Mighty Fortress: Lead Bomber Over Europe
Fly with a brave band of American boys. As good a World War II story as I've read. --Jack Harrison. Former VP of New York TImes CompanyMy appreciation on behalf of the 34th for your accomplishments on our behalf and for writing this book. --Major General William E. Creer, Ret. Former Commmandier 34th Bomb Group, 8th Air ForceCharles Alling has provided us with a unique and totally human view of strength, courage, discipline and compassion. From the first pages we see the depth of character and leadership that so many young men and women were forced to develop in the opening chapters of WWII. I was moved to tears by the poignancy of the delivery, and was fascinated by the extraordinary will, skill and good luck that the crew of the Miss Prudy experienced, while calmly following orders and putting themselves in great peril. A strong sense of spirituality permeates Mr. Alling's prose, as well as devotion to country and to his loved ones. The successful completion of 27 missions over enemy territory, most of which are chronicled, was in itself a huge achievement, and the reader is put directly into the cockpit of a B-17. If you have read Tom Brokaw's "The Greatest Generation," you will see in Alling, his crew and colleagues other examples of sheer greatness. The book is easily read, very hard to put down. (I read it in about four hours) The descriptions put "living color" into impressions which had been, for me, black and white. These guys had, to borrow a phrase, "True Grit." --By Ted CooperCandidly written by Charles Alling (a pilot of the 8th Air Force and recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal with four Oak Leaf Clusters during World War II), A Mighty Fortress: Lead Bomber Over Europe is a personal memoir of the final months of World War II when Alling was flying B-17s in combat over Germany. Harrowing danger, the heroic and strenuous efforts of a coordinated flight crew, the horrors of war, and the ultimate triumph of "the greatest generation" fill this captivating autobiography from beginning to end. A Mighty Fortress is highly recommended reading and a welcome addition to the growing Military History library of World War II eye-witness memoirs and autobiographies. --By Midwest Book Review ---This text refers to theHardcoveredition.