dearly in the early years. In fact it almost destroyed it as an effective fighting force.

[Jalon · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this book, Gerald Astor combines many war stories into one fluent history about the Air War in Europe. I think it was a good combination between personal stories of RAF and USAF airmen and a more informative writing of ww2. I would recommend this book if you are interested in the air combat and bomber strategies of ww2. The book talks a lot about specific aircraft and uses some technical aviation language, so a small amount of knowledge on ww2 aircraft may be necessary to enjoy the book. I rated the book 5 stars based off of my interest in the reading.

[Don Annand · Rating 3 out of 5]

Find out what it was like to fly in the US 8th Air Force during WW2. The author brings history to life through the eyes of participants from all backgrounds, and demonstrates the variety of experience. From the trials of taking a pee in the ball turret of a B-17 at 30,000 ft and -40 degrees to formation flying through cloud to head-on fighter attacks, flak, and more, we get a look at what these 20 somethings experienced.

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone knows about the Allied bombing campaigns in WWII. This books examines how the American bombing strategy evolved, and the stories of individual airmen who flew these missions.

By the time I finished this book, I had a new and profound respect for the fliers that daily got into these monstrous machines and risked their lives to attack the heart of Germany's war machine. The personal stories from the men that flew these missions adds to the intensity of their effort and bravery.

[Glen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book! Filled with factual details and person stories. It really lets you pair the facts with the emotions and digest the experience of being part of these crews. My Grandpa was a pilot of a B-24 in the mighty 8th and to see the story from this perspective gave me more insight into his experiences. The last chapter has some incredible statistics about just how dangerous this job was. Mind blowing. A must read for any WWII, and/or military historian.

[David Gunn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good book providing a ground, or air level account of the 8th. The author recounted many 8th member personal accounts of the war and their missions. Fully capturing the emotion of the men who flew. I would have given the book 5 stars had the author contextualized those account a bit more with the strategic implications of the losses/ missions/ and accomplishments of the 8th.

[Gary Trembath · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting and readable.

Gerald Astor has given an excellent account of the development of the strategic and tactical goals of the Eighth Airforce. It is a very lucid and well planned work and the personal details and descriptions of the actions is enthralling. Thank you, Gerald, this book was well worth the read!

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well researched and written. The story of the 8th Air Force was so extensive that any effort to summarize it completely must fall short. Although much more could have been included Astor did a fine job of combining personal accounts with the overall 8th's goals and objectives.

[Fred Lombardo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book contained some very interesting and personal accounts of what it was to me a flyer in World War II, seen from both the bomber and fighter pilot point of view. Excellent narrative prose. Definitely worth reading if your interests lie in history.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the most comprehensive and most thoroughly researched book on the Eighth Air Force--and I have read quite a few--that I have encountered. Have a lot of time set aside for reading this book. It takes a while but is well worth the time and effort.

[Kevin K · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pulled the plug on it at 200 pages. I have read a significant amount of Military History in the past, and I expected more than just edited military diaries. It was really frustrating because I really wanted to like it.

[Jane McKay]

This book has the reality of the air war over Germany. Told by the men that had to fly knowing this could be your last mission with the hell of battle. I liked that it wasn't the General telling the what the individual person felt. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun read as it is just a collection of airmen reflecting everything they experienced. It was slightly difficult to follow because it was not linear or based on a solid time-line. The organization was sporadic. But the content was fantastic.

[Neil · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very lengthy and in depth overview of the actions of the Eighth Air Force in Europe during WWII. Very good balance between the larger strategic picture and the picture seen by the airmen flying the missions.

[Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great book that detailed the lives of those who flew with the M8 from training into combat zone

[Garth Slater · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book. Had a lot of fun listening to it.

[Jeff Slipper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it a worthy entry in to the literature of air war.

[José Liboy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has very much enchantment.

[Scott Sitompul · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book

[Thomas Myers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thorough and gripping.

[Peter Manning · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listened to it on audible. Not a good book to be narrated. Maybe better reading book.

[Jeff Copsetta]

Read it!

[Roy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not exactly a day-to-day account of life in the Eighth Air Force, but very close. Astor does an excellent job of introducing us to not just the famous leaders like Ira Eaker, Jimmy Doolittle and Curtis LeMay, but also to ordinary pilots, navigators, bombardiers, air gunners, mechanics, ground crews, ordnancemen, and all the rest of the men who flew and maintained the bombers and fighters.

He does an excellent job of analyzing the virtues and vices of the various aircraft and the various models flown by the 8th as they were introduced. He writes with real authority on this.

When it comes to various of the 8th's operations, I feel he could have done a better job explaining how they were planned, led and executed. I was particularly annoyed by his coverage of the infamous 1943 Black Thursday" Raid, where the Mighty Eighth committed 278 B-17s to the strike and lost 60 of them, plus damage ranging from light to write-off to all but about 30 of the aircraft that survived the mission. However, he makes up for it with the analysis of what the 8th AIr Force accomplished in the three years they fought in the war-torn skies of Europe, and of their establishment of a tradition unique to the air forces of the world: that once committed to battle, no United States Air Force bomber force has EVER turned back.

If you are a student of World War II in Europe, this book belongs on your bookshelf.

[Jarrod · Rating 4 out of 5]

5 for content, 3 for how it's written.

If the entire book had been written like the last chapter, it would be a five. The content and personal flavor is amazing. The jump from first person to third to descriptive is horrifying and difficult to follow. I'm very glad I read this book for the background and because of the human interaction that needed to be conveyed. The sacrifice given be the mighty 8th is astounding and the casualties become real in the pages here.

[Wiley · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's okay. Nothing new here for anyone already familiar with the history of the USAAF bomber campaign against Germany in WWII. It does contain a large number of personal accounts of individual airman and crews' combat missions, and associated events. Not the sort of book to keep you up late at night, unable to put it down. This is not for anyone who lacks interest in detailed military history.