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The Man Who Flew the Memphis Belle: Memoir of a WWII Bomber Pilot

The Man Who Flew the Memphis Belle: Memoir of a WWII Bomber Pilot

List Price: $14.00
Your Price: $10.50
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Real Deal: The Memphis Belle
Review: An excellent book - I enjoyed reading it cover to cover. I recently read (and was thoroughly disappointed by) Ambrose's The Wild Blue about B-24s and this book is significantly better. Bob Morgan's story is phenomenal and it keeps you on your edge of your seat. Experiences like his in the Army Air Forces in WWII, largely by kids in their late teens, is incredible. Not only did this guy survive the European theatre, but we went over to the Pacific as well in a B-29! Following his exploits in the air and on the ground was engrossing and frequently, entertaining (I love the part about taking fire over Maine). The book has been edited very well and I highly recommend it to aviation and history buffs.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Very Well Written
Review: Col. Robert Morgan starts at the beginning of his life until the
present day. He tells about how he got into flying, the training he took, and flying into WWII.
So interesting it's hard to put down. Lots of pictures to go along with his story. He also writes about his personal life. This brave man also makes
appearances at air shows around the country and world. He also
has his own website...

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Underwhelming!!!
Review: I bought TMWFTMB on the strength of the glowing--make that gushing--reviews on this site. Was I ever disappointed!!!

There can be no doubt that, despite his protests to the contrary, Bob Morgan is an American hero in every sense of the term. The man flew 51 combat missions in World War II. Those of us born since the war owe him a debt that can never be repaid!

That said, TMWFTMB is riddled with errors! FDR's Secretary of War was Henry Stimson, not Harold Stimson. Curtis LeMay headed the Strategic Air Command, not the Strategic Defense Command. The prototype for the P-51 Mustang was not a Curtiss NA-73, it was a North American NA-73. On a B-29 the bombardier was not "down in the bomb bay," he was in the nose. The superchargers on a B-17 were not under the fuselage, they were under the nacelles (the part of the wing where the engines are mounted). Dana Andrews did not play an ex-pilot in "The Best Years of Our Lives," he played an ex-bombardier. Aviation history has been my passion since childhood but I've never heard of an aircraft called a "Schmitt 110." Perhaps Col. Morgan meant a Messerschmitt 110. The list goes on. After a while I only kept reading to see what gaff would turn up next.

Lighten up, you say. Little mistakes like these (how many did you catch?) don't matter. I disagree. The generation that fought and won World War II will, sadly, soon be gone. (We will not see their like again!) It will then fall to a handful of historians (myself included) to pass on the stories of their courage and sacrifice. A flop like this makes it all the more difficult to do that accurately.

I don't place one iota of blame on Col. Morgan for any of this. He is now well into his eighties and can be forgiven for a goof here and there. What I want to know is where was the co-author? Where were the editors and the fact-checkers? They were asleep at the wheel or don't know the first thing about World War II aerial operations or American life in the forties. Col. Morgan deserved to have his story well told. His supporting cast failed him miserably.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Juvenile Retelling of Sexual Adventures
Review: I enjoyed this book, despite the constant, repetitious, detailed recounting of his sexual experiences, and his belief that God was exhibiting special interest in him.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great Book about WWII Aviation and the life of a pilot
Review: I found Col. Robert Morgan's candor both about his involvement in history and his personal life both riveting and interesting. I had a hard time putting the book down for its storytelling qualities and WWII subject matter. His descriptions of his comrades and escapades created vivid images of that time period and what it was like to be going into Germany and Japan as a bomber pilot or crew member. I am glad that he described his missions and life in full detail and I feel that I have a full appreciation of him as a man and a war hero who committed himself to a most worthy (and sometimes forgotten) cause and as someone who was trying to find himself as a person. Thank you Col. Morgan for your sacrifice and for writing a great book!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great Book about WWII Aviation and the life of a pilot
Review: I found Col. Robert Morgan's candor both about his involvement in history and his personal life both riveting and interesting. I had a hard time putting the book down for its storytelling qualities and WWII subject matter. His descriptions of his comrades and escapades created vivid images of that time period and what it was like to be going into Germany and Japan as a bomber pilot or crew member. I am glad that he described his missions and life in full detail and I feel that I have a full appreciation of him as a man and a war hero who committed himself to a most worthy (and sometimes forgotten) cause and as someone who was trying to find himself as a person. Thank you Col. Morgan for your sacrifice and for writing a great book!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Spellbinding -- you cannot put it down!
Review: I have always been interested in the story of the MEMPHIS BELLE, but Morgan's story with all its facets -- his happy childhood, the trauma of the Depression, the anguish of his mother's death, his efforts to replace her with one woman after another, his very real romance with Margaret Polk, for whom he named his B-17 MEMPHIS BELLE, and the harrowing missions which followed, in which he was the pilot, both in Europe and later, in another B-17, over the Pacific -- is spellbinding. Morgan also explains the military thinking behind his missions, the overall military plans to knock out both Germany and Japan (which makes battles like Midway so much more comprehensible), and adds some remarkable encounters with such luminaries as the King and Queen of England, director William Wyler and superstar Clark Gable. His descriptions of his crewmen are succinct, but each paints a portrait of a specific man you are cheering for and praying for -- and he doesn't shy away, either, from the horrors of losing men he knew. With his acute sense of time and place, he also gives the details of every moment of his life -- growing up in Asheville, North Carolina on the Vanderbilt estate, the movies he saw then, the music he danced to, the details of his flight training in the Army Air Corps, even an exact description of the dog that the BELLE crew considered their mascot. This makes the book seem alive and fresh to you with every page. On any favorites list, this one would be in the top ten for me. If you have the slightest interest in heroism, or World War II, or life in the South in the 1920's, or military history, or aviation ... don't miss it! It's superb!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Good and Honest Read
Review: I, like many people, am a ww2 buff. My interests have been mostly focused on B-17's of the 8th AF. I have met many veterans and some B-17 pilots. I have even gone so far as to produce several war documentaries for Christian Television. I have had a special interest in the Memphis Belle for years and was very excited to find this book. Mr. Morgan's book is brutally honest, and although I was sad to read of his misfortunes, I was impressed with his honesty about himself. His life could be made into a very interesting movie! Truly a fascinating individual. I hope that I will some-day have the honor to meet him.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Good and Honest Read
Review: I, like many people, am a ww2 buff. My interests have been mostly focused on B-17's of the 8th AF. I have met many veterans and some B-17 pilots. I have even gone so far as to produce several war documentaries for Christian Television. I have had a special interest in the Memphis Belle for years and was very excited to find this book. Mr. Morgan's book is brutally honest, and although I was sad to read of his misfortunes, I was impressed with his honesty about himself. His life could be made into a very interesting movie! Truly a fascinating individual. I hope that I will some-day have the honor to meet him.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Meaning of Sacrifice
Review: If you want to read a great book about real American heroes who know the meaning of the words "sacrifice," "duty," and "honor," you should read this book. It's one hell of a starting point.


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