What do you think?
Rate this book
Mission: Jimmy Stewart and the Fight for Europe
Get to know the real George Bailey.
MISSION: JIMMY STEWART AND THE FIGHT FOR EUROPE [GoodKnight Books, October 24, 2016] provides the first in-depth look at the military career of Hollywood actor James M. Stewart, beginning with his family “mission” passed on from his grandfather (a Civil War hero) and father (who served in World War I) that military service in time of war was mandatory for the Stewarts. Jim tailored his life to this eventual outcome, learning to be a pilot so he could serve as an aviator in the war.
MISSION describes Stewart’s childhood, college years at Princeton, Broadway career, and meteoric rise to Academy Award-winning actor in Hollywood. People today can’t imagine that Stewart was a ladies’ man, but he had a reputation as one of the most active bachelors in Hollywood, with a list of lovers that includes the A-list of female movie stars.
In 1941, before America entered World War II, Jim was drafted into the Army and gleefully left Hollywood behind to fulfill that family mission. What happened to him in the service has never been covered in detail because he refused to talk about his experiences afterward. MISSION begins and ends with production of the first film Stewart made after returning from the war: It's a Wonderful Life, which in December 2016 will celebrate its 70th anniversary.
MISSION also includes the stories of three other supporting characters, a radio man who flew with Stewart, a German civilian girl, and the German general in charge of fighter aircraft. They provide perspective on what Stewart was attempting to do and why.
MISSION: JIMMY STEWART AND THE FIGHT FOR EUROPE [GoodKnight Books, October 24, 2016] provides the first in-depth look at the military career of Hollywood actor James M. Stewart, beginning with his family “mission” passed on from his grandfather (a Civil War hero) and father (who served in World War I) that military service in time of war was mandatory for the Stewarts. Jim tailored his life to this eventual outcome, learning to be a pilot so he could serve as an aviator in the war.
MISSION describes Stewart’s childhood, college years at Princeton, Broadway career, and meteoric rise to Academy Award-winning actor in Hollywood. People today can’t imagine that Stewart was a ladies’ man, but he had a reputation as one of the most active bachelors in Hollywood, with a list of lovers that includes the A-list of female movie stars.
In 1941, before America entered World War II, Jim was drafted into the Army and gleefully left Hollywood behind to fulfill that family mission. What happened to him in the service has never been covered in detail because he refused to talk about his experiences afterward. MISSION begins and ends with production of the first film Stewart made after returning from the war: It's a Wonderful Life, which in December 2016 will celebrate its 70th anniversary.
MISSION also includes the stories of three other supporting characters, a radio man who flew with Stewart, a German civilian girl, and the German general in charge of fighter aircraft. They provide perspective on what Stewart was attempting to do and why.
400 pages, Hardcover
Published October 24, 2016
286 people are currently reading
1750 people want to read
About the author
Robert Matzen
12 books208 followersRobert Matzen is the author of eight books, including the bestsellers Mission: Jimmy Stewart and the Fight for Europe and Fireball: Carole Lombard and the Mystery of Flight 3, which won the 2015 ‘Biography of the Year’ Benjamin Franklin Award and earned praise from the Smithsonian Institution.
His forthcoming Dutch Girl: Audrey Hepburn and World War II, involved three years of intense research and several trips to the Netherlands, where Audrey spent the war. He worked in close consultation with Luca Dotti, Audrey Hepburn's younger son, and with many Dutch citizens who survived the war with Audrey in the town of Velp.
Robert has appeared on the BBC, Talk Radio Europe, Radio Russia, and many U.S. television and radio outlets, including NPR. His previous print work includes many articles about classic films and national bylines for the Wall Street Journal and other news outlets. His work as a filmmaker earned national awards and his feature documentary about George Washington, When the Forest Ran Red, is a genre classic that premiered on PBS in 2001. He is a former communications professional for NASA, where he spent 10 years.
His forthcoming Dutch Girl: Audrey Hepburn and World War II, involved three years of intense research and several trips to the Netherlands, where Audrey spent the war. He worked in close consultation with Luca Dotti, Audrey Hepburn's younger son, and with many Dutch citizens who survived the war with Audrey in the town of Velp.
Robert has appeared on the BBC, Talk Radio Europe, Radio Russia, and many U.S. television and radio outlets, including NPR. His previous print work includes many articles about classic films and national bylines for the Wall Street Journal and other news outlets. His work as a filmmaker earned national awards and his feature documentary about George Washington, When the Forest Ran Red, is a genre classic that premiered on PBS in 2001. He is a former communications professional for NASA, where he spent 10 years.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 200 reviews
May 17, 2023
James Maitland Stewart is a name we don’t often hear. But, Jimmy Stewart, the movie star, most all of us have heard of him even if we never saw any of his movies while he lived. Why? Because he was the star of an enduring Christmas movie that is shown every year, multiple times, and excerpted whenever there is a play for sentimentality. It’s a Wonderful Life may not have been your favorite movie with Jimmy Stewart, but Matzen weaves this movie into the story of Stewart’s life and its significance for him, his career and his ability to recover from a real war experience of having flown over 50 bomber missions over Europe.
I am reminded about another Pennsylvanian, Arnold Palmer, who exhibited some of the same characteristics of grace and decency, and ability to bond with his public, not just be a celebrity or a star.
4.5
I am reminded about another Pennsylvanian, Arnold Palmer, who exhibited some of the same characteristics of grace and decency, and ability to bond with his public, not just be a celebrity or a star.
4.5
September 29, 2017
I will admit to a predisposition to like this book. Jimmy Stewart is my all-time favorite actor. I have read a couple of books on his WW II experiences, so I had a superficial understanding of the facts of this biography. However, Mr. Matzen does a superb job of telling the motivations and stresses that Mr. Stewart and by extension all those who experienced combat in World War II.
I found the prologue really set the tone of the narrative. The author starts by describing a movie set in the baking California summer sun. The movie that is being filmed is set in the winter so all of the actors are bundled up in winter clothing. Mr. Matzen puts the reader in one of the actor’s heads as he is waiting for his cue. The actor is wondering if this is film is going to work or is he going to have to find something else to do. While never named, the actor of course is James Maitland Stewart.
Roughly the first third of this narrative is telling how James Stewart, the young man from Indiana, Pa became Jimmy Stewart the Actor. He tells of his childhood, his father's and grandfather's participation in the nation’s wars. Both grandfathers served in the Civil War and his father was a two war vet – serving in both the Spanish American War and World War I. In his family it was taken for granted that when your nation called, you went. He also had a fascination with aviation starting a very young age.
The author also tells how he got into acting, his struggles as a young actor on Broadway. While a struggling actor in New York, he shares an apartment with the man who would become probably his closest friend, Henry Fonda. Some of the stories of their time in New York are both funny and poignant. They spent much time building a model of a B-10 bomber. Fonda then moves on to Hollywood leaving Stewart in New York. When Jimmy telegraphs Henry he is coming to Hollywood, Mr Fonda’s answer is “Bring the plane.” He did.
One of the themes the author explores in telling of Stewart's prewar Hollywood years in just how much a lady’s man he was. According to the author, Jimmy probably slept with half the A list actresses in the business. He also tells of Stewarts continued fascination with aviation. While in California, Stewart earns his pilots license and becomes a really accomplished pilot. By the time he is drafted, he almost has his commercial ticket.
For me the narrative really takes off when Stewart is at first rejected for military service because he is too lite. His battle to be accepted in the Army and later get an actual combat posting are extremely well done. Once he is commissioned and receives his wings at the behest of MGM he is assigned to make propaganda films in Ohio. He wants nothing to do with this and makes just one (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_B2i...). He is able to get his immediate superiors to recommend him for combat and he joins a forming B-24 group as a squadron operations officer and it is off to England, the 8th Air Force and war.
Another point the author makes clear is Stewart utter and complete distain for the publicity aspects of his being a celebrity in a combat zone. He wants to be known as Cpt/Maj/LTC Stewart not Jimmy Stewart the actor. He absolutely refused to cooperate with the PR people at the 8th AF HQ. In fact he practically bans reporters from his base. While in England he takes his turn flying combat, including an early mission to Berlin, eventually completing 20 missions. He experiences what his people are experiencing. One noteworthy mission the author recounts in where a flack shell takes off the bottom of his aircraft leaving the flight deck and Maj Stewart sitting over open sky.
In telling of Stewart’s time in England, the author not only recounts the combat, but the stress of command. He looks at Stewarts command style and the affect command had on him. He also looks at the airplane he flew, the B-24. It was cold, drafty and had a tendency to leak fuel. In fact B-24 crews often flew with the bombay doors cracked to vent gas fumes. The author also looks at the problems of just getting aircraft into formation in the cloudy and crowded skies over East Anglia.
To balance out the Jimmy's wartime story, the author choses to include the stories of 3 other people. The first in a gunner in his group, but not his squadron. The second is a Luftwaffe fighter pilot. The third is a young German girl who is underneath the bombs Stewart and his compatriots are delivering.
The author concludes the book with a look a Jimmy’s post war movie career. Upon returning home from the war he was uncertain that Hollywood would accept him. He felt that he could no longer play the types of roles he performed before the war. Then Frank Capra offers him it’s a Wonderful Life and the rest as they say is history. In telling of his post war career the author speculates on how his experiences affected his choice of roles, esp his westerns.
This is a 4.75 star read for me, so I’ve rounded up for Goodreads. I highly recommend this to anyone interested in Mr. Stewart or the Aerial War over Germany.
I found the prologue really set the tone of the narrative. The author starts by describing a movie set in the baking California summer sun. The movie that is being filmed is set in the winter so all of the actors are bundled up in winter clothing. Mr. Matzen puts the reader in one of the actor’s heads as he is waiting for his cue. The actor is wondering if this is film is going to work or is he going to have to find something else to do. While never named, the actor of course is James Maitland Stewart.
Roughly the first third of this narrative is telling how James Stewart, the young man from Indiana, Pa became Jimmy Stewart the Actor. He tells of his childhood, his father's and grandfather's participation in the nation’s wars. Both grandfathers served in the Civil War and his father was a two war vet – serving in both the Spanish American War and World War I. In his family it was taken for granted that when your nation called, you went. He also had a fascination with aviation starting a very young age.
The author also tells how he got into acting, his struggles as a young actor on Broadway. While a struggling actor in New York, he shares an apartment with the man who would become probably his closest friend, Henry Fonda. Some of the stories of their time in New York are both funny and poignant. They spent much time building a model of a B-10 bomber. Fonda then moves on to Hollywood leaving Stewart in New York. When Jimmy telegraphs Henry he is coming to Hollywood, Mr Fonda’s answer is “Bring the plane.” He did.
One of the themes the author explores in telling of Stewart's prewar Hollywood years in just how much a lady’s man he was. According to the author, Jimmy probably slept with half the A list actresses in the business. He also tells of Stewarts continued fascination with aviation. While in California, Stewart earns his pilots license and becomes a really accomplished pilot. By the time he is drafted, he almost has his commercial ticket.
For me the narrative really takes off when Stewart is at first rejected for military service because he is too lite. His battle to be accepted in the Army and later get an actual combat posting are extremely well done. Once he is commissioned and receives his wings at the behest of MGM he is assigned to make propaganda films in Ohio. He wants nothing to do with this and makes just one (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_B2i...). He is able to get his immediate superiors to recommend him for combat and he joins a forming B-24 group as a squadron operations officer and it is off to England, the 8th Air Force and war.
Another point the author makes clear is Stewart utter and complete distain for the publicity aspects of his being a celebrity in a combat zone. He wants to be known as Cpt/Maj/LTC Stewart not Jimmy Stewart the actor. He absolutely refused to cooperate with the PR people at the 8th AF HQ. In fact he practically bans reporters from his base. While in England he takes his turn flying combat, including an early mission to Berlin, eventually completing 20 missions. He experiences what his people are experiencing. One noteworthy mission the author recounts in where a flack shell takes off the bottom of his aircraft leaving the flight deck and Maj Stewart sitting over open sky.
In telling of Stewart’s time in England, the author not only recounts the combat, but the stress of command. He looks at Stewarts command style and the affect command had on him. He also looks at the airplane he flew, the B-24. It was cold, drafty and had a tendency to leak fuel. In fact B-24 crews often flew with the bombay doors cracked to vent gas fumes. The author also looks at the problems of just getting aircraft into formation in the cloudy and crowded skies over East Anglia.
To balance out the Jimmy's wartime story, the author choses to include the stories of 3 other people. The first in a gunner in his group, but not his squadron. The second is a Luftwaffe fighter pilot. The third is a young German girl who is underneath the bombs Stewart and his compatriots are delivering.
The author concludes the book with a look a Jimmy’s post war movie career. Upon returning home from the war he was uncertain that Hollywood would accept him. He felt that he could no longer play the types of roles he performed before the war. Then Frank Capra offers him it’s a Wonderful Life and the rest as they say is history. In telling of his post war career the author speculates on how his experiences affected his choice of roles, esp his westerns.
This is a 4.75 star read for me, so I’ve rounded up for Goodreads. I highly recommend this to anyone interested in Mr. Stewart or the Aerial War over Germany.
January 6, 2025
Great book! Jimmy Stewart's dedication to serving his country is very inspirational. From Hollywood days to becoming a full colonel in charge of a bombing wing. Wow.
Not too long ago I had listened to a book regarding as I recall the B-17 flying fortress bomber, and wanted to read a book to learn about the B-24 liberator bomber. I learned the liberator has 18 fuel tanks and is prone to gas leaks. They often had to crack the bomb bay doors open to vent the vapors out. The gas leaks may have contributed to some planes just blowing up on their own, as if just the flak, enemy fighters, and plane collision danger wasn't enough.
Here is a few more facts the web tells me:
In comparison with its contemporaries, the B-24 was relatively difficult to fly and had poor low-speed performance; it also had a lower ceiling and was less robust than the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress.
The B-24 and B-17 had similar payload capacities and armaments; critically, both used M2 Browning machine guns. However, the latter was considered more spacious and had nine defensive positions instead of the B-24's six defensive positions.
Airmen who flew the Liberator took to naming the airframe the “Flying Coffin” due to its singular entry point near the rear of the aircraft. With only a single point of exit, and far from the majority of the crew, it was nearly impossible for them to leave in an emergency.
Now, I wonder if there is a book on the air war in the Pacific Theater...
Not too long ago I had listened to a book regarding as I recall the B-17 flying fortress bomber, and wanted to read a book to learn about the B-24 liberator bomber. I learned the liberator has 18 fuel tanks and is prone to gas leaks. They often had to crack the bomb bay doors open to vent the vapors out. The gas leaks may have contributed to some planes just blowing up on their own, as if just the flak, enemy fighters, and plane collision danger wasn't enough.
Here is a few more facts the web tells me:
In comparison with its contemporaries, the B-24 was relatively difficult to fly and had poor low-speed performance; it also had a lower ceiling and was less robust than the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress.
The B-24 and B-17 had similar payload capacities and armaments; critically, both used M2 Browning machine guns. However, the latter was considered more spacious and had nine defensive positions instead of the B-24's six defensive positions.
Airmen who flew the Liberator took to naming the airframe the “Flying Coffin” due to its singular entry point near the rear of the aircraft. With only a single point of exit, and far from the majority of the crew, it was nearly impossible for them to leave in an emergency.
Now, I wonder if there is a book on the air war in the Pacific Theater...
August 20, 2016
Thank you to Net Galley, the publishers and the author for a ARC.
A little from my action packed thriller fiction books, and nice to change pace.
As a film buff, former film writer and also a huge James Stewart fan.
Great to read about all his exploits in his early years in Hollywood in the 30's, and 40's before the war.
Here is where the author had done his enormous amount of research, as we follow his career in the American Air Force his training in America, then also his active flying and his missions and being based in East Anglia in the UK.
Great detail of his story but also many of the pilots that fought under him alongside him, the sad reality of war, and the pilots that never came home.
Again great to follow and also understand the difficulties for all "celebrities" who went off to war returning not knowing if their career's would ever been the same.
Thankfully as we know James Stewart made a remarkable return in one of my favourite films
"It's A Wonderful Life"
A great career followed. Very much enjoyed the last chapter and the information of all other characters in the film.
Again , thanks for a copy and sorry for the delay.
A little from my action packed thriller fiction books, and nice to change pace.
As a film buff, former film writer and also a huge James Stewart fan.
Great to read about all his exploits in his early years in Hollywood in the 30's, and 40's before the war.
Here is where the author had done his enormous amount of research, as we follow his career in the American Air Force his training in America, then also his active flying and his missions and being based in East Anglia in the UK.
Great detail of his story but also many of the pilots that fought under him alongside him, the sad reality of war, and the pilots that never came home.
Again great to follow and also understand the difficulties for all "celebrities" who went off to war returning not knowing if their career's would ever been the same.
Thankfully as we know James Stewart made a remarkable return in one of my favourite films
"It's A Wonderful Life"
A great career followed. Very much enjoyed the last chapter and the information of all other characters in the film.
Again , thanks for a copy and sorry for the delay.
April 2, 2018
I have finished one of the best biographies I've ever read called "Mission: Jimmy Stewart and the Fight for Europe." Just fantastic. It's not a fluffy easy book, but one of tremendous content and excellent story and experiences.
Jimmy, born James Maitland Stewart born in 1908 in Indiana/Pennsylvania to Elizabeth Ruth (Johnson) and Alexander Maitland Stewart, who owned a hardware store. He was of Scottish, Ulster-Scots, and some English, descent. He had an amazing and tremendous career in Hollywood. He did a lot of comedies and different types of movies. He was mighty fond of the girls there, but wasn't ready to settle down. He was also an Academy Awards Winner. His moral fiber is so amazing to me. He left fame and fortune behind and joined the United States Army Air Corps to fulfill his family mission and serve his country. He rose from being a private to being a colonel and participated in twenty combat missions over Germany and France. In a short amount of time like a few months the war took away his boyish looks as he faced near-death experiences and the loss of men under his command. The War, finally won, he returned home with millions of other veterans to face an uncertain future. Jimmy's health was very poor while he was away. to Elizabeth Ruth (Johnson) and Alexander Maitland Stewart, who owned a hardware store. He was of Scottish, Ulster-Scots, and some English, descent. to Elizabeth Ruth (Johnson) and Alexander Maitland Stewart, who owned a hardware store. He was of Scottish, Ulster-Scots, and some English, descent.
But with war looking inevitable, Stewart set his sights on a new role, this time in the U.S. Army Air Corps. He even bought his own plane, a Stinson 105, eventually graduating to multi-engine aircraft and earning a commercial pilot’s license, all on his own.
Stewart’s draft number was 310, but though he was 6-foot-3, he weighed only 138 pounds. When the Army turned him down as too skinny, he started eating spaghetti twice a day, supplemented with steaks and milkshakes. At a second physical in March 1941, he still hadn’t gained quite enough weight to be eligible, but he talked the Army doctors into adding an ounce or two so he could qualify, then ran outside shouting to fellow actor Burgess Meredith: “I’m in! I’m in!” He had a good health record such that they were able to send him for service. They said he lived on Ice cream and peanuts his as the stress was so hard when he was in the war.
In March 1943, Stewart briefly became the operations officer of the 703rd Squadron, 445th Bomb Group, in Sioux City, Iowa. He was named the squadron’s commander three weeks later.
On November 11, Captain Stewart led two-dozen B-24H Liberators to England by way of Florida, Brazil, Senegal and Morocco. They became part of the 2nd Air Division, Eighth Air Force, stationed at Tibenham. Within hours of their arrival, Germany’s “Lord Haw-Haw” welcomed the squadron on the radio. Following a few shakedown flights, Stewart’s first mission was to bomb the naval yards at Kiel, flying a B-24 that had been named Nine Yanks and a Jerk by a previous crew.
The actor-turned-commander was a successful, popular officer. His roommate at the time recalled: “I always got the feeling that he would never ask you to do something he wouldn’t do himself. Everything that man did seemed to go like clockwork.”
Stewart was lucky, too. During his third mission, on Christmas Eve, his group was ordered to hit V-1 launching sites at Bonnaires, France. Coming in low at 12,000 feet, 35 B24s plastered the target near the coast, then returned to base without even being targeted by flak or fighters. If two of the Liberators hadn’t collided on takeoff, it would have been a perfect mission.
He also took care of his men. When Stewart found out the finance officer wouldn’t have enough money for his crew for a few days, he threatened to have him transferred to the infantry unless they were paid immediately. And when one of his crews hid a keg of stolen beer in their barracks, he ambled in, threw off the covers and drew himself a glass, then announced that there was a keg of beer around there somewhere, it was a very serious matter and it should be taken care of immediately…if they ever found it. He then finished his beer and walked out.
Lt. Gen. Martial Valin, chief of staff, French air force, awards the Croix de Guerre with Palm to Colonel Stewart for exceptional services in the liberation of France. (U.S. Air Force)
In January 1944, Stewart was promoted to major, a promotion he had refused until, as he said, “my junior officers get promoted from lieutenants.” By that time he commanded all four squadrons of the 445th Bomb Group. He was promoted one more time to Colonel and Chief of Staff. When he was briefing his men, one day Walter Matthau came to watch. All the men were very impressed that Jimmy Stewart was the man to give briefings etc. No one was more serious than Jim (what they called) when he was on tax. They said he worked 15 hours per day and no one worked harder.
Highly recommend.
Jimmy, born James Maitland Stewart born in 1908 in Indiana/Pennsylvania to Elizabeth Ruth (Johnson) and Alexander Maitland Stewart, who owned a hardware store. He was of Scottish, Ulster-Scots, and some English, descent. He had an amazing and tremendous career in Hollywood. He did a lot of comedies and different types of movies. He was mighty fond of the girls there, but wasn't ready to settle down. He was also an Academy Awards Winner. His moral fiber is so amazing to me. He left fame and fortune behind and joined the United States Army Air Corps to fulfill his family mission and serve his country. He rose from being a private to being a colonel and participated in twenty combat missions over Germany and France. In a short amount of time like a few months the war took away his boyish looks as he faced near-death experiences and the loss of men under his command. The War, finally won, he returned home with millions of other veterans to face an uncertain future. Jimmy's health was very poor while he was away. to Elizabeth Ruth (Johnson) and Alexander Maitland Stewart, who owned a hardware store. He was of Scottish, Ulster-Scots, and some English, descent. to Elizabeth Ruth (Johnson) and Alexander Maitland Stewart, who owned a hardware store. He was of Scottish, Ulster-Scots, and some English, descent.
But with war looking inevitable, Stewart set his sights on a new role, this time in the U.S. Army Air Corps. He even bought his own plane, a Stinson 105, eventually graduating to multi-engine aircraft and earning a commercial pilot’s license, all on his own.
Stewart’s draft number was 310, but though he was 6-foot-3, he weighed only 138 pounds. When the Army turned him down as too skinny, he started eating spaghetti twice a day, supplemented with steaks and milkshakes. At a second physical in March 1941, he still hadn’t gained quite enough weight to be eligible, but he talked the Army doctors into adding an ounce or two so he could qualify, then ran outside shouting to fellow actor Burgess Meredith: “I’m in! I’m in!” He had a good health record such that they were able to send him for service. They said he lived on Ice cream and peanuts his as the stress was so hard when he was in the war.
In March 1943, Stewart briefly became the operations officer of the 703rd Squadron, 445th Bomb Group, in Sioux City, Iowa. He was named the squadron’s commander three weeks later.
On November 11, Captain Stewart led two-dozen B-24H Liberators to England by way of Florida, Brazil, Senegal and Morocco. They became part of the 2nd Air Division, Eighth Air Force, stationed at Tibenham. Within hours of their arrival, Germany’s “Lord Haw-Haw” welcomed the squadron on the radio. Following a few shakedown flights, Stewart’s first mission was to bomb the naval yards at Kiel, flying a B-24 that had been named Nine Yanks and a Jerk by a previous crew.
The actor-turned-commander was a successful, popular officer. His roommate at the time recalled: “I always got the feeling that he would never ask you to do something he wouldn’t do himself. Everything that man did seemed to go like clockwork.”
Stewart was lucky, too. During his third mission, on Christmas Eve, his group was ordered to hit V-1 launching sites at Bonnaires, France. Coming in low at 12,000 feet, 35 B24s plastered the target near the coast, then returned to base without even being targeted by flak or fighters. If two of the Liberators hadn’t collided on takeoff, it would have been a perfect mission.
He also took care of his men. When Stewart found out the finance officer wouldn’t have enough money for his crew for a few days, he threatened to have him transferred to the infantry unless they were paid immediately. And when one of his crews hid a keg of stolen beer in their barracks, he ambled in, threw off the covers and drew himself a glass, then announced that there was a keg of beer around there somewhere, it was a very serious matter and it should be taken care of immediately…if they ever found it. He then finished his beer and walked out.
Lt. Gen. Martial Valin, chief of staff, French air force, awards the Croix de Guerre with Palm to Colonel Stewart for exceptional services in the liberation of France. (U.S. Air Force)
In January 1944, Stewart was promoted to major, a promotion he had refused until, as he said, “my junior officers get promoted from lieutenants.” By that time he commanded all four squadrons of the 445th Bomb Group. He was promoted one more time to Colonel and Chief of Staff. When he was briefing his men, one day Walter Matthau came to watch. All the men were very impressed that Jimmy Stewart was the man to give briefings etc. No one was more serious than Jim (what they called) when he was on tax. They said he worked 15 hours per day and no one worked harder.
Highly recommend.
January 24, 2024
I was so disappointed in this book—I had high hopes for it! The writers style was unique, but there was so much storytelling about other people it got confusing. I tried skipping ahead a bit. That didn’t work, so I gave up and didn’t finish (I hate doing that), because there was just so much unnecessary foul language, also profanity, and topics that were not about Jimmy Stewart. Maybe I’ll try reading another biography on him at a different time. For now I’ll probably just stick with his movies I know I already enjoy like “The Rare Breed”, “The Shop Around the Corner”, and “Broken Arrow.”
February 16, 2021
In Mission: Jimmy Stewart and the Fight for Europe, Robert Matzen provides an engaging, compelling memoir that focuses primarily on Stewart’s time as an aviator during World War II. Thanks go to Net Galley and to Goodknight Books for the DRC.
The book begins with Stewart’s childhood in a small Pennsylvania town. His is a close knit family with a strong military tradition. An outstanding student, he is educated at Princeton and falls in love with theater one summer. He hits the road for Hollywood to fulfill his dream.
Because of the title, I am taken aback at the amount of celebrity gossip that is included in the first portion of the biography. Matzen wants us to know that Stewart used his skinny-awkward-young-man routine as a sort of foreplay to work his way between the sheets with one well known actress after another; he lists many of them. I could have lived without this part, but maybe you’ll enjoy it. If like me you are really only interested in the military aspect of it, skip the Hollywood part at the start and pick it back up when he enlists. Eventually this is what I did.
Once there, the story is fascinating. Stewart resolutely straight-armed studio efforts to keep him in the USA or use him to entertain troops, as some actors that are drafted chose to do. He angers a studio head who actually tells him, “You’ll never work in this town again”. He decides he is going to do his part like any other man, apart from the fact that he had always wanted to fly and now has the money for a private plane and flying lessons. Once he is actually in uniform, he is able to become the aviator he has dreamed of being as a youngster.
As Martzen unspools Stewart’s story, which had to be difficult to research given Stewart’s resolute refusal to discuss that period, I am instantly engaged. I had known at one time that the planes were not heated back then, but hadn’t fully appreciated the dangers and challenges posed by the cold alone once in the air. A man could suffocate if he didn’t regularly break the ice off of his mask. Men could and did lose body parts to frostbite.
The stories of the men that would eventually serve under him as he rises in rank, not due to strings pulled by authorities but as he has wished, by merit and leadership capability, are also both interesting and poignant. Reading the way the pilots name and decorate their planes, how individual aircraft with idiosyncrasies that make them handle differently so that the pilots strongly prefer to fly their own ships, is interesting, and reading the personal details and in some cases, the deaths of these men is wrenching in some places, poignant in others.
When Stewart has completed his military service, he looks at least ten years older than he is. He’s seen a lot. If he returns to Hollywood, there’s no chance he will play the same roles he used to do. He stalwartly refuses to exploit his time in the service by making World War II films, which are enormously popular, and for a long time, his phone doesn’t ring. He’s sleeping at his parents’ house in his old childhood bedroom, wondering what will happen. But in time he hears from Frank Capra, who has an idea for a picture “based on a story titled ‘The Greatest Gift,’ about a man from a small town who wishes he had never been born. Jim was the only actor in Hollywood whom Capra considered for the role.”
Despite the sense of alienation he experiences with his return to the other-worldly, glitzy city after his gritty, intense experience in the war, Stewart is glad to be back, and he plays what will become an iconic role, that of George Bailey in “It’s a Wonderful Life”. He credits Capra with saving his career, and is overjoyed to be back:
“He was engaged in something magical again, something to interest people in the art of living, rather than the art of dying.”
The book also discusses Stewart’s lifelong friendship with Henry Fonda, and his marriage. We get a brief overview of the peacetime lives of the surviving members of Stewart’s first crew.
If it were up to me, I would remove all of the somewhat jarring photos at the end of the book that show Stewart alongside one actress after another, and I’d replace them with photos and maybe diagrams of the planes we hear so much about. A map here and there wouldn’t hurt, since we follow his flight paths and it’s sometimes hard to visualize where these places are. I used Google, but would like to see these included as part of the published memoir, perhaps in the center, where they’re most relevant.
I recommend this biography to fans of Stewart’s, and I recommend most of this book to those with an interest in military history. The book is available to the public October 24, 2016.
The book begins with Stewart’s childhood in a small Pennsylvania town. His is a close knit family with a strong military tradition. An outstanding student, he is educated at Princeton and falls in love with theater one summer. He hits the road for Hollywood to fulfill his dream.
Because of the title, I am taken aback at the amount of celebrity gossip that is included in the first portion of the biography. Matzen wants us to know that Stewart used his skinny-awkward-young-man routine as a sort of foreplay to work his way between the sheets with one well known actress after another; he lists many of them. I could have lived without this part, but maybe you’ll enjoy it. If like me you are really only interested in the military aspect of it, skip the Hollywood part at the start and pick it back up when he enlists. Eventually this is what I did.
Once there, the story is fascinating. Stewart resolutely straight-armed studio efforts to keep him in the USA or use him to entertain troops, as some actors that are drafted chose to do. He angers a studio head who actually tells him, “You’ll never work in this town again”. He decides he is going to do his part like any other man, apart from the fact that he had always wanted to fly and now has the money for a private plane and flying lessons. Once he is actually in uniform, he is able to become the aviator he has dreamed of being as a youngster.
As Martzen unspools Stewart’s story, which had to be difficult to research given Stewart’s resolute refusal to discuss that period, I am instantly engaged. I had known at one time that the planes were not heated back then, but hadn’t fully appreciated the dangers and challenges posed by the cold alone once in the air. A man could suffocate if he didn’t regularly break the ice off of his mask. Men could and did lose body parts to frostbite.
The stories of the men that would eventually serve under him as he rises in rank, not due to strings pulled by authorities but as he has wished, by merit and leadership capability, are also both interesting and poignant. Reading the way the pilots name and decorate their planes, how individual aircraft with idiosyncrasies that make them handle differently so that the pilots strongly prefer to fly their own ships, is interesting, and reading the personal details and in some cases, the deaths of these men is wrenching in some places, poignant in others.
When Stewart has completed his military service, he looks at least ten years older than he is. He’s seen a lot. If he returns to Hollywood, there’s no chance he will play the same roles he used to do. He stalwartly refuses to exploit his time in the service by making World War II films, which are enormously popular, and for a long time, his phone doesn’t ring. He’s sleeping at his parents’ house in his old childhood bedroom, wondering what will happen. But in time he hears from Frank Capra, who has an idea for a picture “based on a story titled ‘The Greatest Gift,’ about a man from a small town who wishes he had never been born. Jim was the only actor in Hollywood whom Capra considered for the role.”
Despite the sense of alienation he experiences with his return to the other-worldly, glitzy city after his gritty, intense experience in the war, Stewart is glad to be back, and he plays what will become an iconic role, that of George Bailey in “It’s a Wonderful Life”. He credits Capra with saving his career, and is overjoyed to be back:
“He was engaged in something magical again, something to interest people in the art of living, rather than the art of dying.”
The book also discusses Stewart’s lifelong friendship with Henry Fonda, and his marriage. We get a brief overview of the peacetime lives of the surviving members of Stewart’s first crew.
If it were up to me, I would remove all of the somewhat jarring photos at the end of the book that show Stewart alongside one actress after another, and I’d replace them with photos and maybe diagrams of the planes we hear so much about. A map here and there wouldn’t hurt, since we follow his flight paths and it’s sometimes hard to visualize where these places are. I used Google, but would like to see these included as part of the published memoir, perhaps in the center, where they’re most relevant.
I recommend this biography to fans of Stewart’s, and I recommend most of this book to those with an interest in military history. The book is available to the public October 24, 2016.
January 10, 2017
Reads more like historical fiction with a few errors
So how did the author write this book when Jimmy Stewart refused to talk about the war? He used research. Then he put many words and thoughts into Mr. Stewart's mouth and mind. I found this quite distracting.
At one point in the book the author writes about Mr. Stewart's thoughts about the German V-1 attacks on London on Dec. 23, 1943. The attacks didn't begin until June 13, 1944. There are similar errors. This book reads like historical fiction with a few errors.
For what few first hand accounts are available, I recommend Starr Smith's book - James Stewart: Bomber Pilot.
I wish I could get a refund for this book. I was so disappointed I quit reading at the 49% mark.
So how did the author write this book when Jimmy Stewart refused to talk about the war? He used research. Then he put many words and thoughts into Mr. Stewart's mouth and mind. I found this quite distracting.
At one point in the book the author writes about Mr. Stewart's thoughts about the German V-1 attacks on London on Dec. 23, 1943. The attacks didn't begin until June 13, 1944. There are similar errors. This book reads like historical fiction with a few errors.
For what few first hand accounts are available, I recommend Starr Smith's book - James Stewart: Bomber Pilot.
I wish I could get a refund for this book. I was so disappointed I quit reading at the 49% mark.
November 25, 2025
Robert Matzen is a very good author as his research is so detailed and informative. I learned so much about Jimmy Stewart and the role he played in World War II and how it affected him afterward. There is almost too much detail to some degree (especially in regard to his earlier years in Hollywood), but you get a very good look into the lives of the men he led, impacted and saw die in the air fighting the war. You get a clear picture of the incredibly difficult living and flying conditions that the men were exposed to throughout let alone putting their lives at risk on every mission. You see the very personal side of Jimmy also as it relates to a letter his dad wrote and gave to him on the day he left for service: "I have enclosed a copy of the 91st Psalm and I am staking my faith in these words. I feel sure that God will lead you through danger. I love you more than I can tell you. Good-bye, my dear. Dad" The book gives you the background of why Jimmy felt the need to leave his gifted Hollywood stardom to serve his country in the way he did. My only negative basically with the book is that there are sporadic chapters devoted to others somewhat unrelated to Stewart throughout including the German side. I could have done without most of those chapters. There are some amazing photos though at the end of the book and the Epilogue captures the sentiment of how Frank Capra saved his career after the war with the filming of my favorite movie "It's a Wonderful Life".
January 18, 2023
While not a five-star read, I thoroughly enjoyed my time listening to this title on audiobook. Jimmy Stewart was a phenomenal actor, probably best known today for his role as George Bailey in It's a Wonderful Life. If you've not seen Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, I highly recommend checking it out. This book delves into Stewart's beginnings as an actor and his rise to stardom before delving into his time in the Army Air Corps during World War II. There was some content I could have done without during his Hollywood years, who knew he was such a cad? But overall, I was engrossed in his journey to serve and admired his insistence to be a true soldier rather than to be used for publicity for the armed forces.
Old Hollywood biographies are always ever so interesting to me, as are any accounts surrounding WWII. If you also enjoy either of these genres of non-fiction, or simply want to know more about a talented actor of yesteryear, I'd recommend this one!
Old Hollywood biographies are always ever so interesting to me, as are any accounts surrounding WWII. If you also enjoy either of these genres of non-fiction, or simply want to know more about a talented actor of yesteryear, I'd recommend this one!
December 14, 2016
I’m getting old enough now that a lot of my students don’t recognize my Jimmy Stewart impression with its stuttering and awkward pauses. The truth is, I didn’t know much about Jimmy Stewart before reading this focused biography, despite my impressions of the screen actor. Stewart’s acting forms the bookends for the body of this volume. The reader is introduced to Stewart as the actor in It’s a Wonderful Life, the Christmas classic from Republic Pictures. Yet, it leaves the “snowy” set for the bulk of the book and comes back to the set toward the end. Why? Because It’s a Wonderful Life was Stewart’s first film after returning from his World War II duty in Europe.
After introducing the reader to the actor, the narrative regresses to Indiana, PA and traces Stewart through his education and to his experience with famous roommates Henry Fonda and Burgess Meredith. At this point, the reader gets to see Stewart moving from relationship to relationship as a sexual swashbuckler who seems to conquer for reasons of personal confidence and security. His relationship with Norma Shearer gave rise to the famous cigarette lighter gift story which is parodied in Billy Wilder’s Sunset Boulevard, “Mad About the Boy.” But it is important to understand this chapter in his life to understand his calm, mature demeanor one he gets to war.
I didn’t realize that Stewart was fed up with acting prior to entering the service and it hadn’t registered to me that he had started flying as soon as he could—even going on a passenger flight with a barnstormer in the early days of aviation. I didn’t realize that several Hollywood stars flew private planes nor that Stewart had survived a crack-up during his civilian flying days. Mission: Jimmy Stewart and the Fight for Europe shows the actor as ready for something completely different. Even though he loved flying, he wasn’t satisfied with his role as a flight trainer. He longed for combat and felt that his strict Presbyterian father (and his lineage of military officer ancestors) would not be pleased with him until he served as such an officer in time of war.
So, the older actor (in his 30s) eventually ended up as an operations officer who often flew missions during the deadly daylight bombing missions on Germany during WWII. He was often decorated and some of the accounts of these missions are quite harrowing. But they aren’t really told through anything Stewart himself shared. They were told by his comrades, crew mates, and members of his team. Most memorable to me were accounts of flak, weather, and COLD. The latter was significantly worse than I had ever considered. Also, how many people actually realize how many bombers were lost during the time the formations assembled? I know I sure didn’t.
But even Robert Matzen isn’t a one-trick pony. He inserts small vignettes from a girl growing up in Germany during the bombing, from a crew member, and a much-decorated enemy pilot. Such vignettes rounded out the story and reminded the reader that bomber pilots—particularly those who flew the Liberators with all of their mechanical problems—don’t accomplish their jobs in solo mode. Matzen doesn’t make Stewart invincible, either. He talks about his combat nerves and talks about his reluctant return to the film set. And here, Matzen brings us back to It’s a Wonderful Life. But now, we know it wasn’t so wonderful after all.
After introducing the reader to the actor, the narrative regresses to Indiana, PA and traces Stewart through his education and to his experience with famous roommates Henry Fonda and Burgess Meredith. At this point, the reader gets to see Stewart moving from relationship to relationship as a sexual swashbuckler who seems to conquer for reasons of personal confidence and security. His relationship with Norma Shearer gave rise to the famous cigarette lighter gift story which is parodied in Billy Wilder’s Sunset Boulevard, “Mad About the Boy.” But it is important to understand this chapter in his life to understand his calm, mature demeanor one he gets to war.
I didn’t realize that Stewart was fed up with acting prior to entering the service and it hadn’t registered to me that he had started flying as soon as he could—even going on a passenger flight with a barnstormer in the early days of aviation. I didn’t realize that several Hollywood stars flew private planes nor that Stewart had survived a crack-up during his civilian flying days. Mission: Jimmy Stewart and the Fight for Europe shows the actor as ready for something completely different. Even though he loved flying, he wasn’t satisfied with his role as a flight trainer. He longed for combat and felt that his strict Presbyterian father (and his lineage of military officer ancestors) would not be pleased with him until he served as such an officer in time of war.
So, the older actor (in his 30s) eventually ended up as an operations officer who often flew missions during the deadly daylight bombing missions on Germany during WWII. He was often decorated and some of the accounts of these missions are quite harrowing. But they aren’t really told through anything Stewart himself shared. They were told by his comrades, crew mates, and members of his team. Most memorable to me were accounts of flak, weather, and COLD. The latter was significantly worse than I had ever considered. Also, how many people actually realize how many bombers were lost during the time the formations assembled? I know I sure didn’t.
But even Robert Matzen isn’t a one-trick pony. He inserts small vignettes from a girl growing up in Germany during the bombing, from a crew member, and a much-decorated enemy pilot. Such vignettes rounded out the story and reminded the reader that bomber pilots—particularly those who flew the Liberators with all of their mechanical problems—don’t accomplish their jobs in solo mode. Matzen doesn’t make Stewart invincible, either. He talks about his combat nerves and talks about his reluctant return to the film set. And here, Matzen brings us back to It’s a Wonderful Life. But now, we know it wasn’t so wonderful after all.
January 1, 2021
While surfing channels one night I came across a channel that was showing old Johnny Carson reruns. On that show Johnny was interviewing Jimmy Stewart. They were talking about his movies "A Wonderful Life," "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington," and "Vertigo". They also spent sometime talking about his service in WWII which I found kind of interesting and knew little about. I googled that and ran across this book. In it Matzen creates a vivid image of who Stewart was before and during WWII. Jimmy Stewart was actively engaged in some of the most dangerous and emotional devastating aspects of the war. Several chapters puts you right in the seat of the pants of Stewart as he commands a B-24 Liberator. There is an excellent chapter on the checklist that a pilot goes through before leaving the runway in this beast of plane that I would give anything to fly. But his wartime service came at a high personal price. In the final months of WWII he was grounded for being “flak happy,” today called Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).When he returned to the US in August 1945, Stewart was a changed man. He had lost so much weight that he looked sickly. He rarely slept, and when he did he had nightmares of planes exploding and men falling through the air screaming (in one mission alone his unit had lost 13 planes and 130 men, most of whom he knew personally). He was depressed, couldn’t focus, and refused to talk to anyone about his war experiences. His acting career was all but over. In 1946 he got his break. He took the role of George Bailey, the suicidal father in “It’s a Wonderful Life.” The rest is history. Actors and crew of the set realized that in many of the disturbing scenes of George Bailey unraveling in front of his family, Stewart wasn’t acting. His PTSD was being captured on filmed for potentially millions to see. I found this interesting to the say the least. Robert Madzen's Mission gave me insight into the one area of Jimmy Stewart's life that has been in the shadows for so long. I only knew Jimmy Stewart as the actor. Now I feel I know the complete story about him as human being. Interesting book, interesting individual.
January 16, 2024
After working in a famous, infamous, often described as a speakeasy, Hollywood restaurant the site of movie stars, musicians, ballplayers, politicians, high classed call girls, etc. was an everyday occurrence.
Amazing, how familiarly can often take the shine off certain people and at the same time add luster to other individuals. Working at this famous establishment would provide me with some of the greatest stories I have ever heard. Strange as it might sound, almost all the stories had nothing to do with the world of entertainment, politics, or sports.
I don't know if I have read any autobiography on any famous entertainers, sport figures, or politicians, unless of course they had experiences in the real world that I found exceptional.
Jimmy Stewart, a famous actor, certainly fit into the category of a person who did something exceptional far outside his acting profession. Mr. Stewart came from a family of men who served in the military. He had relatives who fought in the Civil War, his father fought in World War 1, and so when World War II broke out with the bombing of Pearl Harbor it saw a surge in American boys joining the military while many more were drafted.
Jimmy Stewart was not a young boy when he tried to join the military and was rejected because of his weight and age. He was thirty-one and wanted to join the air-force and Louis Mayer, head of MGM, didn't want to hear any talk from one of his major stars about joining the military. Steward was not only a major star but had dated some of the most beautiful actresses in Hollywood and was making really good money.
But it is amazing what perseverance and talent can get you. Unwilling to take 'no' from the military, he convinced them with his knowledge and ability to handle a plane that he was exactly what the American air-force needed. After overcoming obstacle after obstacle by Mayer to at least keep him in states, he convinced the air-force to send him over to England where he would rise in rank and command twenty combat missions over France and Germany...escaping death many times.
To put this in perspective: "The most dangerous were the first and last five trips. During the whole war, 51% of aircrew were killed on operations, 12% were killed or wounded in non-operational accidents and 13% became prisoners of war or evaders. Only 24% survived the war unscathed."
"Mission, Jimmy Stewart and the Fight for Europe," by Robert Matzen is so much more than about the courageous movie star. It is a story of so many courageous young men in their early twenties that never made it back, or were severely wounded. "The Liberator bomber" that was flown and commanded by Stewart and his crew wouldn't pass the easiest safety standards that the military goes by today. They were death traps in so many ways.
Mr. Stewart stayed four and a half years in the air force and wasn't discharged until the war in Europe was over. Like so many of his crew and fellow air force personnel that made it back, the war and the destruction and death would stay with them to their dying days.
Amazing, how familiarly can often take the shine off certain people and at the same time add luster to other individuals. Working at this famous establishment would provide me with some of the greatest stories I have ever heard. Strange as it might sound, almost all the stories had nothing to do with the world of entertainment, politics, or sports.
I don't know if I have read any autobiography on any famous entertainers, sport figures, or politicians, unless of course they had experiences in the real world that I found exceptional.
Jimmy Stewart, a famous actor, certainly fit into the category of a person who did something exceptional far outside his acting profession. Mr. Stewart came from a family of men who served in the military. He had relatives who fought in the Civil War, his father fought in World War 1, and so when World War II broke out with the bombing of Pearl Harbor it saw a surge in American boys joining the military while many more were drafted.
Jimmy Stewart was not a young boy when he tried to join the military and was rejected because of his weight and age. He was thirty-one and wanted to join the air-force and Louis Mayer, head of MGM, didn't want to hear any talk from one of his major stars about joining the military. Steward was not only a major star but had dated some of the most beautiful actresses in Hollywood and was making really good money.
But it is amazing what perseverance and talent can get you. Unwilling to take 'no' from the military, he convinced them with his knowledge and ability to handle a plane that he was exactly what the American air-force needed. After overcoming obstacle after obstacle by Mayer to at least keep him in states, he convinced the air-force to send him over to England where he would rise in rank and command twenty combat missions over France and Germany...escaping death many times.
To put this in perspective: "The most dangerous were the first and last five trips. During the whole war, 51% of aircrew were killed on operations, 12% were killed or wounded in non-operational accidents and 13% became prisoners of war or evaders. Only 24% survived the war unscathed."
"Mission, Jimmy Stewart and the Fight for Europe," by Robert Matzen is so much more than about the courageous movie star. It is a story of so many courageous young men in their early twenties that never made it back, or were severely wounded. "The Liberator bomber" that was flown and commanded by Stewart and his crew wouldn't pass the easiest safety standards that the military goes by today. They were death traps in so many ways.
Mr. Stewart stayed four and a half years in the air force and wasn't discharged until the war in Europe was over. Like so many of his crew and fellow air force personnel that made it back, the war and the destruction and death would stay with them to their dying days.
May 31, 2022
Finished Memorial Day 2022! And what a fitting day to complete it. Mission was an insightful book on my favorite actor of all time, Jimmy Stewart. I liked that the book didn’t throw you into the war right away, rather start with Jimmy’s pre-war life. Even during the war there were moments Stewart would reminisce on the sunny days in Hollywood. The war chapters were both intense and sad to listen to. I knew Jimmy served in WWII, but I never thought deeply about what that entailed, and this story gives you an idea. The letters he had to write to the fallen soldiers’ families, the missions he had to do, never knowing if he’d make it, and losing friends along the way.
The final chapters were actually my favorite, post-war for Jimmy Stewart. I loved the way Matzen explained his steps to starting in It’s a Wonderful Life. Not only was it’s Stewart’s return to pictures, but Frank Capra’s as well. The way Matzen described Wonderful Life, and how it has arguably even more of an impact than Stewart’s time in the war really hit me. With it being my favorite movie, I felt that line especially, because it has impacted my life!
I would recommend this book to all fans of Jimmy Stewart, it’s a great way to get to know him! My only complaint is some of the war chapters were easy to zone out in because there is so much war lingo thrown around.
The final chapters were actually my favorite, post-war for Jimmy Stewart. I loved the way Matzen explained his steps to starting in It’s a Wonderful Life. Not only was it’s Stewart’s return to pictures, but Frank Capra’s as well. The way Matzen described Wonderful Life, and how it has arguably even more of an impact than Stewart’s time in the war really hit me. With it being my favorite movie, I felt that line especially, because it has impacted my life!
I would recommend this book to all fans of Jimmy Stewart, it’s a great way to get to know him! My only complaint is some of the war chapters were easy to zone out in because there is so much war lingo thrown around.
April 7, 2023
Mission 11 hour and 45 minute unabridged audiobook.
Actually quite well written book that was written almost as a novel, where the historical events are relayed but lots of dialogue included as well. How accurate that portion is portrayed is difficult to know.
I tend not to care about celebrities and rarely read biographies about them. But Stewarr was someone willing to leave a lucrative Hollywood career to be on the front lines of a war, and spend their own time and money beforehand to become a skilled pilot. He led squadrons and was quite accomplished. I cared less for the Hollywood gossip portions but the war relation portion (probably half of the book or more) kept my attention.
Actually quite well written book that was written almost as a novel, where the historical events are relayed but lots of dialogue included as well. How accurate that portion is portrayed is difficult to know.
I tend not to care about celebrities and rarely read biographies about them. But Stewarr was someone willing to leave a lucrative Hollywood career to be on the front lines of a war, and spend their own time and money beforehand to become a skilled pilot. He led squadrons and was quite accomplished. I cared less for the Hollywood gossip portions but the war relation portion (probably half of the book or more) kept my attention.
November 23, 2021
What an incredibly brave humble war hero James Stewart was! I always heard he was a pilot in Europe fighting the Nazis. I had no idea how brave he was! He was also a highly respected leader.
I am looking forward to watching his movies after WWII with a more vivid picture I have of him post war.
James Stewart was a true American hero.
I am looking forward to watching his movies after WWII with a more vivid picture I have of him post war.
James Stewart was a true American hero.
June 13, 2016
Jimmy Stewart enjoyed success in Hollywood. Professionally, he won the 1941 Academy Award as Best Actor for The Philadelphia Story, and found enduring fame for It’s a Wonderful Life. Personally, he made the conquest of many of his female costars. That was disappointing to learn; I thought he had such a clean cut image.
With American involvement in the war likely, the draft began. His draft number got him in early, before Pearl Harbor. He waged his own battle to get into the Air Force. Overseas. In combat. Not just one token mission, but a sustained combat tour.
Serving their country was a Stewart family mission. Jim’s grandfather served in the Civil War; his father in the Spanish-American War and World War I.
Stewart already had his own plane and worked toward a transport license as a commercial pilot, doing as much as he could to increase his prospects and offset his advanced age of thirty-three. Most pilots were at least ten years younger than he.
Louis B. Mayer of MGM, which had Stewart under contract, did his best to keep Jim out of combat and suggested he could best serve in the Army Air Corps Motion Picture Unit. Stewart did make Winning Your Wings, one of the most successful recruiting films of the war. But he would not allow it to deter him from serving in combat.
He seemed destine to serve as a flying instructor. A talk with his commanding officer at Gowen Field in Idaho resulted in the “static” designation removed from his personnel file. A newly formed B-24 bomb group needed personnel, and Stewart was on his way as an operations officer of one of the four squadrons.
As a squadron commander in Tibenham, England, he flew missions in rotation with the other high ranking officers in the 445th Bomb Group. He saw friends die and planes explode.
His hair began turning gray. A nervous stomach had always made eating a full meal difficult. Now he could barely eat at all, telling a childhood friends that ice cream and peanut butter got him through the war. He got the shakes, wrung out by the rigors of war. Nevertheless, he rose to Colonel in command of the Second Combat Wing.
After the war, Jim Stewart enlisted in the Officers Reserve Corp because he considered his service years as the happiest years of his life. Considering all the stress and horror of war, that’s hard to imagine.
And since acting was the only thing he liked to do, he returned to Hollywood, hoping to resurrect his career. Retaining stardom wasn’t a given. Many actors served in the military and failed to regain their momentum. New, younger actors were getting the starring roles.
Stewart was 37 and looked 50, no longer a probable romantic lead. Detective and murder pictures were now big, but having just been through the war, he wanted no part in a movie about death. He would prefer a comedy. Louis B. Mayer wanted to make The James Stewart Story about his war experience, but Stewart said no. His refusal to relive the war extended to conversation. He never talked about his experiences.
Actors weren’t the only ones having trouble getting reestablished. Producer/director Frank Capra wasn’t getting offers, so he went independent and called Jim Stewart about a project he had in mind called “The Greatest Gift.” Renamed, It’s a Wonderful Life saved Jimmy Stewart’s career.
Mission concentrates most on Stewart’s military service during World War II, but covers his childhood and prewar Hollywood days, too. An enlightening biography I recommend. I received a free copy in exchange for my honest review.
October 24, 2016
This is a biography or history of Jimmy Stewart's war years of which very little has previously been written as Jim refused to talk about it. Born into a family who had a male fighting in every war since the Spanish-American War, Jim was raised that one day he too must serve his country at war. The book may also be said to be a history of the 4445th Bomb Squad where Jim spent most of his active service, ultimately reaching the rank of full Colonel. Matzen has a flowing narrative style which is very easy to read. Stewart is one of two of my most favourite Silver Screen actors and I enjoy war biographies so the book was of particular interest to me. I found the beginning which covers James birth to his early Hollywood days and his joining the service and training days to be the most interesting aspect for me. The rest of the book was too militaristic for me, describing in detail every mission in which Stewart participated. It was interesting but I'm not military minded preferring the social history of wars rather than what is presented here. Even though I enjoyed the book very much because it was about Jimmy, I think the book will be better appreciated by those more interested in the military history than those looking for celebrity information.
December 19, 2025
In Mission: Jimmy Stewart and the Fight for Europe, Robert Matzen provides an engaging, compelling memoir that focuses primarily on Stewart’s time as an aviator during World War II.
The book begins with Stewart’s childhood in a small Pennsylvania town. His is a close knit family with a strong military tradition. An outstanding student, he is educated at Princeton and falls in love with theater one summer. He hits the road for Hollywood to fulfill his dream.
Because of the title, I am taken aback at the amount of celebrity gossip that is included in the first portion of the biography. Matzen wants us to know that Stewart used his skinny-awkward-young-man routine as a sort of foreplay to work his way between the sheets with one well known actress after another; he lists many of them. I could have lived without this part, but maybe you’ll enjoy it. If like me you are really only interested in the military aspect of it, skip the Hollywood part at the start and pick it back up when he enlists. Eventually this is what I did.
Once there, the story is fascinating. Stewart resolutely straight-armed studio efforts to keep him in the USA or use him to entertain troops, as some actors that are drafted chose to do. He angers a studio head who actually tells him, “You’ll never work in this town again”. He decides he is going to do his part like any other man, apart from the fact that he had always wanted to fly and now has the money for a private plane and flying lessons. Once he is actually in uniform, he is able to become the aviator he has dreamed of being as a youngster.
As Martzen unspools Stewart’s story, which had to be difficult to research given Stewart’s resolute refusal to discuss that period, I am instantly engaged. I had known at one time that the planes were not heated back then, but hadn’t fully appreciated the dangers and challenges posed by the cold alone once in the air. A man could suffocate if he didn’t regularly break the ice off of his mask. Men could and did lose body parts to frostbite.
The stories of the men that would eventually serve under him as he rises in rank, not due to strings pulled by authorities but as he has wished, by merit and leadership capability, are also both interesting and poignant. Reading the way the pilots name and decorate their planes, how individual aircraft with idiosyncrasies that make them handle differently so that the pilots strongly prefer to fly their own ships, is interesting, and reading the personal details and in some cases, the deaths of these men is wrenching in some places, poignant in others.
When Stewart has completed his military service, he looks at least ten years older than he is. He’s seen a lot. If he returns to Hollywood, there’s no chance he will play the same roles he used to do. He stalwartly refuses to exploit his time in the service by making World War II films, which are enormously popular, and for a long time, his phone doesn’t ring. He’s sleeping at his parents’ house in his old childhood bedroom, wondering what will happen. But in time he hears from Frank Capra, who has an idea for a picture “based on a story titled ‘The Greatest Gift,’ about a man from a small town who wishes he had never been born. Jim was the only actor in Hollywood whom Capra considered for the role.”
Despite the sense of alienation he experiences with his return to the other-worldly, glitzy city after his gritty, intense experience in the war, Stewart is glad to be back, and he plays what will become an iconic role, that of George Bailey in “It’s a Wonderful Life”. He credits Capra with saving his career, and is overjoyed to be back:
“He was engaged in something magical again, something to interest people in the art of living,
rather than the art of dying.”
The book also discusses Stewart’s lifelong friendship with Henry Fonda, and his marriage. We get a brief overview of the peacetime lives of the surviving members of Stewart’s first crew.
If it were up to me, I would remove all of the somewhat jarring photos at the end of the book that show Stewart alongside one actress after another, and I’d replace them with photos and maybe diagrams of the planes we hear so much about. A map here and there wouldn’t hurt, since we follow his flight paths and it’s sometimes hard to visualize where these places are. I used Google, but would like to see these included as part of the published memoir, perhaps in the center, where they’re most relevant.
I recommend this biography to fans of Stewart’s, and I recommend most of this book to those with an interest in military history.
The book begins with Stewart’s childhood in a small Pennsylvania town. His is a close knit family with a strong military tradition. An outstanding student, he is educated at Princeton and falls in love with theater one summer. He hits the road for Hollywood to fulfill his dream.
Because of the title, I am taken aback at the amount of celebrity gossip that is included in the first portion of the biography. Matzen wants us to know that Stewart used his skinny-awkward-young-man routine as a sort of foreplay to work his way between the sheets with one well known actress after another; he lists many of them. I could have lived without this part, but maybe you’ll enjoy it. If like me you are really only interested in the military aspect of it, skip the Hollywood part at the start and pick it back up when he enlists. Eventually this is what I did.
Once there, the story is fascinating. Stewart resolutely straight-armed studio efforts to keep him in the USA or use him to entertain troops, as some actors that are drafted chose to do. He angers a studio head who actually tells him, “You’ll never work in this town again”. He decides he is going to do his part like any other man, apart from the fact that he had always wanted to fly and now has the money for a private plane and flying lessons. Once he is actually in uniform, he is able to become the aviator he has dreamed of being as a youngster.
As Martzen unspools Stewart’s story, which had to be difficult to research given Stewart’s resolute refusal to discuss that period, I am instantly engaged. I had known at one time that the planes were not heated back then, but hadn’t fully appreciated the dangers and challenges posed by the cold alone once in the air. A man could suffocate if he didn’t regularly break the ice off of his mask. Men could and did lose body parts to frostbite.
The stories of the men that would eventually serve under him as he rises in rank, not due to strings pulled by authorities but as he has wished, by merit and leadership capability, are also both interesting and poignant. Reading the way the pilots name and decorate their planes, how individual aircraft with idiosyncrasies that make them handle differently so that the pilots strongly prefer to fly their own ships, is interesting, and reading the personal details and in some cases, the deaths of these men is wrenching in some places, poignant in others.
When Stewart has completed his military service, he looks at least ten years older than he is. He’s seen a lot. If he returns to Hollywood, there’s no chance he will play the same roles he used to do. He stalwartly refuses to exploit his time in the service by making World War II films, which are enormously popular, and for a long time, his phone doesn’t ring. He’s sleeping at his parents’ house in his old childhood bedroom, wondering what will happen. But in time he hears from Frank Capra, who has an idea for a picture “based on a story titled ‘The Greatest Gift,’ about a man from a small town who wishes he had never been born. Jim was the only actor in Hollywood whom Capra considered for the role.”
Despite the sense of alienation he experiences with his return to the other-worldly, glitzy city after his gritty, intense experience in the war, Stewart is glad to be back, and he plays what will become an iconic role, that of George Bailey in “It’s a Wonderful Life”. He credits Capra with saving his career, and is overjoyed to be back:
“He was engaged in something magical again, something to interest people in the art of living,
rather than the art of dying.”
The book also discusses Stewart’s lifelong friendship with Henry Fonda, and his marriage. We get a brief overview of the peacetime lives of the surviving members of Stewart’s first crew.
If it were up to me, I would remove all of the somewhat jarring photos at the end of the book that show Stewart alongside one actress after another, and I’d replace them with photos and maybe diagrams of the planes we hear so much about. A map here and there wouldn’t hurt, since we follow his flight paths and it’s sometimes hard to visualize where these places are. I used Google, but would like to see these included as part of the published memoir, perhaps in the center, where they’re most relevant.
I recommend this biography to fans of Stewart’s, and I recommend most of this book to those with an interest in military history.
January 21, 2021
MISSION provides a readily accessible story of Jimmy Stewart's service in the Army Air Corps during World War Two. Most folks around today who do remember Stewart probably do so because of "It's a Wonderful Life", the Frank Capra directed movie produced in 1946 and now an annual Christmas tradition in many families. Others may remember his aw shucks appearances on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show in the 1970s, where he came off as a slightly befuddled gentle old man ( a contrived image by a smart man, but in some small part the result of hearing loss produced by hours spent in noisy B-24s). If we knew of his WWII service it wasn't from Stewart, who did not talk of his experiences, and we probably lumped Stewart in with other Hollywood idols who served during WWII, but primarily in rear echelon or home front public relations roles (looking at you Ron).
The bulk of Matzen's book is devoted to telling the story of Jimmy Stewart in WWII. Early on Matzen briefly tells the story of Stewart's youth and transition to unlikely Hollywood star in the 1930s, often with an eye toward establishing context for Stewart's later unswerving efforts to serve his country. The most surprising detail herein -- Stewart was quite the ladies man and the list of his romantic/sexual partners constitutes a Hollywood who's who.
The revelations about Stewart in WWII are this book's newfound treasure, though. Stewart learned how to fly in the late 1930s with an eye toward military service in the conflict he saw forthcoming. He even purchased a plane that just happened to be the same model used in training Army Air Corps trainees. As war approached and then arrived on December 7, 1941, Stewart fought to join the Army Air Corps despite obstacles created by his studio head, the infamous Louis B. Mayer who didn't want Stewart to enlist and then when he couldn't stop that wanted Stewart to serve in the home front public relations arm of the AAC. Stewart also had to overcome his age. In his thirties, he was a decade or more older than his fellow trainees, and too old for the quick thinking required of wartime pilots according to the stereotypes of the day. To top it off, he was just too darn skinny to meet Army requirements. Stewart overcame all these obtacles and served in the Army Air Corps for over four years, 15 months of which occured in the European Theater of Operations. He would eventually fly 20 missions in the Allied bombing campaign against Germany and rise from enlisted man to full bird Colonel over the course of his service.
Matzen focuses on these missions and this is the best part of the book. Academic historians may complain about the narrow nature of some of the research, or about assuming thoughts and conversations based on the evidence at hand, but the re-telling works to capture the harrowing nature of the air war. Jimmy Stewart was in the thick of things. Stewart even abjured talking to the press during his time in England, because he did not want to undervalue the work of all his colleagues by placing undue attention on himself.
Matzen mentions frequently that when Stewart came back from the war friends and family were astonished at how much he had aged. A different Stewart came back from the war, which made the emotional angst of his performance in "It's a Wonderful Life" so compelling. Matzen argues that his wartime service defined the rest of Stewart's life, from his work to his relations with colleagues and his spouse. In that sense, Stewart shared the same experience coming home that so many of his colleagues in service did, beset by emotions that people who did not serve simply could not understand. It's not his movie, but Stewart must have emphathized with "The Best Years of Our Lives."
If you want to read more on the issue of returning WWII vets, William M. Tuttle, Jr.'s DADDY'S GONE TO WAR is an excellent piece of research and analysis.
When we ask young men
to fight for us, the cost should
not be forgotten.
The bulk of Matzen's book is devoted to telling the story of Jimmy Stewart in WWII. Early on Matzen briefly tells the story of Stewart's youth and transition to unlikely Hollywood star in the 1930s, often with an eye toward establishing context for Stewart's later unswerving efforts to serve his country. The most surprising detail herein -- Stewart was quite the ladies man and the list of his romantic/sexual partners constitutes a Hollywood who's who.
The revelations about Stewart in WWII are this book's newfound treasure, though. Stewart learned how to fly in the late 1930s with an eye toward military service in the conflict he saw forthcoming. He even purchased a plane that just happened to be the same model used in training Army Air Corps trainees. As war approached and then arrived on December 7, 1941, Stewart fought to join the Army Air Corps despite obstacles created by his studio head, the infamous Louis B. Mayer who didn't want Stewart to enlist and then when he couldn't stop that wanted Stewart to serve in the home front public relations arm of the AAC. Stewart also had to overcome his age. In his thirties, he was a decade or more older than his fellow trainees, and too old for the quick thinking required of wartime pilots according to the stereotypes of the day. To top it off, he was just too darn skinny to meet Army requirements. Stewart overcame all these obtacles and served in the Army Air Corps for over four years, 15 months of which occured in the European Theater of Operations. He would eventually fly 20 missions in the Allied bombing campaign against Germany and rise from enlisted man to full bird Colonel over the course of his service.
Matzen focuses on these missions and this is the best part of the book. Academic historians may complain about the narrow nature of some of the research, or about assuming thoughts and conversations based on the evidence at hand, but the re-telling works to capture the harrowing nature of the air war. Jimmy Stewart was in the thick of things. Stewart even abjured talking to the press during his time in England, because he did not want to undervalue the work of all his colleagues by placing undue attention on himself.
Matzen mentions frequently that when Stewart came back from the war friends and family were astonished at how much he had aged. A different Stewart came back from the war, which made the emotional angst of his performance in "It's a Wonderful Life" so compelling. Matzen argues that his wartime service defined the rest of Stewart's life, from his work to his relations with colleagues and his spouse. In that sense, Stewart shared the same experience coming home that so many of his colleagues in service did, beset by emotions that people who did not serve simply could not understand. It's not his movie, but Stewart must have emphathized with "The Best Years of Our Lives."
If you want to read more on the issue of returning WWII vets, William M. Tuttle, Jr.'s DADDY'S GONE TO WAR is an excellent piece of research and analysis.
When we ask young men
to fight for us, the cost should
not be forgotten.
January 23, 2024
Not a boring biography. Certainly not a book that’s easy to set down. Learned a lot about a man I thought was goody-two-shoes! The book recounts Stewart as quite the rakish lady’s man! But it also captures Stewart’s real impression of the “chew-you-up-and-spot-you-out” Hollywood machine.
Then, with a turn of the page, I was sobered up real fast reading about a man who gave his all in a real cause with all the courage and commitment that Hollywood can only wish to aspire to. Look, I’m just a 65 year old wife and mom, but I finished the book vastly impressed and sufficiently educated with the machinations, effort, man-hours and toil that go into the training, developing and carrying out of The United States of America military excellence. There’s MONTHS of training and manufacturing needed stateside before military forces can be deployed elsewhere. From England to France to Holland to Germany…readers follow Stewart every step of the way, in precise and explicit detail.
And since the author really didn’t pull any punches to protect readers from the grisly facts of air warfare, PTSD gets a proper, clear, unvarnished display before one’s very eyes. And in that “art imitates life” trope, the horrors of war that follow real soldiers home did indeed end up on the silver screens and television screens. Sometimes scripted and sometimes not. And that resonated with many soldiers and their families across America.
Did I know that MISSION would be a story about Jimmy Stewart the actor, Jimmy Stewart the war hero AS WELL AS Jimmy Stewart embattled veteran fighting the demons so many of our soldiers and sailors experience today? No! Readers finish the book with a higher respect for one man who emptied himself into a conflagration too big for one man, as well as for the men and women who give their all to protect our wonderful country! Certainly there are millions who have served or are serving in our armed forces, and they too deserve much more than they are receiving right now. So, since I have seen IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE, THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALENCE and MR. HOBBS TAKES A VACATION, I take it as a challenge to me to learn from one man’s brutal war experience and amp up my diligence to pay respect to those who keep America “land of the free, home of the brave.”
Then, with a turn of the page, I was sobered up real fast reading about a man who gave his all in a real cause with all the courage and commitment that Hollywood can only wish to aspire to. Look, I’m just a 65 year old wife and mom, but I finished the book vastly impressed and sufficiently educated with the machinations, effort, man-hours and toil that go into the training, developing and carrying out of The United States of America military excellence. There’s MONTHS of training and manufacturing needed stateside before military forces can be deployed elsewhere. From England to France to Holland to Germany…readers follow Stewart every step of the way, in precise and explicit detail.
And since the author really didn’t pull any punches to protect readers from the grisly facts of air warfare, PTSD gets a proper, clear, unvarnished display before one’s very eyes. And in that “art imitates life” trope, the horrors of war that follow real soldiers home did indeed end up on the silver screens and television screens. Sometimes scripted and sometimes not. And that resonated with many soldiers and their families across America.
Did I know that MISSION would be a story about Jimmy Stewart the actor, Jimmy Stewart the war hero AS WELL AS Jimmy Stewart embattled veteran fighting the demons so many of our soldiers and sailors experience today? No! Readers finish the book with a higher respect for one man who emptied himself into a conflagration too big for one man, as well as for the men and women who give their all to protect our wonderful country! Certainly there are millions who have served or are serving in our armed forces, and they too deserve much more than they are receiving right now. So, since I have seen IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE, THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALENCE and MR. HOBBS TAKES A VACATION, I take it as a challenge to me to learn from one man’s brutal war experience and amp up my diligence to pay respect to those who keep America “land of the free, home of the brave.”
February 4, 2021
** 4 - 4 1/2 stars ** Growing-up in the 1970's and early '80's, I and those of my generation were surrounded by giants from the WWII 'greatest' generation. As someone who loves old Hollywood, I was drawn to this book, never having known all Jimmy Stewart had faced and accomplished in that war. MISSION: Jimmy Stewart and the Fight for Europe tells the story of how one of Hollywood's leading men of the time left behind the safety and security of a cushy life in film to partake in dangerous aerial battles during the Second World War.
Stewart could have easily been deferred from duty (and in fact was) or stayed States' side on account of his status and age, but, due in part to a strong familial duty to country that spanned generations, and dogged determination, Stewart went above and beyond the call of duty, rising from the rank of private when he first enlisted to full colonel by the end of the war (Stewart would eventually reach the rank of Brigadier General before he officially left military service in 1968). MISSION delves into the story of not only the humble character of the man that was Stewart, but how he rose through the ranks through sheer audacity, bravery, and endurance.
MISSION: Jimmy Stewart and the Fight for Europe is a wonderfully written, clearly deeply researched book. Matzen took the time to intertwine personal stories of those under his command, a competing German flier, and a young German family to show the interconnectedness personal lives and stories have, even in times of war. The poignant holiday film 'It's a Wonderful Life' is made more poignant by the fact that it was the first film made by Stewart following his return to Hollywood following the horrors he endured during the war.
Stewart could have easily been deferred from duty (and in fact was) or stayed States' side on account of his status and age, but, due in part to a strong familial duty to country that spanned generations, and dogged determination, Stewart went above and beyond the call of duty, rising from the rank of private when he first enlisted to full colonel by the end of the war (Stewart would eventually reach the rank of Brigadier General before he officially left military service in 1968). MISSION delves into the story of not only the humble character of the man that was Stewart, but how he rose through the ranks through sheer audacity, bravery, and endurance.
MISSION: Jimmy Stewart and the Fight for Europe is a wonderfully written, clearly deeply researched book. Matzen took the time to intertwine personal stories of those under his command, a competing German flier, and a young German family to show the interconnectedness personal lives and stories have, even in times of war. The poignant holiday film 'It's a Wonderful Life' is made more poignant by the fact that it was the first film made by Stewart following his return to Hollywood following the horrors he endured during the war.
January 24, 2018
Jimmy Stewart refused to talk about his WWII service for the remainder of his storied life. He was already rich and famous when he voluntarily—and against the wishes of his Hollywood overseers, who in fact tried to scuttle his enlistment—joined up with the Army Air Corps as the Nazi threat became ever more grave for Europe and the world.
Stewart was a quiet, introspective man, which lent gravitas to the many historic film roles he assayed in his lengthy career. But it was this same reserve, the thoughtfulness of a natural leader, that also made him an unsung hero of the Second World War. He saw himself as no better or worse than the young men he led into the skies over France and Germany, and personally felt responsible for whenever one of them did not return to their airbase in England.
Through exhaustive research, Robert Matzen has given voice to the silence “Jim” maintained throughout the remainder of his life when it came to the subject of his wartime service. For “Mission” Matzen combed through Stewart’s war records, long since available to the general public, to unlock the dozens of bombing raids his subject lived during the greatest war in humankind’s murderous history.
Naturally, in such an endeavor of recreation, much is necessarily conjecture. There is no way to know what Stewart felt during those long—eight hours or more from England to Germany and back—flights into the maw of death, so Matzen can be forgiven for certain poetic license to construct ex post facto conversations between Stewart and his pilots and co-airmen during and after their missions into the skies over Europe. For there is only so much that can be gleaned via reports of Stewart’s admirable service; Matzen has given life and breath to those tense years and thousands of air miles Stewart and hundreds of American and other Allied troops just like him gauged in planes that as often as not failed them—in the air or on the ground—before the Germans could ever open fire.
It’s a tough job to gauge the psychology of a subject both deceased for over two decades and who famously never spoke of his service publicly—or, if “Mission” is to be believed, to even his family—but Matzen nonetheless admirably portrays Stewart as the quiet man he was but nonetheless driven by a sense of duty. Partially, we learn, this was from his own family history, being the scion of a veteran of the First World War and the descendent of a Civil War veteran as well.
But familial piety, or guilt, aside, what truly comes through in “Mission” is Stewart’s belief in the cause of liberty. He was already in his mid-thirties when the war broke out, and thus in little danger of the draft (thanks partially to his height), and Jack Warner even tried scuttling Stewart’s enlistment by sending letters to Army brass to refuse his star’s ever being in uniform. But just like his friends Henry Fonda and Gary Cooper, Stewart felt duty-bound to serve his country in her time of need. He also loved flying, and took it upon himself to log the requisite hours, on his own time and his own dime, before ever stepping foot into boot camp.
Much of what occurs in “Mission” can seem a tad repetitious, and the minutiae of one bombing run after another into Occupied France and then the heart of Nazi Germany can seem lugubrious, although such details as flying in -40 degrees at 20,000 feet, without the modern convenience of a pressurized cabin, certainly gives one pause as Stewart, on oxygen, must complete his missions all the while being shot at by the Lufftwaffe.
Thankfully Matzen breaks up the routine with a counternarrative of another U.S. serviceman whose plane was shot down and landed behind enemy lines, fleeing with the help of the Dutch Resistance. This stands as a symbolic voice for the millions of young men who went to war, and each of whom came home with a story—if they came home at all.
Yet it is unmistakably Stewart, a man of honor and integrity, who shines at the heart of “Mission.” The Army tried to use his face for morale-boosting films, but Stewart eschewed them as much as he could, feeling he was no greater than the men he led—some of whom were 10, 15 or even 20 years his junior. “They” were the real heroes, he would always say, with the gangly Pennsylvania native but a tall drink of water on a self-imposed break from Hollywood.
But Stewart of course did make it home, and Matzen wisely spends some time on his sense of what must certainly have been survivor’s guilt while so many brave others died. (The noise of those plane flights also permanently damaged his hearing.) Stewart remained in the Reserves for decades after the war, and was righteously given military honors upon his 1997 passing. Matzen closes “Mission” with Stewart back on terra firma and on a hot summer in Encino, California, where fake snow has been sprayed on a two-block-long section of fictional Bedford Falls. He and his fellow veteran, Frank Capra, are about to film “It’s a Wonderful Life,” a film that initially failed but has since become arguably (in my estimation, certainly) the greatest Christmas film of all time.
Of all his accolades and awards, be they his Oscar for “The Philadelphia Story” or his litany of military awards, Stewart gave a shrug. For a man who made his living in make-believe and was in the constant spotlight, and dated a parade of Hollywood starlets, Stewart was remarkably humble—perhaps no more so than when it came to his military service. He went to war because he felt he had to, and he returned because fate allowed it; he had nothing further to say on the subject.
The best thing he could do, at that point, was get back to making movies.
April 13, 2023
Certainly a side of Jimmy Stewart I didn't know much about. Who knew he was such a lady's man? But more importantly, we get peeks into the internal anguish of being a bomber pilot and leader of men. He took his role in the Air Force very seriously--even fighting against the military top brass and Hollywood head honchos to have more than a PR status. But despite the merits of the book, it felt like it dragged on too long, and lingered too much on how the airmen felt during their missions--a theme that became too repetitive. The author also introduced 2 side stories--one about another US airmen and another about a German family, neither of which ever connected back to Jimmy's story, and therefore felt irrelevant and tangential.
January 16, 2019
Excellent telling of the Jimmy Stewart story. Early in my own USAF career I had supervisors who flew missions with his or associate units. Never heard anything but praise for him. He was known to fly and command difficult missions while his status as a screen star could have resulted in an easier position elsewhere than at the front of a difficult and very dangerous part of the war.
December 7, 2025
This book was well researched, but I didn't give it a better reading because too much of it focused on Jimmy Stewart's supposed love life.
https://bookwinked.wordpress.com/2025...
https://bookwinked.wordpress.com/2025...
January 4, 2018
Excellent book not only about Jimmy Stewart's time in the service but life in a bomber group in WWII!
May 10, 2022
You will never think of WW II flyers the same again. A fascinating and thorough account of the war.
March 26, 2024
a great read but I can't believe this can be passed off as biography- 75% seems to be speculation into the inner monologue of people the author hasn't spoken to.
January 27, 2022
Brilliantly written, uncovering a truly wonderful man who was so much more than a Hollywood star!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 200 reviews