What do you think?
Rate this book
Wings Of Morning: The Story Of The Last American Bomber Shot Down Over Germany In World War Ii
Attempts to find out what happened to the ten men who were lost on April 25, 1945 during one of the last air missions over Europe
276 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1995
6 people are currently reading
323 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
September 30, 2010
This is an excellent history of the last B-24 to be shot down over Europe in WW II. I had read and enjoyed Stephen Ambrose's The Wild Blue earlier and had never heard of the Childers' book until the plagiarism scandal. Ambrose was accused (rightly it turns out) of lifting passages from several books, this one included. So anyway, I decided to read Wings of Morning and found it far superior (if different) than Ambrose's. I urge you to read both of them and make up your own mind.
Childers, who teaches history at my alma mater, tracked down some old papers and letters from his Uncle Howard, which had been hidden away in his grandmother’s house. Howard had been a radio operator on a B-24 Liberator that was probably the last bomber casualty of the war.
Howard had a chance to remain at Scott AFB near St. Louis as an instructor, but despite his high scores on the tests that qualified him for that position, he decided to join an air crew and was eventually trained and sent to Maine where he and his crew confronted the monstrosity known as the B-24. The B-17 has been more glamorized and was certainly better regarded by pilots, but there were way more B-24s built and it could fly higher and carry a larger payload. Pejoratively nicknamed the banana boat and pregnant cow or the agony wagon, it was hard to fly and was prone to high-speed stalls and sluggishness over twenty-thousand feet. That made formation flying particularly nerve-wracking. “You don’t know what shit hittin’ the fan means, till you’ve seen a Liberator flip over on its side in the middle of a forty-plane formation,” reported one crewman. Neither was it for the claustrophobic as crew members had to squeeze themselves into tiny spaces in their bulky flying suits. One turret was so cramped there was no room for the gunner’s parachute, a reassuring realization.
They were sent to an airfield near Norfolk where the Eighth Air Force had 130 airfields crammed into an area smaller than Delaware. They were to replace several crews that had been killed during a formation flying accident. Their first combat mission necessitated flying off the runway on instruments in a fog at thirty-second intervals, each crewman peering into the cloudy soup praying they would not run into another airplane, the pilot, against all commons sense and biological signals following only what the instruments told him. Finally they left the clouds into the sunshine. “No amount of practice could have prepared them for what they encountered. B-24s, glittering like mica, were popping up out of the clouds all over the sky. Corkscrewing upward, they seemed to be everywhere at different altitudes, going in every direction, searching for their squadrons, their groups. . . As he [the pilot:] watched intently, the swarm of circling silver planes resolved gradually into distinguishable elements of three, of six, of nine. The group’s squadrons were forming up.” The process of getting all the planes together in the appropriate groups and then forming on the leaders could take more than an hour. Planes from over forty different airfields would come poking up out of the clouds. It was scary and if just one plane was off course the result was a flaming disaster. It was an occurrence that was not infrequent. Eventually they would become part of a one-thousand plane mission.
Childers pieces a poignant and fascinating story together from hundreds of letters written by the crew. It had a tragic ending. In late April, the crew, by now promoted to lead crew were ordered on a flight to bomb a bridge, a mission the men despised as useless, trying to hit a span fifteen feet wide from twenty-thousand feet was not a good use of their equipment or talents. As luck would have it, the weather was horrible and they were unable to bomb either the primary or secondary targets. They turned back. To the horror of all the men the command pilot directed them on a route that would take them directly over Regensburg, one of the most heavily defended cities in Germany. Fortunately, the flak was not as heavy as anticipated. Unfortunately for Howard and his crew one of the few shells exploded right on target setting their plane on fire. A wing broke off and it spiraled to the ground. Only two of the crew managed to bail out.
Childers tenaciously followed up every lead and piece of paper — and there was a surprising amount of documentation — traveling to Germany and interviewing many people who saw the actual crash to track down the truth of how his uncle had died. He was able to determine that Howard had not died in the burning crash itself, but he and another had fallen out of the plane and died from impact, unable to get their chutes on.
He was helped in his research by a devoted German amateur historian, and he was able to locate the precise location where the plane hit the ground and his uncle died. Today as tractors plow the fields, moving “across the rolling swells of the rich, dark earth, and in their wake, as happens each April, shattered bits of Plexiglas and twisted metal — mute reminders of the Black Cat and the men who died here-- were rising in the furrows.”
Childers, who teaches history at my alma mater, tracked down some old papers and letters from his Uncle Howard, which had been hidden away in his grandmother’s house. Howard had been a radio operator on a B-24 Liberator that was probably the last bomber casualty of the war.
Howard had a chance to remain at Scott AFB near St. Louis as an instructor, but despite his high scores on the tests that qualified him for that position, he decided to join an air crew and was eventually trained and sent to Maine where he and his crew confronted the monstrosity known as the B-24. The B-17 has been more glamorized and was certainly better regarded by pilots, but there were way more B-24s built and it could fly higher and carry a larger payload. Pejoratively nicknamed the banana boat and pregnant cow or the agony wagon, it was hard to fly and was prone to high-speed stalls and sluggishness over twenty-thousand feet. That made formation flying particularly nerve-wracking. “You don’t know what shit hittin’ the fan means, till you’ve seen a Liberator flip over on its side in the middle of a forty-plane formation,” reported one crewman. Neither was it for the claustrophobic as crew members had to squeeze themselves into tiny spaces in their bulky flying suits. One turret was so cramped there was no room for the gunner’s parachute, a reassuring realization.
They were sent to an airfield near Norfolk where the Eighth Air Force had 130 airfields crammed into an area smaller than Delaware. They were to replace several crews that had been killed during a formation flying accident. Their first combat mission necessitated flying off the runway on instruments in a fog at thirty-second intervals, each crewman peering into the cloudy soup praying they would not run into another airplane, the pilot, against all commons sense and biological signals following only what the instruments told him. Finally they left the clouds into the sunshine. “No amount of practice could have prepared them for what they encountered. B-24s, glittering like mica, were popping up out of the clouds all over the sky. Corkscrewing upward, they seemed to be everywhere at different altitudes, going in every direction, searching for their squadrons, their groups. . . As he [the pilot:] watched intently, the swarm of circling silver planes resolved gradually into distinguishable elements of three, of six, of nine. The group’s squadrons were forming up.” The process of getting all the planes together in the appropriate groups and then forming on the leaders could take more than an hour. Planes from over forty different airfields would come poking up out of the clouds. It was scary and if just one plane was off course the result was a flaming disaster. It was an occurrence that was not infrequent. Eventually they would become part of a one-thousand plane mission.
Childers pieces a poignant and fascinating story together from hundreds of letters written by the crew. It had a tragic ending. In late April, the crew, by now promoted to lead crew were ordered on a flight to bomb a bridge, a mission the men despised as useless, trying to hit a span fifteen feet wide from twenty-thousand feet was not a good use of their equipment or talents. As luck would have it, the weather was horrible and they were unable to bomb either the primary or secondary targets. They turned back. To the horror of all the men the command pilot directed them on a route that would take them directly over Regensburg, one of the most heavily defended cities in Germany. Fortunately, the flak was not as heavy as anticipated. Unfortunately for Howard and his crew one of the few shells exploded right on target setting their plane on fire. A wing broke off and it spiraled to the ground. Only two of the crew managed to bail out.
Childers tenaciously followed up every lead and piece of paper — and there was a surprising amount of documentation — traveling to Germany and interviewing many people who saw the actual crash to track down the truth of how his uncle had died. He was able to determine that Howard had not died in the burning crash itself, but he and another had fallen out of the plane and died from impact, unable to get their chutes on.
He was helped in his research by a devoted German amateur historian, and he was able to locate the precise location where the plane hit the ground and his uncle died. Today as tractors plow the fields, moving “across the rolling swells of the rich, dark earth, and in their wake, as happens each April, shattered bits of Plexiglas and twisted metal — mute reminders of the Black Cat and the men who died here-- were rising in the furrows.”
November 4, 2018
This is one of the BEST well-written books I have read about a WW11 event.
It's a story of the last American bomber shot down over Germany in World War 11.
What makes it so interesting and fascinating is the way the author - Thomas Childers puts the found WW11 letters of the deceased soldiers, the interviews, and his search in Europe and patience into a must-read story.
You will find humor, sadness, details, and the infusion of the soldiers' diaries into a remarkable story that makes you feel that you were there.
A 5-star no-brainer.
It's a story of the last American bomber shot down over Germany in World War 11.
What makes it so interesting and fascinating is the way the author - Thomas Childers puts the found WW11 letters of the deceased soldiers, the interviews, and his search in Europe and patience into a must-read story.
You will find humor, sadness, details, and the infusion of the soldiers' diaries into a remarkable story that makes you feel that you were there.
A 5-star no-brainer.
July 19, 2024
Worthy of a movie. Very well-written and researched. Maybe more of a docu-drama adaptation though.
December 29, 2021
If you have any interest in WWII/military details, this is really really good, and quite moving. Ultimately a very sad story. But what a story. Shout out to David Ebby for his recommendation. Christophers Mason and Houlihan----you should read this.
February 10, 2011
I absolutely loved this book. One of my favorite things about this book is that it reads like a novel! It was a fascinating look into the lives of the crew of the Black Cat. The Black Cat was a B-24 that was shot down over Germany only days before the end of WWII. It was the last bomber shot down over Germany during WWII. The book follows the experiences of Howard Goodner, who was the radio operator of the Black Cat, as well as the uncle of the author Thomas Childers. I also loved the ending of this book. The author really exhausts every possible option to figure out the fate of the crew. And even though I knew how the book would end I still got a little teary eyed at the details unearthed about the fate of the crew! Well done Thomas Childers! I would recommend this book to anyone interested in WWII history, or interested in military aircraft. This book also touchs on the amazing acts of the Eighth Air Force during the war.
January 5, 2009
I absolutely LOVED this book. My dad flew in a B-24 during WWII as a gunner and in the ball turret. He's always tried to tell me about his experiences but of course, it is so hard to imagine. He gave me this book to read and I'm really enjoying it .... the writing is good and I can get a much CLEARER picture of what he went through. I highly recommend it for anyone who had a dad serving in the army air force during WWII.
October 2, 2008
Simply the best-written non-fiction account of WWII I've ever come across and I've read quite few. The prose is artful and moving and the story of the author unraveling a decades old mystery is unforgettable. This masterwork is storytelling at its best; I still get chills just thinking about it.
October 31, 2009
A marvelous book, beautifully written and very moving. One of my favorite books on WWII. Childers is a compelling storyteller, and a great talker too. He has three courses over at The Teaching Company (www.teach12.com) that I highly recommend.
February 15, 2013
In a loving tribute to an uncle lost in the war, the author carefully reconstructs the fate of the crew of his uncle's aircraft.
A great read almost like a detective story, the author finds out the true fate of these men on the last day of the war.
A great read almost like a detective story, the author finds out the true fate of these men on the last day of the war.
March 7, 2024
An overwhelming sense of irony and poignancy pervades this book, not only because the B-24 “Black Cat” was the last American bomber shot down over Germany, with the loss of all but two crewmembers, but also because only two more days were to pass before the entire bombing campaign ceased completely; because only two weeks remained before the final German surrender; because of the length of time the crew’s families had to wait for even scraps of information about the fate of their loved ones, as they battled monolithic and often apathetic government bureaucracies; and, finally, because the mission to the Salzburg area need not have been flown at all. Aside from the fact that at this stage of the war it would have made no difference if the target (a railroad bridge) had not been bombed, the task would have been better handled by P-47 Thunderbolts or P-51 Mustangs, with greater accuracy from lower altitude, rather than heavy bombers. The mission should have been scrubbed at any of several points because of deteriorating weather conditions. The Germans were not planning a “last stand” in the Salzburg area, as was rumored by faulty intelligence. Most frustrating and maddening of all, the bombers would have returned home safely had not the commanding officer of the group been such a martinet, full of himself and impressed with his own authority, who insisted that the planes return directly over a known dangerous flak area in Regensburg, unwilling to modify his orders and change course in spite of warnings from many of the crews in the formation.
A sort of camaraderie of uncertainty and then grief bound the families of crew members together as they received, first, missing-in-action notifications and then the dreaded telegrams that their loved ones would not be coming back. They stayed in touch long after the war and saved all the correspondence they had exchanged with their departed loved ones, and with each other as the search for closure continued. These letters were a treasure trove of information for the author and enabled him to reconstruct in great detail the crew’s experiences as they were called into service; went through exhaustive training; experienced culture shock as they accustomed themselves to life on a cold, damp airbase in East Anglia and went on leave in big cities like Norwich and London (where they had been warned to avoid the “Piccadilly commandoes”—ladies of the evening—who swarmed practically every square and street, and that contracting a venereal disease would be considered a court-martial offense!) and faced danger on repeated missions over France and Germany. The odds that they would survive 25 missions were not great.
Detailed information abounds in this volume on exactly how the bombing runs were planned down to the last detail and then carried out—logistics, equipment, ordnance, uniforms and parachutes, survival gear, weather forecasting, order of takeoff and landing, communication codes, intelligence, photography—the support staff laboring in the background to ensure the success of the missions was far larger than the number who actually flew them. By this time in the war the chief danger the airmen faced was not from the Luftwaffe but from antiaircraft fire—flak—which could damage an airplane far more severely than bullets from an FW-190, Me-109 or even a jet-powered Me-262. The anxiety and fear the crew felt as they went through the “88” shells bursting all around them is almost palpable in their descriptions.
Overall an excellent, detailed picture of the air war over Europe, on both the grand scale and at an intensely personal level. Highly recommended!
***** review by Chuck Graham *****
A sort of camaraderie of uncertainty and then grief bound the families of crew members together as they received, first, missing-in-action notifications and then the dreaded telegrams that their loved ones would not be coming back. They stayed in touch long after the war and saved all the correspondence they had exchanged with their departed loved ones, and with each other as the search for closure continued. These letters were a treasure trove of information for the author and enabled him to reconstruct in great detail the crew’s experiences as they were called into service; went through exhaustive training; experienced culture shock as they accustomed themselves to life on a cold, damp airbase in East Anglia and went on leave in big cities like Norwich and London (where they had been warned to avoid the “Piccadilly commandoes”—ladies of the evening—who swarmed practically every square and street, and that contracting a venereal disease would be considered a court-martial offense!) and faced danger on repeated missions over France and Germany. The odds that they would survive 25 missions were not great.
Detailed information abounds in this volume on exactly how the bombing runs were planned down to the last detail and then carried out—logistics, equipment, ordnance, uniforms and parachutes, survival gear, weather forecasting, order of takeoff and landing, communication codes, intelligence, photography—the support staff laboring in the background to ensure the success of the missions was far larger than the number who actually flew them. By this time in the war the chief danger the airmen faced was not from the Luftwaffe but from antiaircraft fire—flak—which could damage an airplane far more severely than bullets from an FW-190, Me-109 or even a jet-powered Me-262. The anxiety and fear the crew felt as they went through the “88” shells bursting all around them is almost palpable in their descriptions.
Overall an excellent, detailed picture of the air war over Europe, on both the grand scale and at an intensely personal level. Highly recommended!
***** review by Chuck Graham *****
November 20, 2022
Using narrative nonfiction techniques, the nephew of a crew member of the last American bomber shot down over Germany in WWII tells the story of the entire crew, then what happened to the "Black Cat" B-24 on that last mission. Even more spellbinding is the last chapter, where Thomas Childers meticulously recounts his research into what happened to the bomber and its crew. Besides traveling to search records at the National Archives and Maxwell Air Force Base, he also interviewed eye witnesses in Germany and stood on the spot where the "Black Cat" fell.
Three crew members who were KIA are buried at the Lorraine American cemetery, where my young uncle is buried, Lt. Daniel S. Wilson, a P-38 pilot who was KIA in Austria in February 1945. (One of three brothers who lost their lives during the war.)
A survivor of the crash accompanied him to Germany, where they went to the crash site and to where the veteran had been a POW. This book keeps the story of those terrible losses alive.
Three crew members who were KIA are buried at the Lorraine American cemetery, where my young uncle is buried, Lt. Daniel S. Wilson, a P-38 pilot who was KIA in Austria in February 1945. (One of three brothers who lost their lives during the war.)
A survivor of the crash accompanied him to Germany, where they went to the crash site and to where the veteran had been a POW. This book keeps the story of those terrible losses alive.
June 28, 2021
Beautifully written, this book is engaging, personal, haunting and riveting to the last word. I have read dozens of WW2 books (non fiction) and found this to be one of the most compelling. I know it will stay with me always.
We, as readers and American citizens, owe a great deal of thanks to the author and all who aided him in his research. And of course a greater debt is owed to the crew whose story Mr Childers told and all those who fought so we could be free.
We, as readers and American citizens, owe a great deal of thanks to the author and all who aided him in his research. And of course a greater debt is owed to the crew whose story Mr Childers told and all those who fought so we could be free.
October 15, 2018
A thorough history and also a sensitive account of what is, ultimately, a sad tale. Lots of eye-opening stuff about the mis-management of the Air War in Europe, as well as some close-up looks at what life was like for the tens of thousands of airmen carrying out the campaign. I was struck, again and again, at how young the participants were.
July 17, 2019
One of my favorite books. Some academic books are dense and some popular history books offer little new insight. This has the perfect balance. Written by a bonafide academic who can write as well as anyone. No wonder Ambrose plagiarized from Childers. If you are interested in WW2 air warfare, start here.
June 13, 2021
Excellent book. All the letters he put together that family's sent and received made you feel like you were there and new these men. Even though I knew this would not end well I found myself hoping for a different happy ending. All the author unraveled that the family's never knew was shocking and very sad. Very well written and thank you for your Uncle's Service.
October 22, 2018
Detailed book on the training for WW2 pilots of B17 & B24 pilots and crew. Sections of the places the pilots and crew frequented in England during the war. Plus historical fiction of the last bomber shot down over Germany.
February 13, 2020
A very well written and absorbing story. Childers, a historian, extensively researched the book which focuses on his cousin, Howard, a crew member on the ill-fated plane. His purpose was to detail the everyday experiences of Howard as part of uncovering how he died. It's quite an adventure.
February 27, 2022
I spent my twenty-first birthday night devouring this book in preparation for Dr. Childers' upcoming final exam. Refusing several invitations to choose otherwise, I have no regrets on how I marked a monumental date in my own life nearly twenty-eight years ago. Fond memories. Read this book.
September 23, 2019
Want to know how WWII affected ordinary American lives at war and at home, read this!!!
July 9, 2020
Great book ...I`m glad that they were able to find closure in the end.
December 9, 2021
If you have even a passing interest in WW II Eight air force history, this is a must read.
January 15, 2022
Excellent. A must read for those interested in WWII
September 10, 2017
KIRKUS REVIEW
A poignant story of a B-24 crew from the selection and training of its members through their spine-tingling combat raids over Germany in WW II. Childers (History/Univ. of Pennsylvania), a nephew of crew member Howard Goodner, has sifted through hundreds of wartime letters between the 12 men and their loved ones. In addition, he has persevered in meticulously researching Air Corps and other government records, wresting spare information from an indifferent bureaucracy, visiting family members of the crew, and doing research in Germany. Narrating mainly from the standpoint of his uncle (who did not survive the bomber's final mission), Childers tells the story of the Black Cat, an inauspiciously named plane in America's Eighth Air Force that, in the last few months of the war in Europe, was engaged in supporting ground troops in the final offensive against Nazi Germany. The Black Cat had 22 successful missions, sustaining only minor damage. On the stormy day of April 21, 1945, shortly before the German surrender, the crew departed on a mission to bomb a bridge, no more than ten feet wide, near Salzburg, Austria. Sending the plane up in weather so bad that the pilot could not locate the target was only one of the erroneous command decisions made that day. After the mission was canceled, the commander disregarded the warnings of the navigator and directed the bomber to return over Regensburg, a town covered by heavy German anti-aircraft fire. The bomber was shot down, and all but two of the crew perished. Childers tells his true and tragic story with both the narrative flow of fiction and a you-are-there immediacy. A fitting memorial to the crew of the Black Cat.
This made me sad about these young men going to war.
A poignant story of a B-24 crew from the selection and training of its members through their spine-tingling combat raids over Germany in WW II. Childers (History/Univ. of Pennsylvania), a nephew of crew member Howard Goodner, has sifted through hundreds of wartime letters between the 12 men and their loved ones. In addition, he has persevered in meticulously researching Air Corps and other government records, wresting spare information from an indifferent bureaucracy, visiting family members of the crew, and doing research in Germany. Narrating mainly from the standpoint of his uncle (who did not survive the bomber's final mission), Childers tells the story of the Black Cat, an inauspiciously named plane in America's Eighth Air Force that, in the last few months of the war in Europe, was engaged in supporting ground troops in the final offensive against Nazi Germany. The Black Cat had 22 successful missions, sustaining only minor damage. On the stormy day of April 21, 1945, shortly before the German surrender, the crew departed on a mission to bomb a bridge, no more than ten feet wide, near Salzburg, Austria. Sending the plane up in weather so bad that the pilot could not locate the target was only one of the erroneous command decisions made that day. After the mission was canceled, the commander disregarded the warnings of the navigator and directed the bomber to return over Regensburg, a town covered by heavy German anti-aircraft fire. The bomber was shot down, and all but two of the crew perished. Childers tells his true and tragic story with both the narrative flow of fiction and a you-are-there immediacy. A fitting memorial to the crew of the Black Cat.
This made me sad about these young men going to war.
February 3, 2012
If you've seenTwelve O'Clock High: War Film, United States Army, Eighth Air Force, Nazi Germany, Academy Awards or read the The War Lover you may think you know everything about the U.S. bombing campaign against Nazi Germany. While these take you through the battles they do not really get you behind-the-scenes.
Thomas Childers makes you part of the crew of the "Black Cat" The Black Cat was a B-24 that was shot down over Germany only days before the end of WWII. It was the last bomber shot down over Germany during that war. Although the book focuses on the experiences of Howard Goodner (the author's uncle), who was the radio operator of the Black Cat, the reader becomes pretty close with the rest of the crew as well.
Childer's takes you through individual basic training, radio school, gunnery and flight instruction. You'll learn how hard these guys worked just to get aboard an airplane. You'll fly training missions with them. You'll go through pre-combat jitters with them. You'll come home exhausted after 10 hrs of andrenaline pumping combat. You'll laugh with the crew. You'll try to figure out ways to steal coal to heat their damp and chilly barracks rooms. You'll look forward to their first 3-day pass to visit London.
And eventually your heart will be broken even though you already know how the story ends.
Thomas Childers makes you part of the crew of the "Black Cat" The Black Cat was a B-24 that was shot down over Germany only days before the end of WWII. It was the last bomber shot down over Germany during that war. Although the book focuses on the experiences of Howard Goodner (the author's uncle), who was the radio operator of the Black Cat, the reader becomes pretty close with the rest of the crew as well.
Childer's takes you through individual basic training, radio school, gunnery and flight instruction. You'll learn how hard these guys worked just to get aboard an airplane. You'll fly training missions with them. You'll go through pre-combat jitters with them. You'll come home exhausted after 10 hrs of andrenaline pumping combat. You'll laugh with the crew. You'll try to figure out ways to steal coal to heat their damp and chilly barracks rooms. You'll look forward to their first 3-day pass to visit London.
And eventually your heart will be broken even though you already know how the story ends.
February 14, 2016
Good book, it really does a great job telling the story of the men who were on board and their war experiences. I wish it would have dealt a little more with Childers' quest to figure out exactly what happened, although his chapters dealing with his quest were fairly repetitive. And if he had chosen to jump from present day back to the war in alternating chapters, that may have been confusing to read. It might also have been nice for him to include some discussion of the larger questions that were being debated about strategic bombing both during the war and after, such as the morality behind Dresden, Hamburg, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Tokyo, and the ever-present search of the bomber generals to find that one "magic target" upon whose destruction the entire German war machine would collapse. Contrasting those issues with the guys actually in the planes might have been an effective device.
June 28, 2015
The story within the story reveals the lives, loves, and fears of the men who flew the bombing raids over territory controlled by the Third Reich in World War II. Detailed portraits of these young American men and their families brings the reader along on missions and liberty runs to London. Although the Allies ultimately triumphed, this book reveals the heartbreak involved as well with a story from the perspective of the crew's letters home. A curious nephew in Tennessee searches to find the truth about the last American bomber shot down over Germany in World War II and finds unexpected insight from eye witnesses and forgotten government reports to questions that had haunted his family for a generation.
August 24, 2016
This was such a moving book. As I read it I kept having to look back at the photo for the faces of the men. There was so much detail about the big sacrifices made by these soldiers, but also about the lesser known ones: the day to day cold, damp, boredom of it all; the hurry up and wait element of the flights; the diverse personalities thrown together in close quarters; the frigid, claustrophobic conditions in the planes. Ultimately, it is a heartbreaking story of the loss of some very courageous young men that shouldn't have happened. When I was reading the last chapters I had to stop several times and hold my head in my hands. Kudos to the author for his unflagging research in finding the truth about the fate of his uncle and the other men on that final flight.
January 14, 2015
The life of a WW-II American bomber crew would not have been any fun. Between getting going at 2 or 3 AM for a mission, spending hours being almost frozen from the bitter cold at the altitudes they flew, and facing the constant risk from flak and from enemy fighters ... not something anyone would really want to be doing. But thousands of people did. This book was well researched, the writing was excellent, and it made me feel as if I had actually been there. (My uncle was a C-47 flight engineer, he read this also, and he said it was quite accurately portrayed). It was sad how lives were lost so needlessly on the last missions of the war.
December 17, 2014
This was one of those books that I so badly wanted, and expected, to be good, that it falling flat is a major disappointment. The author wrote this as a personal journey to discover what happened to his uncle. It's interesting from an historian's perspective to see how research is conducted, but it was, at times, bogged down by describing the process. It reads like a family history that is interesting if you know the people, but less so if you don't, and that's pretty much what it was.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews