The Wild Blue: The Men and Boys Who Flew the B-24s Over Germany 1944-45
Stepen E. Ambrose "The Wild Blue: The Men and Boys Who Flew the B-24s Over Germany 1944-45"
Simon & Schuster | 2002 | English | ePUB | ISBN-10: 0743203399 | 259 pages | 9.95 MB | Retail
Genre: History
Simon & Schuster | 2002 | English | ePUB | ISBN-10: 0743203399 | 259 pages | 9.95 MB | Retail
Genre: History
Stephen Ambrose describes how the Army Air Forces recruited, trained, and chose those few who would undertake the most demanding and dangerous jobs in the war. These are the boys – turned pilots, bombardiers, navigators, and gunners of the B24s – who suffered over 50 percent casualties.
Ambrose carries us along in the crowded, uncomfortable, and dangerous B24s as their crews fought to the death through thick, black, deadly flak to reach their targets and destroy the German war machine or else went down in flames. Twenty-two-year-old George McGovern who was to become a United States senator and a presidential candidate, flew thirty-five combat missions (all the Army would allow) and won the Distinguished Flying Cross. We meet him and his mates, his co-pilot killed in action, and crews of other planes – many of whom did not come back.
As Band of Brothers and Citizen Soldiers portrayed the bravery and ultimate victory of the American soldier from Normandy on to Germany, The Wild Blue makes clear the contribution these young men of the Army Air Forces stationed in Italy made to the Allied victory.