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The Men Who Killed the Luftwaffe: The U.S. Army Air Forces against Germany in World War II
In order to defeat Germany in World War II, the Allies needed to destroy the Third Reich's industry and invade its territory, but before they could effectively do either, they had to defeat the Luftwaffe, whose state-of-the-art aircraft and experienced pilots protected German industry and would batter any attempted invasion. This difficult task fell largely to the U.S., which, at the outset, lacked the necessary men, materiel, and training. Over the ensuing years, thanks to visionary leadership and diligent effort, the U.S. Army Air Force developed strategies and tactics and assembled a well-trained force that convincingly defeated the Luftwaffe.
432 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2010
70 people are currently reading
473 people want to read
About the author
Jay A. Stout
23 books32 followersJay A. Stout is a retired Marine Corps fighter pilot. An Indiana native and graduate of Purdue University, he was commissioned during June 1981 and was designated a naval aviator on 13 May 1983. His first fleet assignment was to F-4S Phantoms at MCAS Beaufort, South Carolina. Following a stint as an instructor pilot at NAS Chase Field Texas from 1986 to 1989, he transitioned to the F/A-18 Hornet. He flew the Hornet from bases on both coasts and ultimately retired from MCAS Miramar during 2001.
Aside from his flying assignments, he served as the executive officer of 1st Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company, and in a variety of additional assignments with various staffs around the world. During his twenty-year career he flew more than 4,500 flight hours, including 37 combat missions during Operation Desert Storm.
Following his military career Stout worked for a very short time as an airline pilot before being furloughed after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. He subsequently flew for the Kuwait Air Force for a year before returning to the States where he now works for as a senior analyst for a leading defense contractor.
Lieutenant Colonel Stout's writing has been read on the floor of the U.S. Senate and has been published in various professional journals and newspapers around the nation. Works published while he was on active duty addressed controversial topics (women in the military, the MV-22 Osprey, effectiveness of the AV-8B Harrier, etc.) and took viewpoints that were often at odds with senior military leadership. Nevertheless, his cogent arguments and forthrightness contributed considerably to his credibility. Indeed, his expertise is widely recognized and he has made many appearances as a combat aviation expert on news networks such as Fox, Al Jazeera and National Public Radio.
Aside from his flying assignments, he served as the executive officer of 1st Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company, and in a variety of additional assignments with various staffs around the world. During his twenty-year career he flew more than 4,500 flight hours, including 37 combat missions during Operation Desert Storm.
Following his military career Stout worked for a very short time as an airline pilot before being furloughed after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. He subsequently flew for the Kuwait Air Force for a year before returning to the States where he now works for as a senior analyst for a leading defense contractor.
Lieutenant Colonel Stout's writing has been read on the floor of the U.S. Senate and has been published in various professional journals and newspapers around the nation. Works published while he was on active duty addressed controversial topics (women in the military, the MV-22 Osprey, effectiveness of the AV-8B Harrier, etc.) and took viewpoints that were often at odds with senior military leadership. Nevertheless, his cogent arguments and forthrightness contributed considerably to his credibility. Indeed, his expertise is widely recognized and he has made many appearances as a combat aviation expert on news networks such as Fox, Al Jazeera and National Public Radio.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
March 31, 2014
This is a book that I might have rated higher if I had more interest in the air war. It is well written and while it doesn't delve to deeply into the conduct of the war, or the decisions that caused certain things to be done, it does deliver a number of great first person accounts from both sides of the fence. Another thing that impressed me about this book was the range of coverage. Instead of just focusing on Bombers, or Fighters, the book also include information about the training that was giving the gunners on the Bombers, the situation with the ground crews, and many other aspects of the air war.
The only real complaints I have about the book is due to the wide range of topics covered nothing was covered in any real in depth detail and the title wasn't really shown as a valid point. Merely coming up in glimpses instead of being a focus of the book.
All in all this would be a great book to recommend for those getting started on the air war topic of WWII. Even if it is a mostly American view of it.
The only real complaints I have about the book is due to the wide range of topics covered nothing was covered in any real in depth detail and the title wasn't really shown as a valid point. Merely coming up in glimpses instead of being a focus of the book.
All in all this would be a great book to recommend for those getting started on the air war topic of WWII. Even if it is a mostly American view of it.
February 19, 2016
When I first picked this book up, I figured it would be about the fighter pilots of the USAAF, with lots of stories about the aces and such. Turns out there was some of that, but lots of stories from bomber pilots and crewmen, ground support personnel, and some perspective from the German side as well. Since I've read about the great fighter pilots such as Gabreski, Zemke, Gentile, Blakeslee, and Preddy in other books, it was refreshing to read about the recollections of those pilots who didn't achieve the same level of success.
The book covers not only the Eighth Air Force, but also the Ninth, Twelfth and Fifteenth Air Forces. Some parts of the air war over Germany get a fair amount of coverage, such as the raid on Ploesti and the shuttle missions to Russia, but overall I felt the balance was pretty fair. A bit more coverage on the Eighth since they carried the bulk of the load, and there is a fair amount of background on the architects of the American effort: Arnold, Eaker, Spaatz and Doolittle. The German perspective is represented by some background information as well, as well as some critical analysis about how they lost the war in the air.
A great addition to any World War II library.
The book covers not only the Eighth Air Force, but also the Ninth, Twelfth and Fifteenth Air Forces. Some parts of the air war over Germany get a fair amount of coverage, such as the raid on Ploesti and the shuttle missions to Russia, but overall I felt the balance was pretty fair. A bit more coverage on the Eighth since they carried the bulk of the load, and there is a fair amount of background on the architects of the American effort: Arnold, Eaker, Spaatz and Doolittle. The German perspective is represented by some background information as well, as well as some critical analysis about how they lost the war in the air.
A great addition to any World War II library.
November 11, 2013
Makes a good case for the US Army Air Force being the primary and proximate agent in the death of the German Air Force in World War Two. A gratifying blend of history, commentary and eye witness accounts, including the German perspective. Detailed, maybe too detailed. A paragraph about a general's father is overkill. Lots of statistics and several good photographs.
Mentions the British and Russian air wars. Chilling examples of the inhumanity of Soviet officers to their own people. No mention of the trails and contributions of black American airmen.
Pathos as well as heroics and drama. The following quote was from Luftwaffe Me-262 pilot (and late Chief of Staff of the West German Luftwaffe), Johannes Steinhoff, in April 1945. "We were like dayflies who had come to the end of their day, where the dream dissolves into nothingness."
"Nearly 34,000 Americans died in the air way against Germany. What they might have accomplished had they lived is unknowable. What would have happened had they and their surviving comrades not been willing to make the ultimate sacrifice is," concluded the author. Much the same can be said for all the casualties and survivors of World War Two.
A very good read.
Mentions the British and Russian air wars. Chilling examples of the inhumanity of Soviet officers to their own people. No mention of the trails and contributions of black American airmen.
Pathos as well as heroics and drama. The following quote was from Luftwaffe Me-262 pilot (and late Chief of Staff of the West German Luftwaffe), Johannes Steinhoff, in April 1945. "We were like dayflies who had come to the end of their day, where the dream dissolves into nothingness."
"Nearly 34,000 Americans died in the air way against Germany. What they might have accomplished had they lived is unknowable. What would have happened had they and their surviving comrades not been willing to make the ultimate sacrifice is," concluded the author. Much the same can be said for all the casualties and survivors of World War Two.
A very good read.
October 29, 2017
A good book, covering the prolonged struggle between the Army Air Forces, specifically the strategic bombing forces and their escorting fighters, and the Luftwaffe over Europe from 1943 to 1945. The book also delves into the enormous training and equipping system developed in the US to provide the European theater with a constant stream of highly trained airmen and machines. The title is very accurate to the book, it is filled with the personal memoirs of those who fought. There is little about tactics, about technical developments, about what was bombed, or about the statistics of the fight. Indeed, the author goes out of his way to set up for long personal passages by those who were there, passages that at times seem to wander away from the focus in that section of the book. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it does make for a twisted narrative and a somewhat disjointed work. Nonetheless, one is left with a solid understanding of what it was like to fight in the US strategic air forces in Europe in the latter stages of the war. Great for those wanting more in-depth, personal-level knowledge of America’s daylight air war over Europe.
January 25, 2024
This book gives an encompassing summary of the American Air Forces' campaign against Germany in the Second World War. Was glad to finish this book prior to the Masters of the Air release!
There are probably about 1000 other books that cover the same topic as this one. That being said, I still believe this is a five star book. The author gave a chronological approach of the air war in Europe, weaving in specific topics into chapters and adding first-hand accounts commonly. This book also gave a lot of discussion on the American fighters, not just the bombers that conducted the strategic bombing campaign.
This book is definetely similar to Masters of the Air. They cover similar topics, and use a simlar chronoligical order of events to outline the air war. However, this book gives more discussion to fighters that did Masters of the Air (no shade to that book - the book was supposed to be focused on the Eighth Air Force).
I thouroughly enjoyed this book, and am glad I own it for my collection.
There are probably about 1000 other books that cover the same topic as this one. That being said, I still believe this is a five star book. The author gave a chronological approach of the air war in Europe, weaving in specific topics into chapters and adding first-hand accounts commonly. This book also gave a lot of discussion on the American fighters, not just the bombers that conducted the strategic bombing campaign.
This book is definetely similar to Masters of the Air. They cover similar topics, and use a simlar chronoligical order of events to outline the air war. However, this book gives more discussion to fighters that did Masters of the Air (no shade to that book - the book was supposed to be focused on the Eighth Air Force).
I thouroughly enjoyed this book, and am glad I own it for my collection.
August 7, 2017
I've always been fascinated by the romanticized notions of the US Army Air Cops and USAAF and wanted to learn more. I really enjoyed this book and it didn't disappoint.
I wanted a comprehensive history/chronicling of the USAAF during WWII as well as first hand combat accounts in the ETO and this book has all of it! I also enjoyed how the book spent an equal amount of time covering fighter as well as bomber pilots/crews to give an overall view of the army air forces in Europe during the war. Jay Stout does a great job retelling history and describing people from generals down to mechanics as well as detailing missions. He gives facts in a non-boring way as well as narrates missions in a delicate way that's not too romanticized or cheesy but keeps one interested and on the edge of one's seat. Lots of info with good presentation, I'll def read another one of his books.
I'd recommend this book to anyone interested in WWII history and aviation history and first hand accounts.
I wanted a comprehensive history/chronicling of the USAAF during WWII as well as first hand combat accounts in the ETO and this book has all of it! I also enjoyed how the book spent an equal amount of time covering fighter as well as bomber pilots/crews to give an overall view of the army air forces in Europe during the war. Jay Stout does a great job retelling history and describing people from generals down to mechanics as well as detailing missions. He gives facts in a non-boring way as well as narrates missions in a delicate way that's not too romanticized or cheesy but keeps one interested and on the edge of one's seat. Lots of info with good presentation, I'll def read another one of his books.
I'd recommend this book to anyone interested in WWII history and aviation history and first hand accounts.
December 9, 2020
Excellent history
An excellent history of the United States Army air Corps over Europe in World War II as told from both the big picture and personalized accounts. Definitely recommended for any history buffs.
An excellent history of the United States Army air Corps over Europe in World War II as told from both the big picture and personalized accounts. Definitely recommended for any history buffs.
September 20, 2022
Maybe not as good as some of his other books, but places were really good.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 4, 2023
A good look at the air war against Germany, with special focus on how their efforts wore down the Luftwaffe.
Other than that it was a fairly standard tale of the European Air War.
Other than that it was a fairly standard tale of the European Air War.
September 20, 2023
Quite readable, accurate, nothing really new.
October 2, 2020
Really wide-ranging look at American air operations. He dove into a whole bunch of topics that I was not expecting, or handles common topics in interesting ways. Not a truly exhaustive work, but it covers a lot in just enough detail for the information to be meaningful rather than a throwaway anecdote or fact. You'll get American and Luftwaffe leadership personalities, first-hand accounts of combats (lots of it), training systems, aircraft development, aircraft performance, cultural differences, daily life of the crews, and the progress of the larger war.
Highly recommended for those that already know a decent amount about the air war but aren't ready for purely academic works.
Highly recommended for those that already know a decent amount about the air war but aren't ready for purely academic works.
February 17, 2018
I saw this book described as a history of the average Joe of the USAAF - the story of the flyers not of the leaders - so I was a bit surprised by the first six chapters or so being mainly a top-level history of "Happ" Arnold and the early Army Air Force development. Nonetheless, it was a really interesting history, providing a solid background for the rest of the book.
It is hard for this book not to come across like an "America is the best, America won the war single-handedly, America's planes/fliers/strategy/etc was naturally going to win anyways" argument. To be fair, the points are correct, but as is often the case with popular American history it can sound bragging or egotistical and does not give credit to other nations (though, yes, it is an American history). This book toes that line, with stories and arguments that had me at times mumbling "what about Britain?" but the author was careful to give credit to other nations (and aircraft types) when necessary. Still, hard not to be blown away by the American airplanes and production capabilities!
The book does bring in the stories of average flyers as the war progresses, but I felt they were less stories selected to back up the author's arguments and more stories that the author then tried to argue as true fact. The stories felt very selected for the sake of making a point, and then the historical record was really hammered home to back them up. It doesn't affect the flow much (I would say the jumping between bomber groups and fighters was more confusing) and doesn't lessen the impact or awe-factor of the personal stories, thankfully. And they are amazing stories!
This was a fun book to listen to. The "good old war stories" element makes it fun and leaves you amazed by the Greatest Generation, but the history and larger geopolitical context makes it an eye-opening history. I recommend it for people that enjoy history of air warfare or are interested in the development of the USAAF in the Second World War.
It is hard for this book not to come across like an "America is the best, America won the war single-handedly, America's planes/fliers/strategy/etc was naturally going to win anyways" argument. To be fair, the points are correct, but as is often the case with popular American history it can sound bragging or egotistical and does not give credit to other nations (though, yes, it is an American history). This book toes that line, with stories and arguments that had me at times mumbling "what about Britain?" but the author was careful to give credit to other nations (and aircraft types) when necessary. Still, hard not to be blown away by the American airplanes and production capabilities!
The book does bring in the stories of average flyers as the war progresses, but I felt they were less stories selected to back up the author's arguments and more stories that the author then tried to argue as true fact. The stories felt very selected for the sake of making a point, and then the historical record was really hammered home to back them up. It doesn't affect the flow much (I would say the jumping between bomber groups and fighters was more confusing) and doesn't lessen the impact or awe-factor of the personal stories, thankfully. And they are amazing stories!
This was a fun book to listen to. The "good old war stories" element makes it fun and leaves you amazed by the Greatest Generation, but the history and larger geopolitical context makes it an eye-opening history. I recommend it for people that enjoy history of air warfare or are interested in the development of the USAAF in the Second World War.
September 18, 2012
Kind of interesting that I finished this book on the 65th birthday (September 18, 1947) of the United States Air Force as a separate service branch. This book details the huge expansion of the USAAF during World War II and how our overwhelming edge of trained men and equipment defeated the German Luftwaffe and won the air war over Germany.
At the beginning of the war, the USAAF was a skeletal force with antiquated equipment against a thoroughly modern Luftwaffe that was barely checked by Great Britain in the Battle of Britain. This book narrates the growth of US air power under Arnold, Spaatz, and Eaker, the rapid expansion of manufacturing, and the training of pilots. A number of the chapters also detail various bombing campaigns and the challenges of daylight bombing including flak and aerial combat through vivid first-hand accounts.
Also fascinating are his accounts of the strategic decisions (or lack thereof) on the German side. The Luftwaffe began the war with a huge edge in equipment and pilots. And German fighter development continued through the war culminating in the first jet fighters near war's end. Fortunately for the Allies, these were not produced in large numbers but clearly dominated. This last is important--sheer quantity alone isn't enough if technologically inferior. Had German priorities been different and a different figure than Goering in leadership, the air war could have been very different.
Altogether, a great read!
At the beginning of the war, the USAAF was a skeletal force with antiquated equipment against a thoroughly modern Luftwaffe that was barely checked by Great Britain in the Battle of Britain. This book narrates the growth of US air power under Arnold, Spaatz, and Eaker, the rapid expansion of manufacturing, and the training of pilots. A number of the chapters also detail various bombing campaigns and the challenges of daylight bombing including flak and aerial combat through vivid first-hand accounts.
Also fascinating are his accounts of the strategic decisions (or lack thereof) on the German side. The Luftwaffe began the war with a huge edge in equipment and pilots. And German fighter development continued through the war culminating in the first jet fighters near war's end. Fortunately for the Allies, these were not produced in large numbers but clearly dominated. This last is important--sheer quantity alone isn't enough if technologically inferior. Had German priorities been different and a different figure than Goering in leadership, the air war could have been very different.
Altogether, a great read!
September 6, 2017
This was an excellent book about the Air War in the European Theater during World War 2. Though it did have some personal accounts by the combat veterans who flew for both sides, the thing that made this book different is how it approached all the logistics involved in fielding a massive air corps from scratch. I have never delved into the administrative necessities despite having read extensively about this topic. While I knew the USA outproduced the Axis powers within a very short time, I did not really consider the hoops and hurdles necessary to train first class pilots and crew, train first class mechanics and armorers, train first class transportation personnel to get the manufactured weapons of war from the factories to the front lines and the complexities of housing, clothing and feeding all these different classes of warriors. There is also a great deal of time spent on the various strategies involved in winning the air war and Stout is honest and unsparing when describing the failures that taught the commanders how to do it better. I recommend the book for anyone with an interest in WW2 aviation.
July 30, 2012
I have read several books on WWII and the pains taken on the ground, but this one caught my eye when talking only about the air.
What I learned:
- It was again a complete numbers game and once again like on tanks we produced way more airplanes
- not only that but we trained many more pilots and had them cycle through service much more quickly.
- 100 octane fuel was a advantage, even if just a few mph in speed, hooray for the petroleum industry.
- the human stories were very interesting to me, jumping out of planes, freezing at high altitude, pilots going down with their planes to let the others out and crews trying to make enough missions to go home. in one instance they had done so in just a few weeks because they took every single mission they could.
i enjoyed it and would recommend for aviation enthusiasts as well as history buffs
What I learned:
- It was again a complete numbers game and once again like on tanks we produced way more airplanes
- not only that but we trained many more pilots and had them cycle through service much more quickly.
- 100 octane fuel was a advantage, even if just a few mph in speed, hooray for the petroleum industry.
- the human stories were very interesting to me, jumping out of planes, freezing at high altitude, pilots going down with their planes to let the others out and crews trying to make enough missions to go home. in one instance they had done so in just a few weeks because they took every single mission they could.
i enjoyed it and would recommend for aviation enthusiasts as well as history buffs
May 17, 2014
Thank you, Amazon, for affording this book to me. By 1939, the Germans were well prepared for war over land, water and air. They had superior planes and well trained air men.
They failed to count on America's can do spirit.
The German Luftwaffe was tearing the continent and England apart. The United States entered the war with the Allied Powers. Roosevelt, Stalin and Churchill were an unlikely threesom. The United States trained her pilots on the job. The British were more gutsy than polite. The Russian air men might crash, but the flight crews put their planes back together and continued on their mission. It seemed to me that Russia, the Yanks and the Brits crashed a lot but walked away unhurt.
I am a Boomer. It is left to the Boomers make certain the next generation learns all about WWII so that they can tell their
children and so on. This history must continue.
They failed to count on America's can do spirit.
The German Luftwaffe was tearing the continent and England apart. The United States entered the war with the Allied Powers. Roosevelt, Stalin and Churchill were an unlikely threesom. The United States trained her pilots on the job. The British were more gutsy than polite. The Russian air men might crash, but the flight crews put their planes back together and continued on their mission. It seemed to me that Russia, the Yanks and the Brits crashed a lot but walked away unhurt.
I am a Boomer. It is left to the Boomers make certain the next generation learns all about WWII so that they can tell their
children and so on. This history must continue.
February 7, 2015
Deader than a door nail
I'm not sure why a door nail is considered dead, but by the end of WW2, the Luftwaffe was certainly dead. This book doesn't dwell on the big heroes and aces of the European theater, but on ordinary people who accomplished extraordinary things for their country and the world. It is well written and moves along nicely. It has an abundance of interesting detail that I enjoyed. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in WW2.
I'm not sure why a door nail is considered dead, but by the end of WW2, the Luftwaffe was certainly dead. This book doesn't dwell on the big heroes and aces of the European theater, but on ordinary people who accomplished extraordinary things for their country and the world. It is well written and moves along nicely. It has an abundance of interesting detail that I enjoyed. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in WW2.
March 6, 2015
Well written and researched book on the development of the U.S. Air Force. However, this is not a comprehensive history. It's focus was the Eighth Air Force and the very popular fighters and heavy bombers, particularly the B-17. The author failed in providing any information on the role of medium bombers and the Ninth Air Force, which leaves me asking what else was missed. (less)
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February 23, 2013
I feel really bad about not liking this book. I got it free from www.pixelofink.com, for my kindle. I just couldn't get into this book at all. I made it to the 2nd Chapter and finally called it quits.
February 5, 2014
Very interesting and numerous short stories published together. The book loses it's cohesion near the middle, and would have been better had it continued with one major story line through to the end.
April 12, 2011
This is a good book that I was able to read quickly. I really enjoyed learning about the build up of the U.S. air power during this time period.
Read
September 9, 2012Good mix of historic background and personal memoirs.
January 26, 2014
Excellently written with plenty of research and firsthand accounts. A must read for anyone interested in American air power in WWII!
January 1, 2014
A good book; a little dry at first as he describes the initial push to develop a strategic air force. Many first-hand accounts from not-so-well-known pilots.
February 27, 2014
Interesting, lots of background setup before interviews begin.
May 22, 2015
Excellent book.
September 4, 2015
Great Read Highly recommend
April 11, 2017
I'm a WWII airwar buff and RC warbird flyer. I love study WWII history. I didn't really know what to expect with this book, but had thought that the book would mostly be about the fighter air war. Instead, I found it to be an outstanding mix of discussion of the Air Force Commanding Generals, Airwar policy, and intriguing stories and quotes from the men who flew the missions (both USAAF and Luftwaffe). I listened to the book as an audiobook in my car and often found myself wanting to drive somewhere, so that I could listen to more of the book. Loved it. Highly recommended.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews