Rating: 
Summary: A Mild View of the Air War over Germany
Review: I was with the Eighth Air Force in England and flew bombing missions over Germany in a B-17 in 1943-44. I hoped that Stephen Ambrose would use his excellent command of prose to describe the horror of those missions, whether in a B-24, B-17, Fifteenth Air Force in Italy, or Eighth Air Force in England. But it didn't happen. His description of combat is like sipping a glass of milk, when actual combat is like choking down a glass of tequila. It is probably asking too much of someone who wasn't there, but I didn't get the feeling of intense cold, frozen oxygen masks, altitude sickness, planes exploding around you, boys losing arms, legs, or heads, and men driven mad by fear. In four months of missions, my ten-man crew had five killed and two, including me, wounded. I lost so many friends that I stopped making friends because it hurt too much when I saw them die.
The book is mostly a story of former Senator George McGovern, as he trained and flew a B-24 on bombing missions at the end of the war against Germany. He apparently didn't have to face German fighters coming at him, but he flew many times through the awful box barrages of antiaircraft fire above German cities. I still don't know how any of us survived those.
The book has errors, but what book doesn't? Thus, I'll point out the first one, on the first page of Chapter One and let it go at that. He says, "They were all volunteers. The U.S. Army Air Corps - after 1942 the Army Air Forces - did not force anyone to fly." That is nonsense. Four members of my crew were draftees, and many other combat crews contained draftees. I was headed for a nice, safe job as a ground-based officer, when the Air Force sneakily gave me a flight physical.
Still, it's an enjoyable book. It's low-key and will be welcome if you don't like to read about the blood and gore of combat. I particularly liked learning that, after eating canned Spam for months, a U.S. Senator and candidate for President of the United States grew to hate the stuff as much as I did.
Rating: 
Summary: completely misinterprets Michael Sherry's book
Review: Stephen Ambrose consistantly sites Michael Sherry's book to support his favorable impression of the Army Air Forces actions during the Second World War. While Ambrose praises the technoncratic approach of the airmen during World War II, Sherry harshly condemns this culture. According to Sherry this made the airmen unable to formulate alternatives to strategic bombing of cities instead they measured success in the amount of damage that the bombers caused regardless of the target's military value.Ambrose does not mention the bombing Dresden in his account. Nor does Ambrose write about the disasterous raids made by the Fifteenth and Eighth airforces in 1943 when hundreds of aircrew lost their lives for targets of dubious military value. Instead we get a myopic account of George McGovern's time in the Army Air Force.
Rating: 
Summary: An interesting read about the B-24
Review: This was a very interseting book although not one of Mr. Ambose's best. I learned a lot about the plane, the men who flew them, the training which was extensive, the dangers these men faced & how they contributed to the war. I'm a slow reader, but read this in a day. I would recommend this to anyone and it was certainly worth the price of the book.
Rating: 
Summary: Enjoyable, and extremely informative.
Review: While the book was guility of cheerleading, it sure showed that the men who flew the B-24 certainly deserved to be cheered more than they have. The book was very compelling, and enjoyable in audio form. It lacked the details of a true history, and was more than lacking in real military details, but it was a book about the personnel experiences and feel of an under reported group of extremely brave men. I was amazed by the bravely and the hardships these men faced, and shocked that despite his many other faults that anyone would question McGovern's service to his country.
Rating:
Summary: An exciting read - hats off to the men who flew the B-24
Review: Celebrity historian Stephen E. Ambrose couldn't have gone wrong with "The Wild Blue," for the subject matter is just so incredibly fascinating. I agree with other reviewers that the book doesn't measure up to his earlier works (I highly recommend "Undaunted Courage," "D-Day," and "Citizen Soldiers."). First of all, it doesn't contain very much material (the first thing I noticed when it came out was how thin it is). Second, I couldn't understand if it was a book about George McGovern's experiences flying B-24s over Europe, or about B-24 crews in general - Ambrose awkwardly flip-flops between the two. Nonetheless, the experiences about which he writes are incredible. I can't imagine the sheer terror of flying through flak bursts or forming such tight formations that invite inevitable mid-air collisions. Ambrose aptly describes the B-24 as a bomber that could take a pounding and still deliver. I appreciated his description of the flight training that was required before air crews could get over to Europe - I had no idea it was so thorough. I have a very high regard for the men (boys, really) who were able to help defeat Nazi Germany from the air. All in all, this book is a exciting read, though not necessarily because Ambrose wrote it.
Rating:
Summary: My first "Ambrose", and a major disappointment
Review: This is an okay book. The writing isn't great, which surprised me, since for several years people have been telling me that Stephen Ambrose is the new David McCullough. To tell you the truth, I sometimes found it a bit embarrassing. A smile as wide as all outdoors? That was a cliche when the B-24 was new! (Maybe his earlier books were spellingbinding? I don't know; I haven't read any of them.)I wasn't particularly impressed by the historical depth, either. I know, I know; Ambrose specializes in oral history, so his bibliography is going to be skinny. But I would think he would have read something more current or compelling than "The Army Air Forces in World War II". (Ch. 5 is a short history of the air war in Europe. Of 26 footnotes, 10 are to the AAF history and 10 more are to Michael Sherry's "The Rise of American Air Power", which is okay but certainly not the last word on the subject.) For example: Richard Ardrey's "Bomber Pilot", which is about B-24s, written by a B-24 pilot and commander who flew on some of the raids mentioned by Ambrose. Or "The Day We Bombed Switzerland". If he'd done some exploration, he might have concluded that the B-24 wasn't quite the wonderful plane he believes. Then too, Ambrose is not a pilot, and it shows. People said the same thing about my first military-aviation book, so I set out to learn to fly. Looking back, there isn't much that I would change after 200 hours at the controls. (The novel "Remains" was written before I started flight training. When I revised it for publication, I added just one sentence, about the lovely feeling of flaring to land; the rest looked pretty good to me, though I'm sure a P-40 pilot could poke some holes into it.) Ambrose's naivete shows through when he writes about the experience of flight, and also when he sets out to explain what a B-24 is and how it differs from other aircraft. This stuff is so simple-minded that it belongs in a book for children, not a best-seller for adults. Finally, it turns out that the really good stuff in "The Wild Blue" was lifted almost without change from Thomas Childers's "Wings of Morning". (He also lifted the title, by the way, from a novel by Walter Boyne.)
Rating:
Summary: What a rip-off!
Review: Poorly written, badly researched and hastily patched-up work. It seemed the book was written to capitalize more on Ambrose's reputation...because he did write some good books before. Maybe he wanted to write a new book to pay for a new kitchen sink. With this book, it just sealed his reputation (as far as I'm concerned) as a light-weight historian. One is best left to stick with the likes of more substantive historians like D. McCullough, R. Massie, J. Keegan, or M. Gilbert. Wasted my money on this one, and I'll sell quick as lightning, soon as I can find another sucker. (Should have no problem; there's one born every minute.)
Rating:
Summary: He is the Best
Review: The author, Stephen E. Ambrose is considered one of if not the leading American historian concerning our involvement in World War 2. He has recently received some bad press about "borrowing" information from other authors, and that is a shame he let this happen to his image, but this issue does not effect his wonderful writing style. This book takes the reader through the full story of what it was like to be in a bomber crew during the European U.S. effort during World War Two. He takes the reader from the training, planning and preparation all the way to the actual bombing runs. We also get about 40 % of the book that covers the career during the war of George McGovern, which is an interesting story in its self. The book is just wonderfully detailed and really paints a picture in the minds eye. The thing that I loved the most about the book was the immense amount of detailed information he gave us. Ambrose is such a skilled writer that he can dictate lists in a compelling manner. The story has much more then endless list of facts, Ambrose does a wonderful job of describing what the American aircrew went through, and from the food they ate to first hand accounts of some of the worse air battles in the war. I highly recommend this and his books "D-Day" and "Citizen Solders" to get an accurate, detailed and very easy to read documentation of the American war effort in Europe. There is no better American author on the topic.
Rating:
Summary: Good, but there's better
Review: Ambrose's story of George McGovern and his experiences in Italy as a B-24 is a good account of what it was like to become a bomber pilot in World War II. However, the book is basically a collection of anecdotes and does not do a good job of describing day to day life of Bomber crews in Italy. In addition, Ambrose falls into the rah-rah attitude that seems to plague most of his books. While they are all quality works, Ambrose attempts to place the American man--the "Sons of Democracy," as he likes to call them--as the pinnacle of the species. The idea that the Germans weren't as brave or capable of soldiers is inferred at times. It also takes something away from the randomness of death that is pervasive in war. For a more detailed and in-depth look at the life of a B-24 pilot, try "Bomber Pilot" by Philip Ardery. Ardery was stationed in England--not Italy--most of the war, but spent some time in North Africa. Pilot training is discussed in much greater detail, as is daily life for the pilots and crews. Ardery also was involved in the August 1, 1943 raid on Ploesti, and dedicates a chapter to that experience.
Rating:
Summary: Good but not the best
Review: Like many reviewers have stated here it's a good story the battle that the AAF had in WW2. Learning about McGovern's war record was very enlighting. The book doesn't go much on his Presidentital run but his experience in war certainly help explains his political positions he will have later in life. For me this is a quiet hero who did his job the best he could. Just like many people that fought WW2. The only problem I have with the book is that it is put up together a little haphazard. Other books such as Bands of Brothers we really get to know everyone really well. This book it doesn't really happen. Nonetheless the McGovern story alone is worth getting this book. As always Ambrose does include great details how life was in camp and in the planes. For a history teacher (like myself) the details are crucials. It helps me explain how WW2 was fought in the sky over Europe.
|
