Masters of the Air: America's Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air War Against Nazi Germany

This is the most amazing book for anyone interested in the American Air Forces involved in WW2 in europe. Donald Miller's comprehansive knowledge of the subject, and excellent way of describing the air war against Germany is awesome - I couldn't put the book down!

Excellent book.

An excellant choice of world war 2 book to purchase and enjoy.

Full of detail but, lacking any pictorial.

good

So much more than the TV series. The best compliment I can pay this wonderful book is that it will inform my own writing. Congrats to the author.

I must confess, I read this book to add some depth of knowledge to the interest in the subject spawned through playing a computer simulation long ago, and this book is an engrossing read. True, the book doesn't detail everything from the campaign, but what it does is provide eyewitness accounts to events that go some way to evoke the feelings that these young men experienced. For those who complain of lack of detail, there are no fewer than 33 pages to the bibliography, which attests to the effort Miller has put into this work. The book pulls no punches, but Miller is fair to those subject to criticism, giving us the background and the reasoning to decisions made, as well as busting a few myths. As a Brit, it was surprising to read Miller even giving Arthur Harris's methods a fair trial, but naturally enough, he shows pride in the philosophy of American bombers. All in all, this is a fantastic book if you wish to understand better the men and the missions that flew from the airbases that were located in East Anglia over the war, or even if you are just looking for a compelling collection of stories in the context of the Second World War.

This book is awesome. It is awesome because of its balanced and thorough analysis of the air war that pulverized Germany, a war now sentimentally known as "the good war" when Americans pulverized their enemies with the ease of comic book heroes. "'Tain't so, Magee." Comic book heroes never had such courage. Instead, think of the 80 percent casualty rate of the US Eighth Air Force in its early years as book theory met killing reality in conditions that stagger modern imaginations. I've flown in a B-17; it is huge on the outside, inside it is a tiny tube filled with equipment, supplies and hundreds of sharp objects that hurt when you are bumped, slip or are thrown about. Think of riding inside your computer on a truck bouncing down a bumpy mountain road and having to write an A-plus story en route. So much for creature comfort. Put it all in air colder than Antarctica. Paint a big star on the side as a target, then send it into the sky for hours at a time. Soldiers on the ground sheltered in foxholes and bunkers; the skin of a B-17 was beer-can-thin aluminum. The plane is like a vast Tinkertoy riveted into an amazingly strong and yet frightfully vulnerable structure. It is a mighty aircraft, yet thin enough that a pigeon could penetrate it and injure crewmen. This is the reality of the bomber offensive. Miller presents it in awesome, chilling detail. Unlike most histories, it isn't a lone portrait of some brave men; instead, it includes chilling accounts from all. One account is of an American pilot flying with his elbows because his hands were blown off, another is of German children who roasted to death in their flaming cities. He spares neither the folly of American planners who thought their aircraft and tactics would be invincible and quickly effective, and the terrible folly of Germans who had worse delusions. The air war was a battle in which neither side surrendered; both fought until only one was left flying. Miller offers a convincing argument that victory in World War II was not inevitable, it was based on pure courage. No wonder World War II veterans are 'The Greatest Generation". Without their courage, far and above all expectations, orders or threats, the vast production of war material would have become a vast junkpile. There are many great books about the air war. This one has an advantage over most if not all because it draws many disparate facts, threads, ideas, opinions and follies into a comprehensive portrait. It is awesome, because it is a story of awesome courage.

Um retrato detalhado da vida das tripulações dos bombardeiros americanos que operaram na maior parte da Europa na Segunda Guerra Mundial.

Magnifique travail de l'auteur qui éclaire ce que ces hommes ont vécu, très humain et en même temps historique. je m'occupe de l'adoption des tombes des soldats américains au cimetière US d'Epinal-Dinoze où beaucoup d'équipages de B17 et B24 sont enterrés entre autres. UN MUST à lire pour tous les amoureux ou et historiens des" big birds". Dommage que ce livre ne soit pas traduit en français pour ceux qui ne peuvent pas lire en anglais. une fois pris dans les mains, on ne peut plus le reposer avant la complète lecture, BRAVO.

Great book on a significant historical event that changed the world.

Had read a couple of memoirs from crew members before, but this book also includes some very interesting historical backgrounds next to descriptions of what some crews encountered in England and during flights. Can't wait for the new TV series based on this book..

I have read almost every book written about the air war over Europe, and I can say that this book is a "must". You will find in it a detailed study of almost every relevant point about the conditions in which some young men put their lives at the stake -and many of them lost it- to freed Europe. From doctrine till major operations, and all without forgetting that little stories about singular people, just like you and me, that makes you understand how so many youngsters turn into old in just the 2-4 months time of their tour of duty. Don't miss it!