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Loading... The Wild Blue: The Men and Boys Who Flew the B-24s Over Germany 1944-45 (2001)by Stephen E. Ambrose
   No current Talk conversations about this book.  dsha67 | Nov 10, 2022 |  Wow! An Ambrose book NOT connected to Band of Brothers. This is about the Army Air Force in Italy. Yes the 8th does get the publicity (Memphis Belle etc.) BTW the RAF gets a very small mention indeed. Not bad. Anyone out there think three stars is cruel? (  ) graeme.bell3 | Nov 1, 2022 | This was a revealing story of the brave young men who wanted to fight WWII in the sky. Namely, the pilots and crewmen of the B-24 bombers that flew over Germany, Italy, and Austria in 1944 and 1945. The narrative is based on interviews and memories from George McGovern and the men he served with in the 485th Bomb Group of the 15th Airforce. This easy-to-read history gave me yet another interesting account of the horrors of war and the dedication of the men who fought. (  ) PaulaGalvan | Apr 9, 2022 | Stephen Ambrose has produced some excellent books - Undaunted Courage, an account of the Lewis and Clark expedition is outstanding - but this historical work felt 'put together', and somehow unconsidered. Still, a worthy tale and not without merit - particularly good description of wartime bombing missions. ( ) DramMan | Jan 22, 2022 | Crafty way Ambrose used George McGovern as a proxy for thousands of men who flew B-24s in WWII....personalizes the experience for all of us. The book comprises many small stories, all tied together in a way that makes the reader believe. It's all about the B-24 and the men who flew it. There are many people in the book and sometimes I found myself asking: "who is it, again?" There is some discussion of the argument between strategic bombing and tactical support of the Army--the reason we have a U.S. Air Force. ( ) buffalogr | Nov 29, 2020 | no reviews | add a review
Stephen E. Ambrose is the acknowledged dean of the historians of World War II in Europe. The very young men who flew the B-24s over Germany in World War II against terrible odds were an exceptional band of brothers, and, in "The Wild Blue," Ambrose recounts their unique brand of heroism, skill, daring, and comradeship with vivid detail and affection. Ambrose describes how the Army Air Forces recruited, trained, and then chose those few who would undertake the most de-manding and dangerous jobs in the war. These are the boys -- turned pilots, bombardiers, navigators, and gunners of the B-24s -- who suffered over 50 percent casualties. With his remarkable gift for bringing alive the action and tension of combat, Ambrose carries us along in the crowded, uncomfortable, and dangerous B-24s as their crews fought to the death through thick black smoke and deadly flak to reach their targets and destroy the German war machine. Many went down in flames. No library descriptions found. |
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 Google Books — Loading...GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)940.544973History and Geography Europe Europe 1918- Military History Of World War II Air operations Operations of specific countriesLC ClassificationRatingAverage: (3.63)
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A nice niche history but not a big picture of either the 15th Air For e or the use of B-24’s use in Europe. A nice read that is worth your time but probably better to first read a larger history of the use of strategic air in Europe first.
I will rate it as a 4 * read for what the book is, not what it isn’t. (