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To Kingdom Come: An Epic Saga of Survival in the Air War Over Germany
The breathtaking, never-before-told, true story of a historic air- force bombing mission in 1943 Germany.
On September 6, 1943, three hundred and thirty-eight B-17 "Flying Fortresses" of the American Eighth Air Force took off from England, bound for Stuttgart, Germany, to bomb Nazi weapons factories.
Dense clouds obscured the targets, and one commander's critical decision to circle three times over the city-and its deadly flak-would prove disastrous. Forty-five planes went down that day, and hundreds of men were lost or missing.
Focusing on first-person accounts of six of the B-17 airmen, award- winning author Robert Mrazek vividly re-creates the fierce air battle- and reveals the astonishing valor of the airmen who survived being shot down, and the tragic fate of those who did not.
On September 6, 1943, three hundred and thirty-eight B-17 "Flying Fortresses" of the American Eighth Air Force took off from England, bound for Stuttgart, Germany, to bomb Nazi weapons factories.
Dense clouds obscured the targets, and one commander's critical decision to circle three times over the city-and its deadly flak-would prove disastrous. Forty-five planes went down that day, and hundreds of men were lost or missing.
Focusing on first-person accounts of six of the B-17 airmen, award- winning author Robert Mrazek vividly re-creates the fierce air battle- and reveals the astonishing valor of the airmen who survived being shot down, and the tragic fate of those who did not.
384 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 2011
24 people are currently reading
458 people want to read
About the author
Robert J. Mrazek
30 books70 followersRobert Jan Mrazek was a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives, representing the 3rd Congressonal District on Long Island for most of the 1980s.
He was born in Newport, Rhode Island, but grew up in Huntington, New York. He graduated from Cornell University in 1967. In 1967, he entered the United States Navy.
Mrazek was elected as a Democrat to the 98th United States Congress, defeating one term Republican incumbent John LeBoutillier. Mrazek served in the House from 1983 until 1993.
While in Congress, he coauthored the law that saved the Manassas battlefield from being bulldozed for a shopping center. He also authored the Tongass Timber Reform Act, the Amerasian Homecoming Act, which brought nineteen thousand children fathered by Americans during the Vietnam War to the US, and the National Film Preservation Act of 1988, which set up the federal registry in the Library of Congress to protect films of cultural importance.
Since retiring from Congress, Mrazek has written ten books. He also wrote and co-directed a feature film called The Congressman, that was released in 2016.
Mrazek is the author of seven novels, including Stonewall's Gold, Unholy Fire, The Deadly Embrace, Valhalla, The Bone Hunters, Dead Man's Bridge, and And the Sparrow Fell.
In 2000, Stonewall's Gold won the Michael Shaara Prize as the best Civil War novel of the year. In 2007, Deadly Embrace won the W.Y. Boyd Prize for Excellence in Military Fiction from the American Library Association.
Mrazek has also written two critically acclaimed non-fiction works, including A Dawn Like Thunder, which was named Best Book (American History) by the Washington Post, and To Kingdom Come, the story of a disastrous mission by the US 8th Air Force over Germany in 1943.
He was born in Newport, Rhode Island, but grew up in Huntington, New York. He graduated from Cornell University in 1967. In 1967, he entered the United States Navy.
Mrazek was elected as a Democrat to the 98th United States Congress, defeating one term Republican incumbent John LeBoutillier. Mrazek served in the House from 1983 until 1993.
While in Congress, he coauthored the law that saved the Manassas battlefield from being bulldozed for a shopping center. He also authored the Tongass Timber Reform Act, the Amerasian Homecoming Act, which brought nineteen thousand children fathered by Americans during the Vietnam War to the US, and the National Film Preservation Act of 1988, which set up the federal registry in the Library of Congress to protect films of cultural importance.
Since retiring from Congress, Mrazek has written ten books. He also wrote and co-directed a feature film called The Congressman, that was released in 2016.
Mrazek is the author of seven novels, including Stonewall's Gold, Unholy Fire, The Deadly Embrace, Valhalla, The Bone Hunters, Dead Man's Bridge, and And the Sparrow Fell.
In 2000, Stonewall's Gold won the Michael Shaara Prize as the best Civil War novel of the year. In 2007, Deadly Embrace won the W.Y. Boyd Prize for Excellence in Military Fiction from the American Library Association.
Mrazek has also written two critically acclaimed non-fiction works, including A Dawn Like Thunder, which was named Best Book (American History) by the Washington Post, and To Kingdom Come, the story of a disastrous mission by the US 8th Air Force over Germany in 1943.
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March 6, 2013
I followed up on Masters of the Air: America's Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air War Against Nazi Germany which covered the entire war with To Kingdom Come: An Epic Saga of Survival in the Air War Over Germany, focused on just one mission. Excellent pairing if I do say so myself. Much of the action here was briefly covered in Masters but this brings it so much closer. Thrilling and tragic, the battle is bloody and many are lost. Some parachute to safety or POW camps, some make it home.
The mission is to bomb a key factory in Stuttgart. The bombers will face German fighters on the way in, circle the target area three times due to poor weather obscuring the target and then are mauled again by fighters on the way back. Overlaid on the mission is the demand by Gen Hap Arnold to Gen Ira Eaker to send maximum efforts on deep penetration raids into Germany and achieve results. Mrazek gives you the tension between the generals and the impact on the warriors.
Another great story is that of the defenders. Mrazek tells the story of the German fighter pilots and their evolving tactics against the bomber formations. I found this to be the best explanation ever of why Twelve O’clock High! was so terrifying for a bomber (and why it perfectly fits the movie of the same name). Major Egon “Connie” Mayer finds the weak point in the B-17 Combat Box formation.
Mayer also conceived the strategy in which attacks would be made by three or more fighters, flying wing tip to wing tip. This dangerous aerial ballet would concentrate more firepower on each target, and potentially force the unnerved bomber pilots to take evasive action, breaking up the combat box. If the formation’s integrity could be compromised, the individual bombers would become more vulnerable.
His ideas were initially met with widespread skepticism and largely ignored.
On November 22, 1942, Connie Mayer was appointed commander of the III Group of Jagdgeschwader 2. One day later, he decided to put his new theories into practice. A mixed bomber force of B-17s and B-24s was attacking the German submarine pens at Saint-Nazaire when Mayer‘s staffel intercepted the lead bombers and attacked them head-on as they approached their bomb run.
He led the first of several waves of Fw 190 fighters, all flying three abreast. In their initial pass, the first wave of fighters shot down four bombers. Mayer himself accounted for two Fortresses and a B-24 Liberator before the action ended.
In the following weeks, Connie Mayer perfected his frontal pass techniques and trained the pilots in his group to master each maneuver. He quickly discovered that the ideal attacking path was from twelve o’clock high. Coming in on a slightly downward approach enabled him to better judge the distance between himself and his target as the planes closed at 600 miles an hour.
“Twelve o’clock high” quickly became the awestruck cry of B-17 pilots as they called out the compass heading of the attacking German fighters on the intercom.
One surprise in this book is how bravely and quickly some French men and women came to the aid of downed airman, despite the risk. Impressive. A quick and easy read, a book for the permanent shelf.
The mission is to bomb a key factory in Stuttgart. The bombers will face German fighters on the way in, circle the target area three times due to poor weather obscuring the target and then are mauled again by fighters on the way back. Overlaid on the mission is the demand by Gen Hap Arnold to Gen Ira Eaker to send maximum efforts on deep penetration raids into Germany and achieve results. Mrazek gives you the tension between the generals and the impact on the warriors.
Another great story is that of the defenders. Mrazek tells the story of the German fighter pilots and their evolving tactics against the bomber formations. I found this to be the best explanation ever of why Twelve O’clock High! was so terrifying for a bomber (and why it perfectly fits the movie of the same name). Major Egon “Connie” Mayer finds the weak point in the B-17 Combat Box formation.
Mayer also conceived the strategy in which attacks would be made by three or more fighters, flying wing tip to wing tip. This dangerous aerial ballet would concentrate more firepower on each target, and potentially force the unnerved bomber pilots to take evasive action, breaking up the combat box. If the formation’s integrity could be compromised, the individual bombers would become more vulnerable.
His ideas were initially met with widespread skepticism and largely ignored.
On November 22, 1942, Connie Mayer was appointed commander of the III Group of Jagdgeschwader 2. One day later, he decided to put his new theories into practice. A mixed bomber force of B-17s and B-24s was attacking the German submarine pens at Saint-Nazaire when Mayer‘s staffel intercepted the lead bombers and attacked them head-on as they approached their bomb run.
He led the first of several waves of Fw 190 fighters, all flying three abreast. In their initial pass, the first wave of fighters shot down four bombers. Mayer himself accounted for two Fortresses and a B-24 Liberator before the action ended.
In the following weeks, Connie Mayer perfected his frontal pass techniques and trained the pilots in his group to master each maneuver. He quickly discovered that the ideal attacking path was from twelve o’clock high. Coming in on a slightly downward approach enabled him to better judge the distance between himself and his target as the planes closed at 600 miles an hour.
“Twelve o’clock high” quickly became the awestruck cry of B-17 pilots as they called out the compass heading of the attacking German fighters on the intercom.
One surprise in this book is how bravely and quickly some French men and women came to the aid of downed airman, despite the risk. Impressive. A quick and easy read, a book for the permanent shelf.
September 4, 2011
A long time love of mine has been the daylight bombing campaign in WW II. I'm fascinated with the men, the machines, the dedication, the drive, and the fraternity that occurred in these missions. It amazes me what they went through. I saw To Kingdom Come and decided it was time to read another book on this great feat and see if this one could match The Munster Raid.
Mr. Mrazek picked an interesting subject, the raid on Stuttgart in 1943, I say this because it was a SNAFU mission, something writers seem to like. In this case General Arnold was applying pressure on General Eaker to resume bombing in Germany, something General Eaker was a little reluctant after the losses from the Schweinfurt/Regensburg raid. General Eaker relented and sent the 8th Air Force to Stuttgart. In telling this story, Mr. Mrazek focuses on the crews and their plight. The problem with this though is Mr. Mrazek chose crew members that were lost on the mission, distorting the story and preventing him from firmly telling the story. Instead of completing the mission and concluding with the personal accounts, Mr. Mrazek follows the personal accounts and never really leaves us with a feeling that the mission was concluded. Complicating this Mr. Mrazek's conclusion deals with the crew members we've followed. While I loved hearing what happened to them or their loved ones I was disappointed that the mission impact wasn't discussed and he failed to address the subsequent missions that were flown immediately afterward or during Black Week (Bremen, Marienburg, Munster, and Schweinfurt were raided, losses were 30, 26, 30, and 60 for each of the targets). Because of this and comparing it to other books on the same timeframe I'm calling this on a 3.5 star book that I'm round down to three stars.
Mr. Mrazek picked an interesting subject, the raid on Stuttgart in 1943, I say this because it was a SNAFU mission, something writers seem to like. In this case General Arnold was applying pressure on General Eaker to resume bombing in Germany, something General Eaker was a little reluctant after the losses from the Schweinfurt/Regensburg raid. General Eaker relented and sent the 8th Air Force to Stuttgart. In telling this story, Mr. Mrazek focuses on the crews and their plight. The problem with this though is Mr. Mrazek chose crew members that were lost on the mission, distorting the story and preventing him from firmly telling the story. Instead of completing the mission and concluding with the personal accounts, Mr. Mrazek follows the personal accounts and never really leaves us with a feeling that the mission was concluded. Complicating this Mr. Mrazek's conclusion deals with the crew members we've followed. While I loved hearing what happened to them or their loved ones I was disappointed that the mission impact wasn't discussed and he failed to address the subsequent missions that were flown immediately afterward or during Black Week (Bremen, Marienburg, Munster, and Schweinfurt were raided, losses were 30, 26, 30, and 60 for each of the targets). Because of this and comparing it to other books on the same timeframe I'm calling this on a 3.5 star book that I'm round down to three stars.
March 25, 2011
Somewhat disjointed and confusing narrative that includes both fascinating details on aircrew experience as well as more tedious details of command structure and inter-personality conflicts. Worth reading, but at times becomes a chore
August 17, 2013
September 6, 1943 - Stuttgart, Germany. A pasting given to the 8th Air Force that appears sometimes as almost a footnote in many histories of the airwar of WWII. Robert J. Mrazek fills in the details and adds a poignant, human edge to the disaster. I very much enjoyed the way the book was constructed, giving us the background of a handful of flyers not necessarily known to each other but each sharing part of the load and all of them paying a price, and then following them through the mission as well as updating us on the survivors.
Over the years I had come across the name of General Travis appearing almost as an afterthought while reading various books about the the struggles of the 8th with the American insistance on daylight bombing. Mrazek pulls no punches and puts the character of the man clearly in sight and if blame can be assessed in a situation as complicated as it was, given the military heirarchy and the need to show results, Travis has to take the lion's share. Not unlike many decorated military brass of that war, Travis' abilities and motivations call into question his increasing rank and medals.
The airmen flying and dying, day in and day out have as always the most interesting, heart wrenching and heroic stories to tell. They were doing a job they were trained and ordered to do. The awards and recognition handed out to them rarely matched the sacrifice and efforts given.
As more and more detailed information from the war is compared, compiled and synthesized through the magic of the internet, it is bringing fresh questions as to how the allied forces in general and individual units like the 8th were managed and utilized. Lessons to be learned.
On that note, I came away with a new appreciation for the French underground resistance during the war. They are usually misaligned or slighted, regardless of the efforts and supreme risks they took to fight back by helping the thousands of downed flyers. Many of their stories are hidden in the memories of a generation that is dying out.
Good book.
Over the years I had come across the name of General Travis appearing almost as an afterthought while reading various books about the the struggles of the 8th with the American insistance on daylight bombing. Mrazek pulls no punches and puts the character of the man clearly in sight and if blame can be assessed in a situation as complicated as it was, given the military heirarchy and the need to show results, Travis has to take the lion's share. Not unlike many decorated military brass of that war, Travis' abilities and motivations call into question his increasing rank and medals.
The airmen flying and dying, day in and day out have as always the most interesting, heart wrenching and heroic stories to tell. They were doing a job they were trained and ordered to do. The awards and recognition handed out to them rarely matched the sacrifice and efforts given.
As more and more detailed information from the war is compared, compiled and synthesized through the magic of the internet, it is bringing fresh questions as to how the allied forces in general and individual units like the 8th were managed and utilized. Lessons to be learned.
On that note, I came away with a new appreciation for the French underground resistance during the war. They are usually misaligned or slighted, regardless of the efforts and supreme risks they took to fight back by helping the thousands of downed flyers. Many of their stories are hidden in the memories of a generation that is dying out.
Good book.
August 12, 2013
This is going to be short.
My rating is a 3+.
"To Kingdom Come" is another in the many, many, many books on World War II. It is the story of the September, 1943, bombing mission to Stuttgart, Germany, by the U.S. Eighth Air Force, and it focuses on commanders on the ground and bomber flight crews in the air. A helluva lot of blood and death and destruction. Although interesting, my final impression is that I could have stopped at any point and not felt like I was missing anything.
My rating is a 3+.
"To Kingdom Come" is another in the many, many, many books on World War II. It is the story of the September, 1943, bombing mission to Stuttgart, Germany, by the U.S. Eighth Air Force, and it focuses on commanders on the ground and bomber flight crews in the air. A helluva lot of blood and death and destruction. Although interesting, my final impression is that I could have stopped at any point and not felt like I was missing anything.
November 15, 2011
A good book, but I found it hard to keep the several airmen that Mr. Mrazek covers in this book straight in my mind. He focuses on several men, mostly from different planes and squadrons, and tells their stories more or less concurrently such that the narrative jumps from one person to the next. This book isn't nearly as good as his earlier book, A Dawn Like Thunder.
September 17, 2023
3.75 stars in reality
This is the story of a US 8th Air Force bombing raid on Stuttgart Germany in September 1943. Just by looking at the date I knew there were going to be a high attrition rate as Stuttgart was well beyond Allied escort fighter range at the time. Thus, as reader you're going to expect a three part account. And, you get that three part account.
Part 1 - Windows into the lives of various crew and pilots before the raid. Their wives and girlfriends. Past bombing raid history including the high casualty raids on Regensburg and Schweinfurt. Plenty of foreshadowing. Headstrong air commanders.
Part 2 - The B-17 raid itself. Edge of your seat accounts of Me-109 and FW-190s frontally attacking the bomber formations. Bullets and cannon rounds shattering Perspex, limbs, fuel tanks. Bombers falling out of the sky. Flak bursts. More bombers falling out of the sky. Some parachutes. Many crews lost forever. Limping home. Wounded planes trying to escape Luftwaffe fighter staffel on the return trip across France. Part of the story is told from a German FW-190 ace's point of view.
Part 3 - The aftermath. The recriminations. Air commanders desperate to show the losses were worth the results. Stories of crew both captured and escaped through the Resistance rat lines.
And of course, the epilogue - what happened to the featured airmen later in the war and in life.
OK, a stirring story and full of detail. What made it especially interesting (as I knew nothing about this raid) was the determination of the raid commander to see through the mission despite cloud cover over the target - and what that meant to the bombers - and what results were achieved (I won't spoil the actual results in case you don't already know).
The accounts of the various escapees were also interesting - and, because an escaped airman didn't have to complete their 25 mission tour of duty, the escapees survived the war and lived long enough afterwards for their stories to be recorded by the author for the most part.
Illustrated. No maps (astonishing) as the raid's distance and various airbases and waypoints are oft-mentioned in the text.
The author had previously written a story about the torpedo bomber pilots at the Battle of Midway - who flew obsolete Devastator aircraft that were sitting ducks for Zeroes and AA fire. I read that book many years ago (A Dawn Like Thunder: The True Story of Torpedo Squadron Eight). So, I guess Mrazek has a thing for doomed heroes.
I gave this 3.75 stars because it read a bit too much trope-like for bomber raids. Maybe due to the nature of the missions, these type of books can read all the same but I think because it focused on the individuals featured in Section 1, you don't get an entirely balanced overview of the entire raid and all of the participants - that is, it is not an account of the raid told in full, rather many vignettes of certain planes and crew on the raid. Of course, no account can really be given for B-17's that were blown out of the sky with all killed. And, with the exception of one FW-190 pilot, the German side of the raid has no other first hand accounts.
A better bomber raid book is Ploesti: The Great Ground-Air Battle of 1 August 1943, Revised Edition (Brassey's Aviation Classics (That author had the advantage of many more living air crew to get first hand accounts when he wrote it in 1963)
Of course, I don't want to sound churlish. I acknowledge the dreadful odds faced by B-17 and B-24 pilots doing daylight raids over Occupied Europe. So very few survived the 25 mission mark. And they knew the odds, every time they got into their plane. We owe those young men eternal memory in our hearts for their sacrifice against Nazism. Total war is attritional. The side with the most resources and reasonably competent command and strategy is likely to win. But attrition means death and there was plenty of it in the skies over Germany and on the targets below.
This is the story of a US 8th Air Force bombing raid on Stuttgart Germany in September 1943. Just by looking at the date I knew there were going to be a high attrition rate as Stuttgart was well beyond Allied escort fighter range at the time. Thus, as reader you're going to expect a three part account. And, you get that three part account.
Part 1 - Windows into the lives of various crew and pilots before the raid. Their wives and girlfriends. Past bombing raid history including the high casualty raids on Regensburg and Schweinfurt. Plenty of foreshadowing. Headstrong air commanders.
Part 2 - The B-17 raid itself. Edge of your seat accounts of Me-109 and FW-190s frontally attacking the bomber formations. Bullets and cannon rounds shattering Perspex, limbs, fuel tanks. Bombers falling out of the sky. Flak bursts. More bombers falling out of the sky. Some parachutes. Many crews lost forever. Limping home. Wounded planes trying to escape Luftwaffe fighter staffel on the return trip across France. Part of the story is told from a German FW-190 ace's point of view.
Part 3 - The aftermath. The recriminations. Air commanders desperate to show the losses were worth the results. Stories of crew both captured and escaped through the Resistance rat lines.
And of course, the epilogue - what happened to the featured airmen later in the war and in life.
OK, a stirring story and full of detail. What made it especially interesting (as I knew nothing about this raid) was the determination of the raid commander to see through the mission despite cloud cover over the target - and what that meant to the bombers - and what results were achieved (I won't spoil the actual results in case you don't already know).
The accounts of the various escapees were also interesting - and, because an escaped airman didn't have to complete their 25 mission tour of duty, the escapees survived the war and lived long enough afterwards for their stories to be recorded by the author for the most part.
Illustrated. No maps (astonishing) as the raid's distance and various airbases and waypoints are oft-mentioned in the text.
The author had previously written a story about the torpedo bomber pilots at the Battle of Midway - who flew obsolete Devastator aircraft that were sitting ducks for Zeroes and AA fire. I read that book many years ago (A Dawn Like Thunder: The True Story of Torpedo Squadron Eight). So, I guess Mrazek has a thing for doomed heroes.
I gave this 3.75 stars because it read a bit too much trope-like for bomber raids. Maybe due to the nature of the missions, these type of books can read all the same but I think because it focused on the individuals featured in Section 1, you don't get an entirely balanced overview of the entire raid and all of the participants - that is, it is not an account of the raid told in full, rather many vignettes of certain planes and crew on the raid. Of course, no account can really be given for B-17's that were blown out of the sky with all killed. And, with the exception of one FW-190 pilot, the German side of the raid has no other first hand accounts.
A better bomber raid book is Ploesti: The Great Ground-Air Battle of 1 August 1943, Revised Edition (Brassey's Aviation Classics (That author had the advantage of many more living air crew to get first hand accounts when he wrote it in 1963)
Of course, I don't want to sound churlish. I acknowledge the dreadful odds faced by B-17 and B-24 pilots doing daylight raids over Occupied Europe. So very few survived the 25 mission mark. And they knew the odds, every time they got into their plane. We owe those young men eternal memory in our hearts for their sacrifice against Nazism. Total war is attritional. The side with the most resources and reasonably competent command and strategy is likely to win. But attrition means death and there was plenty of it in the skies over Germany and on the targets below.
March 31, 2018
The book "To Kingdom Come" is an historical story of the young Americans who left home to fight with the Eight Air Force from air bases in England. At the beginning it just seemed that the air war over Europe and in the skies over Germany was against all reasonable odds. But the termination of the American flyers in the B-17 flying Fortresses, B-24 Liberators, and other bombers and fighter planes like the British P-51 Spitfires and the American P-51 Mustangs whose mission was to shoot down the German fighters that went up to shoot down the American Bombers. The real complication at the start was that the fighters could not accompany the bombers all the way to the target and back to England. It is a very interesting and heartfelt saga in which we follow six American B-17 airmen into air battles deep over the skies of Germany that are thick with heavy flak and German fighters buzzing around the B-17's in their tight formations where life or death is a matter of inches. The award-winning author Robert J. Mrazek writes a harrowing story of what it was like to fly into combat aboard a B-17 Flying Fortress. The B-17's had an air crew of ten airmen; so when a German fighter got lucky and critically wounded a B-17 the air crew had only seconds to bailout but some could not or the plane would explode an disintegrate in mid-air while other aircrews in other B-17's watched and counted the chutes to see how many of their friends may survive the parachute trip to the ground. I know many of you out there were not around when the Global War of WWII began and terminated. Many of these airmen who survived the horrific air battles are now in their late eighties or early nineties; so many of the events described in this epic saga will soon will be ancient history and the sources for live accounts from those who were there will be gone forever except those that have been written down and are now part of our intimate aviation history of World War II. This could be your last chance to read a riveting tale of what it was like or like it was said in my day, "Grandpa, what did you do during the great war when you flew with Eight Air Force as a tail gunner on a B-17 called 'Pistol Pack 'en Mama?' I strongly recommend this book to those who want to learn more about the greatest generation who flew into battle aboard the many bombers out of air bases in England. It is a very riveting story of sacrifice, hardships, harrowing escapes from a burning B-17 that was going down and a German prison camp and who were some of these brave and courageous flyers who live through it all and have told their stories. This book also gives you an insight into the good people that help the down flyers who went down behind enemy lines. God bless them all. Take the leap of faith and read a story that you will not be able to put down once you have started.
December 4, 2024
Robert J. Mrazek's "To Kingdom Come: An Epic Saga of Survival in the Air War Over Germany" is a gripping account of one of the most harrowing missions in World War II aviation history. The book focuses on the events of September 6, 1943, when 338 B-17 "Flying Fortresses" of the American Eighth Air Force embarked on a perilous bombing raid over Stuttgart, Germany. Mrazek masterfully sets the stage for this fateful mission, detailing the objective to destroy Nazi weapons factories. However, the operation quickly descends into chaos as dense cloud cover obscures the targets. The author's vivid prose brings to life the tension and uncertainty faced by the aircrews as they navigate through enemy territory. The narrative pivots on a critical decision made by one commander to circle the heavily defended city three times. This choice proves catastrophic, resulting in the loss of 45 planes and hundreds of men either killed or missing in action. Mrazek's meticulous research and storytelling skills shine as he recounts the devastating consequences of this tactical error. What sets this book apart is its focus on the personal experiences of six B-17 airmen. Through their first-person accounts, readers gain intimate insight into the physical and emotional challenges faced by these brave men. Mrazek's ability to weave these individual stories into the larger narrative of the mission creates a deeply human and emotionally resonant work. The author doesn't shy away from depicting both the extraordinary courage of those who survived being shot down and the tragic fate of those who perished. His portrayal of the airmen's valor in the face of overwhelming odds is both inspiring and heartbreaking. While centered on a single mission, "To Kingdom Come" provides valuable context for understanding the broader air war over Germany. Mrazek's background as a navy veteran and former congressman lends authority to his analysis of military strategy and the human cost of war. In conclusion, "To Kingdom Come" is a meticulously researched and powerfully written account of a pivotal moment in World War II. Mrazek's ability to balance historical detail with personal narratives makes this book an essential read for both history enthusiasts and those seeking a deeper understanding of the sacrifices made during wartime.
Want to read
May 4, 2020I haven't read this yet, only heard of it tonight, as I am working on readying the obituary of the last of these pilots, Col. Demetrios ("Jim") Karnezis. WOW. What a life he lived. Near the end of his obituary, whatever family member wrote it said, "It is amazing that he packed this many accomplishments into one lifetime! Through the years Jim and Versamee [his wife] kept in touch with Marcelle Andre, the woman who hid him from the Nazis, her family, and the townspeople of Champigny sur Yonne, France. The town of Champigny holds a memorial yearly for the B-17 crash and memorializes the five American airmen and one French citizen that died that day. They also honor the five crew members, including Jim, that survived. Jim's final visit to Champigny was for the 75th Memorial in Sept. 2018. The whole town along with 42 Americans turned out to pay tribute to Jim (the last surviving member of the B17s crew) and his crew. The outpouring of love between Jim, the French townspeople, and the relatives of the deceased crew members was extraordinarily beautiful." Now, in light of the death of this man, I need to read this book. I post this now, so future readers could have a little insight into one of the characters. If you want to read his full, amazing, obituary, here is a link.
https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/sac...
https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/sac...
June 13, 2024
Mrazek analyzes the US strategic bombing campaign against Germany through the lens of the 6 September 1943 raid on Stuttgart. Using the perspectives of participants - from Hap Arnold and Ira Eaker to pilots and gunners (and one German fighter pilot), he examines the challenges faced by the crews and the pressures to make the offensive successful, soon. Where possible, Mrazek follows his subjects through their safe landing, escape, capture, internment, or death. He makes excellent use of archival sources and conducted a series of interviews to support his research.
September 11, 2022
This is an excellent peek into the pilots and crews of B-17’s who flew missions into Germany in WWII. It focused on one particular raid on Stuttgart, Germany that went really wrong with the loss of many aircraft and crews, even while missing the target completely, even after 3 tries. It follows with the stories of several airmen who were aided by the French underground in escaping back to England.
July 9, 2017
The jumping around between characters seemed like this needed better editing. It read like all the notes were in order correctly, but then it did not read like a 'book', but more of a pure historical account of facts. If one topic had more facts, then it got more pages in the book. Sorry, but this book did not leap out as one to recommend as high as I usually do.
January 31, 2024
A solid book with years of research. It even has parts in it from one of the German fighter pilots. It contains an epilogue which I always enjoy. A lot of the work the French Underground did for fliers that were shot down during the raids. A good work.
June 20, 2018
What a sacrifice these crews paid.
July 10, 2018
A harrowing account of the 8th Air Force’s botched mission to Stugarrt Germany in 1943 written from the perspectives of individual crews, general officers, and their Nazi foes. Great read!
May 10, 2019
Takes you into the teeth of the air war over Germany and lets you know how generals gets their men killed.
September 11, 2020
Very good read.
August 6, 2021
Excellent recap of a mission gone wrong, including all of the wrong-headed reasons for continuing the mission, and a failed policy. Well done and entertaining.
January 15, 2022
I love war books.
November 21, 2024
It was a fun read. Sometimes it was hard to keep track of who was who due to the nature of it jumping from different perspectives, but it was very enjoyable.
February 18, 2013
WW2 is fading in the memory as it disappears ever further in the rear view mirror and the warriors that fought in this conflict slowly pass. It is vital that we never forget their sacrifice (as it is for all our soldiers in all conflicts) and books like this are an important means of remembering them.
In contrast to some of the gung-ho accounts I have read of recent conflicts, this is a poignant and stirring story of the courage of the young men on both sides who took part in the air war over Germany during World War 2. It is told from the point of view of a single raid and it is interesting that Mrazek chooses a highly unsuccessful one as the subject of this book.
Having said that, the Stuttgart raid of 1943 is not the only subject, the author covers the build up to the US air war in Europe with emphasis on the men who fought it, with supporting information on the Generals, their relationships and command decisions that brought it all about.
It is hard to imagine the danger, the fear and the stress of being a bomber crew in 1943. It was before the Luftwaffe suffered losses that limited their effectiveness and before the allies had long range fighters to escort the bombers deep into Germany and back. The change of surviving 25 missions and returning to the US was 1 in 5 apparently, and the various ways you could meet your end in a burning, spinning bomber are too horrendous to contemplate.
This story covers several individuals with a brief background, their operational hsitory and what became of them during the raid. Several were shot down and made their way either to safety or spent the rest of the war as POWs. The stories are compelling and inspiring but told in a very understated way which makes them much more powerful in my view. There is none of the drum beating, we are the best in the world sort of thing you often read in accounts of modern warfare. Maybe it is just a sign of the times but these guys were incredibly brave and resourceful and many joined the air force in a time of war to fight for what they believed and were therefore not career soldiers.
As I say, inspiring, sad and gives a good look into what it was like, although we can never know that of course unless we were there. Minor criticisms include a slightly disjointed beginning that took me a while to get into but the book is compelling and well narrated. Using a single battle in the war is an intersting approach that works well I think.
In contrast to some of the gung-ho accounts I have read of recent conflicts, this is a poignant and stirring story of the courage of the young men on both sides who took part in the air war over Germany during World War 2. It is told from the point of view of a single raid and it is interesting that Mrazek chooses a highly unsuccessful one as the subject of this book.
Having said that, the Stuttgart raid of 1943 is not the only subject, the author covers the build up to the US air war in Europe with emphasis on the men who fought it, with supporting information on the Generals, their relationships and command decisions that brought it all about.
It is hard to imagine the danger, the fear and the stress of being a bomber crew in 1943. It was before the Luftwaffe suffered losses that limited their effectiveness and before the allies had long range fighters to escort the bombers deep into Germany and back. The change of surviving 25 missions and returning to the US was 1 in 5 apparently, and the various ways you could meet your end in a burning, spinning bomber are too horrendous to contemplate.
This story covers several individuals with a brief background, their operational hsitory and what became of them during the raid. Several were shot down and made their way either to safety or spent the rest of the war as POWs. The stories are compelling and inspiring but told in a very understated way which makes them much more powerful in my view. There is none of the drum beating, we are the best in the world sort of thing you often read in accounts of modern warfare. Maybe it is just a sign of the times but these guys were incredibly brave and resourceful and many joined the air force in a time of war to fight for what they believed and were therefore not career soldiers.
As I say, inspiring, sad and gives a good look into what it was like, although we can never know that of course unless we were there. Minor criticisms include a slightly disjointed beginning that took me a while to get into but the book is compelling and well narrated. Using a single battle in the war is an intersting approach that works well I think.
July 19, 2024
An interesting slice of the air war in the ETO. I enjoyed getting to know some of the incredible men who willingly boarded those planes mission after mission to face unimagined terror and horrors with no guarantees that their bombs would make a difference in altering the war. We're introduced to Arnold and Eaker and to Travis (as soon as I read his name I figured he would be related to Col. Travis, and indeed he was) and Mrazek shares with the reader the battle of egos and ambition that we see so often in the higher ranks. As the author built the story, I thought I was in store of a thorough examination of the Stuttgart mission, inside and out, but felt like I only got a small taste of it. Why did Travis make the decision to keep circling in hopes of the clouds clearing while his train was being decimated by 88s? I didn't get a clear reason why he would keep sounding that order, at least in my mind. Also, it seems like the mission's failure was covered up by Eaker, or attempted to be massaged into a success for the bullying Arnold, and to protect his own job. I don't know. I wanted to know more. When the planes turned toward England, we are right there with them as Mrazek describes the German fighters racing up from their bases to hit the unprotected train, by now, all spread out over France and some even turning toward Switzerland. The losses were horrific. From there, the book turns to a survivor's tale of the crews that were able to bail out and find refuge with the French underground. Some of this went a long way. For some reason Mrazek focused on one flier whose attempts to get back to England were thwarted again and again. It got a little one-note, although in real life I'm sure it was a harrowing experience and I don't mean to take anything away from what the flier went through. To sum up, good in spots, but I found myself skimming the on-the-ground adventures.
December 8, 2012
Just finished a great read on the 8th AAF mission to bomb Stuttgart in September of 1943. The author introduces you to six of the B-17 airmen in different Bomber Groups and tells the story through first-person accounts from the time before, during and then after the catastrophic loss for the USAAF from the Stuttgart mission. This mission took place shortly after the devastating losses suffered over Schweinfurt in August 1943 and the loss of life and aircraft between both Schweinfurt and Stuttgart was what finally convinced General "Hap" Arnold that an enormous and immediate increase in fighter planes to accompany the bombers was necessary and dire if the Luftwaffe was to be brought down.
A great passage from the book comes from the wife of one of the B-17 pilots:
"I guess war has made us a very hardened and practical lot. You learn to be thrifty with your emotions. That's the hardest thing all of us Air Corps families have had to learn- to accept- not to question.....It's an awful easy thing to die but sometimes to live and do it gracefully is the seemingly impossible thing."- Braxton "Betsy" Wilken, page 252
A great passage from the book comes from the wife of one of the B-17 pilots:
"I guess war has made us a very hardened and practical lot. You learn to be thrifty with your emotions. That's the hardest thing all of us Air Corps families have had to learn- to accept- not to question.....It's an awful easy thing to die but sometimes to live and do it gracefully is the seemingly impossible thing."- Braxton "Betsy" Wilken, page 252
July 29, 2016
Very good account of a few mostly disjointed personal accounts of B-17 crew experiences of one particular raid. Unfortunately, the way in which they were written, jumping back and forth between characters, is hard to follow.
I tried double-checking some of the raid data with data from the 8th AF Historical Society, and they didn't really match up. I don't know whether that is because of certain choices in the original 8th AF reporting (losses over UK skies were not counted, if I remember correctly), but either way there is a definite mismatch. That said, the sources appendix seemed pretty solid.
You won't find an overall overview of the 8th AF operations, but a collection of well-written personal histories that highlight typical experiences of the strategic air campaign over Europe.
I tried double-checking some of the raid data with data from the 8th AF Historical Society, and they didn't really match up. I don't know whether that is because of certain choices in the original 8th AF reporting (losses over UK skies were not counted, if I remember correctly), but either way there is a definite mismatch. That said, the sources appendix seemed pretty solid.
You won't find an overall overview of the 8th AF operations, but a collection of well-written personal histories that highlight typical experiences of the strategic air campaign over Europe.
May 18, 2011
Excellent book on a poorly led bombing mission to Stuttgart, Germany on September 6, 1943. Fascinating look at the leaders, pilots, crew members, etc. I bought the book in the Andrews AFB Base Exchange on a visit to the DC area in March 2011. I've always known of Travis AFB, California, but had no idea who the base was named after. BGen Bob Travis led this bombing mission and I feel was directly responsible for many of the aircraft and crew losses. This was a hard book to put down after I started. Anyone interested in the air war over Europe would enjoy this one.
March 28, 2011
Reading this book, as well as Unbroken (which I recently read), makes you appreciate the courage of the men who flew in bombers during WWII. They were close to being on suicide missions at times, yet they continually performed their duties despite the danger around them. The world should never forget their bravery and sacrifice, but it probably already has.
July 28, 2012
Enjoyable read about the failed 1943 Regensburg raid. The book would have been better served with a map to better spell out the range of the fighter support and location of the German figher bases.
Also since the author feels free to criticize the strategic failures of Hap Arnold, it would have been better if he had provided more technical details on the nature of air war circa 1943.
Also since the author feels free to criticize the strategic failures of Hap Arnold, it would have been better if he had provided more technical details on the nature of air war circa 1943.
December 24, 2015
Excellent story of the early days of the Eighth Air Force. Few made the 25 missions and still they flew day after day against the most formidable air defense system the world had ever seen. For the most part they were teen agers and twenty-somethings trapped by untested tactics and poor support at the highest levels. Uncommon valor was a common virtue.
August 18, 2024
An excellent account of the air war in Europe and the risks taken and sacrifices made by members of the Mighty 8th.
Well written and engaging, I particularly enjoyed how the book followed men on their different journies home after the raid on Stuttgart.
Well written and engaging, I particularly enjoyed how the book followed men on their different journies home after the raid on Stuttgart.
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