Rating: 
Summary: Thrown together style
Review: Interesting book, it appears to be a quick attempt at creating hit saga of men in combat to follow his "Band of Brothers" It's weak on the description of the B-24's and of the specific training of flight school. Not enough of the book was devoted to the routine in flight of a mission, the reactions to enemy fire, and the worries of getting home. McGovern's short career at the end of the war may not have been the best example of a B-24 crew. An earlier example might have been more appropriate for the title of "Men and Boys who flew the B-24 over Germany." Otherwise, it does give an insight to what life was like for airmen that were processed in the begining of the war that didn't get to fight until closer to the end. Worth the read.
Rating: 
Summary: The Wild Blue
Review: Way too many technical errors. Slow reading and, again, just
too many mistakes. Ambrose did not live up to his reputaion on this book. Early in the book I found myself re-reading Chas Watrey's book "Washout". Chuck has passed now, I believe, but I am sure he would be upset to have his book quoted in the manner it was.
Rating: 
Summary: As foreward says, this book is about McGovern
Review: Band of Brothers and Citizen Soldiers were masterpieces compared to "The Wild Blue." Ambrose says in his foreward that he had been collecting material for a book about McGovern and that this material made its way into "The Wild Blue." Darn right. I wanted to learn more about other pilots, but it always came back to McGovern. And perhaps my memory is faulty, but I don't remember Ambrose's prior works being so choppy, with nearly every other paragraph footnoted. The odd thing was, interesting thoughts would be brought up and then dropped. For example, a couple of times, including in a photo caption, it is mentioned that members of McGovern's bomber crew didn't like a particular guy and that he was a nervous airman. But we never learn why this was so, or any detail about how that affected the crew. And while numerous mentions are made of planes being shot down, there are no details about those who experienced it. This book almost seems like it was rushed to print. If you can, just check it out at the library.
Rating:
Summary: A McGovern Memoir in Disguise
Review: "The Wild Blue" follows George McGovern's short career in the Army Air Force, highlighting his training and combat experience as a B-24 pilot in WWII. While McGovern is a noble character, and his sacrifices and those of his peers are tragic, the book fails in its attempt to be a broader history. Very few other characters are drawn in detail, numbers of missions and bombs dropped seem to be added as afterthoughts, and the losses of U.S. servicemen are treated antiseptically and without passion. The kernal of a definitive work is there, but the effort to follow through was not.
Rating: 
Summary: Stephen Ambrose- Enough Said
Review: The Wild Blue is about B-24 Bombers over Germany and Italy, particularly following George McGovern and his crew. This book tells individual stories and accounts about the guys that were fighting. A big part of this book I liked hearing about was the pilots getting fired upon while on a mission. Some were very lucky. Hearing this was exciting and yet upsetting because some did not survive. The reason it was given 4 stars instead of 5 was because of its sometimes rambling nature. It would get sometimes down right boring. Otherwise, Stephen Ambrose did a wonderful job with this book. Looking forward to his next one!
Rating:
Summary: Black N' Blue
Review: Quick, easy read gives a vivid picture of what it must have been like flying these cumbersome beasts. I enjoyed the book for what it is...an extension of interviews with the B-24 crews. It's a bit heavy on the McGovernism. Unpardonable, really, not to include a schematic or diagram of the plane itself. Overall, a great portrait of how miserable WWII was for the combatants.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting Topic, herky-jerky writing style
Review: The story of The Wild Blue couldn't be more compelling - men crammed into an airplane to take the war to the enemy, despite the difficult conditions (enemy antiaircraft fire, enemy fighters, freezing temperatures, long flights). If it were just for the story itself, it would deserve five stars. However, I am disappointed by Stephen Ambrose's retelling of the story. Since he is an historian, I'm assuming he didn't want to put anything into the book that wasn't accurate history. While I applaud this style over some who might take a few liberties with the truth, I didn't feel that Ambrose really wove the pieces together but instead rammed them to us in disjointed pieces. The pattern of the book is to continue a part of the story for 1/2 to 2 pages and then break it and start with a new train of thought. In addition to making it difficult for the reader to piece the fragments together (names, dates, etc.), the book read more like 100 mini-books. If you are interested in the topic, I would think you would enjoy this book. However, I think the field is wide-open for someone to write a better account (I'm not an expert in this field so perhaps it has already been done).
Rating:
Summary: Soon to be on Used Bookstore Shelves Near You
Review: I was disappointed with this work, given Stephen Ambrose's previous works. I thought it would be more like "Band of Brothers", but it was more of a biography of George McGovern. It is short on the B-24, the AAF, and long on McGovern's romantic life. It also had a shocking number of typos and inaccuracies. Ambroses works are generally good historical works. I do, however, read Stephen Ambrose's books (which are relatively light reads), between more substantial authors like Martin Gilbert, John Keegan, and Lawrence James. If you really want to read this work, wait for it in the used bookstore shelves in the next year or so. There will be plenty.
Rating:
Summary: Ambrose should stick to history, not writing
Review: At least it's not just me -- I was glad to see several other reviewers felt the same as I did. I read Band of Brothers after seeing the HBO mini-series, and was pleased to see that the characters were fleshed out in greater detail in the book. As I read it, I could not help notice what can only be characterised as mediocre writing. I was given Wild Blue as a Christmas gift, and am about to give up. The grammar and the bad prose are so annoying, I can not take it anymore. It's a shame -- the story and the people seem compelling, and the research seems to be there, but the writing would make my son's sixth grade teacher cringe. Several times I have thought to myself, "How on earth did the editor let this manuscript go to print?" As for the subject matter, it would be helpful to have included diagrams or cross sections, or a least demonstrative photos, of the B-24, to give the reader a better image of what the pilots and crew went through.
Rating:
Summary: Stephen Ambrose Gives Us More American History
Review: You don't have to be a World War II buff to enjoy this book. I'm sure it will be very difficult for me to add anything new to what other reviewers have already said regarding this book. I found it to be a worth while read even for those like me who have no background knowledge regarding this aspect of World War II. Author Stephen Ambrose has chosen to use George McGovern's experiences in flying the B-24 airplane in Europe. Ambrose does an excellent job in humanizing the crew of this airplane who faced death every time they embarked on one of their 35 missions. No attempt is made to single out any special contribution these men made to save western civilization from Nazi Germany. Those who flew B-17's and those involved in other branches of the serivces are also recognized. In short, a team effort of all the services was necessary to win the war. Others certainly contributed to the war effort, but author Ambrose has chosen to focus on George McGovern and the men who flew the B-24 airplanes. This is a book well worth your time.
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