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Title details for The Wild Blue by Stephen E. Ambrose - Available

The Wild Blue

The Men and Boys Who Flew the B-24s Over Germany 1944-45

by Stephen E. Ambrose
Jeffrey DeMunn
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
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1 of 1 copy available
Stephen E. Ambrose, acclaimed author of Band of Brothers and Undaunted Courage, carries us along in the crowded and dangerous B-24s as their crews fought to destroy the German war machine during World War II.
The young men who flew the B-24s over Germany in World War II fought against horrific odds, and, in The Wild Blue, Ambrose recounts their extraordinary heroism, skill, daring, and comradeship with vivid detail and affection.

Ambrose describes how the Army Air Forces recruited, trained, and selected the elite 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 B-24s—who suffered over fifty 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. 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 went down in flames.

As Band of Brothers and Citizen Soldiers portrayed the bravery and ultimate victory of the American soldiers from Normandy on to Germany, The Wild Blue illustrates the enormous contribution that these young men of the Army Air Forces made to the Allied victory.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    August 1, 2001

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9780743550710
      • File size: 135289 KB
      • Duration: 04:41:51

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Preceded by woodwinds, Stephen Ambrose personally reads the introduction and epilogue to his abridged audiobook about bomber crews in WWII. Primary attention is focused on the flights of Lt. George McGovern, who later became a senator and presidential candidate. With meaningful expression, reader Jeffrey DeMunn creates a believable and empathetic treatment of these touching, patriotic stories of the Army Air Corps in Europe. He seems interested in every word, and his captivation impacts us, as well. The combination of story and teller offers audiophiles a memorable examination of the psychological dynamics of men in aerial combat. J.A.H. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine
    • AudioFile Magazine
      While this book is subtitled "The Men and Boys Who Flew the B-24s over Germany," the focus is actually one Bomb Group in the 15th Air Force stationed in Italy--and to a considerable extent, one crew headed by former Senator George E. McGovern (then a 22-year-old aircraft commander). The book is an excellent account of the nature of WWII flying in an American heavy bomber. Jeffrey DeMunn's forthright reading beautifully conveys McGovern's long and difficult route from civilian to pilot to leader in aerial combat. He is particularly adept at not losing the listener when he's reading Ambrose's many statistical asides (number of planes constructed, lost in training, lost in combat, etc.). A very interesting listen. R.E.K. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      June 4, 2001
      Brought to life by best-selling historian Ambrose (author of more than 20 books), here is one of America's forgotten workhorse weapons of WWII—the B-24 bomber. Carrying a heavier payload than the glamorous B-17 Flying Fortress, the B-24, nicknamed the Liberator, also filled the skies over Germany, bombing troops, oil refineries, factories and other strategic targets. South Dakota–born George S. McGovern was 22 when he became a B-24 pilot in the 741st Bomb Squadron, based in Cerignola, Italy. Though basing the book largely on McGovern's 35 missions, for which he won the Distinguished Flying Cross, Ambrose includes many other stories about the men who flew over Germany and eastern Europe. As Ambrose makes abundantly clear, the planes were not fun to fly. The crew faced inside temperatures of 50 below zero, sat in cramped seats and suffered high casualty rates. Ambrose follows pilots and crews from start to finish—where they were from, their backgrounds, training, bravery and heroism as they did their part to help win the war. Today there are only four B-24s left of the 18,300 that once made up the force. While this book leans largely toward hagiography of the everymen it depicts, it also clearly refutes lies spread about McGovern's service during the 1972 presidential campaign. Photos not seen by PW. (Aug.)Forecast:Any book with the Ambrose name should do a short stint on bestseller lists; this one should pick up some (largely unrelated) momentum from the Pearl Harbor anniversary and film. The book's release coincides with the airing of a 10-part Dreamworks/ HBO series based on Ambrose's
      Band of Brothers.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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