James H. Farmer has assembled the most complete story to date in his book, Celluloid Wings . Whether or not you care about the history of the film, it remains an aviation classic and should be in anyone's B-17 library. The offered version is listed as 132 minutes so it may include some scenes cut from the U.S. release but included in overseas versions. The Douglas A-26 Invader is an unsung type, arriving late in World War II but serving later in both the Korea and Vietnam conflicts. Becoming the very definition of hot attack bomber, the Invader enjoyed nearly forty years of combat with military forces around the world.
All foreign use is covered, including lend-lease and U.S. military assistance programs.
Much of the information and photos uncovered by Hagedorn and Hellstrom must have been extremely difficult to come by, so it is to their credit that it is presented in an authoritative yet readable fashion. Much legend and misinformation has surrounded the activity of this small group and it seems to be set straight here for the first time. The book is printed on high-quality paper with good photo reproduction. It's the kind of book any serious aviation historian would have liked to have written. Frederick Johnsen has done a number of books in the series and has done a nice job on the B-17 volume.