Hell Above Earth: The Incredible True Story of an American WWII Bomber Commander and the Copilot Ordered to Kill Him
[A]splendid World War II tale...Frater...has penned a meticulously researched and brilliantly reconstructed tale of truth and treachery that's as riveting as it is heart stopping....novelistic in scope...evoking comparisons to modern masters...Mark Bowden and Sebastian Junger....Capote may have coined the phrase "the nonfiction novel," but Stephen Frater has mastered it as well--Providence Journal Review"Stephen Frater, as few others have done, has managed to convey both the heroism and the terror of the men who flew the bombing missions over Germany...Altogether a riveting tale of men at war."--Marshall De Bruhl, author ofFirestorm: Allied Airpower and the Destruction of DresdenMr. Frater does a remarkable job of telling this fascinating true story - a story I thought I knew well - with a most unexpected twist.HELL ABOVE EARTHis a must-read.-- Gary L. Moncur, 303rd Bomb Group HistorianHell Above Earth ..an amazing story ..of World War II...easy to read, personal and gratifying..not for military buffs only...impressive historical detail and unforgettable characters. The terror comes across.. ..outstanding work.This is history at its best, a gripping tale of adventure.-- Seattle PI 4/6/12“The riveting true story of a World War II bomber pilot and the co-pilot who received orders to kill him. At the beginning of the war, U.S. pilot Werner Goering was “an exceptional pilot” whose “nerves of steel, combined with his unwavering ability to make split-second decisions, saw his crew safely home, mission after grueling mission.” However, writesSarasota Herald-Tribunestaffer Frater, he was also the nephew of Hitler’s right-hand man and head of the Luftwaffe, Hermann Goering. As a national-security precaution, FBI officials ordered his experienced co-pilot, Jack Rencher, to kill him if their B-17 was going down over Nazi territory. In addition to examining the friendship that developed between the two, the author packs the narrative with rapid-fire history and statistics about the 303rd Bomb Group, the growth of the U.S. Air Force and the overall tenor of the war. Frater captures the strength, fear and bravery of Goering and Rencher's crew, but never fully explains the details of the men's lives. The narrative is more a factual recounting of Goering's career, which began as an untrusted pilot and continued for more than 20 years as a risk-taking spy during the Cold War, ending at a desk in the Pentagon. After the twists and turns in Goering's many missions, Frater finishes with a stunning revelation. Despite occasional repetition, the author delivers an exciting read full of little-known facts about the war. A WWII thrill ride.”―Kirkus Reviews"Stephen Frater has uncovered one of the greatest and most ironic surprises of World War II. A riveting book, every bit as exciting and unusual as Operation Mincemeat, and demonstrating that there are still things we don’t know about World War II.”―Michael Korda, New York Times bestselling author ofWith Wings Like Eagles"From the opening salvo of words Frater excites and entices. The core story and its surprise ending give us a glimpse of Fate’s fickle twists. Multiple tangents tell the horribly brutal history of the ‘heavies,’ the B-17 Flying Fortresses of the Mighty Eighth Air Force (Army Air Corps), in the flak filled skies over Germany—1944-45. I would expect to see this story on the silver screen in the near future."―John M, Del Vecchio, Author ofThe 13th ValleyandFor the Sake of All Living Things