Looking for a new book

[Howitzer]

Hey guys, I couldn't find a forum that fit this post well, so just put it General.  Anyways, I just finished reading "The Wild Blue" by Stephen Ambrose about the B-24 Liberators in Italy.  I am now looking for another book, and was wondering if anyone had any recommendations.  Anything WWII air/infantry campaign would be interesting, just nothing too ACM technical or anything, kinda looking for a story to go along with the specifics  

Thanks all who reply.

--Howitzer

[YUCCA]

I enjoyed "an ace of the eighth" by norman "bud" fortier.

also heard a book called "fly boys" is good.. dont know authors name.  Plus there is the classic  book "thunderbolt" by Robert Johnson i believe was his name.  Think he was #2 ace behind gabby.

[Flit]

Try Panzer Aces by Franz Kurowski ,JG 26, Top Guns of the Luftwaffe by Donald Caldwell, or maybe Soldat, I cant find it right now, so no author, or Samurai! by Saburo Sakai,
or Aces agianst Germany, by Eric Hammel (lots'a good stories in that one)

[Halo]

This topic should be in the History section.  Flyboys is a great read.

[Drano]

I just finished a new one: 'Wreaking Havoc ; A year in an A-20" by Joseph W. Rutter. Rutter flew with the 312BG/389BS which is the same unit depicted by the AH A-20G. His bird had a C on the tail. My bud's dad flew with them too. His had an M.

Read another one a while ago. "First Light" by Geoffery Wellum ( I think the name's right) He flew Spits from the beginning of the war on thru the BoB.

       Drano

[mars01]

If you have not already,

Good By Micky Mouse

Great story about a P51 sqd in England.

[TEShaw]

Anything by Martin Middlebrook; any of his several books about the bombing raids over Germany will be superb.

Anything by Gerald Astor; especially, "The Mighty Eighth."

Anything by Eric Bergerud; especially,  "Fire in the Sky" about the Pacific air campaign.

Rick Atkins is starting to look pretty good.

All of the above are written by solid historians with plenty of literary integrity. They deal with whole campaigns, but are filled with individual stories and the awesome, unexpected kind of details of combat experience that you just won't find anywhere else.

And yes, "An Ace of the Eighth" is excellent.

Best first hand accounts by infantry men?  "Roll Me Over" and, the most horrifying account of ground combat: "The Forgotten Soldier" by Guy Sajer.

"Flyboys" was pretty insubstantial. A small story about atrocities, puffed up in length to fill a book-length volume.

There's more.

regards, Airman T. E. Shaw

[_Schadenfreude_]

Originally posted by Howitzer
Hey guys, I couldn't find a forum that fit this post well, so just put it General.  Anyways, I just finished reading "The Wild Blue" by Stephen Ambrose about the B-24 Liberators in Italy.  I am now looking for another book, and was wondering if anyone had any recommendations.  Anything WWII air/infantry campaign would be interesting, just nothing too ACM technical or anything, kinda looking for a story to go along with the specifics  

Thanks all who reply.

--Howitzer

Try JG26 - Top Guns of the Luftwaffe by Donald Caldwell

or A Piece of Cake by Derek Robinson

Both available on Amazon

[_Schadenfreude_]

Originally posted by mars01
If you have not already,

Good By Micky Mouse

Great story about a P51 sqd in England.

Bomber and Blitzkrieg by Deighton are great too..

[Furball]

Wing Leader by Johnnie Johnstone oops

[Guppy35]

Originally posted by Furball
Wing Commander by Johnnie Johnstone

Psst Furball!

"Wing Leader" by Johnnie Johnson

"Enemy in the Sky" by Sandy Johnstone

Ya got em combined

Both good books by two different Spit pilots

Dan/Slack

[GtoRA2]

Not infantry or airwar, but a damn good read.


The book is the bio of the guy who got Macarthur out of the Philipines on his PT boat. The Movie "they where exspendable" was based on him.


He had a long and VERY interesting career. Starting in 1940 when he stole the brief case of the japanese embasadore.

Sea Wolf The Daring Exploits of Navy Legend John D. Bulkeley   

William B. Breuer      Presidio         

One of those books I just couldnt put down..

[Guppy35]

Originally posted by Howitzer
Hey guys, I couldn't find a forum that fit this post well, so just put it General.  Anyways, I just finished reading "The Wild Blue" by Stephen Ambrose about the B-24 Liberators in Italy.  I am now looking for another book, and was wondering if anyone had any recommendations.  Anything WWII air/infantry campaign would be interesting, just nothing too ACM technical or anything, kinda looking for a story to go along with the specifics  

Thanks all who reply.

--Howitzer

Just so you know, "The Wild Blue" was not Ambrose's best effort.  He took large parts of a very good book and used them in Wild Blue.

The book Ambrose borrowed from is by Thomas Childers and called "Wings of Morning" about his search to learn about his uncle who was killed in B24s over Europe.  It's a fascinating book and far better then Wild Blue.

I'd also suggest the classic "Serenade to the Big Bird", written by Bert Stiles.  He was a co-pilot, flying with the 91st BG out of Basingbourn, England and wrote the book during the war.  He was killed flying 51s in November of 44.  That the book was written before the war ended, gives it a real 'at the time' feeling.

Just looking around at the books on the shelves near my computer, I could give you a list a mile long too.  There are some really great books out there.

Dan/Slack

[Steve]

I enjoyed Tuck's "Fly for your Life".  read it as a kid though... don't remember if it makes good adult reading.

[DREDIOCK]

Originally posted by Guppy35
Just so you know, "The Wild Blue" was not Ambrose's best effort.  He took large parts of a very good book and used them in Wild Blue.

Dan/Slack

Agreed While it was an ok read. I found it only ...well ok.
 It was far from Ambrose's normal standards
Anything else by Abrose is a great read.

Here's another great read.

"Up Front" by Bill Maulden.

If the name sounds familiour it should Mauden was the cartoonest who did the "Willie and Joe" cartoons for "Stars and Stripes" during the war.
What many do not realise is that Bill actually went to and lived up  front with the combat soldier and shared in their experiances. Such as the time he witnessed 3 selt propelled anti tank gunseach  firing several rounds a  point blank range on a tiger and having zero effect on it other then to have it wheel its turret around and destroy all three ATGs with 3 shots.
 Anyway "Up Front" is about those experiances and the experiances of being in the service during the war.

Really a VERY good book