Rating: 
Summary: Greater appreciation for McGovern
Review: What a wonderful book that brought about a whole different view of George McGovern. Raised in the 60's and 70's, I only remember him as a Senator and former Presidential candidate. Ambrose helps to tell the stories of what shaped McGovern and all men his age, into the people they are today.Wonderful reading that puts you in the plane with the crew!
Rating: 
Summary: So very boring
Review: Ambrose seems to have taken up right where he left off in "Nothing like it in the World" slow and boring, considering the topic that's no small trick either. But if you have an interest in the living arrangements made by Mrs. McGovern through the war by all means pick this book up that and numerous other mundane tidbits are covered in great detail here.
Rating:
Summary: Awful!
Review: With Ambrose's reputation I expected great things from this book. It would seem difficult to fail to write an interesting book on the subject, especially with Ambrose's admiration for McGovern. Unfortunately, the book reads as if someone turned on a tape recorder and then transcribed with no editing. It is painful to read and terribly inconsistent. Given the volume Ambrose publishes, he has to cut corners somewhere, and this was unfortunately where he cut. I could not finish it.
Rating: 
Summary: A must read
Review: The assignment was more or less a death sentence, however the men of that time stood in line waiting to sign up. This is very fortunate for America. If you look up the words guts or patriotism in the dictionary you will find a book listed, "The Wild Blue."
Rating:
Summary: A Major Disappointment
Review: While several of his previous books are interesting military histories, Prof. Stephen Ambrose has morphed into PROFESSOR STEPHEN AMBROSE, INC. For several years, Ambrose's books have become increasingly tired and formulaic, often rehashing his earlier works. In this book, Ambrose hardly seems to make much of an effort to demonstrate his central premise: that the U.S. strategic bombing of Germany was crucial to the Allied victory in World War II. Ambrose may well be right, but this is a complex topic raising numerous empirical and philosophical questions. But Ambrose is not one to be bothered by nuance or evidence. For a far better treatment of this subject, see the relevant chapter in Richard Overy's Why the Allies Won. Ambrose would certainly argue that he's writing for a popular audience and not for professional historians. Fair enough, but even non-specialists deserve a better written (the narrative is choppy and the prose substitutes bombast for eloquence) and more informative treatment. Perhaps taking a page from American arms production in World War II, Ambrose and Simon and Schuster have clearly decided that quantity is priority number one, pushing books off the assembly line as fast as possible, regardless of their quality. The book's only saving grace is it's focus on the wartime experiences of George McGovern, former U.S. Senator from South Dakota and Democratic presidential candidate in 1972. Unlike most of the vets interviewed for Ambrose's books, his career in politics provides him with a broader perspective with which to analyze his wartime experiences. But Ambrose doesn't do his subject justice, constantly shifting the narrative from McGovern to other, less well-known, vets. Furthermore, the book offers little by which to better understand how McGovern went from a distinguished bomber pilot in WWII to become one of the most notable doves in recent U.S. history. Both McGovern and the readers deserve better than this feeble effort.
Rating:
Summary: So Courageous...and So Young
Review: Having read all of Ambrose's previous books, I began to read this one with certain expectations: That the nature and extent of his coverage of the subject, for example, would be comparable with his coverage of the Lewis and Clark expeditions and the construction of the Intercontinental Railroad. In fact it is not. What we seem to have is more of a briefing on rather than a definitive analysis of "the men and boys who flew the B-24s over Germany." It is a great read, combining a lucid and lively writing style with exceptionally interesting information. I had no idea how dangerous the B-24 was to fly. (Ambrose characterizes it as "sternly unforgiving.") Nor how unpleasant it was to fly in it. (According to Ambrose, the temperature in its unheated cabin was frequently sub-zero). It was called the Liberator or "Lib" for short but also had several other nicknames which included "Flying Box Car", "New York Harbor Garbage Scows with Wings", "Spam Can in the Sky", and "The Old Agony Wagon." I had forgotten that almost all of those who flew it as well as the B-17 (the "Flying Fortress") were in their early twenties. I was reminded of that fact, portrayed so vividly in the film Memphis Belle and ignored in an otherwise flawless film, Twelve O'Clock High. Ambrose devotes much of his attention to pilot Lt. George McGovern (age 22) and his crew as they struggle to stay alive long enough to fulfill their strategic obligations while completing the required 35 missions. (McGovern later served as a U.S. Senator and was the Democratic Party's candidate for President in 1972.) This is a brilliant narrative device, first because McGovern and those who flew with him in the Dakota Queen are obviously representative of thousands of B-24 bomber crews but also because the historical and technical information provided by Ambrose is anchored within a human context, one which is often poignant and at times tragic. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has read one or more of Ambrose's previous books; also to those who have a special interest in World War Two; and finally, to those who share my amazement and admiration when introduced to unexceptional people whose accomplishments are anything but.
Rating:
Summary: completely boring and political
Review: This is a terrible book. I did not know when I bought it with my hard earned American money that it would be almost all about former Senator McGovern. I did not spend my money to buy praise for McGovern whom I cannot stomach in any way!The book actually is a major bore and I am sick and tired about hearing about the raid on Polesti which has been over anlyzed and over analyzed some more. Not one thing in the book is new or exciting. I fell asleep reading it since it is great for sending you into dream land. Save your money unless you love McGovern.
Rating: 
Summary: The Wild Blue
Review: If this is the first Ambrose book one would read. He or she may not want to read any of his others. It does not have the style and substance of his previous books. Too much fluff in the begining and too concentrated on one bomber crew. Poor sentence structure and jumbled story line confuse the reader. Some early chapters read like his rough notes were copied verbatim. It is still an intriguing story of the extreme dangers, fears and hardships the young men of our bomber crews had to endure.
If the facts of the story are true, and I believe they are, I gained a new respect for George McGovern and all the other men of the Bomber Command. Stephen Ambrose is a great chronicler of World War II. I have read them all and look forward to his next book.
Rating:
Summary: He's done it again, and I don't mean it in a good way
Review: Mr. Ambrose may be hopelessly addicted to these little ditties on WWII. After offering his fan club a lengthy series of volumes on the American soldier in France and leading some to the conclusion that he was being a bit blatant about re-writing and publishing his original notes four or five times, Ambrose has returned to his favorite topic, surprise, the Americans in WWII. This time, it's off to visit more heroes of Western civilization in bombers over Germany, Austria and other countries few Americans could find on a map. In truth, this book is not really a history in the conventional understanding of the word. Rather, it's a compendium of oral interviews with very old men who flew the planes and lived to tell the tale. Good old George McGovern, cannon fodder for Nixon in '72, leads the pack and provides most of the bulk. Ambrose is as eager to write up their stories as they are to tell them. And as expected, Stephen offers us his usual purple prose and gross exaggerations. We wouldn't expect anything less. At times, you may wonder how many heroes of Western civilization there really are and who gets to qualify. Does my friend Ralph get to be one for liberating whorehouses in Manila in 1945? Those ... could have been armed! It was at least as dangerous as bombing Iraq over the last ten years. To be fair to Ambrose, the B-24 pilots haven't received the fawning attention as other Amis over there so I suppose this book will help to remind Americans that B-24's contributed to the mayhem and destruction of Western cities. All should be accounted for, and Ambrose does achieve this aim. Of course, interested readers could do far better with other, more complete and rigorous books on the bombing campaigns in Europe. But for those readers who must ask themselves Ambrose's question, "could Germany have been defeated without these brave men", I offer a response- sure, just wait for the Russians.
Rating:
Summary: Ambrose has done it again
Review: Stephen Ambrose has shown a real talent for capturing the essence of a conflict through the actions of individuals. He shows this nicely in The Wild Blue. He chronicles bomber pilot George McGovern and crew not because they are the best or the bravest or because their missions were the most glamorous. Rather, he chose them because what they went through typified what thousands of others went through. Ambrose follows McGovern and his crewmates from their hometowns to training to Europe to the final mission.
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