Half a Wing, Three Engines and a Prayer: B-17s over Germany

Brian O’Neill has written a thorough account of the Eighth Air Force’s bombing campaign against Germany from the summer of 1943 into the early months of 1944, especially focusing on the 303rd Bomb Group and specifically on one Lieutenant Bob Hullar and his crew.
At this stage in the war a crew was expected to complete twenty-five missions in order to qualify for rotation home. There was no assurance that this task was possible as the daylight raids that the Eighth Air Force performed suffered severe casualties. This was graphically pointed out by a nervous crew member when he reminded the pilot that the typical loss rate on a bombing mission was 4 percent. Four percent times 25 bombing missions … well, we aren’t coming back. Of show more course many did, and many did not. But the battle in the skies over Europe is monumental and critical in the war effort. The author foreshadows the carnage in the skies when he states: “… a battle of attrition was in the offing: a series of no-quarter encounters between equally matched enemies in an arena without parallel for physical danger – the frozen air in late autumn at high altitude over northern Germany.” (p. 187). And the descriptions of bombers being shot down can be startling and, if your imagination is as vivid as mine, absolutely alarming for the crew.
An Epilogue also lists every bomber associated with the 303rd that did not make it back and what happened to each member of the crew. This certainly adds a sobering exclamation point to the history of this unit. From a bomber so new to the unit that it hadn't even been given a name yet which was shot down on it's first mission with the loss of the entire crew to the shooting down of "Dark Horse" whose pilot and Engineer were on their 25th mission and became POWs.
I also found some of the names of the aircraft rather amusing. There was mentioned "The Vicious Virgin," Lt. Hullar's frequent ride, "Flak Wolf," "Pougue Ma Hone" (Gaelic for "Kiss My Ass"), "Iva Vailable," "Hel'en High Water," and "Stric Nine." The famous "Hell's Angles," the first B-17 to complete 25 mission is also mentioned with great frequency.
The book is very well researched including interviews with Luftwaffe pilots in order to corroborate details of missions, though those interviews are not included in the book. This book, however, is not for the casual reader. It is intended for someone with a more serious interest in the Second World War as the detail can get a bit burdensome. Despite that the readership will find it very informative and a valuable addition to any World War 2 library. show less

The book mixes a fair amount of prosaic detail, serial numbers, flight positions, etc., with some gripping personal recollections of men in combat. Overall, I'm glad that I read it and have a new and deeper appreciation for those young men who went through the ordeal of World War II.

Collection of stories about B-17 303rd Bomb Group. Group In 1943, when the outcome of World War II hung in the balance, B-17 crews of the Eighth Air Force flew harrowing, unescorted daylight bombing missions deep into Occupied Europe and Germany. These devastating raids have long been storied in film and fiction, but here is a firsthand, blow-by-blow account of these perilous missions as they really happened. In these pages, you'll see the events unfold as they were recorded and recalled by one crew's officers and enlisted men (pilot, copilot, navigator, radioman, and gunners), corroborated by other crews they flew with, and painstakingly correlated with the official records of the men's 303rd "Hell's Angels" Bomb Group.
collection of show more stories about a B-17 Bomb Group that has ever been published." -- Harry D. Gobrecht, President, 303rd Bomb Group
The publication of Half a Wing, Three Engines, and a Prayer in 1989 prompted a flood of fresh recollections, correspondence, and personal records from other veterans of the 303rd. This Special Revised Edition incorporates that wealth of new material into a vivid, thorough recreation -- complete with actual combat photographs -- of one of the most dramatic chapters in military aviation history. show less

One of, if not THE best mission by mission stories of a B-17 combat crew as told by the crew. Incredibly well-done!!

5 Stars!