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Summary: A well written account of a bomber pilot's personal journey
Review: Another heart rending tale of bravery and principled intergrity that reminds one why Tom Brokaw calls these guys and gals the greatest generation!! As the grandson of a 15th USAAF vet and an avid WWII air war buff, I am sometimes afraid that this amazing part of our history goes unnoticed by those who enjoy the freedom these remarkable young men purchased with their lives. Memoirs such as this, rare though they are, are a precious gift to my generation and those that will follow.... LF Hussey
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Summary: This is good stuff.
Review: Ardery's account of his life as a B-24 pilot is excellent. From all the training it took to simply get into the planes, to combat in the skies over the Mediterranean and Northern Europe, Ardery's account is an even-handed account of what a bomber pilot's life was like.The chapter about Ploesti is especially fascinating. James Dugan and Carrol Stewart used Ardery as a source for their book on the subject, and the details of Ardery's part in the raid offer some really interesting stuff. Especially intruiging is the background and fate of Medal of Honor winner Lloyd Hughes, who was flying on Ardery's wing when when he perished. This book is really good stuff; Steven Ambrose's "Wild Blue" pales in comparison. Ardery doesn't place himself on a hero pedestal, he merely tells of his experiences in a very interesting and easy-to-digest style.
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Summary: This is good stuff.
Review: Ardery's account of his life as a B-24 pilot is excellent. From all the training it took to simply get into the planes, to combat in the skies over the Mediterranean and Northern Europe, Ardery's account is an even-handed account of what a bomber pilot's life was like. The chapter about Ploesti is especially fascinating. James Dugan and Carrol Stewart used Ardery as a source for their book on the subject, and the details of Ardery's part in the raid offer some really interesting stuff. Especially intruiging is the background and fate of Medal of Honor winner Lloyd Hughes, who was flying on Ardery's wing when when he perished. This book is really good stuff; Steven Ambrose's "Wild Blue" pales in comparison. Ardery doesn't place himself on a hero pedestal, he merely tells of his experiences in a very interesting and easy-to-digest style.
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Summary: A well written account of a bomber pilot's personal journey
Review: This is a balanced work of historical detail and personal experience, well written and a great read.
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Summary: Fascinating !
Review: This is an account of Col. Philip Ardery's experiences of flying with the 389th Bomb Group in WWII. He gives you the view of an ordinary man doing his duty in a time of war. This story also includes his account of the low level raid on the Ploesti oil fields of Romania by B-24s of the Eighth and Twelfth air forces. This is truly a must-read book for those who have limited knowledge of what pilots of the B-24 had to go through! Check it out!
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Summary: A great account of the B24 Experience
Review: This outstanding autobiographical recount of Ardery's WW2 experiences ranks amongst the top in this genre. Follow his career through flight training and initial assignments, trials, tribulations and finally, a combat assignment. Ardery, his crew, and their B24 participated in several critical and unprecedented bombing missions during the war, including the infamous Ploesti raid. His recount of flying into a virtual "wall of fire", which was the defensive flak being levelled at their bomber, is one of the most horrowing experiences written to date. In addition to this book, those interested in the B24 should definately read Thomas Childer's "Wings of Morning : The Story of the Last American Bomber Shot Down over Germany in World War II" which stands alone as the absolute finest piece of literature written to date on this subject.
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